Upcycling an old Garland to Stairway Swags

Upcycle an Old Garland to Stairway Swags

Tired of your old garland? Follow these easy steps to upcycle it to these beautiful stairway swags. Without spending a ton of money, not only did I create new Christmas decor but also changed the look from Classic Christmas to Coastal Christmas.

Step 1- Cut garland into 4 equal pieces

The easiest way to do this is with clippers, but scissors work too. This garland had red berries and pinecones. Trying to bring in coastal colors, I removed everything additional (berries and cones) and started from scratch.

Step 2- Remove red berries

This is what they looked like after removing the berries. I also took off and rearranged the pinecones so there would just be one per swag. I then made sure all the needles were fluffed out and pointing down.

Step 3- Add fillers to the swags

You can buy sprigs of fillers from any craft store. I chose additional greenery and leaves as well as some off white berry branches. Again, I used clippers and wires to attach everything where I wanted it, overlapping to give each swag more fullness.

Step 4- Add a ribbon bow

Finally I added the bow at the top to finish it off. I went with the same ribbon I used on other decorations around my house to tie everything together. A simple bow worked for me, but you could certainly get more creative. For different bows click below:

Step 5- Add Christmas decorations

Before hanging I added a couple more things to give each swag interest and color. Just like with the ribbon bow, I stuck to ornaments and colors that tied the swags into my other decorations, specifically the tree at the top of the stairs.

Step 6- Attach the swags to your stairway

Then it’s time to attach the swags to the staircase. I hung them evenly spaced, attaching them first with wire and the wrapping burlap rope around them to give them a finished look. If you have a longer staircase you could upcycle another garland and make twice as many swags. All I needed were four!