A bit of a bridge before the house decorations kick-off - bringing a bit of the Autumn in with a 'much easier to recreate than you may think' garland DIY.
| WHAT YOU NEED |
| HOW YOU MAKE IT |
Start by creating your base with the floristry foam. I opted for a two-tier height, higher in the centre and created this by cutting my foam lengthways in half, than one in half again. To protect the foam and stop it from creating a huge mess, cover with foil and set in place. You can secure the sides to the centre with skewer sticks or some glue:
To start creating your garland, take one bunch of the gypsophila [I picked mine up from poundland] and cut the stems to smaller sections. These can then be used to help guide and create the length of the garland - it will primarily be filler and a colour to break up the main element of the garland:
Now use the rest of the gypsophila to create the outline shape of the garland, as this will help guide the placement of the eucalyptus and feature decorations:
To add some colour [I mean, as much colour as you're getting from me], I coated some foam pumpkins [faces not on the showing side!] in a neutral palette of pastel yellow, blue, grey and green, with a little gold added to the stalks for interest:
Once dry, and mainly because I couldn't stop with the stalks, I used a very, very dry brush to add a little more gold to the pumpkins:
Finally, add skewers to the base of the pumpkins so that they can be added to the garland [half a skewer to each pumpkin should work perfectly]:
Space your pumpkins across the foam and vary the heights to create a little movement in the garland - but they wont be fixed in place just yet - instead, remove the pumpkins for now and the holes made in the foam will come in very handy when they are added back later:
Instead, the main element of the garland can now be added - the eucalyptus. I used three stems to create the height and depth of the garland, leaving one behinds for filler later on. Cut off any extra stems that can add length or height and use the wire to create movement and fullness:
Once you are happy with the overall shape, add the hydrangeas to break up the colour and add texture and interest:
Now, the pumpkins can be re-placed - make sure you move the eucalyptus leaves around to keep everything secure, the fullness of the garland and shape:
Finally, the bunch left aside can be cut in to smaller sections and used to fill any open spaces and to make the garland a little less structured and full:
I have to be honest, I've been back and moved a few leaves here and there since taking these photos - take your time with it and it all can be re-arranged to suit your space and design. I also threaded a pack of small pompom together and added for a little more decoration - but I've decided to keep this for the Winter version, which can be created with a few replacements, but with the main structure remaining:
A simple decoration made for the mantle that consists of four main elements, that can be altered to suit your space, design and taste: filler, garland, colour and decoration. This structure can also be used to create table runners, centrepieces and more - trying to stop myself from adding these to very surface now.....
If you've ever wanted a garland and haven't quite found one that suits you - give this a go with the elements of your choice [and don't forget to show me if you do]!
See you next Sunday for some Halloween decor that sparkles [as now does my carpet].
