Garland is the ‘cherry on top’ of your Christmas decor.
Its the piece that helps to add the finishing touch to a stairway or bookcase. At our house, garland is hung on hall banisters, above the stove top, over the entry door, and my favorite, above our built-in bookcase in the family room.
The key to perfecting any garland, though, is making it ‘the’ decoration in a room, not just an ‘extra’ decoration.
Here are the Christmas Gals six easy steps to perfecting your garland game!
#1 Don’t Break the Bank
Garland can be incredibly inexpensive.
Over the years, I’ve acquired most of my garland at after-Christmas sales for only a fraction of the retail price.
Leading up to Christmas each year, I watch the craft store sales, where ‘Christmas floral,’ which includes garland, is oftentimes deeply discounted…even more so than other Christmas decor.
One of my favorite places to save on garland is Lowe’s. Each Black Friday, Lowe’s offers a deep discount on artificial garland. This year’s pre-lit, nine foot artificial garland was only $4.98! Less than five bucks, people!
#2 Double Up
One of the biggest mistakes I have made when putting up garland is only using one strand. Lush looking garland can only look lush if you double up on it! This seems like such a simple piece of advice, but it was only after Christmas Gal Shendra pointed this out to me on our banister garland that I realized what a difference TWO garlands can make.
You can double up on the same type of garland or choose to double up by mixing and matching garland styles. Both serve the same purpose…making it look thicker and fuller.
#3 Lights? Always.
Garland can look dull and fall flat if you are not incorporating lights into the display. Unlike your tree where more and more lights only make it look better and better, you don’t need an overwhelming amount of lights to make your garland pop. A little can go a long way!
Garland is a thin strip of greens, so twisting or wiring in a single strand of lights will add great color and depth. Too many lights can cause issues with hanging wires.
My equation? One 9-ft garland + one 100 ct. strand of lights (which is typically 24-30 ft long) = perfect amount of lights!
#4 Floral and Ornaments
Garlands can really compliment a room or tree you already have in the vicinity especially when you use similar floral picks or sprays and ornaments. These added elements really take an inexpensive garland to an expensive looking level by injecting color and texture.
My go-to for most garland floral? Red berry sprays….which are available at any and every craft store, many times for less than $1. I buy them in bulk!
Add two different types of floral elements to your garland. Pine cones are a great option, or if you are looking to match a tree or other decor, seek out the right color or sheen for your extra garland floral.
This cascading rose gold stem would be a great touch to garland in a room that already has metallic accents.
#5 Hanging Around
The real showstopper to any garland is in the ornaments….actually in how you HANG the ornaments. Using a medium-duty floral wire that matches the color of your garland, attach ornaments and decoration, allowing several of them to hang away from the garland.
This garland which sits above our built-in in the family room was so plain before we hung icicles and large (light weight) ornaments from it…giving it a drippy, rich look and feel.
#6 Layer, layer, layer
If you haven’t caught on yet….layering is the key to any beautiful garland. Layer extra garland. Layer lights and floral picks or stems. Layer bulbs and other ornaments. Layer hanging decor. And, when you think you are done….find MORE to layer!
Whenever I’m putting together decorations like this, I think back to the quote ‘less is not more, more is more.’ Its so true!
If you decorate with less, your garland will look sparse and frankly a little sad. But layering on more and more items, really adds to the depth and richness of this simple piece.
