Artificial floral branches can be extremely expensive! Depending on their dimensions and quality, they often vary from $10 to $30 and sometimes even more! The problem is that you need three or four branches at the very least, to fill up a vase, so it turns out that a decent size arrangement can be quite pricey! I see them all the time on the catalogs of my favorite stores but I hardly never buy them even when I find them at a lower price, out of season and on sale. No matter how beautiful some are, they never really seem to be a priority.
Today, I’m making my very own pine branches at a fraction of the cost of what they sell in the stores. And the best part? Mine are not completely synthetic so they really look like real ones!
Here is how to make your own:
1. Start by gathering real branches from the outdoors. Any kind will do but the longer the branches, the more impressive the arrangement will be! Most of the branches I found were rather thick and straight and with a very smooth external surface, but I also got a couple of thinner and curved ones.
2. Buy a pine garland. Some are so pretty and of such good quality, that they look real! Make sure to get one that looks as natural as possible! They’re almost always on sale at the craft stores for about $10. A 6 feet garland will be more than enough to make five branches.
3. Cut the pine garland in pieces, each piece between 5 to 10 inches.
4. Attach a couple of garland pieces at different parts, along the branch, with green floral wire.
5. It’s really easy to twist the wire around the branch! Each branch is ready in just a minute!
I combined two different types of garland. This second one is a long needle pine, different from the one above, and looks just as realistic.
Choose a tall vase and arrange the branches. Add more pieces of garland along the branches, if needed, to nicely fill each branch and make it look as natural as possible.
For the holidays, the branches can turn into a small Christmas tree, just by adding ornaments. However, without the ornament addition, these pine branches can decorate the house through the end of the winter season. Any kind of ornament will do, but I also liked the tiny glass beads (used for jewelry making) that shine with the light.
To keep the arrangement light and airy, I used transparent cord to hang the ornaments.
To hide the floral wire that was visible in some places, I tied a cute little bow around the branch.
The pine garlands usually come with pine cones attached to them. That’s certainly something that makes these branches look even more real!
I placed the vase on the entry way table, along with a large glass container that holds beautiful sequin ornaments that my mother made a couple of years ago and the sparkling monograms that I did last year.
When I was looking for the branches, I also found a couple of smaller ones. I added some smaller pieces of that same garland and they instantly became one more pretty piece of decor for my entryway table! The larger pine cones are actually real ones that were attached on the branch.
Who would know that these branches are artificial – actually, half real! -, that they’re made at home, and that they cost less than $2 each!
I think that this will be my last post until Christmas. I wish all of you a very merry Christmas filled with joy and happy moments!
