This natural cotton Christmas garland is such a snowy, soft and fluffy way to decorate your fireplace for Christmas! With about 30 raw cotton bolls (not to be confused with cotton “balls”), a piece of string and a little hot glue, it takes about 15 minutes to put this precious Christmas decoration together and hang it from the mantle.
I love natural Christmas decorations. I live in Brooklyn, and many of us don’t have the luxury of closet space, so storing Christmas decorations requires a considerable amount of real estate. I prefer to make Christmas decorations I can dispose of guilt-free at the end of the season.
I love looking out my window and seeing my neighbors pick the flower bouquet ornaments of my discarded Christmas tree and I also love making citrus ornaments with friends. It’s become such a fun tradition.
I think I’ll try to find space to store this garland for next year though. It’s so soft and makes my home feel so gentle. I paired it with with just 2 strings of yarn and a lace bow. Nice and simple.
A Few Common Questions:
1. Where do you find raw cotton bolls?
You can find them in specialty florists, craft stores or you can easily find them online. I found mine on Amazon.
2. How long should the garland be?
Measure the length of your mantle and add about 20 inches so you can drape it. Then, add 2 more feet to leave as extra length on each side that will be used to tie it to the mantle.
3. How do you hang the garland?
I simply nailed small nails into the sides of my fireplace, then one right in the center under the mantle. I first attached the center of the garland with a small twisty-tie to the center nail, then draped, and tied the ends to the side nails.
4. How should the garland be stored?
Very carefully lay it into a study box, making sure nothing can squash and flatten them out.
5. What do I need to make the garland?
- 30 raw cotton bolls without stems
- hot glue gun
- about 10 inches of string ( use measurement instructions above )
- a tool to gently press the string into the glue (I used a chopstick)
How to Make Natural Cotton Christmas Garland – Step by Step
1. Heat your hot glue gun and lay your first cotton boll face down on a table. Add a little dot of hot glue to one of the points of the cotton shell. Blow on it a little so it’s not too wet when you attach it to the string.
2. Making sure you leave a foot of string bare (you’ll use this to tie the garland to the mantle), gently press the string into the glue, using a tool like a chopstick to make sure it’s fully adhered. Repeat the process. Note: Don’t glue the cotton balls together or they won’t drape as nicely.
3. Nail one nail on each side of your mantle, and one just under it in the center. Use a small twisty-tie to attach the center of your garland to the middle (or simply tie it if you can).
4. Then tie the ends to the nails on either side.
I hope you have a beautiful holiday and enjoy this cotton Christmas garland! And for more inspiration, follow me on INSTAGRAM @shekeepsalovelyhome, on PINTEREST and FACEBOOK! And if you ever make any of my tasty drinks or treats, take a picture and tag me. I want to see!
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