DIY Lighted Fall Flower Garland

I really love fall colors, but as with most other seasonal things in Texas, we don’t really get them naturally here! But no worries—that just means I’ve gotta bring them in myself! It all started with some cute little pumpkins, and now I am slowly inundating the house with all the autumnal things (and wearing fall clothes until about 10 am when the sun comes up and it gets too hot). This cute string light garland is just another way that I am welcoming the fall season even though it hasn’t really presented itself yet. Plus they are oh-so-pretty warming up the house in the evenings when it starts to gets dark!

You will need:

Strand of LED* mini lights (I used a strand of 50 warm white bulbs on white wire)

Fake flowers in fall colors

Hot glue gun

Masking tape or white electrical tape

*Make sure you use LED bulbs. They are much cooler, which is a big deal, especially around potentially flammable things like masking tape and faux flowers. Don’t start fires, guys. (Unless you’re making me s’mores.)

Before beginning, cut the plastic stems of the flowers short, leaving about 2 inches remaining. Remove the green piece from underneath the petals and prevent them from sliding down the stem with a ring of hot glue, similar to the procedure used in my giant flower crown tutorial. As in that tutorial as well, I used small dabs of hot glue to adhere some each flower’s individual petals together and bolster their overall shapes.

Then all you have to do is position a flower with the stem facing the bulb of a light and secure with a small piece of tape as seen above. Because I only had 23 flowers and 50 bulbs, I did this on every other light, starting from the third bulb on each end.

Once you are done, hang your lights up! This strand started under the fireplace mantle, then moved to make an arch over the doorway when it got too crowded. I used a couple command hooks of different sizes to hang it in place, and plugged them into the nearby outlet with a short, matching white extension cord.

I love how I created a little archway of fall loveliness as we transition into the dining room and kitchen. Not only do I feel like I’m traipsing through some fairy-inhabited woods, but these lights also create such a cozy and warm atmosphere when paired with the plain strand that now occupies the under-the-mantle space.

This little process could be adapted for any season (which I totally plan to do) and could be customized however you like! Use more flowers, or even add a fake green leaf vine coiled around a green-wired light strand to give a more natural appearance! (If you do use green-wired string lights, dark green electrical tape or maybe even floral tape would work well to secure the flowers, and the green plastic piece we removed at the beginning could be left on!)  Whatever you do though, make sure you take a moment to put on a flower crown and walk under your lighted garland into your own fairyland, even if you go there just to make some pancakes or other nonsense!

How are you inviting autumn into your home, regardless of the weather?

Stay lovely,