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DIY Cedar Garland

December 13, 2021

Making your own fresh cedar garland is incredibly fast, easy, and downright satisfying as a DIY.  And if you happen to have access to fresh cedar in your yard, it’s also incredibly cost effective compared to faux garland. 

This post may contain affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.  

Christmas for me is associated with so many smells, but nothing as strong as the smell of fresh evergreen.  And while I’ve always been a fan of fresh-cut Christmas trees, I like to look for additional ways to bring that woodsy scent into our house this time of year.  

cedar garland on railing

One of my favorite low-cost, low-waste solutions is to add fresh garland, especially the drapey cedar kind.  I like to make my own, because I’m able to customize the length and the thickness to fit different areas in our house. 

I’ve made long thin garlands to drape above the kitchen window, thick bushy garland for the mantle, and even tiny garlands to decorate around a picture frame. 

This year I’m lucky enough to have a set of stairs, so I can live out my lifelong dream of decorating a banister with garland.  And with a cedar tree in our yard, I have plenty of free material to make 22 feet of gorgeous garland.

 

cedar garland on stairs

If you have access to greenery and can twist a twist tie, then you can make a garland.  Here’s my easy DIY method for creating lush, fresh garland:

Gather Your Materials

If you have evergreens in your yard, especially cedar or cedar-like shrubs and trees, then you are in luck.  Take some clippers and a ladder and give those trees a good pruning.  I like to selectively cut branches that are 1-3 feet long, depending on the branch. 

Avoid any spots that are brown and vary where you cut to avoid making your tree look bald.  If you can only cut shorter branches, those work fine, you will just need more of them if you wish to create a longer garland.

making cedar garland

The only tools you will need are thin green florist wire and sharp edge pliers to cut the wire.  I have a roll of wire that has lasted for multiple seasons, so once you make the small investment, you can essentially have as much free garland as you can make every year.

Once you have your supplies and tools, find a good place on the floor to construct your garland.  I spread out on our laundry room floor since it has tile flooring, which makes cleaning up easier.  

Construct the Garland

The trick to garland is to wrap one continuous piece of wire across the entire length.  I start by laying one branch down and then adding a second about ⅔ of the way down the first branch.  I take my wire and tie a knot around both branches and wrap tightly 3-4 times to ensure the branches are securely tied together.  Then I continue wrapping the wire around the garland and add branches as I go.  

making cedar garland

It’s important to make sure you always overlap your branches by at least a few inches to prevent the sections of garland from separating later.  I like to try to wrap around the core branch and leave some of the thin side branches exposed to give the garland a fuller, more natural look (and to better hide the wire).  

cedar garland on floor

Continue wrapping until the garland has reach the desired length.  Or until you run out of greenery (as usually happens with me!).  Then lift the entire garland and give it a light shake to remove any dead needles before hanging.  

How to Hang Cedar Garland

For a banister, I like to use clear zip ties to securely attach the garland.  Start with one end of your garland and zip tie to the banister.  Then either swag your garland or lay across the top and secure in multiple places with additional zip ties.  To disguise any visible zip ties,  tuck in a few short cedar clippings into the garland.

how to hang cedar garland

For a window or doorway, I like to use small finishing nails tapped into the top of the moulding, where the holes will not be visible.  One on each corner and one in the middle is often sufficient to hold the garland in place.

If your window or doorway doesn’t have trim, then pick up some 3M Command Hooks.  These can each hold quite a bit of weight and leave no damage when removed.   

How to Keep Cedar Garland Fresh

To keep your garland looking fresh and green, use a clean spray bottle filled with water to mist the entire length of garland each morning.  This will help prevent the garland from turning dry and brittle before Christmas Day.

How to keep cedar garland fresh

When the holiday is over and you wish to remove your garland, snip the end of the wire and unwind the length of the garland to separate the greenery from the wire.  I like to compost the greenery and throw away the wire to minimize waste. 

Hopefully, I’ve inspired you to attempt to make your own garland this year.  Not only is it incredibly easy, but I guarantee people will be amazed that you made it yourself.  It’s one of those high-impact low effort DIYs that are perfect for this busy time of year. 

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Hi! I’m Lisa and I dig smallish homes. I believe they bring families together and provide a constraint on the accumulation of stuff. I’m obsessed with rethinking room design and storage solutions in order to live the life I want in the house I have. I hope you stay a while!
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Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve literally just crossed the last thing off my to-do list.  All the planning, shopping and prep work is done and I’m ready to enjoy the next few days.  If you need me I’ll be eating a gingerbread cookie (or two) while drinking cup after cup of coffee.

Before I go, I wanted to share a few pictures of our minimalist holiday decorations in our living room/ dining room. 

This year we tried something different and cut our own mountain grown tree and I’m LOVING the change.  Even though it’s real skinny, it has the nicest placement of branches and is truly a beautiful tree.

The delicate branches can’t hold heavy lights or ornaments, so I reused the white crocheted snowflakes  and matte black balls from last year, along with a single string of copper LED lights.  So simple, so easy, but still beautiful.  Just what I needed this year.

Wishing you a very happy holiday!
The crows are back! The best decorations are the o The crows are back!
The best decorations are the ones you are  EXCITED to see each year. The ones you instantly pull from the box and start placing in your home. They don’t need to be fancy, or new each year. They just need to bring joy to you and your family. ✨❤️
Surprise! We bought a new home!  And sold our ho Surprise!

We bought a new home!  And sold our home!  It’s been a whirlwind and I’m exhausted.

We are incredibly lucky to have bought our neighbor’s home FSBO.  It’s larger than our current home by ~700 square feet and is a split entry home with most of the living space upstairs and a bonus family room/bedroom in the basement.  

While the rooms (and closets!) are still small, there are more of them.  There will be room for office space for both my husband and myself, a bit more storage, and even a laundry room/mudroom (woo hoo! No more garage laundry for me!)

So what do you think? Do I need to change my name from smallishhome to sortofmidsizehome?  No matter what, I’ll continue to share how I maximize storage in small spaces, because, well, that’s my life and my passion!  

Be sure to check out my stories for a walk through of the new house.  Don’t miss the avocado green tub and original 1960’s kitchen cabinets. So many projects ahead of us!
Hey there! It’s been a while! I’ve had a lot Hey there! It’s been a while!

I’ve had a lot on my plate personally these last few weeks and have had to drop all social media as a way to stay sane and focused on the path ahead.  I love this community, but I just couldn’t give it the time it deserved, so I took a break.  Hopefully you understand. 

I’m trying to ramp back up but could use your help.  What spaces are you having trouble organizing?  What kind of videos would you like to see?  I appreciate each and every one of you and love hearing your suggestions.  It’s what keeps me going when I start to feel stuck!

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Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve literally just crossed the last thing off my to-do list.  All the planning, shopping and prep work is done and I’m ready to enjoy the next few days.  If you need me I’ll be eating a gingerbread cookie (or two) while drinking cup after cup of coffee.

Before I go, I wanted to share a few pictures of our minimalist holiday decorations in our living room/ dining room. 

This year we tried something different and cut our own mountain grown tree and I’m LOVING the change.  Even though it’s real skinny, it has the nicest placement of branches and is truly a beautiful tree.

The delicate branches can’t hold heavy lights or ornaments, so I reused the white crocheted snowflakes  and matte black balls from last year, along with a single string of copper LED lights.  So simple, so easy, but still beautiful.  Just what I needed this year.

Wishing you a very happy holiday!
The crows are back! The best decorations are the o The crows are back!
The best decorations are the ones you are  EXCITED to see each year. The ones you instantly pull from the box and start placing in your home. They don’t need to be fancy, or new each year. They just need to bring joy to you and your family. ✨❤️
Surprise! We bought a new home!  And sold our ho Surprise!

We bought a new home!  And sold our home!  It’s been a whirlwind and I’m exhausted.

We are incredibly lucky to have bought our neighbor’s home FSBO.  It’s larger than our current home by ~700 square feet and is a split entry home with most of the living space upstairs and a bonus family room/bedroom in the basement.  

While the rooms (and closets!) are still small, there are more of them.  There will be room for office space for both my husband and myself, a bit more storage, and even a laundry room/mudroom (woo hoo! No more garage laundry for me!)

So what do you think? Do I need to change my name from smallishhome to sortofmidsizehome?  No matter what, I’ll continue to share how I maximize storage in small spaces, because, well, that’s my life and my passion!  

Be sure to check out my stories for a walk through of the new house.  Don’t miss the avocado green tub and original 1960’s kitchen cabinets. So many projects ahead of us!
Hey there! It’s been a while! I’ve had a lot Hey there! It’s been a while!

I’ve had a lot on my plate personally these last few weeks and have had to drop all social media as a way to stay sane and focused on the path ahead.  I love this community, but I just couldn’t give it the time it deserved, so I took a break.  Hopefully you understand. 

I’m trying to ramp back up but could use your help.  What spaces are you having trouble organizing?  What kind of videos would you like to see?  I appreciate each and every one of you and love hearing your suggestions.  It’s what keeps me going when I start to feel stuck!
⁣I woke up today and saw it - 10K. I’m in sho ⁣I woke up today and saw it - 10K.  I’m in shock. ⠀
⠀
I’m so grateful for each and every one of you who chose to follow my account and watch me organize my smallish home. ⠀
⠀
My goal has always been to share my love of organization and design - while hopefully inspiring others to show their own home some love. ⠀
⠀
No matter how small or large your space may be, I hope you are able to walk away with a few ideas of ways to maximize the space you have.⠀
⠀
In the meantime, I’ll keep working space by space in my own home, adding functionality and order that fits the needs of my family and the space that I have.⠀
⠀
I’d love to know what you would all like to see more of - let me know in the comments what you’d like to see me tackle next!⠀
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#10k #10kfollowers #organizationmotivation #motivation #simplifylife #simplify #organizedmom #organizing #homeorganization #declutter #diyorganizer #diyorganization #smallhomeliving #getorganized #stayorganized #letsgetorganized  #tidyhome #mysmallishhome #lessismore
⁣It’s a rainy Monday here and all I want to do ⁣It’s a rainy Monday here and all I want to do is drink mugs of hot tea nonstop.  But tea can be a tricky item to store!⠀
⠀
When it’s in the box, you never know how many tea bags are left.  But take them out of the box and they slide all over the shelf!⠀
⠀
Using some sort of small, clear, lidded container keeps the bags together and helps you see when it’s time to restock.  Bonus points if the containers can stack, allowing you to store multiple varieties in a small space. ⠀
⠀
These containers are from Target, but any food storage container will work. Even the cheap plastic food storage containers from the grocery store. ⠀
⠀
What is your favorite variety of tea?  I’m a big fan of English Breakfast if I need a little caffeine boost (which I’m definitely in need of today!)
⁣Do you ever have weeks where you just can’t g ⁣Do you ever have weeks where you just can’t get back on track?⠀
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Where you feel tired, and all you see is work that needs to get done?⠀
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It can be hard to figure out where to start.⠀
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I’ve been struggling to get myself moving the last few weeks after experiencing a family emergency that knocked the wind out of my sails. ⠀
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But I know it’s time to turn things around.  Here are my go-to steps for getting back on track: ⠀
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1️⃣Get those machines working for me.  I always get the dishwasher running and then start a load of laundry.  It makes me feel productive and gets the momentum going for the rest of the day.⠀
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2️⃣Grab a pen and a notebook, plus either a glass of water or a cup of coffee, and sit down.⠀
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3️⃣Take everything in my head and write it down.  Everything that needs to be done, everything that needs to be bought, every card that needs to be written, bills that need to be paid, people I need to message back.  I write it down so it isn’t in my head.⠀
 ⠀
4️⃣Circle one thing that I can do now and finish.  Maybe I only have 10 minutes, but in those 10 minutes I can pick up a room, put away laundry, or go through a stack of paperwork.  Anything that will make progress on my list but Isn’t too big of a project that I can’t finish.⠀
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5️⃣Once I’ve done just one thing, I try to reward myself with some sort of self care.  It can be anything that makes me feel good - going for a walk, stopping in at a store, looking at a magazine, or maybe just scrolling on my phone for a few minutes.⠀
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6️⃣Then, I look back at my list and prioritize in order of importance.  I’ll choose the task with the highest priority and start working down. ⠀
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While this process works, it sometimes takes a few days.  I just keep repeating it over and over until things start clicking again. ⠀
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Getting outside helps too.  Fresh air and movement seem to do a world of good.⠀
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How have you been feeling lately?  Are you crushing that to-do list or are you feeling like you need like 3 clones of yourself in order to get it all done?⠀
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Photo by @callimechemphotography

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