Make an Extra Long Swag

I built an archway of Christmas ornaments at the entrance of my porch this year and needed a Christmas swag for the front door. This swag had to be in scale with the archway, which meant something extra long for my tall doorway. Let’s get started!

I am so excited to be joining a group of crafty bloggers as we all share our idea of a Christmas craft! I thank Andrea from Design Morsels for organizing this hop! Check out the links at the bottom of this post to visit all of the participants!

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Measure your front door and decide how long you want your swag to be. I wanted something really long, so I decided on 52″. Head out to your local home improvement store and pick up a piece of PVC pipe. 3/4 inch or 1/2 inch should do fine. This is the first time I had used PVC to make a Christmas swag.

A hacksaw will easily cut through the PVC to give you just the size you want for your project.

Use a drill or a Dremel to make holes in your PVC. You will want to make holes on both sides of your PVC pipe to slip a zip tie through them. Make a pair of holes near the top (to hang your swag), near the bottom (to secure the bottom of the swag so it doesn’t blow in the wind). Next make two or three additional pairs of the holes to secure your garland to the PVC.

Use two garlands. lay one out the entire length of the PVC. Fold the second one over with a loop at the top. That loop will add some volume to the top of your swag. I show you how I did that in the photo above. The gap in the photo with the arrow shows how I looped it. Fill in all of the holes by fluffing your garlands.

Turn the garlands over, put the PVC on top of it. Feed the zip tie through the holes and wrap it around the front of the garland. Pull the zip tie as tight as you can.

You can see the zip tie above holding the garlands snug against the PVC.

Slip a zip tie through the holes in the top and bottom holes. You will use these to hang the swag and to secure the bottom so it does not swing when the door moves or in strong wind.

Your swag will look something like this and be ready to decorate.

Decide what you want to decorate your swag with. You may use ribbon, Christmas picks, or ornaments. I have selected ornaments for my swag. When using ornaments, this is an important step! Gently remove the cap off of the top of the ornaments.

Add a bead of hot glue around the top edge and slip the cap back on.

Slip a wire or a pipe cleaner or even a zip tie through the caps of the ornaments. You are ready to attach your ornaments to the swag.

For smaller ornaments, gather several together on one pipe cleaner or wire.

Use the wires or pipe cleaners to secure the ornaments to the garlands.

Start with the largest ornaments to the top. Add the smaller ornaments as you work down the swag.

I continued adding ornaments until my Christmas swag was full and ready to display. Since this was extra heavy, I didn’t rely on a Command hook, like I usually do. I used an over the door wreath hanger to hang the swag. I then used a Command hook to secure the bottom of the swag so it wouldn’t swing and sway as the door was opened and closed.

Now, let’s visit these other blogs:

Make An Extra Long Swag

Make A Centerpiece for a Narrow Table

DIY Grinch Gnome

Upcylced Gift Tins

8 Easy DIY Ornament Gifts

Christmas Terrarium

Chocolate Covered Snowman Pretzels

DIY Christmas Gnome Garland

Thanksgiving Table Favors

Christmas Stocking DIY

Snowman Charcuterie Board

Velvet Christmas Flower Picks

Create Festive Frosted Candle Holders in 2 Easy Steps

DIY Christmas Vintage Cutting Boards Vignette

5 Minute Mason Jar Candle Lamps

DIY Farmhouse Simple Joy Canvas

Quick and Easy DIY Thanksgiving Table Ideas

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20 Comments

  1. So festive and what a cheery welcome for your front door for the holidays Chloe! I think zip or cables ties are the greatest things ever invented. ‘-) So happy to be hopping with you again. Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. ♥

  2. I love the bright and shiny ornaments against the greenery, and what a brilliant idea to use pvc pipe for strength for the base, I’m sure it’s a little heavy! Very crafty and I appreciate the tips and detailed tutorial! I know I’ve told you this before, but I bet your neighbors look forward to seeing your entry decor every time the seasons or holidays change!! It always looks so festive and welcoming!

  3. Wow – this is the way to add a beautiful welcome to your holiday front door. As always a good tutorial and tips. And your mention of pvc pipe brought back some fun memories 🙂
    Happy Thanksgiving
    Hugs
    RR

  4. What a great idea to use PVC pipe to attach it to. It turned out great and looks so pretty against your blue door. Thanks for hopping today with us. I love that you can see your Christmas doormat in the reflection of your kick plate.

  5. Genius Chloe! I would never thought of using the PVC pipe, but it makes a lot of sense to hold that weight. A good tip too about the Command hook to keep it from swinging or blowing around. It’s really a festive, unique and dramatic decoration. Pinned!

  6. What a great way to lengthen a swag and add a festive touch to your door! Thanks for hosting & Happy Thanksgiving! Blessings, Cecilia @My Thrift Store Addiction

  7. I hope you have a spotlight shining on your front door to highlight this great swag. Great project and great tutorial!

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