How to Make Cheap Garland Look Expensive

Make cheap garland look expensive with these simple tips.

I’m so excited to be sharing today along with fellow bHome bloggers! Be sure to scroll to the bottom to find out about an exciting giveaway…

How to Make Cheap Garland Look Expensive - This is so beautiful and so easy! DIY cedar garland makes a gorgeous Christmas decoration in your holiday home | maisondepax.com

If you saw my home tour (visit part 1 here and part 2 here), you know that I was very much inspired by nature this year: wreaths, clippings, simple trees, garland, and peaceful spaces. Our recent move to a little over an acre (aka “the wilderness” according to my sons 😉 ) has motivated me to try to bring some of that beauty indoors this season. The biggest jackpot? Cedar trees galore.

How to Make Cheap Garland Look Expensive - This is so beautiful and so easy! DIY cedar garland makes a gorgeous Christmas decoration in your holiday home | maisondepax.com

As a result, I decided to try my hand at some diy fresh wreaths and garland this year… and it was so much easier than I had expected. I’ve never been able to bring myself to spend the money on fresh wreaths and garland in the past (though I drool over them whenever I see them!), and after this year’s experiment, I won’t have to. I think they all turned out beautifully, and they didn’t me cost a dime.

How to Make Cheap Garland Look Expensive - This is so beautiful and so easy! DIY cedar garland makes a gorgeous Christmas decoration in your holiday home | maisondepax.com

All you need is some super cheap garland (which we have lots of – I think I paid $1.99 per 12′ strand some years ago), green floral wire (like this), and a string of Christmas lights if desired.

How to Make Cheap Garland Look Expensive - This is so beautiful and so easy! DIY cedar garland makes a gorgeous Christmas decoration in your holiday home | maisondepax.com

The trick is to start with the cheap garland and simply layer your fresh clippings on top…

How to Make Cheap Garland Look Expensive - This is so beautiful and so easy! DIY cedar garland makes a gorgeous Christmas decoration in your holiday home | maisondepax.com

It makes it full, beautiful, and shapely with minimal work. Here’s how:

  1. Clip lots of ~8-12″ pieces of fresh evergreen (if you don’t have them on your property, I’m told you can usually get free clippings from places that sell trees – they’ll give you what they trim off the bottoms)
  2. Attach your cheap garland where you want it (I used a little floral wire to hang it on our banister)
  3. You can even wrap it around posts
  4. String white lights along the garland, if desired
  5. Spread your clippings out along the garland so you can reach them with one hand
  6. Attach your first clipping by wrapping floral wire around the cut end and the faux garland
  7. Layer your next clipping to overlap the previous one by several inches
  8. Continue wrapping the floral wire loosely over the clippings (I only wrapped it around once every 5 inches or so – just enough to keep the clippings from falling)
  9. Give yourself a liberal piece of wire at the end to tuck in and secure

How to Make Cheap Garland Look Expensive - This is so beautiful and so easy! DIY cedar garland makes a gorgeous Christmas decoration in your holiday home | maisondepax.com

I may or may not be slightly allergic to cedar… but other than that problem, it’s been a perfect addition to our entryway. 😉

How to Make Cheap Garland Look Expensive - This is so beautiful and so easy! DIY cedar garland makes a gorgeous Christmas decoration in your holiday home | maisondepax.com

Just a quick word or warning if you intend to use lights: don’t forget that real clippings can catch fire! I have kept mine lasting longer by spraying them with a water bottle each day (unplug the lights first, just in case!). Use common sense – turn the lights off when you leave or sleep, don’t turn them on if the branches feel dry, etc.

And enjoy your glamorous garland!

How to Make Cheap Garland Look Expensive - This is so beautiful and so easy! DIY cedar garland makes a gorgeous Christmas decoration in your holiday home | maisondepax.com

As a part of the bHome Christmas Event, D. Lawless Hardware (remember my kitchen cabinet makeover and my restored Swedish workbench??… they have beautiful products!) is offering one lucky winner a $150 gift card. All the details are below:

GIVEAWAY

All the bloggers you will see on this tour are on the bHome App and we are honored to be partnering with D. Lawless Hardware to offer a $150.00 Gift Card to one lucky winner. To enter just download our bHome App by clicking HERE. Our app is available to both iPhone and Android users. If you have already downloaded bHome, you will automatically get a message to TAP to enter. D. Lawless offers international shipping so this giveaway is open to anyone. Winner will be notified on or around December 14, 2015.

Be sure to visit the other talented bHome bloggers sharing this week:

bHome Christmas Event | Day 1

DAY 1

Garden Therapy | Cedar Hill Farmhouse | Bright, Bold & Beautiful | Cupcakes and Crinoline
Southern Hospitality | Little Farmstead | Shabby Art Boutique

bHome Christmas Event | Day 2

DAY 2

Redhead Can Decorate | Jennifer Rizzo | Our Southern Home | Maison de Pax | Rooms for Rent
Cherished Bliss | Homemade by Carmona | Everyday Enchanting | My Soulful Home

 

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 MORE DIY CHRISTMAS DECORATING:

Sheet Music Angel Wings

How to make angel wings from vintage sheet music... Stunning! maisondepax.com

Winter Woodland Christmas Tree

What a beautiful Christmas tree! Natural elements and neutral ornaments make this winter woodland tree simple and gorgeous | maisondepax.com

Green and White Holiday Porch

I love this simple, white and green look for the holidays! Classic greenery and white accents for a Christmas Front Porch | maisondepax.com

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15 Comments

  1. Not only is it beautiful Rachel, but it must smell so wonderful!…Great idea with the most gorgeous results!!! You must be so excited spending your first Christmas in your new home!

  2. You are so clever! I love the look of fresh garland, but I too have never wanted to spend the money for it. How lucky that you have all this in your own back yard! Your home looks stunning! XO

  3. It is beautiful…may I ask – the sign on your door “Wishing you Peace, Joy & Love” – is that one of your tutorials? It’s beautiful as well!

    1. Thank you, Melissa! Yes, the door hanger is one of mine. I posted it just two weeks ago, so you can scroll back a few posts or you can search cedar door hanger. I hope this helps!

  4. You can’t beat natural and I think yours looks totally amazing Rachel. Pinned and sharing 🙂

  5. Brilliant! I bet the house smells wonderful too with the fresh addition.

    Since I have a bare tree and no decorations (other than those for sale in my shop) and we travel south in ELEVEN days for Christmas, would you mind coming to decorate my house? I am sure you have ‘nothing’ else to do. 😉

    If I don’t pop back on in those days between, Merry Christmas, friend. xo

    Enjoy watching the wonder through the “littles” eyes.

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