Decorating can be expensive, especially if you fall into the temptation(haha pun not intended) to buy all new things every season. If you walk into any store nowadays, there will be so many adorable autumn items that beg to take them home. However, if you’re anything like me, you do not want to waste precious dollars on something that can be even more beautiful handmade. I believe that handmade items are so much better! They’re gentle on the budget, so fun to create, and are unique to your taste. You get to make it just how you like it. If you’re looking for a $0 DIY project this fall time, follow along for this adorable foraged dried swag.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went on a bike ride with our boys in our beautiful neighborhood. As we were riding along, I noticed all of the fall wreaths hanging on the front doors and got inspired to make my own.
Personally, I love the natural look that dried wreaths or, in my case, swags look. The difference between a wreath and a swag is simple. A wreath has a circular shape and you need a base to create that(which I don’t have). A swag has more of an informal look and it looks more like the shape of a water drop. Basically, you just make a bouquet and hang it upside down.
I love how imperfect it looks, so I decided to forage an assortment of greens in my backyard and hang them up on my front door to dry. Even though the swag looked more like a spring decoration when it was fresh, I think that the dried version gives off some fall vibes.
Before

After

How to Make Your Own Swag
- Step 1- go outside and forage your favorite greenery. Clip a variety of different types of leaves/branches. Secure this together with a rubber band.
- Step 2- if you have a ribbon laying around, tie the “bouquet” with a bow to pretty it up.
- Step 3- hang this up wherever you’d like to display it while the swag dries.
Voila! This is a piece of cake to make and it was absolutely free for me! Another part of this DIY project that I appreciate it the fact that once the season is over, I can just toss the dry swag into the green bin. No storage needed or anything because I can easily make another swag next fall in five minutes. If you have cut flowers in your garden, it’s a great idea to add those to dry alongside the greenery. It will be even more beautiful. I dried some lavender that was gifted to me after the birth of my son this June and added some into the swag as well for some color.

Are you on the surge to cozy up your home as the temperatures are starting to drop? Check out some more of our fall decoration posts here:
Thank you for stopping by our online nest! This post is written by Irene and I hope you hang something on your front door this autumn, whether it’s a store-bought wreath or this homemade foraged dried swag 😉
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