DIY Holiday Garland

If you know a little about me, you know that I start to decorate early for the holidays due to how hectic things get with our online shop. It's no disrespect to Thanksgiving...just a convenience thing! This week I thought I'd show you how I made my DIY holiday garland since it's the first time I've ever done this! I combined two items from our most recent live sale, added some gold leaves, pine cones and ribbon and boom! I've never been as happy with my garland as this year! I've even created a video of the process!

Step 1: Gather your supplies.

You will need the following:

• wire (I used 24 gauge because it's what I had, but you may want to go with a heavier option)
• wire cutters (unless you have some old scissors that will do the trick)
• any garland or greenery you plan to include (I used Dripping Cedar Garland and Hanging Deer Fern)
• ornaments (optional)
• pine cones (optional)
• ribbon (optional)
• command hooks for hanging

Step 2: Cut some wire strips, or use precut pieces.

It saves some time if you have your strips ready to grab so that you are not trying to cut as you attach your holiday garland. I made my strips about 6 inches long but you'll need to determine the length based upon the size of the pieces you are planning to attach.

Step 3: Cut apart large pieces that have several stems.

Since my ferns had 4-5 stems each, I cut those into individual pieces. The deer ferns go a long way! Cutting them apart allowed me to have several long strips of fern for me to weave into the dripping cedar garland.

Step 4: Start making your holiday garland!

Spread some of the dripping cedar or "base" garland pieces apart. Insert some of the fern or other greenery you plan to use. Attach the two pieces together using the wire pieces and twisting the wire in the back. Make sure any sharp edges are hidden within the garland itself. You could even put a small amount of floral or painter's tape over the ends of the wire if you are worried about any scratching to your mantel. Continue this process the entire way down your garland until you are happy with the look. I worked right on the floor in front of my mantel to do this. I don't have any photos of this part but I did make a video which you can see at the end!

Step 5: Hang your garland!

Command hooks are my go to when it comes to Christmas decorating! I had some large ones on each end as well as one in the middle of my mantel. I made two complete sets of this garland and hung them by tying some twine around the garland at each end and in the middle. Simply tie in the twine where it's fairly discrete and then tie a loop that can hook onto the command hooks. You may want to have more than one command hook in each spot just in case your garland is too heavy for the hook to carry. You don't want all of your hard work to come crashing down on the floor! (Or on any items that are sitting below!)

Step 6: Embellish!

Once your holiday garland is hung as you'd like it, now you can embellish with whatever you'd like! Pine cones can be added with some wire wrapped around them and twisting them. Ornaments can be hung, too. I had some gold leaves that came on stems that I cut off and just glued in using hot glue.

Step 7: Enjoy!

Step back and enjoy the fruits of your labor! I did a quick video for you for those of you who are visual learners. I hope this was helpful! You can do this with any combination of greenery that you like. Let me know if you try or have tried making your own garland yourself! Check out these DIY door trees for Christmas also!