Are you planning a Mardi Gras fête, or just want to let the good times roll a bit for your home decor for Mardi Gras season? I’m sharing a super easy idea for a Mardi Gras mantel garland. Garlands are a great way to add color to your décor without much effort, but the price can really add up. A super cost-effective solution is to make a DIY Mardi Gras garland using cost-effective supplies like tissue paper! If you’re searching for ideas for Mardi Gras garlands, this quick and easy DIY will help you maximize the impact of your party décor without spending a lot of money. See the step-by-step instructions below, and get more DIY tissue paper party decoration ideas here.
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More Mardi Gras ideas like these Mardi Gras garlands
- King Cake Cookies (Mardi Gras Cookies Inspired by the Traditional Cake)
- Mardi Gras Candy Melt Pretzels (kid-friendly Mardi Gras food idea)
- Let’s Party Gras! New Orleans Bachelorette, Birthday, or Mardi Gras-Themed Party Ideas
- Hurricane Mocktail (non-alcoholic hurricane drink recipe)
- Instant Pot Jambalaya Recipe with Shrimp and Chicken
- New Orleans-Style Sheet Pan Shrimp
- Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Pasta with Sausage
- Cajun Tortellini Skillet (Easy One-Pan Dinner!)
What you need to make this tissue paper Mardi Gras garland
This Mardi Gras mantel garland uses the Mardi Gras colors of green (representing faith), gold (representing power), and purple (representing justice). These colors look so pretty together, and your mantel decor will be so festive once it’s decorated with your DIY Mardi Gras garland! Here’s what you’ll need to make it (including links to some of the exact items pictured):
- Green tissue paper (I prefer the 20-inch x 26-inch size tissue paper for making tissue paper garlands)
- Purple tissue paper
- Yellow tissue paper
- Scissors
- Stapler and staples
- Green, purple, and gold Mardi Gras beads
- Green, purple, and gold glitter Mardi Gras masks
- Fleur de lis
- Green, purple and gold paint
- Paintbrushes
- Green, purple and gold glitter
- Command hooks and/or other wall and furniture-safe adhesive tape
DIY Mardi Gras garland instructions
To make these Mardi Gras garlands, you’ll first want to paint the fleur de lis that will sit at the center of the garland on the mantle.
One color at a time, paint a section of the fleur de lis, then coat the painted section with your glitter of the same color while the paint is still wet (so the glitter sticks).
Repeat with the remaining sections and let dry.
The main part of the garland is made out of tissue paper. See a video of the steps for making the garland here, but here are the written instructions with step-by-step photos for making a DIY Mardi Gras garland.
Layer three pieces of tissue paper (one of each color) on top of each other. I did green, then yellow, then purple.
Fold them in half on the long edge. Cut them in half at the fold (you can also cut them later after the stapling step – but you’ll need to be careful and make sure you cut through all the layers on both sides).
Fold the pieces in half together on the long end again.
Staple the sheets together in the center all the way across, placing a staple every few inches.
Cut the folded side at the fold (or both sides if you opted to wait to cut after the first fold step above).
Fold in half again along the staple line.
Cut slices every inch starting at the unfolded edge and cutting towards the folded/stapled edge (being careful to leave about half an inch uncut at the staple line).
Unfold the strip and fluff the paper strips, then repeat until you have your desired amount of tissue paper garlands. I did 10, as 5 laid nicely across and draped over my mantel, but I liked the thicker look of doubling the garland sections.
Next, arrange your garland strips on your mantel (or around your doorway, or an archway… or wherever you want to add a festive Mardi Gras garland) and secure with command hooks or wall and furniture-safe tape. You can leave them straight, or drape them in sections.
Cut your Mardi Gras beads so they become long strands (as opposed to necklace loops). Arrange within the garland and hanging from the sides of the mantel.
Use tape to attach glitter Mardi Gras masks onto your DIY Mardi Gras garland.
Finally, attach the painted and glittered fleur de lis to the center.
I really love how my Mardi Gras mantel garland came together! So festive, so fun, and such a cheap DIY project using tissue paper!
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
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