DIY Cascading Garland

Monday, November 6, 2017


'Christmas Tiiime is here.... happiness and cheer'. That's right, y'all... The Christmas season has officially begun in our house! It doesn't take long after Halloween ends for me to feel the itch to start decorating for Christmas. I know the world is divided into a) those who decorate early for Christmas and b) grinches. Haha, Just kidding! I know a lot of people prefer to wait until after Turkey Day to bust out their trees and twinkle lights and that is TOTALLY okay! But this girl likes the extra month to cherish the Christmas decor.

This year I had the bright idea to create a dramatic mantelscape with some cascading winter garland. I had seen many bloggers/IG'ers doing this with their fall mantels and I just knew after seeing those pictures my plain ol' garland wasn't going to cut it. 

Whenever I have one of my big 'ideas' for new decor I don't always plan to DIY it. Most of the time I will actually see if what I'm imagining is for sale somewhere to save myself some time. Well, after a quick google search I knew that I wasn't going to be purchasing any pre-done garland because the price tags were upwards of $100. Sheesh. That is just not in the 'I left my job to stay home with my son' budget. So, I set out to DIY this garland. You guys... this project turned out BETTER than I was hoping and it cost me a whopping $10 to complete! Note, I did have a few items on hand already- but still! So how did I do it? Full tutorial below!

Let's get started!

What you will need:
  • Pre-Lit Garland Strand
  • Small Pine Stems
  • Frosted Greenery
  • Small Command Strips
Step 1: Prep your mantel

The first thing I did was add small command strips all the way across my mantel. What. Did. I. Do. Before. Command. Strips?! Oh, I know... I put tacs and holes in everything! Command strips are amazing (NOT sponsored). Use them!




Step 2: Hang Pre-Lit Garland

You will start to create your cascading garland look by hanging your plain ol' run-of-the-mill pre-lit strand of garland. Make sure you take the time to 'fluff' it as much as possible!



Step 3: Add Small Garland Stems

I picked up these small pine stems of at Hobby Lobby. They are originally $1.99 a piece but I happened to be there on a day when all Christmas decor was 50%- making them a dollar a piece!


I simply twisted the ends of the extra garland pieces around the pre-lit garland strand.




I chose to use 9 small stems total.



Step 4: Bunch Stems

I left this project to mull over as I slept. The next day (while on the phone and semi-distracted...sometimes how I do my best 'styling') I started messing around with this garland. I ended up bunching the 9 stems into three groups. Within those groups I made the middle stem the longest and the two around it a bit shorter (to give that cascading look).



Then, I took some old snowy/frosty looking greenery I had (found similar here) and I cut it up and starting placing it on top of the garland. This was key to making this garland 'pop'.


Step 5: Admire!

If I am being fully honest, I had NO idea this project would turn out so well! I was standing in the aisles of Hobby Lobby second guessing every idea I had. Then, I decided to go for it. I cant believe I almost spent $80 on the pre-made stuff! (And by 'almost' I mean- daydreamed).






Have you made your own mantel garland? Share with me in the comments below!

As always, Thank you for visiting R&R at home!




4 comments

  1. I love this! I have a hankering for a full mantel garland this year and you've given me some great inspiration, thank you! Sue via #CreateLinkInspire

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sue! So sorry for the late reply- Thank you so much! I am so glad I could inspire you! I am so happy with how this turned out :) :)

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  2. Hi!
    Wondering if you made the trees on your mantle...looks like rafia wrapped around a wire cone?
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lisa! I actually found those trees a few years back at Homegoods but I am sure that they could be DIY'd!

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