How to make fake garland look like the real deal

Since we have such a small living room, there’s no room for a tree, so I wanted to really play up the garland on our fireplace - something that would extend to the floor

colorful living room garland on fireplace mantel

That much garland can really be spendy, ready-made, so I made my own. The key to making inexpensive garland look real, has everything to do with layering. I started with two strands of the cheapest, fakest looking pine-garland on the market. You know the one; the one you have to bend and fluff to get it to look halfway decent. I found on mine at Hobby Lobby but I think you can even find these at the dollar store. It really won’t matter how bad these look off the shelf, because they will hardly be seen once it’s finished. It’s really just to serve as a base.

I then wrapped a nicer, cedar strand (still faux, still Hobby Lobby) around that, that I split in half to make it stretch a little further. That really fluffed it up. Some real pinecones, mixed with some golden, holly sticks (Joanne fabrics) and this looks like one of the pricier garlands, at half the cost. I purchased everything at 50% off, and kept it simple, so this was under $80 in total. Plus, I can reuse it year after year!

I didn’t want to put any holes in our brick, so I installed the garland using clear stocking holders in the middle, and draping it over each corner of our mantel.

I love the way it looks below the art from Cozamia.

This room is feeling so cozy!

10 Out of the Box Christmas Tree Ideas

These thrifted metal candle holders look so great with the battery operated sconces from Modern Lantern.

how to make faux garland that looks real

I’m using an umbrella holder to wrangle up our fire tools. An orange topiary, just because they are fun to stack, and you never know when you might need a snack…