Glorious Garland

Our homes should rise up to meet us and welcome all who visit. In the spirit of this and the upcoming holidays, I decided to put a little pizazz into my foyer, where my guests first enter my home.

Last night, I trimmed the railing in my foyer with assorted, festive greens, pinecones, and ribbon. Here is the finished product.

There are many ways to hang garland, for example, you can fix it, so it drapes, or it is straight. I chose to install it tightly secured and straight along the banister. I added a bit of “Sparkle” at the base of the stairway just to give it a little pizzaz!

Do try this at home!

Here is what you will need:

Mixed green garland. I paid $7.00 per yard and used about twelve yards. You can make your own, too!
Two bunches of magnolia leaves.
Two bunches of Juniper greens
One spool of ribbon (I used about 8-10 yards).
The cuttings from the bottom of my Fraser Fir Christmas tree.
Pinecones
Wire
Scissors

Here is what to do:

Start by securing the garland tightly to the railing. It makes it easier if you start at the junction points (where the posts are) and then secure the intermittent spaces. (You will need to use secure it every twelve inches or so).
Next, take your additional greens (Magnolia, Juniper and anything else you choose) and jam them in sporadically. Don’t be too matchy-matchy! Anything goes. Try to position them so that they droop over the railing giving a softer look.
Then, once you like the result, go back and secure the added greens so that they don’t fall out. I have three boys so I used copious amounts of wire.
For a dramatic swoosh at the bottom of the stairs, I used the remnants we cut from the bottom of our tree. To do so, I repeated the same process as I did for the greens above, making sure that the cuttings swooped downward.
I found a beautiful “Jeffrey Cone” tucked away with my Christmas decorations so up it went.
Finally, I fastened loose ribbon and one pretty bow at the base.

Ta Da!

If you have any questions or need assistance, email me! I am happy to help. LIVINGLOVELIER@gmail.com or find me on Facebook @LIVINGLOVELIER.

Stay tuned for more holiday decorating tips.

Sparkle On, Friends!