Garlands have a magical quality! Seeing these branches, leaves or flowers strung together and hanging over mantels, or doorjambs like ribbons, invokes a sense of nostalgia and happiness — there is something about that sight that makes your eyes crinkle as you smile.
Garlands, bands of plant material that are strung together, date back to ancient times. They had universal appeal — Egyptian, Greeks, Romans, Hindus, Pagans and pretty much every other civilization incorporated them into their religious and festive occasions. That tradition remains strong today, but, they are probably most popular during “The Holidays,” and, are mostly evergreen (symbolizing everlasting life). One fun fact – looped and/or draped garlands are called “festoons” or “swags.”
So, my uber creative friend, Caitlin, has demonstrated how to create your own little piece of magic on a shoe-string budget. Her garland was 10 yards and she used black string and green floral wire to string branches of cedar, leyland cyprus and arborvitae together. If you look carefully at the picture, you will see that she filled 5 seven gallon buckets with plant material. You can use tufts and branches of shrubs and trees and if you cannot find enough you can add anything that you want, including ornaments, sparkly ribbon, fruit and more. You can add as much swag to your SWAG you as like!
What you will need to make the basic garland:
Snippers
Gloves
Any kind of evergreen tuft or branch – lots of them
Floral wire
Black string
Any extra items or bling that you make want to add to your garland
