How to Make A Swag: Fast, Cheap, Easy, and Pretty to Boot

A swag is a beautiful, quick, and easy way to decorate your house or front door for the holidays. I describe a swag as a bouquet of evergreen boughs hung upside down. Here is how to make one:

First, obtain evergreen boughs/branches. It really doesn't take much to make a swag, because you layer them on top of one another. I had Brian set aside the lower boughs he had trimmed off our Christmas tree. Let the stems sit in water overnight.

Next, trim and arrange the boughs how you like them. I staggered them, cutting some longer than others, to add length to the swag. I bound these tightly with .22 guage floral wire, because that's what I had on hand. If you have some nice twine or heavier duty wire, use that if you like.Then, peruse your yard to see what else you could add to your swag. Ornamental grasses? Pretty twigs? Or you could hang ornaments on it, as well. In my case, I found rosemary branches and dried spanish lavender. Arrange them in a way you think looks nice and wire them to the boughs.Next, make a bow. Of course, you don't need to put a bow on if you don't want to, but if you do, I learned to make these by watching bow making tutorials on YouTube. Finally, add the bow to your swag, then hang it.

And there you have it; a nice, inexpensive, and beautifully fragrant holiday swag for your front door. But why stop there? Make some more for the rest of the house, too! Happy decorating!Oh, and if you make one, I'd love to see it! Send a photo to belinablueeyes@hotmail.com.