Lush & Sophisticated Garland

Monday morning. If you are like me you are finishing up your last minute shopping, cleaning and preparing for Thanksgiving. Our family will start arriving Tuesday night. I’m so excited to have our daughter and son-in-law home, I can hardly stand myself! Kaitlynn, our oldest, is expecting our first grandchild in May and I can’t wait to see her “baby bump”!

Unlike her mother’s experience with pregnancy, she is experiencing morning sickness. When I asked her what sounds good to eat,her answer was…...Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Not any Mac and Cheese, it has to be the Spiral shaped box. Oh, the things you can get away with when you are expecting! So this Thanksgiving we will be serving all the traditional holiday foods and…….. Spiral shaped Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. A new tradition is born (pun intended).

I haven’t gotten all of my holiday decorations done yet. But that is ok because what I have gotten done is this Lush and Sophisticated Garland that we pinned from Southern Living. I completed my garland last week because we were invited to participate in Design Dazzle’s 100 Days of Christmas Wonderful. Not only does it look amazing but my whole house smells like fresh pine! The best part is that isn’t hard to make, so let’s get started.

Supplies Needed

Scissors
Wire Cutters
Plastic to cover mantle – A small plastic drop cloth from Home Depot or Lowe’s will work fine
Floral Foam in Cage
Floral Wire

Plus these additional items:

A regular Garland like this from Hobby Lobby or other craft store.Sorghum type plant from Hobby Lobby. My store didn’t have Sorghum so I picked these up.  Close enough!

The original instructions called for Millet but none of my nurseries carried this so I purchased these bunches from Michael’s.Next up is some is to gather some Rose Hips. Mine were taken from the rose bushes in my back yard. I have 3 bushes which did not produce enough for this project. I called a friend and she was kind enough to allow me to cut some from her rose bushes.You will also want some Holly Berries which can be found at Michael’s Along with Magnolia leaves also purchased from Michaels.Pine cones and pine boughs will be a must and I just gathered these from my yard.And now it’s time to get this party started and start assembling!

Start by wrapping your mantle in plastic to protect it from getting wet.Next you are going to “soak” your floral foam in water. Fill your sink to the same height as your floral brick. Place your brick in the water. DO NOT push it down. Just  leave it floating as it will sink as it absorbs water. As the brick absorbs the water from the bottom, it pushes the air out from the top. If you push your brick down, the middle may seem wet but will actually remain dry. Let your brick soak for about 20 minutes. This is what the top will look like as it is absorbing the water. After 20 minutes place your floral brick in the floral cage. Place cages on  your mantle.Lay your store bought garland over the floral cages. Now the fun really begins! Start by adding your pine boughs in by sticking them into the wet floral foam. I started in the front and then worked on filling in the back. I alternated with the two different types of pine.  When attaching to the side of the garland, use your wire cutter to cut your floral wire.  Attach the wire to the piece you are adding and then wire it in to the sides of the store bought garland.Next I added the Rose Hips. I wasn’t sure that these would add very much to the garland. They turned out to be my favorite. I love how they made it look! After the Rose Hips I added the magnolia leaves. The contrast is just stunning!OK, now I’m getting excited about how this is turning out! Up next is the “Sorghum” stalks. The faded red is the perfect tone.  I love the depth it provides.The last addition is the Millet and the Holly Berries. Millet  is not an item I would have ever thought of using, but the different color and texture makes it look fantastic. After some final “tweeking” here and there, I finally finished. I LOVE the results. “Lush “and “sophisticated “are very accurate descriptions of this garland. Oh, and did I mention how fantastic my house SMELLS? Heavenly with all the fresh pine!

If you are going to cut a fresh tree down for Christmas then get some extra pine and cedar to make your own garland. If not, you can find pine and cedar at Home Depot, Trader Joe’s, your local florist or any Christmas tree lot.

This pin ROCKS!

Even though Tracy was the sister who created this garland, Debbie and Sherri approve this message. {tee hee hee!}

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