Watch Jules' segment on cityline [HERE].
It’s that time of year again – decorating for the holidays! Whether you live in an old or new home, it never hurts to bring back some traditional decorations with a modern feel. This is a DIY to create your very own minimal waste garland that is almost fully compostable!
How to create a green garland:
1.Gathering supplies
Now the first thing you want to do is to source a variety of fresh greenery…. I went with a mix of cedar, pine and magnolia leaves, and sapphire bunches. Avoid using greenery that are shedding needles or that have brown, dry tips.
Once you have some greenery your going to create little flat bouquets with the greenery mixing all the different textures. You will secure each mini bouquet together with green ornament hangers. You are going to have to figure out how many bouquets you want, by measuring the length of your banister with cord or rope. Tie the rope to the top of the stairs, and just measured all the way down, and cut it.
2. Attaching your bouquets to the rope
So, you will now attach each of those bouquets to the rope to create the base of the garland. You will attach that to the banister using wire ornament hooks to secure it and for extra security, you can also use plaid/flannel ribbon which you can make out of old plaid shirts!
3. Add sparkle
Now if you want to add a bit of sparkle without using tinsel you can go with some little LED lights. Take your lights and then weave them through some vintage cookie cutters. Adding a bit of piazza to the garland while also adding some sparkle when the lights play off of the metal cookie cutters.
4. Adding dried fruit
Now the best part to the garland is the dried oranges and lemons. It gives beautiful colour but in a natural way. This is a great way to create a Victorian Christmas since citrus-colored items were especially popular because they stood out against the dark green branches of fir trees.
Drying oranges and citrus for decorations dates back to Queen Victoria’s time. Now you can use this garland all on its own, or blend it in with a greenery one like I did.
Here is what you will need to add some dried fruit to your garland or tree:
Tip: Boiling the fruit slices for a couple of minutes will prevent them from rotting or turning discolored.
Adding your dried fruit to your garland
Tip: You can also add walnuts or cinnamon sticks to the garland just gently tap the needle with a hammer through the hard surface