Make Your Own Garland

Buying garland (real or fake) with all the trimmings is expensive.  I went to several stores looking for garland with holly and berries or pinecones or apples... all came in at about $30-40 a strand.   But an empty garland strand at Michael's was only $4.99.  So the best way to get beautiful garland for my fire place at an affordable price was to make my own.

I bought two strands of empty garland and wrapped them together.   Be sure to twist the wire together every few inches to keep gaps from forming.  Only after the two are secured together, you should go over the garland and shape the branches.  Then I bought holly and berries, they come on a plastic rope and I wrapped it around the garland.   It took two strands.  I just twisted it around and around the garland, making sure it reached the middle.   To secure the strand of embellishment, use the branches of the garland, wrapping a branch around the holly strand every now and then.   For only $14 I made beautiful custom garland. If I had been ok with it being thinner I could have done it for only $9.

My garland happens to have my mom's old bell collection called Ye Merry Minstrel Christmas Caroling Bells.  The bells automatically play Christmas tunes.  I love the extra look these bells add the fire place and the garland.  If you hang these however, you need to make sure they are hanging free and clear and are not hung up on anything... any kind of hang up causes the bell to play a sour note and that will ruin the beautiful tunes it plays.