More Fun With Ornaments.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009 Posted in Family, Holidays, Home, Projects

I was trying to desperately whip some semblance of the Christmas spirit into my apartment yesterday because some friends were coming over to have a holiday photo taken — and I wanted SOMETHING that called to mind the holiday spirit in the photo! — and I ended up threading a bunch of my ornaments onto a ribbon.

ornament garland 1For such a quick project, it turned out really well! And unlike the wreath project in the last post, this is non-permanent — I can easily take them off the ribbon if I decide to use them for something else. Oh, I don’t know, like, for a TREE. I guess that’s what they’re really made for, right?

ornament garland 2We don’t get a tree in Chicago, because we ultimately end up spending Christmas down south with my family. But my parents stopped getting a real tree — something that would have been sacrilege when I was growing up but became necessary due to allergies.

ornament garland 3I just realized it’s been a long time since I’ve smelled a genuine, real, live Christmas tree. We might have to go get a little Charlie Brown Christmas tree to satisfy my sudden Christmas Tree Fragrance craving.

ANYWAY, this project could not have been easier. Grab a length of ribbon (thin enough to go through the ornament hooks but strong enough to hold the weight of a bunch of ornaments) and string a variety of ornaments onto it. Move them around so that you get a nice, full, chunky look to the garland. I did three shorter lengths to make arranging them a little easier. They get a little unwieldy once you’ve gotten a bunch of ornaments on — I probably used about 40-50 ornaments per three-foot length.

Fun, Fast, and Pretty! What more could you ask for?

by Lara Jo

74 comments

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December 10, 2009 - 11:11 pm

janie hightower - These pictures are beautiful….. and I love the garland of ornaments idea. I’m definitely going to try this one of these days.

September 21, 2011 - 8:05 am

Jade Love - Let me see if I get this correct. Take one piece of ribbon and keep stringing the ribbon through the ornament hooks, right? How did you get it so full though?

September 21, 2011 - 8:30 am

Lara Jo - Hi! I used the rings on the ornaments,not the hooks — the thing you would put hooks on, if that makes any sense. That way they’re nestled really close to the ribbon and you kind of allow them to bunch up to get that fullness — you can basically make it as full as you have ornaments for. Let me know if that doesn’t make sense. Good luck with it and thanks for reading!!

Lara

September 29, 2011 - 5:01 pm

Jen - this is so very cool. and yes, your instructions in your comment/reply above makes sense. (at least it did to me)
you could leave the ornaments on the ribbon and then use the garland on your tree…. a modern take on putting ornaments on the tree but still. Ok, i’ll stop talking (typing) now.
Thanks for sharing!

November 13, 2011 - 9:34 am

Lara Jo - Thank you! And thanks for reading.

November 19, 2011 - 10:12 pm

Kimmy Davis - found you through a link from Jen of TT&J–this is a great idea, and I was expecting some complicated wiring and heavy duty equipment–but what you have is the best: an idea anyone can do right now with what’s on hand :) Thank you!

November 19, 2011 - 10:58 pm

Lara Jo - Thanks so much for checking it out! It really is easy, and with the many ornaments you can find at yard sales and thrift stores, it’s pretty inexpensive. They don’t have to be particularly pretty ones, either, since they’re all bunched up. Hope it goes well for you! Thanks again.

November 20, 2011 - 8:05 pm

Jessica - I was just wondering what type of camera and lens you use. The pictures you take of the items you make are amazing!

Jess

November 20, 2011 - 8:16 pm

Lara Jo - Jess, you have made my night. The pictures of the ornament swag were taken with my Nikon D80 and probably my 50 mm lens. Right before I had the twins I splurged and got a Nikon D700 and 85 mm 1.4 lens and that’s what the photos from about 2010 and up are taken with (and that, ladies and gentlemen, will be the last time I ever get to splurge again — at least until they’re through college). Thank you so much for the very sweet compliment and for taking a look at the blog — I really appreciate it! Have a wonderful holiday week!

November 26, 2011 - 9:35 pm

Carrie - I found this on Pinterest and LOVE it! Can you tell me how you connected the three pieces together? How did you “close” the ends so the ornaments don’t fall off?

November 26, 2011 - 10:30 pm

Lara Jo - Thanks for checking out the blog! I had them strung across my windows, so I wrapped each end of the ribbon around the latch on my windows. I never connected the three pieces, but they looked connected because I swagged them together, wrapping each end separately. Does that make sense?I think you could do it this way on a mantel, too (we use those removable hooks to hang things from our mantel, then you can just pull them off when you’re finished), and it would probably be better since if the piece gets too heavy it might not work as well. I have no idea of that makes sense, though, so feel free to write back if I need to be more specific.

Thanks again for reading!

November 26, 2011 - 11:19 pm

Heather - This is gorgeous. It’s kind of hard to tell if you’re using 1 size or different size ornaments. I’m attempting mine tonight. :)

November 27, 2011 - 8:21 am

Lara Jo - Thank you! I tried to use ornaments that were all basically the same size. There was some slight variation but they were as uniform as I could get them. Good luck with your project and thanks again for the compliment!

December 5, 2011 - 8:15 am

Karen - I just love these and I was trying to make this without instructions. I had it so complicated I gave up. After reading your instructions above think I will try again.

December 5, 2011 - 8:39 am

Lara Jo - Oh, do try again, Karen. It’s really easy once you get started. The hardest part is collecting enough ornaments to create it. Let me know if any of the instructions don’t make sense.

Thanks for reading and commenting! I really appreciate it.

December 22, 2011 - 7:54 am

eve - I am sooo making this! After christmas the local walmart and big lots have thier $1 ornament balls (12 packs) on sale for like 50% off or more depending on the day- I am just going to go stock up on as many as I can afford and store them for next year! This is beautiful!!!

December 22, 2011 - 9:00 am

Lara Jo - Hey, thanks! Hope it goes well for you! Thanks for reading!!

December 24, 2011 - 12:26 pm

Angela - What a FABULOUS idea! I saw it on a friend’s pinterest and just wanted to tell you I love the idea! Too bad it’s Christmas eve! LOL Guess i’ll have to wait til next year, but i’ll be def doing this! THanks for sharing!

December 24, 2011 - 3:10 pm

Lara Jo - Thank you! Luckily, you’re just in time to buy ornaments half priced and you’ll have a great project for next year!

June 25, 2012 - 10:23 pm

Paula Hawes - I have actually done this as well. After seeing this swag hung up on a mantel in a swank store in my town priced at $100.00 I thought I can do this. Bought approximately 60-70 ornaments at Wal-mart and in a few evenings I had a beautiful gold swag. Only do-over, ornaments w/o glitter. I love the colors of the one you did. I’m going to try to re-do mine and do a colored one. Tahnks for the tutoril

June 25, 2012 - 10:27 pm

Paula Hawes - Love it. I made one gold, silver and red. It turned put great and I had many compliments from the family. I had seen this same swag in a holiday store selling for $100.00. Very excited to try a colorful one like yours.

June 26, 2012 - 9:58 pm

Lara Jo - Oooooh, that color combination sounds beautiful!! They’re kind of addictive after you’ve made one, aren’t they?

Thanks for reading!!

July 7, 2012 - 10:55 am

Stacy Schubert - so your saying just thread it thro. the holder on the ball. the one that is in the top of the ball that comes with it..

July 9, 2012 - 2:26 pm

Lara Jo - Exactly — right through the loop at the top of the ornament that you would normally put an ornament hook on.

Thanks for visiting!

August 5, 2012 - 6:12 am

Gail - I saw this great idea on Pinterest! thanks! Now I have even more reasons (excuses?!) to go find more vintage glass ornaments at estate sales. Oh, did I mention I also find gorgeous ribbon at estate sales CHEAP. Win-win situation :-) thanks again!

August 9, 2012 - 9:14 pm

Lara Jo - Thanks so much for visiting the site! Good luck on your vintage ornament hunt…the way it works for me is that just as I’m about to give up hope, I find a bunch. Hope the same works for you!

September 3, 2012 - 8:26 pm

Julie - This is fantastic. I bought oodles, and I mean OODLES of ornaments a couple of years ago after Christmas at Walmart. Did I mention OODLES? I got them for like 90% off. Is is a good deal when they are still sitting in my Christmas closet? I was going to make those wreaths on the wire hangers, but I just can’t get that blasted hanger wreath done! This looks like a fabulous solution to the OODLES of ornaments I have!

September 9, 2012 - 7:44 pm

Judi Morris - This ornament garland is darling. I have already made two with various colors. One to go with the greenery on my fireplace mantle and one for the stair railing.

September 9, 2012 - 8:35 pm

Lara Jo - yay, Julie! Glad to have given you a reason to use all of the ornaments…I know far too well how they can all pile up. :-) Thanks for visiting the site!

September 9, 2012 - 8:37 pm

Lara Jo - ooohhh, Judi, that sounds beautiful. Everyone is already getting ready for the holidays, it seems! Thanks so much for writing and for visiting the site!

September 23, 2012 - 10:01 am

Magic - I have to applaud you on your presentation of this craft! I have been a crafter for years, and I adore anything that pertains to Christmas! I’m going to do this for Christmas this year, using only antique Christmas ornaments….that way, they will “fit in” with my Grandmas’,Great-Grandmas’s, and hubbys’ antique ornaments from his side of the Family. Thanks so much for sharing!…………..hugs, Magic

October 28, 2012 - 4:38 pm

Julie - Lara Jo, can you tell me what kind of ribbon you used?
Thanks!! Julie

November 6, 2012 - 8:00 pm

Vera McGregor - Thank you so much for this idea. I saw this on Pinterest. I have about a million bulbs it seems. This way I don’t have to get rid of any. I can switch colors every year to math my tree. This year I am doing blues, silver, white with a touch of purple.

November 6, 2012 - 8:38 pm

Lara Jo - Julie, I think I just used a length of fabric ribbon – nothing too special. Thanks for stopping by!

November 6, 2012 - 8:39 pm

Lara Jo - Thanks so much, Vera! That color combo sounds gorgeous.

November 7, 2012 - 8:18 pm

Elizabeth Maria - Love Love Love this.. We are moving and will only have a few days to get things ready for Christmas.. I have a see though fireplace so I have two mantles. I can’t wait to make these ! !

November 12, 2012 - 2:46 pm

Kristalyn @ Learning is Messy - love your ornament garland! i am writing an Advent Countdown and would love to include this idea. can i include one of your pics when i do the post? i will give you credit and link back to you for instructions. please email me. thanks.

November 12, 2012 - 2:51 pm

Lara Jo - Absolutely, Kristalyn! Thanks for your interest!

November 12, 2012 - 2:53 pm

Lara Jo - Thanks for stopping by, Elizabeth! And may I say, I am jealous of your TWO mantles! The mind reels at the decorating opportunities!

November 17, 2012 - 12:33 pm

Lori - Do you have the problem of the ornaments popping off of their hook thingy? The piece that is on top of the ornament… should I hot glue it in place & then thread it onto the ribbon? This is really an awesome project!

November 17, 2012 - 1:22 pm

Lara Jo - Hi, Lori! Yes, I have found that that happens sometimes. If you have time, it’s a good idea to do what you suggested and use a hot glue gun. Thanks for visiting! Hope you have a great time with the project!

November 23, 2012 - 2:58 pm

linda - where did you get the bulbs from, cuz for just a few, its very expensive, thanks, its very beautiful garland :)

November 23, 2012 - 3:20 pm

Lara Jo - Hi, Linda! I’m a little bit of an ornament hoarder. I get them 75% off at the sales after Christmas but mostly I collect them from thrift stores, yard sales, and estate sales, where they can be had for mucho cheap. Thanks for stopping by!

November 30, 2012 - 8:44 pm

Carol - Such a great idea! I might even be able to do it! Very pretty pictures! Looks like Christmas!

December 2, 2012 - 10:19 am

M - BEAUTIFUL!! did you use glass or plastic ornaments?

December 24, 2012 - 3:37 pm

Laura @ Laura’s Crafty Life - Thank you for the inspiration. I made some ornament garland and shared it on my blog. I linked back to your site! Hope that is okay!! http://www.laurascraftylife.com/2012/12/ornament-garland.html Have a happy holiday!

January 6, 2013 - 6:06 pm

Lara Jo - Thank you, Laura! Yours is beautiful! Thanks for sharing!!

January 6, 2013 - 6:07 pm

Lara Jo - So sorry it’s taken me so long to reply, M — I used glass ornaments that I had found at thrift stores and yard sales. Thanks for visiting.

January 6, 2013 - 6:07 pm

Lara Jo - Thank you, Carol!

February 9, 2013 - 12:39 pm

Lyndi - I just ran across your site and I am thinking that I am going to make this garland by using “Easter egg” ornaments that I recently saw in the store :). I am so anxious to try this project! THANX for the ideas :)

February 10, 2013 - 9:08 am

Lara Jo - Wow, Easter Eggs would be a great idea! Good look on your project and thanks for checking out the site!

August 18, 2013 - 7:43 am

Peg - Don’t the wire rings attached to the ornaments tend to fall out? That’s usually how mine drop because the wires where the hanger goes in falls out of ornament. Did you glue the wires into the ornament hole first?

August 20, 2013 - 4:34 pm

Lara Jo - Hi, Peg. Every now and then one would pop off. I did end up using a dab of hot glue on a few of them but by and large, they stayed in place pretty well. Thanks for visiting!

November 10, 2013 - 7:05 pm

Jennifer - super easy and fun, I am not crafty and found this to be amazingly easy recommend reading the ribbon with a safety pin.

November 11, 2013 - 12:09 am

Lara Jo - Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Jennifer! I’m glad it went well for you!

November 14, 2014 - 12:11 pm

ANDRENE HENRY - Hi,
Is there anywhere that I can buy these garlands premade?

November 29, 2014 - 3:02 pm

Kristi gadawski - These are STUNNING! I am a mother of three girls ages 16, 2 and 1… My youngest daughter is Autistic so it is difficult to have her staying focused on any holiday decorating. I am so thankful I found this site and your beautiful idea! Kennedy has been playing with the ornaments and helping us out while a huge smile! Kendall and Alexis are also enjoying every second of this. I read your post about missing the smell of a real tree! Just wanted to let you know that they now sell sticks that you can hang anywhere on an ornament hook that smells exactly like a real tree. We are obsessed! Happy holidays and thank you for helping us make such a special memory together!

November 29, 2014 - 3:05 pm

Kristi gadawski - These are STUNNING! I am a mother of three girls ages 16, 2 and 1… My youngest daughter is Autistic so it is difficult to have her staying focused on any holiday decorating. I am so thankful I found this site and your beautiful idea! Kennedy has been playing with the ornaments and helping us out while having a huge smile on her face and the girls are all laughing and making their own! Kendall and Alexis are also enjoying every second of this. I will be keeping these and treasuring them forever! I read your post about missing the smell of a real tree! Just wanted to let you know that they now sell sticks that you can hang anywhere on an ornament hook that smells exactly like a real tree. We are obsessed! Happy holidays and thank you for helping us make such a special memory together!

November 29, 2014 - 9:21 pm

Lara Jo - Kristi! Yours is one of the nicest e-mails I’ve ever received. I am SO GLAD that this project works well for your family and so glad that you guys are having a good time decorating — I still haven’t even started. Thanks for the tip about the real tree scent — I was just talking to my sister-in-law tonight about how almost no one in our family gets a real tree anymore and how much we miss the smell. I will have to check that out. Have a wonderful holiday season and thank you so much for taking the time to write me!!!

November 30, 2014 - 7:30 pm

Rita - Yesterday, I finally found the 150 ornaments I bought last year right after Christmas to make this garland. I saw a brief DYI tip on TV last year about this garland, only it was strung on thin wire, which I am going to use now. I appreciate your tip to cut the ribbon in small lengths and will use that (tip) for the wire. I am so anxious to do this project! Thank you!

December 22, 2014 - 8:05 am

Amanda - I’m so stopping tonight at the store and whipping up one of these for the holiday! It’s BEAUTIFUL!

January 3, 2015 - 12:48 pm

Lara Jo - Hi, Amanda! Hope your project went well! If you wait until a week or so after Christmas you can pick up those huge packages of ornaments for 75% off. Also, check thrift stores for cheap ornaments! Happy New Year!

January 3, 2015 - 12:50 pm

Lara Jo - Rita, funny you should say that, because I was reading back to last year’s post and saw that I had purchased some ornaments half price after Christmas and I have no idea where they are. Still haven’t found them! Glad you found yours…please come over and find mine now! Thanks for commenting. Hope your New Year is off to a wonderful start!

January 3, 2015 - 12:51 pm

Lara Jo - Hi, Andrene! I haven’t ever seen them made pre-made, but they might be out there somewhere! Good luck!

November 23, 2011 - 1:49 pm

(Nov 25) DIY Christmas Decorations | After 50 News Weekly / General - [...] Ornament Garland Tutorial Simply find ribbon that’s thin enough to for ornament hooks to pierce it but strong enough to hold the weight of a bunch of ornaments and string a variety of ornaments onto it. You will need roughly 40-50 ornaments per three-foot in length. [...]

November 25, 2011 - 11:35 am

DIY Christmas Decorations | After 50 News Weekly / Burlington & Oakville - [...] Ornament Garland Tutorial Simply find ribbon that’s thin enough to for ornament hooks to pierce it but strong enough to hold the weight of a bunch of ornaments and string a variety of ornaments onto it. You will need roughly 40-50 ornaments per three-foot in length. [...]

December 3, 2011 - 9:22 pm

Christmas Decorating Frugal style | Sew It Girl - [...] 1. Sweet Christmas Cheer 2. Light Display 3. Fabulous Glass Ornaments 4. Glass Jar Holiday Centerpiece (two ideas) 5. Genius curtain rod stocking holder (sadly, there was no blog or credit to give on this photo) 6.Ornament Swag [...]

December 6, 2011 - 9:59 pm

ornament garland | Christmas Notebook - [...] seeing an ornament garland on the blog Pretty Quirky, I decided to make some for my scrapbook/crafting [...]

December 7, 2011 - 1:59 am

Christmas crafts with class by rustysurfer – Pearltrees - [...] I was trying to desperately whip some semblance of the Christmas spirit into my apartment yesterday because some friends were coming over to have a holiday photo taken — and I wanted SOMETHING that called to mind the holiday spirit in the photo! — and I ended up threading a bunch of my ornaments onto a ribbon. For such a quick project, it turned out really well! And unlike the wreath project in the last post, this is non-permanent — I can easily take them off the ribbon if I decide to use them for something else. More Fun With Ornaments. » Pretty. Quirky. [...]

December 20, 2011 - 8:06 am

Unique Christmas Garlands! | Occasions Magazine - [...] Everyone has tons of simple ball ornaments (and if not–the $1 section of Target is the place to go!), so why not string your leftovers on a ribbon to hang? I’m definitely trying this idea this year! Picture via Pretty Quirky. [...]

February 10, 2012 - 12:06 pm

DIY Christmas Decorations | wordpress site - [...] Ornament Garland Tutorial Simply find ribbon that’s thin enough to for ornament hooks to pierce it but strong enough to hold the weight of a bunch of ornaments and string a variety of ornaments onto it. You will need roughly 40-50 ornaments per three-foot in length. [...]

November 16, 2012 - 6:53 am

The Great ADVENTure – Decorations | Learning is Messy - [...] Ornament garland (idea from Pretty-Quirky) [...]

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Inexpensive Christmas Decor | All My Loose Ends - [...] pretty-quirky.com via Jamie on Pinterest If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! [...]

December 4, 2014 - 5:01 am

HoliDIY Roundup! | a daily dose of Vitamin D - […] Christmas Bulb Garland Aromatherapy Holiday Cards A Simple Evergreen Bunting Stocking Party Favors Snow Globe Ornament Holiday Cocktail Stirrers […]

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