AD: I have received items from Sue Ryder for the purposes of creating some fun festive Christmas decor for your homes for this post. Every purchase enables this incredibly worthy charity to help people with end of life care, neurological problems or dealing with the loss of a loved one.
Long-Lasting Christmas Decor With Sue Ryder
Yes, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the I.E. household. It may be early for some of you but for others, there is nothing like a bit of forward planning to be had. I’m always amazed at how quickly the weeks will go by!
Last year I treated you to a display of fresh and artificial Christmas fireplace and door displays. This year, Sue Ryder asked if I’d help promote some of their Christmas range. I didn’t need to be asked twice. Sue Ryder as you’ll know from previous features here on the blog, is such an incredibly worthy cause as they deal with end of life care and so much more.
Founded in 1953 by Sue Ryder, this charity that supports people with complex needs and life-threatening illnesses across the UK and internationally. It operates specialist palliative care centres, care centres for people with complex conditions, home care services and a growing number of community-based services.
Sue Ryder Online – Affordable Home Finds – The Interior Editor
Light Up Your Christmas
Of course, I’ve opted to get creative with a few items from Sue Ryder’s Christmas range. These included their faux eucalyptus garland and wreath as well as their battery-operated jewel lights and realistic flickering battery-operated wax candles. The latter are perfect for those of you that are wary of real candles especially if you have pets or small children. They definitely provide you with peace of mind and since we are now living in a thatched property we are erring more towards these sources than the real thing.
How To Make Your Christmas Garland…
I thought we’d start with the garland. It’s such a versatile piece as you’ll see by scrolling down (if you haven’t already). Of course, you could just use it in its natural faux form and not add any additional decor. But I say where’s the fun in that! But then I am one that loves to get my creative head on and Christmas comes but once a year. So in case you’re on board the creativity train with me, you might want to read on and see just how much fun you can have!
What You’ll Need To Make Your Garland…
The faux eucalyptus garland and battery-operated jewel lights are going to be the basis for creating your fireplace Christmas garland. And because it’s ready-made, it makes life a lot easier and less time consuming than trying to put together your own. The battery-operated jewel string lights are optional but I do like to light up my fireplace mantel at Christmas and these are good enough to use all year round.
You’ll also need…
To create your decorative Christmas garland, you’ll need to be able to attach your chosen pieces such as flower heads, cones etc.. Floristry wires (long not short) are a must for being able to attach your dried/artificial decor to the garland itself. The hot glue gun ensures that the pieces don’t move once you have wired everything into place. You can leave the glueing out if you prefer to change up your Christmas decor each year just make sure your wires are wrapped around the garland securely. If you are going to use your garland to decorate your stairs, or as you’ll see further down this post, I’ve added mine to our porch, you’ll need to glue the stems/wires to the garland itself to ensure they don’t drop off! Your last piece of equipment especially if you are going to use artificial stems is a good pair of wire cutters.
Pick Your Decorative Accessories…
This year I’ve opted for a mixture of dried and artificial. Dried flowers are currently seeing a huge resurgence in interiors. This actually comes as no surprise considering our growing desire for nature in our homes.
Having inherited an abundance of hydrangea plants with our new home I decided to cut and dry some of the heads for the purpose of using them for our Christmas decor this year. And because hydrangeas have larger heads than most flowers (artificial or real) you’ll need less decorative pieces for your garland.
FLORISTRY TIP: When planning out your garland choose odd numbers when it comes to your focal flowers. It’ll help create a more balanced look and feel to your display.
It’s All In The Preparation…
Cut sprays of flowers down and wire individual pieces. Ensure there is enough wire to wrap around the garland to hold it in place.
Attach your decorative pieces…
Once you are happy with the way your garland looks, wrap the wires around the garland making sure you avoid trapping any leaves. You can then hot glue them in place if you are worried about them moving.
Sit Back & Enjoy…
You’re then good to go! Place your garland on your mantelpiece and add the decorative lights if using. If you really want to add the wow factor you can add a wreath. Which brings me on to Sue Ryder’s faux eucalyptus wreath.
I’ve included a short video of how I put together the garland which I hope helps.
The Versatile Christmas Wreath
How To Create Your Wreath
If there’s one piece of decor that screams Christmas, it has to be the wreath. It’s my absolute favourite to create as there are endless ways to decorate them. It’s also very quick and easy to make your own. Especially if you have a ready-made foliage wreath like this fabulous faux eucalyptus wreath from Sue Ryder.
Sue Ryder’s eucalyptus wreath is a fabulous base on which to build your desired look to suit your Christmas decor. It’s a great size too!
Before you begin, you’ll need to mark the top of your wreath (if you’re hanging it) by adding your ribbon or string.
As with the garland, gather your decorative pieces, cut and wire each one.
Wreath Making Tip: Heavier/larger decorative pieces need to be wired and glued into place. If you’re using smaller decorative pieces and/or natural dried berries (like I have), you can save time and hot glue them straight onto the wreath.
Place your decorative pieces around the wreath until you’re happy with how it looks.
You’re then good to go ahead and attach each accessory by wrapping the wired pieces around and into the wreath itself. As with the garland be sure to avoid catching the foliage as you go. You can then hot glue them into place to ensure there are no escapees when you hang your wreath.
Then go hang your work of art, sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour!
Table Centre…
What’s great about this wreath is that you don’t have to hang it on your door/fireplace, you can just pop a candle or two in the centre and voila you have a table centre. Perfect for those dinner parties or for adding some festive cheer to your coffee table.
Or if you have the time, you could create one for your table, door and fireplace!
Christmas Door Wreath & Garland
And to show you how it looks outside, I’ve included a few shots of the garland and wreath in our thatched porch. They really are versatile and fun to make.
Long-Lasting Christmas Decor
What’s also great with these wreaths and garlands is that they can be stored away for next year and they’ll be ready to adorn your home with no effort at all.
These faux wreaths and garlands from Sue Ryder are also perfect for all year round decoration. Just think what you could do for say Easter, Summer or even a Halloween!
And If You Have No Time…
If you’re pushed for time or you’re a more hang and go, Sue Ryder also sell these gorgeous red berry wreaths and garlands. Instant gratification springs to mind and the vibrancy of the berries will brighten up the bleakest of winter days.
You can find Sue Ryder’s full Christmas range here. And don’t forget by purchasing from their online shop 100% of their profits help provide palliative, neurological and bereavement support.
I hope you’ve been inspired by today’s Long-Lasting Christmas Decor With Sue Ryder – Christmas fireplace garland and wreath using Sue Ryder’s faux eucalyptus garland and wreath and would love to see/hear if you’ve created your own Christmas masterpieces for your homes.
Until next time, thanks as always for stopping by!
Maria x
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