Banana Leaf DIY Summer Wreath

One of my very favorite movies as a kid was Troop Beverly Hills. Part of the film takes place in the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel, and that hotel’s famous banana leaf wallpaper has always been a favorite of mine. Probably because of that, I have really been loving the recent trend of banana and palm leaf patterns. This little DIY summer wreath is my crafty take on the trend.

Banana leaf DIY summer wreath supplies:

• Darice Crepe Paper Folds (I used green and black)
• Darice Floral Tape
• Darice Stem Wires
• Darice 18″ Metal Wreath Form
• Glue
• Wire Cutters
• Hot Glue Gun

Step One. Cut out leaves

I made my banana leaves out of Darice’s crepe paper folds, which are one long piece of crepe paper 20 inches wide by 7.5 feet long. Make sure to cut your leaves perpendicular to the lines in the paper to make the leaves look more realistic.

I cut four leaves at a time by first cutting out an oval shape and then clipping out little triangles along the sides.

Step Two. Glue in Stems

Fold the leaf in half lengthwise and put a line of glue along the bottom half of the leaf in the crease.

Place a stem wire into the glue and fold the paper in half over the glue. Let it dry like this.

When the glue is dry, you can open up the leaf.

Pretty soon you will have a big pile of leaves.

I decided to make some in black as well to add some dimension and depth to my DIY summer wreath.

Step Three. Attach Leaves to Wreath Form

To attach the leaves to the wreath form, wrap the stem wires around the wires of the form. Try to vary the size and color of the leaves as you attach them to the wire. I liked the look of the folded leaves too, so I left some that way.

Cover the wire and the bottom of the leaf with floral tape. Pull the floral tape slightly as you wrap to activate the adhesive.

When you have the leaves all in place, use small drops of hot glue to keep the leaves on your DIY summer wreath in place.

And that’s it! Hang your new DIY summer wreath up and enjoy!

You could also use these leaves to make a garland or make jumbo versions to place in a vase. Happy Crafting!

Alexis

Alexis Middleton is a lifelong crafter/DIYer and blogger at Persia Lou. She started crafting at a young age. As a girl, she spent summers with her grandmother crocheting baby doll afghans, making coasters out of plastic canvas and yarn, and canning apricot jam. Today, Alexis spends a lot of time dreaming up and working on projects for her family’s home. She loves mixing traditional crafting techniques with a more modern aesthetic.

http://www.persialou.com