What is a Garland?

A garland is an arrangement made of flowers, leaves, or other accessories hung as a decoration for special occasions like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, bridal and baby showers, and birthdays. 

The most common place to hang a garland is over the fireplace. Christmas garlands are usually made with pine branches and adorned with berries, pine cones, and model birds. 

In this article, we’re going to make a simple, yet festive DIY Christmas garland made of mini gifts. This garland requires things you can find around the house and the steps are so easy. Let’s get started!

Materials You’ll Need

Making the DIY Christmas garland with mini gifts will need only a few things, most of which you can find at home:

• Gift wrapper
• Empty cereal box 
• Scissors 
• Paper cutter
• Paper scoring board
• Glue Dots or double-sided adhesive
• Thin silver or gold string 

Step-by-Step Guide to Making Your Garland

Step 1: Cutting the strips

Using a pair of scissors or a paper cutter, cut the cereal box into strips about 1 to 1.5 inches wide, then cut the strips into one 4-inch long and one 5.5-inch-long. 

Step 2: Folding the strips

For the 4-inch strips, fold at 1, 1.5, 2.5, and 3-inch marks of your scoring board. Next, fold the 5-inch strips at 1.5, 2, 3.5, and 4-inch marks. When folding the strips, the printed side should be on the inside of the box. 

Step 3: Forming the boxes

Once you have folded the strips, attach a glue dot or double-sided tape to the side that overlaps with the other panel to form a box. 

Step 4: Wrapping the boxes

Use the wrapper of your choice to wrap the mini gifts. You can use solid colors, printed, or metallic wrappers. Use the glue dot or double-sided tape to seal the wrapper. Tie the silver or gold string around each box and create a bow in front. 

Step 4: Putting the garland together

Lay out the mini gifts the way you’d like them to be hung. Cut a strip of gold or silver string the length of the garland you will need. Tie a hoop on one end and thread the long end through the back of the mini gifts, under the string they are wrapped with, then tie a knot.  Continue down the line, working with the long end of the garland string, tying knots as you go and spacing them about 3 to 4 inches apart. 

Tips for Personalizing Your Garland

The great thing about this mini gift box garland is that you can choose the colors, prints, and materials of the wrappers to match your theme for your special occasion.

Red, green, gold, and silver metallic wrappers are perfect for the Christmas season, but if you have a different theme for your holiday decorations, then you can modify these. 

If you have small children and have a theme centered around their favorite cartoon character or specific interests, then you can choose a gift wrapper to blend with the rest of your décor, like teddy bear, mermaid, star, or space-themed prints.

Maintenance and Storage

For this specific DIY garland, you can easily store it in a box. To ensure that the gift boxes do not get tangled, you can use a cylindrical carton from an aluminum foil and wrap the garland around it before storing it in the box.

DIY Garland Ideas for Different Occasions

Handcrafted garlands are a beautiful addition to any special occasion. Aside from the DIY Christmas garland we just made, here are a few more suggestions for you.

Floral Garlands

Floral garlands are perfect for bridal showers and weddings. You can use a floral garland as a runner for long table, a backdrop for your ceremony, or a focal piece on a bare wall. For an outdoor venue, you can also dangle the garland from tree branches.

You can use real flowers and greens or artificial ones, depending on the availability of your choice of blooms. 

Paper Garlands

There are so many creative ways to use paper to make beautiful DIY garlands. A paper rosette garland is a fun garland to make for a baby shower or a birthday party for a little girl.

Put together, the row of dainty, pastel flowers will look nice set on the wall with balloons and the “Happy Birthday” sign.

Beaded Garlands

A unique way to adorn a special celebration is with wooden beaded garlands. You can use plain, natural wooden beads in different sizes or those painted in different colors. If you’d like, you can even hand paint them with initials or letters of your message. 

Wooden beaded garlands may be ideal for vintage or nature-themed parties. 

Conclusion

We hope that you enjoyed learning about the many ways you can make your own DIY garland for different occasions!

If you’d like to make your own Christmas garland using our ornaments and greenery, you can call us at 310-276-9827 or email us at orders@mrgreentrees.com for assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What materials do I need to make a DIY garland?

It depends on the garland you’d be making. For the Christmas DIY garland with mini gifts, the materials you’ll need are gift wrapper, empty cereal box, scissors, paper cutter, paper scoring board, Glue Dots or double-sided adhesive, and thin silver or gold string.

Can I make a garland for Christmas?

Definitely! You can make a Christmas garland made of real flowers, berries, and leaves, or other materials like the mini gifts we just made.

How can I make my garland unique?

Using materials that are not commonly used can be a great way to make your garlad unique, such as wooden beads or paper fans that form rosettes.