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

25 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!

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. [...]

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