The foyer in our house is very grand with vaulted ceilings and a winding staircase. It was one of my favorite features of our home when we first walked through it and I immediately envisioned it decked out for the holidays. Brand new garland from the store can cost a fortune, so this year I found creative ways to hang garland on the stairs for less than $20.
One of the best places to find budget-friendly Christmas decor is at estate sales! You can find really quality items for a fraction of the standard price at local estate sales and that is where I found all of my faux green garland. When I found the box of old garland I was on the fence because it looked to be in rough shape.I decided that I could spruce it up and with the price at $10, it was a low-risk purchase.
Create Festive Garland for Your Staircase
1 | Hang the Green Garland
The green garland was used as the base and starting point for the traditional holiday garland I envisioned on our staircase. I decided to have the garland draped over the railing as it hung down the staircase instead of fully attached to the handrail. I galvanized wire to attach the garland to the railing, but floral wire works just as well.
Once the garland was attached, I spent some time fluffing the branches to make it look as full as possible.
2 | Tree Trimmings
Our family buys a real Christmas tree every year and we always have leftover tree branches that needed to be cut off the bottom of the tree. I took the leftover tree trimmings and attached them sporadically to the garland using floral wire. The fresh tree branches helped to fill out the garland and give it dimension with a different type of texture.
If you don’t buy real trees, you can often take the scraps at hardware stores like Home Depot. Or you can cut some branches off of a pine tree outside!
3 | Magnolia Branches
The garland was hung right after Thanksgiving and I still had the fresh flower arrangements I put together for the dinner table. I pulled out the magnolia branches used in the arrangements and added those to the garland as well! The brown and green add a beautiful and festive touch to the staircase.
Check out our complete dining room makeover from the One Room Challenge!
4 | Twigs
Twigs add an unexpected and fun element to floral arrangements and were a fun layer to the garland. I had leftover twigs/branches in my closet that I broke apart and used throughout the garland. I also like to use twigs from my yard that have a reddish tint to them. If you walk around your yard, you will be surprised how many natural elements you can use to decorate inside your home!
5 | Faux Flowers & Greenery
Next, I went into my decor closet and pulled out all of the faux flowers I owned. I found three branches of faux eucalyptus which worked great! You can see the branches below from our laundry room makeover.
Next I found 3-4 cream-colored plants (flowers?) that used to be in my daughters bedroom. I like how the draping adds a touch of whimsy and even more dimension. This image below is a listing photo from our last home in Denver.
Check out the recent makeover of my daughers bedroom!
I did purchase one branch of the round eucalyptus leaves and snipped off each branch. This gave me 5 stems of the eucalyptus to add throughout the garland.
Finally, I went through our Christmas bins and found a few red berry twigs and branch arrangements. I attached all of these faux branches to the garland, doing my best to fill in any thin areas and give it a consistent look throughout.
6 | Ribbon
There are so many great ways to add ribbon to garland on your staircase, but I decided to keep it simple with red bows at each attachment on the banister. I used 2.5 inch ribbon with wired edges. The wire gives the bow more shape instead of flopping over. I left the tails longer (almost to the ground) for added drama.
I absolutely love the look of festive garland on stairs during the holidays. This is a traditional look for a traditional-style home.
Materials & Cost for Create Festive Garland for the Staircase
- Green Garland – $7 (total cost was $10 but I. didnot use all of the garland I purchased for the staircase)
- Tree Trimmings – Free
- Magnolia Branches – Free (reused from Thanksgiving table arrangement)
- Faux Flowers & Greenery – Free
- Branches & Twigs – Free
- Faux Eucalyptus Branch – $8
- Faux Red Berries & Pine – Free (Christmas decor already owned)
- Ribbon – $5 (Actual cost was about $9 but I only used a small portion of the ribbon for this project)
TOTAL COST = $20
2 Comments
So smart! I wouldn’t think to look at the Christmas decor at estate sales!
Thanks! There is a lot of junk there too, but you can definitely find some goodies 🙂