I need to keep it real with y’all. Look what happened 10 minutes after I took the last photo of my garland the other night.


Apparently, that 30 pound garland combined with the weight of the shutter was too much for this little shelf to bear. Actually, the hardware was still in the wall–it came unattached from the shelf itself. I was in major despair. I knew I could fix the garland easily but, I wanted to sit and enjoy my new garland and this shelf/mantel issue was gonna take a man to fix.

He was happy to oblige and got to get out his man tools and cut wood and stuff. He made something called a blind shelf and honestly, I don’t care if that shelf can see or not, I just wanted my mantel and garland back.


So he got it all hooked up {with major holes in the wall that we will have to fill when we move but that’s the price I’m willing to pay for beauty}. Then, something ELSE happened to my garland!!!! I turned on the fireplace and smelled that smell that you smell when you turn your furnace on for the first time in the winter. Dust burning. My pretty, huge unabashed wild and crazy, let loose garland that I bragged to you all about was hanging too low.

Too close to the fire.

I have made this garland in 6 different houses over 6 different fireplaces and this is the first time that I’ve had this problem! Again, I was sick over it. So, I decided to raise that swag part in the middle up even with the rest of the garland. You know what, I like it like that!!!

Sometimes the best solutions come in the midst of a ginormous garland crisis.

I couldn’t believe that no one asked about the garland getting hot in the comments. But, I figure anyone that puts actual safety before beauty stopped reading this blog long ago. I just love you all!


And lots of you were overly concerned about cords. PEOPLE–you cannot let that hold you back. I put a few ideas in the comments of the garland post that have to do with a combination of hot glue and extension cords. Remember for a low melt glue gun, you can peel the hot glue off of almost everything!


Since I love and adore you and trust you with showing my junkin it all up side of the tv abyss–here’s my cords. I have that TV hole and there’s an outlet in there. If you don’t have an outlet up there, I have a feeling you have one close. I would just use a white extension cord and bury the ugly plug parts where the lights meet it into the back of this garland.


I was so glad to get my garland back up and it was just in time for my friend in real life, Bonita to come visit. See that furry wreath down there? We’ll be making that next week!


And also my sister.


And, then I got to see a fellow imperfectionist once again too! Why didn’t we take a photo?
How’s your garland coming along?