How to Decorate For Mardi Gras Like a New Orleanian

This year, the news flooded us with stories of people putting up their Christmas decorations early. The idea was to stretch out the season, bring in a little extra cheer, and to distract from the gloom that 2020 brought so many of us. If you’re feeling a little bit sad about having to pack up the decorations, there is good news. You don’t have to! Do what people in the Big Easy have been doing for ages and turn that Christmas cheer into Mardi Gras cheer! Here is how you decorate for Mardi Gras like a New Orleanian.

When the New Year rolls in, many households in New Orleans keep their artificial tree up. They simply swap out the Christmas ornaments for some tinsel and beads in green, purple and gold.

DIY Wreath | Decorate for Mardi Gras like a New Orleanian

You ca also repurpose you ornaments and turn them into a festive Mardi Gras wreath for your front door. These all came from the Dollar Tree! (I love a good, thrifty craft!!)

It turns out, purple ornaments are hard to come by in stores so the ones seen here were hand-painted and glittered. However, if you want to skip that step, you can find some here.

What You’ll Need:

Ornaments in assorted sizes-purple, gold, and green.
Craft paint and glitter (optional)
wire hanger
gold washi tape
Ribbon

Make it! | Decorate for Mardi Gras like a New Orleanian

To make the wreath, take an old wire hanger and stretch it into a circular shape. Then, untwist the neck at the top so that you have an open loop.

Feed the wire and through the hole at the top of each ornament. Alternate in size and turn the ornaments to face in One Direction. String a good amount onto the hanger until there is no bare wire remaining. Make sure you leave enough space at the top to retwist the wire.

Wrap the re-twisted wire in gold washi tape and then tie a wire ribbon in a bow over the tape. You can use the hook at the top of the hanger to hang your wreath.