Make a Natural, Aromatic Holiday Swag
Bring the fragrance of evergreens indoors by hanging this seasonal swag near entryways, on doorknobs and more
Annie Thornton
December 8, 2015
Houzz Editorial Staff
You’ll love this fragrant holiday swag if you like the idea of a homemade holiday wreath but want something that’s a little simpler to assemble. Rebekah Northway, from The Petaler in San Francisco, shows us how to blend seasonal favorites like incense cedar, eucalyptus and cinnamon in one hanging bundle that can be used to garnish entryways, doorknobs or mantels with the foliage and fragrance of winter.
Tools and Materials
- Monofilament fishing line
- Three cinnamon sticks
- Three sprigs of ‘Baby Blue’ silver mountain gum (Eucalyptus pulverulenta ‘Baby Blue’) in varying lengths up to 15 inches long, with leaves from the bottom 4 to 6 inches of stems removed
- One large spray of incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), with foliage from the bottom 4 inches of stem removed
- Two spools of silk ribbon, one about ½ inch wide and the other 1½ inches wide
- Rubber band or wire to secure bundle of foliage
- Scissors
- Pruning shears
1. Thread the fishing line through a cinnamon stick, leaving it uncut and on the spool.
2. Feed the fishing line through the other two cinnamon sticks. Tie a few double knots on the loose end so that the line doesn’t slip back through the holes of the cinnamon sticks. Cut the fishing line, leaving a 6- to 8-inch tail.
3. Gather the eucalyptus, cedar and cinnamon strand in a bunch, holding on tight where the foliage ends, or where the cinnamon sticks end and the fishing line tail starts. Secure the bundle with a rubber band or wire, making sure you have included the loose fishing line tail.
4. Leaving the ½-inch-wide ribbon uncut and on the spool, begin wrapping it as tightly as you can around the bare stems, starting as close to the foliage as possible. Bind nearly all the way to the stem ends, making sure to also wrap around the loose fishing line tail.
5. When you’re within an inch or so of the stem ends, cut the ribbon off the spool, leaving a short tail.
6. With the point of your scissors, tuck the tail of the ribbon into the bound stems, or otherwise secure it.
7. Prune off any irregular stem edges and fishing line that are showing from under the ribbon, making sure not to cut the ribbon itself.
8. Cut an 11-inch piece of ½-inch-wide ribbon and tie the bundle where the binding meets the foliage. Make a knot and let the loose ends hang in the swag.
9. Cut a 2-foot piece of 1½-inch-wide ribbon.
10. Create a loop with the ribbon (this is how you will hang your swag), with the right tail crossing in front of the left tail.
Take the left ribbon tail (now on the right side) and wrap it completely underneath the bundle and around the top in front of the other ribbon tail (the original right ribbon tail), making sure to hold the loop in place.
Take the left ribbon tail (now on the right side) and wrap it completely underneath the bundle and around the top in front of the other ribbon tail (the original right ribbon tail), making sure to hold the loop in place.
11. Fold the original loop down over the ribbon you wrapped around the stems, then back underneath it.
12. Tighten the knot by pulling the loop and ribbon end.
An alternate way to tie the bundle is to fold the ribbon in two, with one side longer than the other. Holding the folded ribbon halfway down, loop the folded edge over and under the two strands of ribbon to create a loop. Insert the stems into the loop and tighten.
An alternate way to tie the bundle is to fold the ribbon in two, with one side longer than the other. Holding the folded ribbon halfway down, loop the folded edge over and under the two strands of ribbon to create a loop. Insert the stems into the loop and tighten.
Cut the ribbon ends (Northway prefers asymmetrical lengths) and hang the swag by its loop near entryways, on doorknobs or anywhere you’d like a little color and scent of the season.
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I have made many fresh swags and wreaths for inside my home but they only seem to last about 5 days, even when I mist them (which I was told to do). I don't do them anymore....too messy but I do love them.
Love it, but where does one find the incense cedar? I think that tree is native to the West? I live in the Northeast. Any ideas for a good substitution?
Merrigay, when you tie something slippery use a surgeon's knot, when you pass one end under for the first half of the knot make a second pass and pull tight, for most materials this will keep your half knot tight whilt you finish the rest of the knot