CUSTOM CHRISTMAS GARLAND

I’ve been asked many questions about our Christmas mantel decor and how I created this signature look. I wanted to give you a little glimpse into what I did to build this garland by adding extra ornaments and decorations, creating more fullness and a colourful take on Christmas. It was really simple!
I started with my garland which is already made up of crystal beaded fruit and silver berries. I have had it for several years and I still love it! The silver and green combination is really beautiful and I’ve always had these colors in my holiday decor. The greenery has a silvery hue to it also which I love.Here you can see the extra elements I added through the garland to create fullness and add vibrant color. Some of these I’ve had for years and some I picked up at the dollar store – which is a great resource, by the way. I bought many decorations there this season to add to my tree and I’m so happy I did. The green artichokes and pears from Pier1 and HomeSense help to elevate the look of the garland and the added pop of color is so pretty. 
Here you can see the beginning of the garland structure a little closer. Although I do love the garland as it is, and I’ve used it like this for many years, I wanted to create more fullness for a custom, more one of a kind look. I started with the gold and silver grapes and alternated them evenly throughout the garland from one end to the other.You can see already how much more dimension they add.
I then added 2 silver berry picks in the center of the garland. I only found three at the store so I used the third on the far left side where I felt it looked thinnest.Here is the finished mantel. I didn’t want to bore you with more shots of the pears then shots of the artichokes, so here it is with both! In the same fashion as the grapes, I dispersed them evenly throughout, alternating them from one end to the other.
I’ve had the gold twig ball for many years as well and it’s perfect for hiding our speaker. I nestled it right in the middle and flanked it with more beaded fruit in white. You can see the extra silver berry pick on the left side here, in front of my blue and white ginger jar.
Not everything is a perfect match – and that’s perfectly ok. Don’t be fooled into thinking all colors need to be exactly the same. Notice the varying shades in here – it adds depth and interest.It’s amazing how full it looks! By the way, I propped the ginger jars up on some books so they’re more visible.I added my little green boxes on the ends, candlesticks and votives throughout as well. Again, always adding more dimension.Look closely – imagine this without the artichoke, candle, large green pear and grapes. Here’s a closep of the silver glitter berries – notice the leaves are a different green than the leaves of the garland.

That’s it! I love how it turned out and I especially love the ginger jars for yet another pop of color. To see more of how I infused color into my Christmas decor, you can visit my Christmas Home Tour here.

I hope you enjoyed this simple tutorial and found it helpful. You can use this idea for any area of your home. Remember, you can always create your own signature look by using things you already own. Decorating for the holidays around your existing decor and color palette is a great way to create an original look that’s yours and yours alone. Don’t be afraid to let your own personality shine through!

Let me know your thoughts, I’d love to hear from you! Tamara xo