diy Christmas

Christmas cards – display with garland, clothespins

December 8, 2017 by Lisa Grable 8 Comments

Display your Christmas cards with a simple garland and clothespins system. The imitation evergreen garland can be decorated with lights or ribbons. The clothespins get extra Christmas cheer with washi tape.

Supplies

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To make this garland for Christmas cards you will need

Instructions for Christmas cards display garland

Measure the area you plan to hang your Christmas cards garland, making sure to allow for the curve. I hang mine in a triple window, so I need at least 15 feet for making two swags in the windows and a couple feet hanging down at either side. My display takes 3 hooks. I use a suction cup hook to swag the center on the center of the window.

Cut the same length of ribbon and butcher’s twine plus a couple extra feet. Wrap the garland with the ribbon and twine. Or, you may prefer to wrap the garland with Christmas lights.

5/8 inch-wide washi tape should be exactly the width to cut in half and cover the clothespins. Cut a piece the length of the clothespin, cut in half, and apply to both sides of the clothespin.

Pin your Christmas cards up as they arrive! I enjoy receiving and sending cards every year. It’s fun to hear what has been going on and seeing the family photos. I save many of the cards to cut up to make paper ball ornaments.

Resource links

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-christmas-card-180957487/
- The History of the Christmas Card from Smithsonian Magazine
https://americanliterature.com/christmas-cards
- Christmas Cards from American Literature
https://www.pinterest.com/catmorales/holiday-christmas-card-displays/?lp=true
- Card displays from Pinterest

Christmas garland – ornament swag Christmas craft

December 1, 2017 by Lisa Grable 2 Comments

Add sparkly holiday decoration to your home with a Christmas garland made of plastic Christmas ornaments. I call these swags, but they are also known as garland or festoon.

From the dictionary: “swag – a decorative garland or chain of flowers, foliage, or fruit fastened so as to hang in a drooping curve.”

Supplies

Affiliate links: if you make a purchase using these links, I’ll receive a small compensation towards maintaining this blog, at no extra cost to you.

To make this Christmas garland you will need

Rattail cord or 1/8 inch satin ribbon or tinsel cord
Plastic Christmas ball ornaments, 2 inches or larger
Command hooks
Tape

Instructions Christmas garland

Measure the area you plan to hang your Christmas garland, making sure to allow for the curve. Add 12 inches. Cut cord at this length.

To make it easier to string the balls, wrap a piece of tape around one end of the cord, making it like the end of a shoestring. Tie the other end of the cord to an object to keep the balls from falling off, such as mixing spoon. (My hack: I don’t cut the cord, I just use the spool as my stop. This way, if I decide I need it longer or shorter, I haven’t cut the cord.)

Start inserting the cord through the hanger on each ball. The balls will end up making kind of a spiral, so if you have multicolors, you may want to put the balls on in a pattern of threes. After stringing a few balls, move them around so they are nesting together.

Once you have strung all the balls, you will need to tie a nonslip loop knot at each end of the cord for hanging.

Attach hooks where you want to hang your Christmas garland. If you have a large mirror and can reach the back for the hooks, the garland would look very pretty draped across the front.