Home Made Swags and Other Holiday Decor

Happy Monday Lovies.  Somehow I found the time and most of the energy to run around and take some pics of the Holiday Decor I  put up this year.   I usually have 2 indoor trees, but after doing all of the swags  I ran out of time and energy and decided to let the smaller artificial tree go for this year.   We get a real tree every year and place it in a rather large open corner of our living room.  We have 9 foot ceilings and it has to be wide enough to fill the space without looking puny.  This one isn’t nearly as big as some of the trees of Christmas past, but at least it didn’t fall on top of me while I was trying to move it and require my daughter to go ring the neighbors doorbell so he could come rescue me like a few years ago.   I found the ribbon at Sam’s Club and you may not be able to tell but all of the red on both kinds is actually glitter.  When I was done putting the tables and mantels together it looked like Santa’s Glitter Den up in here, and all over my face.   Totally worth it because it looks far better than it photographs. I had Mini Boobs make all the bows as she is my go-to bow maker and she works really cheap!   The swags are a mix of  4-5  different kinds of greenery I bought fresh in bunches at the local nursery where we get our tree every year and the backdrop for them is the bottom cuts from the actual tree itself.  I used a set of pruning shears and a lopper for the larger branches. It takes awhile to match them all up kind of evenly and then work in the other top layers, but it looks really nice for not a lot of money.   I also got the loading guys to allow me to take  a whole pile of tree pieces from the other trees that had been cut before the greenery girls came over and turned them into swags they sell there for at least $10 each. And those aren’t for anything layered like mine.   The wreath on the door is boxwood and matches our front bushes.  I used plastic  garland ties to hold the swags together and when I  ran out of those I used green garden tie tape that easily rips and has a little stretch to it.   Just start with your biggest branches of greenery and then work in your others in layers to position as you like before tightening.   Take the screens out of your windows and hang with big suction cups.  They should stay up all season long.   I chose white ribbon for the outside of the house because white shows up really well in shade and dark.   We have led lights along the house to in bright white but I didn’t get a pic of those.  For the tables and mantels I  mixed in my silk  garlands  and other floral things to add some sparkle and depth.  I’m no decorating genius but it  is good enough for me! Enjoy!