Cozy Farmhouse Christmas Porch D.I.Y

Learn how to D.I.Y your own luxe garlands for half the price of store bought ones!

When I was a little girl, I didn’t dream of a lavish wedding or babies like other girls. Instead, I stared at my mum’s Pottery Barn Catalogs for hours and mentally redecorated every house I walked into. You haven’t felt shame until a ten-year-old tells you that your drapes are the wrong length and you really should invest in the correct size rug for the room.

Okay, so I might still tell people that, but why does everyone put tiny rugs in big rooms?!

I digress.

Anyway, I always pictured myself living in a large historic house with a massive wrap around porch and porch swing. So, when I find myself- a thirty-four-year-old divorcee, living in a row house with a broken step, on Green Street…the dodgy end (gold star if you get the reference)- I get some serious house envy.

That is why I am so glad that Beth and her family adopted me, because now I just ignore my broken step and decorate Beth’s large historic house with a giant porch and swing instead.

Don’t judge me. This works for me. It is also a hell of a lot cheaper than going to therapy.

Everyone knows Christmas is the best season for decorating and it all starts with the entrance. When Beth said she wanted to go all out this Christmas, I immediately thought of a flocked porch tree and sh*t tons of garland. Except my friends know I am the queen of “extra” so it couldn’t just be garland; It had to be ornate and fluffy- enter deco-mesh!

For those of you that don’t know, deco-mesh is a wide mesh ribbon that adds crazy volume to anything you add it to. In the past, I have always hated deco mesh. It’s bright. It’s shiny. For me, it conjures up images of LuLaRoe clad women hanging enormous and garish techno-colored fluffy wreaths on their front doors. Simply put, I have always thought it was tacky. Imagine my surprise when I saw that it now comes in a nice and understated jute!

Beth already has the whole farmhouse theme going, so buffalo plaid and jute and seemed like a solid option. The combination of the garlands, deco mesh, and ribbons will turn some basic cheap garlands into an elevated outdoor decoration for a lower cost than you could ever get in a store.

Another thing that I like about this combination is that it looks just as good at daytime as it does at night. I often see houses that look gorgeous at night, but when you walk past during the day it is just a tangled mess of wires and metal. It is important to balance the two.

We continued the buffalo plaid on the tree by simply twisting and running it down the length of the tree to add some movement and threw on some coordinating baubles. Finally, the look was finished off with some Christmas themed pillows and a throw blanket.

I am in LOVE with this porch. What do you think? To make your own garlands follow the directions below:

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D.I.Y Garland Instructions

Supplies

• Basic lighted garland
• 10 inch wide deco-mesh
• 4 inch wide wired ribbon
• 2 inch wide wired ribbon
• Hot glue gun
• Shatterproof ornaments in coordinating colors.

*Length of deco-mesh and ribbon should be approximately 2.5X the length of your garland

Step 1:

Lay your garland flat on a table or the floor, taking the time to straighten all branches and fluff it out.

Step 2:

Secure the end of the deco-mesh to the end of the garland, twisting two of the wire “leaves” of the garland to keep it in place, leaving about a 6-inch tail.

Step 3:

Continue to secure the deco-mesh in this fashion all the way to the end of the garland, leaving equally spaced intervals. The deco-mesh will run the full length of the garland, and you will trim it at the very end (I leave it on the roll for this step and just use as much as I need- it is neater and easier to manage).  Allow the deco-mesh to “pouf” in between secured sections, this will bring volume to your garland. Leave another tail at the end of the garland. When you are finished, it will look like the picture below.

Step 4:

Roll out your ribbon and place the two-inch ribbon on top of the four-inch ribbon. Leaving a tail, pinch the ribbons in the center and secure it to the deco-mesh in the garland. I like to place it in the exact same place I secured the deco-mesh, which means that I can use the same two branches. Like the deco-mesh, this will also run the full length of the garland. As you can see in the picture below, I also left both pieces of ribbon rolled on their spool and used as much as I needed.

Step 6:

Secure your ribbon at the end and leave a tail. Trim the ends of the ribbon in triangles or at a bias.

Step 7:

Cut a length of each ribbon, approximately 6 inches long and secure the center in the middle of each connection point, once again using the same two branches. Fan them out in an “X” shape.

Step 7:

Using hot glue, secure a shatterproof ornament on each section where you have secured the ribbon and deco-mesh, this will help disguise your twisted section and add a little sparkle. I like to alternate colors, but you could also use a single color.

Voila- you are done! Hang it in a location of your choosing and wait for the compliments to flow.

I hope enjoyed this. Tag us on Facebook if you decide to try your own.

XOXO- Taren