25 DIY Garland Ideas To Dress Up Your Home This Holiday Season

The holiday decorating season is nearly upon us, and I could not be more excited. I started weeks ago making so many DIY Christmas ornaments and decorations. I typically make a lovely garland for my front porch from fresh evergreen and a few red bows and berries. When I started gathering supplies this year, I thought about how wonderful it would be to make even more garland for hanging inside the house, so I began looking for DIY garland ideas and I found so many wonderful ones!

You are going to love these projects! There are so many different ways that you can make your own garland and match it to any decorating theme that you may have in mind. Many of these are so easy that you can have the kids do them while you go off and do other things. Perhaps you are planning to make your own Christmas gifts this year. If you are, I have a list of 25 hand sewn Christmas gifts that you can make to get you started, and your little ones can busily be creating garland while you work on those gifts.

Whether you are planning to decorate your home in rustic style, modern or contemporary décor, or with all homemade decorations, you can find the perfect garland to complement your other décor. And, if you are planning on a rustic country theme, you have to be sure and take a look at these 25 farmhouse inspired DIY Christmas decorations. There are garland ideas in here that use so many different materials like pinecones, paper plates, and even felt, and they will match any decorating theme with designs like gumballs, snowflakes, and so much more. I hope you are as excited as I am about making your own Christmas garland!

Jump to:

• 1. DIY Gingerbread Letter Garland
• 2. Adorable Felt Candy Garland
• 3. Dollar Store Candy Garland
• 4. Easy DIY Burlap Garland
• 5. Classic Lighted Garland
• 6. Cheap And Easy DIY Pinecone Garland
• 7. DIY Cupcake Wrapper Christmas Garland
• 8. Faux Fabric Paper Chain Garland
• 9. Vintage Candy Garland
• 10. DIY Torn Felt Garland
• 11. Easy DIY Merry Christmas Garland
• 12. Fun DIY Gumball Garland
• 13. Winter Wonderland Marshmallow Garland
• 14. Paper Candy Cane Garland
• 15. Easy Paper Lights Garland
• 16. Paper Plate Christmas Tree Garland – Kids Craft!
• 17. Adorable Crocheted Garland
• 18. Paper Snowmen Garland
• 19. Three-Dimensional Paper Christmas Tree Garland
• 20. Paper Wreath Garland
• 21. Festive Pipe Cleaner Garland
• 22. Easy Stick Snowflake Garland
• 23. DIY Ornament Garland
• 24. Wooden Bead Garland
• 25. Fabric Covered Paper Chain

1. DIY Gingerbread Letter Garland

I love baking for the holidays, and that could possibly include baking up my own Christmas decorations, like this gingerbread letter garland. This is so cute and really easy to make. You use a basic gingerbread cookie recipe and then cut your dough into large letters to spell things like Joy, Let It Snow, Merry Christmas, or whatever you want. Then, string it together with twine and hang it.

2. Adorable Felt Candy Garland

This garland is made entirely out of felt, and it looks like old-fashioned Christmas candy. You roll red and white – or red and green or green and white – felt strips together to create the little lollies and then tie it all up with festive beads and wire or string. This would be really adorable on the Christmas tree, or you could use it to decorate your mantel in true DIY style.

3. Dollar Store Candy Garland

You can buy all of the supplies for this candy garland at the Dollar Store and it is spectacular. Just grab some wire-based mesh decoration and add bows, plastic candy canes, large plastic candies, and whatever else you want to give it a really nice candy land look. You can also add clear holiday lights to make it stand out.

4. Easy DIY Burlap Garland

I really do love DIY burlap decorations, and this garland is one of my favorites. It’s so easy to make and is the perfect addition to your rustic Christmas decorations. To make this, you simply take rolls of garland and add hemp or another strong string. Just thread the string or hemp through your burlap with a needle and then pull it to create the ruffled look. Then, add any decorations that you want by using hot glue or by sewing them on and hang.

5. Classic Lighted Garland

For a really nice classic Christmas look, simply take an evergreen garland – real or fake – and add red ribbon and clear Christmas lights. This one is super easy and really cheap. You can buy the supplies for this garland much cheaper than you can buy garland that has this look. Just wrap the ribbon around your evergreen and lights, and then add ornaments, silk poinsettias, pinecones, or anything else that you want.

6. Cheap And Easy DIY Pinecone Garland

Around my house, we have tons of pinecones, so this pinecone garland would basically be free to make. It’s also one of the easiest DIY garlands, and it’s absolutely perfect for your farmhouse Christmas decorations. Just string your pinecones together with a jute cord in any fashion or form that you want, and then add any embellishments that you desire. Or, leave it plain and just have a really rustic pinecone garland to decorate your home this Christmas.

7. DIY Cupcake Wrapper Christmas Garland

You can turn just about anything into décor – take this cupcake liner garland, for instance. This one is made from cupcake wrappers in Christmas colors and designs, and it is so very simple to make. You stack the wrappers to make them resemble Christmas trees and even add a little glittery star on top. Then, tie everything together with hemp or twine and hang. This is a great project for the kids!

8. Faux Fabric Paper Chain Garland

Paper chains were my favorite DIY Christmas ornaments when I was a kid. I loved making those things! You can do the same thing and make it a bit more decorative with cardstock and make it look just like lace fabric. This DIY fabric chain garland is so very easy to make. You just use a paper punch to create your lace look in colored cardstock. This is the same paper chain that you made as a kid, just with a little grown-up design.

9. Vintage Candy Garland

Remember those neat, swirly ribbon Christmas candies? They have such a wonderful vintage touch, and you can recreate that look with this DIY vintage candy garland. You make this with felt, and you’ll need about a quarter of a yard in five different colors. You also need dental floss, an embroidery needle, and your hot glue gun. When it’s finished, this looks just like those old candies and offers a beautiful rustic look to your Christmas décor. Add this to your tree with a DIY tree topper for a really rustic Christmas look.

10. DIY Torn Felt Garland

Some strips of felt tied together over twine or string give you a beautiful garland that is not only cheap but it is also really easy to make. This is a wonderful project for the kids. Just cut or tear strips of felt and then tie them into bows around your string or twine. That’s it! This is great for the tree or for hanging off the mantel.

11. Easy DIY Merry Christmas Garland

This simple garland spells out Merry Christmas, and it couldn’t be easier to make. You can do this with holiday-colored scrapbook paper, or if you really want to get creative, you can use felt. Your local hobby store has adhesive chipboard lettering that you can use, and all you have to do then is just shape your scrapbook paper and attach the lettering. Then, hang them on twine with tiny clothespins.

12. Fun DIY Gumball Garland

Did you know that you can use gumballs to make garland? This is such a fun and colorful DIY project, and it’s super easy, not to mention really cheap. Gumballs are so inexpensive, and you can string them up just like you do popcorn – you have strung popcorn and cranberries for the tree, right? You can fill in between larger gumballs with colored wooden beads, too, and just string them all together with a needle and thread.

13. Winter Wonderland Marshmallow Garland

I love the idea of this marshmallow garland. You can make it look like it’s snowing in all of your windows! This one is so simple, too. You just choose marshmallows in different sizes and string them all together with a needle and thread. Tie knots at the ends so that your marshmallows stay in place, and then hang these in front of all of your windows – if you have pets, be sure that they are hung high enough so that they don’t nab them.

14. Paper Candy Cane Garland

I love this paper candy cane garland that is made from…paint chips! You can get paint sample chips at most hardware stores and then use them to string together these adorable little paper candy canes. Hang these anywhere that you would normally put garland – you can string them together with twine, and they are perfect for decorating stairs or your fireplace mantel.

15. Easy Paper Lights Garland

You remember those old-fashioned Christmas lights, right? The really big ones? Well, this garland recreates that look, and you use paper to make it. Just grab some colored cardstock in whatever colors you want, along with white or gray for the tops of your lights. Once you have them all created, you string them together with twine or ribbon, and they really do look just like those vintage Christmas lights.

16. Paper Plate Christmas Tree Garland – Kids Craft!

This is a wonderful garland project for your little ones. These Christmas trees are made from paper plates that you cut into quarters – make sure that you are using actual paper plates and not foam ones. Once you have them cut, paint them green, and then let the kids decorate them with construction paper ornaments, glitter, and any number of other things.

17. Adorable Crocheted Garland

This gorgeous garland can be crocheted, and it is so perfect for a rustic Christmas. Don’t you just love easy crochet projects? This one is crocheted bows with pom poms, and you can do this in reds, greens, and whites or choose colors that go along with your other holiday decorations. The pattern is so easy – it’s perfect for beginners because you don’t need to know any complicated stitches, and you do each bow separately.

18. Paper Snowmen Garland

These paper snowmen remind me of crafts that my kids did in school. Grab some foam or paper plates and let your little ones create snowmen from them. When they’re finished, you can string up those snowmen with ribbon or twine to make the most adorable garland. Their snowmen can be decorated with construction paper to make the faces, and if you really want to get creative, you can cut out hats from black construction paper to place on the tops of your little snowmen.

19. Three-Dimensional Paper Christmas Tree Garland

These paper Christmas trees really stand out because they’re three-dimensional. You make these from heavy cardstock in three different shades of green. You simply cut out tree shapes and then create the three-dimensional look by slotting two tree shapes together. Then, hang them all together with twine. These are super easy and you could even let your little ones decorate the trees before you hang them up.

20. Paper Wreath Garland

How cute are these little paper wreaths? And they look much more complicated to make than they are. This is one of the easiest Christmas crafts you will do this year, and it gives you a beautiful garland that is perfect for hanging over the mantel or down the stairway. You make these little wreaths with construction paper and then decorate them with scrap paper to make bows and other ornaments.

21. Festive Pipe Cleaner Garland

Pipe cleaners are really inexpensive, and you can use them to create a festive garland for your tree or mantel. You just curl them into chains and hook them all together. This is really one of the simplest garlands you could make, and it is the perfect project for the kids. There’s no gluing or stringing required. And if you can’t find pipe cleaners in the colors that you want, spray paint them a day or so before you plan to make this.

22. Easy Stick Snowflake Garland

Popsicle sticks are great for creating so many things, including this stick snowflake garland. This is another wonderful project for the kids. You can put their sticks together to form a snowflake – for younger children – and then just let them glue on any number of things to decorate. Paint your sticks white, green, or red to make them really festive, and use things like sequins, beads, and other craft supplies for decoration. Then, string them all together with twine or ribbon.

23. DIY Ornament Garland

This ornament garland is something that you would expect to pay a small fortune for in a department store, but you can make it really cheap. Just buy plastic or glass ornaments at the Dollar Store or Dollar Tree and then string them together. This entire garland takes less than 10 minutes to make, and it is gorgeous when it’s finished. Use ornaments of different sizes to give it more dimension, and then hang it on the tree or mantel. This would be beautifully hung beside your DIY Ornament wreath.

24. Wooden Bead Garland

Wooden beads come in so many different sizes, shapes, and colors, and you can use them to create a really rustic-looking garland that fits in perfectly with your DIY farmhouse Christmas decorations. Just string the beads with some twine or fishing line and then add in any other decorations that you want, like paper Christmas trees or even larger ornaments. This one is super easy and really fast to make.

25. Fabric Covered Paper Chain

This fabric paper chain looks just like those paper ones that we used to make in school but with a more modern twist. You just cut strips of fabric and glue them over cardstock frames so that they are sturdy and stay in place. This is such a simple and old-fashioned garland that is sure to be fun for the kids to make.