Christmas decor trends change like moods in December. One year everything is silver, next year it’s beige, then suddenly everyone wants red again like it’s 1998. But Christmas ornaments? They just… survive. They move with you. They judge you through every renovation.
I had a full box of ornaments in colors that once felt “wow, so stylish” and now felt more like “why did I ever think this was okay.” After several moves and interior makeovers, they officially did not match anything. They just sat there in box and quietly judged my life decisions.
So this year I finally said: enough. I turned them into giant red Christmas bead garland, which also happens to be very trendy right now. And miracle of miracles — I already had red fabric at home, bought long ago “for something important” (as always). Not a single thing was purchased for this project. My favorite kind of DIY.
What I Used (Real Stuff, Not Pinterest Fantasy)
- Old Christmas ornaments (mine were 6 cm and 8 cm)
- Red stretch fabric
- Green chenille wire (pipe cleaners)
- Scissors
- Sewing machine (or needle and willpower)
- Pins
How I’ve Made The Garland
First, I laid all ornaments on table and roughly arranged them to see how long garland could be. This step is important, otherwise later you sit there with short fabric and big dreams.
Fabric strip should wrap around ornament plus 1–2 cm seam allowance. My fabric stretches, so I cut 15 cm wide strip for both 6 cm and 8 cm balls. Yes, same width for two sizes. Living dangerously.
Fold fabric lengthwise, right sides together, pin it, and sew along edge. Leave one end open. Turn it inside out. At this point it looks like very long red sock. Emotionally confusing but correct.
I had two ornament sizes, so I made pattern: 4 small, 1 big, repeat. First I tried random order and it looked like panic. Pattern looks intentional. Always choose intentional. Now important emotional warning: Fully glittered ornaments are evil. They stick to fabric, refuse to slide, and generally behave like tiny traitors. I fought with them. I lost some nerves. I won in the end. If you don’t have enough ornaments, just use smaller ones at ends. It’s fine. Nobody audits Christmas garlands.
I found green chenille wire, already at home (another small miracle). I folded it in half, wrapped it between ornaments, pulled ends through loop, and tightened. Done. Fast. No drama. Looks like tiny evergreen ties. Love it. I used same method to close the open fabric edge too. No extra sewing, because enough sewing already happened.
Garland is done. Now comes reward phase. Best places to hang it: entryway near windows on shelves on fireplace mantel (obviously) mixed with pine garland plus small red bead chains for extra holiday chaos Mine ended up on shelf with lantern and greenery. Suddenly this corner went from “meh” to “holiday movie set.” Not fancy-fancy. More like cozy festive mess that somehow works.
Final Thoughts (And One Unexpected Hack)
This project made me weirdly happy. Bright, bold, and those sad forgotten ornaments finally had purpose. Emotional closure through decor, basically.
And bonus tip from creative desperation:
If you don’t have old ornaments but do have balls from kids’ ball pit, they work too. Same size. Same effect. I tested one section. You can’t tell difference once wrapped. Christmas illusion is strong.