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In my new house I have a really nice fireplace that takes up the corner of my living room. With a heavy and dark wood mantle and a pretty quartz-like stone fireplace surround it’s one of the first things you really notice when you walk into the room from the foyer.
On the negative side you might notice my big TV that doesn’t quite fill the space. Basically what happened was we closed on the house in December and seeing the TV mount over the fireplace it made sense to go ahead and put my own TV there. But as it turns out my 55-inch television isn’t nearly as large as what had been there and it doesn’t look nearly as good. But dang, who needs a TV bigger than 55 inches?
And as I was putting up my Christmas tree, right next to the window that sits beside my fireplace I decided to pull focus from the ill-fitting TV by adding a festive Christmas garland.
As luck would have it, when it comes to Christmas decorations I have expensive tastes… The first garland I found and loved was $90. And I needed 2. Egads! Then I found a slightly less expensive favorite garland that $80 apiece. Knowing that they would eventually go on sale for half price, that still meant I’d be spending $90 or $80 PLUS TAX on Christmas garland. Nope, nope, and more nope. I did what I do and waited for a few sales, then made my very own DIY Christmas Garland for a fraction of the price. Want to see how I did it?
What a Difference a Few Cheap Florals Makes!
Above is my fireplace along with my DIY Christmas garland pre and post addition of extra florals. Isn’t it truly amazing what a few dollars worth of greenery makes? Below my cedar garland I have swagged a 12-foot wood bead garland in a dark brown stain I purchased for $5.99.
Let’s hop on to finding out just how to give our garland such a makeover!
Supplies Needed for DIY Christmas Garland:
- Plain Pine or Cedar Garland
- Floral Greenery
- Colorful Christmas Florals
- Floral Tape
- Small Green Zip Ties
- Large Bow or Small Floral Arrangement
I purchased 2 Cedar Garlands from Michael’s for $7.99 apiece (regular price: $19.99/ea) . In the photos they show little red berries that didn’t actually come with mine. Another good budget option is to purchase 4 of these $3 plain Canadian Pine Garlands at Michael’s and doubling them up (regular price: $5.99/ea). (Remember prices often change so shop smart!)
You can find inexpensive Christmas fake flowers in so many places. In the craft department at Walmart I purchased 4 Mainstays Boxwood Picks for $0.97 apiece and 4 Mainstays Holiday Picks (red berries) for $0.97 apiece. The yellow-green leaves actually came off of some Mainstays Blue Fake Peony fake flowers I used in my Christmas Tree so were technically free. Last of all, I grabbed a flocked Eucalyptus bush pick from At Home for $3.99 (which I used about half of).
Total Cost for supplies for bulk out 2 6-foot DIY Christmas Garlands: about $8 (with tax).
Tools Needed:
- Metal Wire Cutters
- Scissors
- Clear Command Hooks
If you don’t have metal nippers you can use the cutter that is inside a pair of needle-nose pliers!
How to Hang Your Christmas Garland without Damage:
Place clear Command Hooks wherever you would like for your garland to hang. Be sure to place hooks evenly apart and but close enough that the garland makes elegant swags.
For me I placed hooks, one on top of the other for my cedar and wood bead garlands. On either end, near the corner, I placed another hook. One additional hook per side went onto the wood mantlepiece near the wall.
Don’t worry too much about visible hooks, we’ll cover them up before it’s done.
Adding Florals to Your DIY Christmas Garland:
Gather your fake florals and using wire cutters trim into individual stems, if necessary. If making more than one garland, divide out the greenery into piles, evenly distributing the different styles.
This is floral tape. It’s the most cost-effective option to add florals to your garland but works best for lightweight stems and picks.
To use, cut off a strip of 2-4″. Wrap the floral tape around the end of the stem 2-3 times.
Place the stem along the garland, pushing the floral tape onto where you want the 2 to connect. Wrap the floral tape around the pick and garland until it feels like a secure join.
Zip ties are a great option for adding heavier florals to your DIY Christmas garland. Simply place the stem where you would like for it to connect with the garland and secure as tightly as possible with the zip tie. Trim the tie’s tail.
To disguise hanging hooks that aren’t overly noticeable already, simply finagle the greenery to cover each hook. In the center, or where 2 garlands meet the hook will be far more visible. On these hooks I recommend using a large bow or a floral arrangement from a pre-designed floral pick.
My centerpiece was pulled from a fancy black and white buffalo check bow. Since the buffalo check didn’t match this year’s décor, I simply trimmed the ribbon away. The least expensive option for these joined areas is to make your own bows out of matching ribbon.
Now isn’t that some lovely and full DIY Christmas garland? I think so!
