I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that we decided to do our own holiday décor when I couldn’t find what I wanted for a client.

I personally like a clean, elegant look for the holidays.  I would rather have a few really pretty pieces than tons of stuff everywhere.  So, for this client I was looking for those specific pretty pieces and could not find anything, so we made it!

Here are 2 easy DIY wreath ideas and a banister garland example for your home.

1) Basic Holiday Wreath

I think pretty ribbon is the most important part of holiday décor, followed by interesting ornaments.  We started by purchasing some lovely ribbon (it helps to have a retail store!), found some elegant ornaments and then bought a basic wreath and extra greenery elements to add to the wreath.

Step 1: Pretty Ornaments and Ribbon

Step 2: Basic Wreath in the right size (36” here)

Step 3: Extra greenery elements to add richness to the basic wreath

Step 4: Inspiration Pictures- collect ideas from catalogs, Pinterest, Houzz, etc.

Step 5: Start adding elements to create the look you want

I started with red amaryllis, but didn’t really like that direction, so I pulled them off and started again with holly leaves and just a few red berries.

Once I took out the red I decided to start with this reindeer ornament as the centerpiece of the wreath, then pulled a ribbon to coordinate.

Step 6: Make your centerpiece bow

We had a little bow making lesson from my mom and learned how to twist the ribbon and tie it with floral wire.

We wrapped another ribbon around the main part of the wreath, added the big bow and stuffed it with tissue to help keep its shape.

Step 7) Hot glue ornaments strategically around the wreath

Step 8) Hang the wreath and make sure it looks balanced/finished

And there you go, a unique and beautiful wreath for the front door!

2) Simple Boxwood Wreaths

I like boxwoods, so I bought 3 boxwood wreaths to go in the 3 windows above the sofa.

Step 1) Start with a quality boxwood wreath (ours is plastic, but looks very realistic)

Step 2) Pick a ribbon and a dramatic ornament.

We made the bows, picked an ornament, then tied them on with floral wire

Step 3) Repeat process

Notice our bow lengths were all different.  I decided to trim them at the client’s house once they were hanging.

Step 4: Hang with Velcro wreath hanging strips (available at Target)

And, the final product:

While we were there we also added garland for the fireplace and banister

We used a good quality garland from NDI.  It is expensive, but it really looks fabulous.  If your allergies prevent you from using real greenery (as was the case here and also with me, as well), I would invest once in a really nice tree and garland.

I layered 2 ribbons on top of one another, made a couple of bows at key banister points and added a couple of ornaments to the bows.

I only have a one story home, so I can’t do banister garland, but I was wishing I could once I saw how pretty this was.  The house flows nicely with the coordinating elements but it doesn’t feel cluttered.

I hope this helped you generate some ideas for decorating for the holidays!  It is now officially the time to get started!  Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and truly enjoy this holiday season!