Leaf Rosette Wreath

So, I thought of this idea for the contest and made it (with Kate's help rolling rosettes and picking leaves off tall trees - thanks for that!) and wrote the post all in one day - phew!

There is nothing more "natural" in the fall those those gorgeous leaves.  I LOVE the bright red ones especially, so I used them to make a wreath.   That's right, the rosettes in the wreath are made from folded and wrapped leaves!!

Here's an upclose view of the leaves turned into rosettes - WOW, right?!

I tied the wreath around a frame I already had and set it on my piano with some more leaves and pine cones. 

This whole Leaf Rosette Wreath project cost me nothing - love that!  I also love that it is RED, so I think this can transition easy into holiday decor.

So, would you like a brief how-to??

First, collect the leaves - they need to be pliable (err, "bendy") so I pulled them right off the tree.  Then cut a circle wreath form out of a discarded box - I had purchased wreath forms that were twisty, but they weren't going to work - the cardboard was perfect.

For the leaf rosettes, fold them in half along the stem, like shown ( just ignore my post-halloween-flaking-nailpolish):

 Then cut the stem off and roll it up.  Put a dab of hot glue.  Then fold and wrap another leaf around the outside.  Most the bigger rosettes had 4-5 leaves.  The small tight rosettes had 2-3 leaves.  After it's the size you want, use scissors to even up the bottom of the rosette.

 As you roll leaf rosettes you'll find that you can make different "varieties" - loose, big, tight, etc.  All are great and add variety to the wreath.

To attach the rosettes to the wreath form, just use a generous amount of hot glue.  I did not cover my wreath form first, but I wish I would have - so I'd recommend gluing down a layer of flat leaves to start, that way there's no risk in seeing cardboard.  For my edges I wrapped leaves around and glued them like so, to hide the cardboard:

And that's it!  I hung mine using a strip of tulle in an empty frame - but you could do anything with it - think of laying it flat on a table with a centerpiece of candles in the middle...

Thanks!   - - Mandy