a pinterest christmas: ornament garland.

this is one of my favorite new christmas decorations & i can't wait to share it with you! plus, it was really simple - bonus! i hope you enjoy this DIY & make one of your own festive garlands to trim your window, mantle, handrail, christmas tree (the list goes on & on!).

{this is the original pinterest link: ornament garland}

supplies:

thin ribbon (i used a 5/8 inch, i believe. you could use a wider ribbon if you folded it in half.)

ornaments (i got mine at target and used only one size, though you could use multiple sizes)

hooks (i used three 3M hooks)

hot glue gun (optional - i used it to secure some of the ornament tops)

upholstery needle (probably optional - i used it to string the bulbs onto the ribbon)

{i started with a huge box of shatter-resistant bulb ornaments that i got at target. since there were different colors, i emptied the box into a very large target bag so i could mix up the colors when i made the garland.}

{in order to easily string the bulbs onto the ribbon, i used an upholstery needle (from my project here). sidenote: you could probably do the stringing just fine without a needle, perhaps with a bit of scotch tape at the end of the ribbon. i measured out how much ribbon i wanted (the length of the finished garland) by handing the ribbon up on the mantle (since this is where the garland would live) and then adding a few inches just in case. sidenote: because my husband wasn't home & sadie isn't tall enough, i had to make do with what i had, like using my sparkling water can to hold the ribbon on one side of the mantle while i measured out the length. i strung the first bulb onto the ribbon and tied a knot to secure the bulb as it was going to be on the end of the garland and holding all of the other bulbs. then i just continued to string the bulbs onto the ribbon and adjusted the bulbs depending on what kind of space there was; the bulbs sort of do this on their own naturally - it is pretty awesome. and then you just keep stringing until you have reached the end of your ribbon or the garland is as long as you want it.}

{when i got towards the end of my ribbon, i tied off the ribbon onto the last bulb just like i had with the first bulb. in order to hang the garland from the mantle - it is pretty bulky - i added ribbon loops in the three places i wanted the garland to hang from. then i put my 3M hooks into place onto the top of our mantle & hung up the garland!}

 {the finished garland - isn't she a beaut! sidenote: i changed the picture on the left-side of the mantle between the last two pictures, so no, you aren't crazy!}

{a final sidenote: the ornaments that were used in the pinspirational garland - i just came up with that as i was typing. clever, i know. i was a marketing major after all. - were real glass ornaments, i believe, & make for a much prettier garland. however, i am happy with my garland made from target ornaments, even if not the most beautiful because: (1) plastic ornament bulbs are WAY cheaper than glass ornament bulbs - though stocking up on pretty glass ones after christmas may be a genius idea, and (2) i am clumsy - it's a fact - and therefore i saved my fingers and floors from a LOT of shattered bulbs and glass shards.}

what do you think of garlands made out of ornaments? what pinterest projects have you completed for christmas?

M