DIY Project: An Aromatic Holiday Home Garnish
Bring the fragrance of evergreens indoors with this natural Christmas hanging near entryways, on doorknobs and more
You’ll love this fragrant holiday home garnish if you like the idea of a homemade holiday wreath but want something that’s a little simpler to assemble. Rebekah Northway, from The Petaler in San Francisco shows us how to blend Christmas favourites like incense cedar, eucalyptus and cinnamon in one hanging bundle that can be used to garnish entryways, doorknobs or mantels with the foliage and fragrance of the holiday season.
What you’ll need
- Monofilament fishing line
- Three cinnamon sticks
- Three sprigs of ‘Baby Blue’ silver mountain gum (Eucalyptus pulverulenta ‘Baby Blue’) in varying lengths up to 35 centimetres long, with leaves from the bottom 10 to 15 centimetres of stems removed
- One large spray of incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), with foliage from the bottom 10 centimetres of stem removed
- Two spools of silk ribbon, one about 1.5 centimetres wide and the other 3.5 centimetres wide
- Rubber band or wire to secure bundle of foliage
- Scissors
- Pruning shears
Step 1: Thread the fishing line through a cinnamon stick, leaving it uncut and on the spool.
Step 2: Feed the fishing line through the other two cinnamon sticks. Tie a few double knots on the loose end so that the line doesn’t slip back through the holes of the cinnamon sticks. Cut the fishing line, leaving a 15- to 20-centimetre tail.
Step 3: Gather the eucalyptus, cedar and cinnamon strand in a bunch, holding on tight where the foliage ends, or where the cinnamon sticks end and the fishing line tail starts. Secure the bundle with a rubber band or wire, making sure you have included the loose fishing line tail.
Step 4: Leaving the 1.5-centimetre-wide ribbon uncut and on the spool, begin wrapping it as tightly as you can around the bare stems, starting as close to the foliage as possible. Bind nearly all the way to the stem ends, making sure to also wrap around the loose fishing line tail.
Step 5: When you’re within 2 centimetres or so of the stem ends, cut the ribbon off the spool, leaving a short tail.
Step 6: With the point of your scissors, tuck the tail of the ribbon into the bound stems, or otherwise secure it.
Step 7: Prune off any irregular stem edges and fishing line that are showing from under the ribbon, making sure not to cut the ribbon itself.
Step 8: Cut an 28-centimetre piece of 3.5-centimetre-wide ribbon and tie the bundle where the binding meets the foliage. Make a knot and let the loose ends hang in the garnish.
Step 9: Cut a 60-centimetre piece of 3.5-centimetre-wide ribbon.
Step 10: Create a loop with the ribbon (this is how you will hang your swag), with the right tail crossing in front of the left tail.
Take the left ribbon tail (now on the right side) and wrap it completely underneath the bundle and around the top in front of the other ribbon tail (the original right ribbon tail), making sure to hold the loop in place.
Take the left ribbon tail (now on the right side) and wrap it completely underneath the bundle and around the top in front of the other ribbon tail (the original right ribbon tail), making sure to hold the loop in place.
Step 11: Fold the original loop down over the ribbon you wrapped around the stems, then back underneath it.
Step 12: Tighten the knot by pulling the loop and ribbon end.
An alternate way to tie the bundle is to fold the ribbon in two, with one side longer than the other. Holding the folded ribbon halfway down, loop the folded edge over and under the two strands of ribbon to create a loop. Insert the stems into the loop and tighten.
An alternate way to tie the bundle is to fold the ribbon in two, with one side longer than the other. Holding the folded ribbon halfway down, loop the folded edge over and under the two strands of ribbon to create a loop. Insert the stems into the loop and tighten.
Cut the ribbon ends (Northway prefers asymmetrical lengths) and hang the garnish by its loop near entryways, on doorknobs or anywhere you’d like a little colour and scent of the season.
TELL US
How are you festooning your home for the Christmas season? Share your ideas or upload photos in the Comments below.
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Browse more fun DIY projects
TELL US
How are you festooning your home for the Christmas season? Share your ideas or upload photos in the Comments below.
MORE
Browse more fun DIY projects