How to make a fall/Thanksgiving Garland

There is just something festive about seeing a mantel, an entertainment center or a fireplace decorated. You may think that there is no way you can decorate for Thanksgiving, the sometimes forgotten holiday. But remember with Thanksgiving also comes the welcome of fall, that colorful season before winter arrives. By using a bit of the fall colors and adding a twist or two, you not only have a nice Garland that honors Thanksgiving, but one that honors Fall as well.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Two garlands of leaves in different colors
• Fake fruits or pine cones
• Fake Vegetables such as pumpkins, gores, etc.
• Fake grape vines
• Fake Indian Corn
• Fake acorns
• Hammer
• Wire cutter
• Long Stick Pins
• Wire (make sure it is strong)

1. Carefully twist the two pieces of garland together. You don’t want to do this tightly. Just twist it enough so they look as one. If one piece of garland is longer than the other one, just clip off the excess.
   
   Fluff the leaves out, if they need fluffing.

2. Place the garland on top of the mantel. Position it like you think it should look. If it doesn’t seem to want to stay in place, you may need to secure it. You can do this by using the pins. A great place to secure the garland is on each side, near the back. See if you have any where you can attach the pin, after running it through the garland.
   
   After you have it in position, the fun part begins, decorating it.

3. Gather each piece of fruit, vegetable or Indian corn, you plan on using. Place a pin through each piece. You may do this near the top or where ever you have a good grip.
   Attach a small piece of wire to the back of each pin. Wrap the pin around the wire in the middle. Make sure you have plenty of wire left on each side. You will use this wire to attach each object to your garland
   
   Now after you have each piece pinned, you will begin deciding where on the garland to place each object.
   
   Once you decide on a position, attach another pin in that spot. Now carefully, wrap the wire around the new pin you just placed in the garland. You can twist the wire, to secure it.
   
   As you begin adding each piece, evaluate how the garland looks before adding the next piece. To do this, you may want to take a few steps back and actually look at the garland.

4. Continue adding the objects, until you are satisfied that the garland is full enough without looking too full and too gaudy.

Tips & Warnings

• Think about buying rubberized fake leaves or fruits. They have a nice shine to them.
• Look for leaves that have a strong plastic vines
• Add Halloween decorations to the back of your mantel until Halloween comes and goes
• Allow part of the garland, with just the leaves showing, to drape down the front of your mantel for a more festive look.
• Watch about using too many objects on your garland. There is sometimes a fine line between festive and gaudy looking.