The foyer in our house is very grand with a vaulted ceiling and a winding staircase. It was my favorite feature of the house and I immediately envisioned decorating it for the holidays. Since I couldn’t bear to pay full price for the Christmas garland, I’m happy to show you how to make a cheap garland look expensive.
Buying a brand new Christmas wreath would easily cost me over $200, and I do NOT have that kind of budget! One of the best places to find Christmas decorations is at estate sales and that’s exactly where I found an old green garland!
When I found the box of old garland at the sale I was on the fence because it looked like it was in rough shape. I decided I could spruce it up and at the $10 price it was a low risk purchase.
How to make a cheap wreath look expensive
1 | Hang the green garland
I used the green garland as a starting point for the traditional holiday garland I envisioned hanging on our staircase. To create a traditional look, I draped the garland over the railing so that it hung low in a few places on the stairs. I attached the wreath to the railing using galvanized wire, but floral wire works just as well.
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Once attached, I spent some time reshaping the branches to make them look as plump as possible.
Our family buys a real Christmas tree every year and we always have leftover tree branches that need to be cut off the bottom of the tree. I took the leftover tree clippings and attached them sporadically to the wreath using floral wire. The fresh tree branches helped fill out the wreath and give it dimension with a different type of texture.
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If you’re not buying real trees, you can often pick up the scraps at hardware stores like Home Depot. Or you can cut some branches from a pine tree outside!
3 | Attach magnolia branches
The garland was hung right after Thanksgiving and I still had the fresh floral arrangements I put together for the dinner table. I pulled out the magnolia branches used in the arrangements and added them to the wreath too! The browns and greens add a richness that makes the garland look more expensive.