How To Get A Layered Full Garland Look & Decorating Inspiration

Looking for Christmas decorating inspiration? Here is a cozy dining room decorated in cottage glam decor, and simple tips for decorating.

12 Days Until Christmas.

I know.

Do you feel like time is speeding up and up?

We are doing our best to soak in and slooowww the minutes down around here.

The most practical way that’s working for us to slow everything down right now, is to bundle up and take an evening walk together as a family.

Sometimes that means walking to our favorite pizza place on Main street and grabbing a slice for dinner and then taking silly selfies like this one during the walk home.

Or this blurry one that we took last night, after walking into town to visit Shawn’s Mom who is in assisted living.

Sometimes it means a shorter walk, just a loop around the block to enjoy the Christmas lights in our own neighborhood including this beautiful Christmas home that we decorated for a special HwH client a few weeks ago.

But no matter how far or where we walk?

I am finding that the real balm for the soul is in the action of bundling up and making the time to take a time out.

Because if we want more joy in this season?

We have to make room for joy in our day by letting the moment breathe so that it can stretch and dance on our hearts.

Now who is ready for a peek of our dining room decorated in what I’m calling Cottage Glam vibes for the Holiday Home Tour to benefit Habitat for Humanity?

Oh good.

I have a new gold fireplace screen that I just ordered and am loving (ordered on recommendation from my blogger friend KariAnne from Thistlewood – you can see her beautiful Christmas home tour HERE)

and I have SO much more to share.

Like how I used chicken wire (again) and the best command hooks to hang multiple strands of garland on the mantel and how we decided to decorate the artificial Christmas tree that I flocked myself 2 years ago…with ribbons and oh – how I’m loving that tinsel is back!!

Follow me friend for a mini Christmas inspiration tour of our dining room decked our for the holiday.

Let’s go.

How To Get A Layered & Full Garland Look & Christmas Inspiration

If you were around here in the Fall, then you probably remember when I decorated our fireplace mantel and created a DIY pampas grass garland using chicken wire.

I know right?!

Who would have thought using chicken wire on the mantel is the secret weapon you need in order to hang garland dangling in front of your mantel instead of on top of your mantel.

All that to say?

When I removed the pampas grass stems from my Fall mantel…

(Side note – don’t worry I repurposed them and used them to decorate the Christmas tree in my home office and I can’t wait to share with you my pampas Christmas tree on Saturday)

Anywho….I decided to keep the chicken wire from my Fall mantel in place and left it hanging on the mantel in order to help hold up the Christmas garland.

This is what it looked liked when I started decorating the mantel.

You can see that I am using multiple strands of garland and if you look closely you can see the chicken wire behind the garland.

Using chicken wire really helped to keep the garland hanging down straight, serving as a foundational backing to the multiple strands of garland that I wanted to hang off the mantel and not on top of the mantel.

I used the same BRILLIANT cable bundler command hooks that I used to hang the garland on our staircase (you can see the staircase and entry way decorated HERE in this post) to hold up the Real Touch Norfolk Pine Garland from Afloral (sadly sold out in October.)

I also used a few medium sized binder clips and clipped the faux pine garland to the chicken wire in some areas in order to keep it in place and secure.

Next, I added in two strands of this Seeded Eucalyptus Garland to layer it on top of the Real Touch Norfolk Pine Garland from Afloral and fed the end through the amazing cable bundler command hooks that I had attached to the top of the mantel.

And now?

When you look at the fireplace mantel decorated for Christmas?

You would never know what is hiding behind this layered garland look.

Nope.

Nothing to see here.

Just your everyday Christmas garland on your mantel being held up by chicken wire and together by cord bundler command hooks along with a few binder clips. 🙂

Shh…it’s our secret.

Now, let’s talk about this new fireplace screen from Walmart for Under $100.

Yep.

Yes indeedy.

I ordered this fireplace screen from Walmart last week because I knew she was the crown jewel to this fireplace decorating situation.

I was right.

She did not disappoint.

This fire screen is sooooo pretty in person.

And even though our fireplace is mostly out of sight because of our dining table that sits in front of it…

You can still catch glimpses of the new fire screen from all the angles, as you move through the kitchen and dining room.

Have to say this little fire screen purchase of under $100 really helped to elevate the look of the cottage glam dining room vibe I was hoping for. 🙂

Did you catch the gold tinsel on that tiny tree above?

I used one pack of this gold tinsel from Target (on sale now for $2) and it dazzled this tiny tree that I used my DIY flock recipe on last year HERE in this post.

As far as decorating our larger artificial tree..

I am calling it my “bow tree” because I was inspired by the brass bow tree topper from McGee & Co that I purchased new this year.

I love the soft look of the bow at the top and decided to carry that soft look on the tree branches as well, using this velvet ribbon

I measured out and cut the ribbon into 30″ strands.

Then, I tied the ribbon directly onto the tree branches.

And made the ribbon into a bow.

Before, I tied the ribbons onto the tree branches, I wove two strands of frosted eucalyptus garlands onto the tree and tucked them back, closer to the tree trunk.

I love how adding garland to the actual tree, gave the entire look more depth and interest.

Now’s a good time for a confession.

I have a tiny little secret about the gold velvet table runner pictured above.

It’s not a table runner.

It’s a curtain panel.

Although some of you might have already known my little table runner secret if you were hanging out with me yesterday on my Instagram stories HERE.

I just couldn’t find a plain table runner that I liked to save my life!

And then?

I spotted these gorgeous velvet curtain panels at T.J. Maxx and it was love at first sight.

So there you go friend…now you know. 🙂

Now…here’s another little secret.

I can’t take the credit for this stunning Christmas inspired centerpiece made with faux stems from Afloral.

My wonderfully talented Mom made this gorgeous centerpiece for me in this distressed gold compote, that is now on sale.

My Mom has many talents.

Arranging florals happens to be one of them.

She used the Real Touch Norfolk Pine branches to match the garland on the mantel. She also used these faux cedar stems along with a few of these juniper sprays and these beautiful white peony stems.

Noticing that gold mirror on the mantel?

It’s on super sale right now.

You can find the gold top beveled mirror HERE.

I love how the sides are frameless.

I decided to continue with the softer look on the tree with the bows and carry that idea forward, by loosely tying this chiffon ribbon in the nude / cream color, around a few of the flameless taper candles and the chandelier.

There you have it friend.

A mini tour of our cottage glam dining room dressed up for the Holiday Home Tour, that we are participating in this Saturday!

I hope you found a little bit or a lot of inspiration to help you decorate your own mantel, Christmas tree or dining room table.

While I know it’s easy to get swept up in the decorating and shopping…remember where we started.

If we want more joy.

We have to make space for the joy to live and breathe.

In other words?

Let Every Heart Prepare HIM room.

Living on a prayer,

Heather

Shop this post by clicking the images below.

Affiliate links used in this post.