I have never really thought about decorating around lights before this year because before, at our old house, I didn’t have any to think about in the front! But this new house has 3 around the garage doors and I wanted them to feel some holiday love too. So, after looking and not really finding anything I loved that was in my budget, I ended up finding a greenery stem that I did and figured I could make it work! So here’s how I made my DIY Holiday Light Swag for under $20.
I found these greenery stems at Michaels that I just loved. The color was lighter than a normal greenery stem, and almost felt frosted. I originally purchased to add some lush to my Holiday Tablescape at the Indiana Gift & Hobby Show 2021, but when I brought them home I figured the could be used for something else.
I collected the following:
3 Lush Greenery Stems from Michaels $7.99 ea
3 mini holiday sprigs from Walmart $1.99 ea
Craft Bells from Hobby Lobby $4.99 pack of 6
Gold Bows from Menards $1.99 ea
Craft Twine/String which I had on hand
Trusty Glue Gun
Metal Hangar
Floral Wire
Wire Cutters
Total —————— $14.00 each
First, I started by tying the bells on the string in the spacing I liked. I kept them about 5 inches or so apart. I just knotted them onto the string. The string can be cut to length depending on how you’d like them to hang.
Next, grab your hangar and measure it based on the lights you’ll be hanging it on. You will fare better with wire cutters, believe me. I tried without those, but wire cutters made it so much easier. Once it’s cut you can add it to the back of the greenery stem with floral wire first and then I added glue to the back of that so it wouldn’t come loose.
Once those are attached, you can add the small spring anywhere into the more lush stem. I did mine midway down and off center a bit. This is where I attached the bells too as well.
If you don’t like the look of the floral wire (if you can even see it), then you can cover it with some of the string, but it might not need it. I used some around the top of the swag where the hangar and branch came together just to cover it up. Once you’ve decided on whether or not you’ll wrap anything, you can add the bow. Most of the bows have little twist ties on the back. Find where you’d like to add the bow, twist those and add some glue so it won’t come apart.
And there you have it! An easy DIY Swag for your outdoor lights!