Christmas Decorating: Faux Window Box with Greens

When you decorate your home for Christmas, are you jealous of your neighbor's evergreen bough-filled window boxes? Wish you could have that look but you're missing an essential element-the window box? With this Christmas decorating tip, you can fool everyone and have the same great look that will last from Christmas throughout the winter season.

Supplies

To build your faux Christmas window boxes, you will need:

~Shelf brackets (found inexpensively at home improvement stores)

~Two inch board (width of the bracket or a little wider, cut to length to fit windows)

~Many home improvement stores will cut boards for you for a small fee.

~Screws

~Heavy duty staple gun and staples

~Evergreen boughs

~Winterberries, pine cones, Christmas decorations as desired

~Large wreath bows

Instructions

Here's what to do to make your faux Christmas window boxes:

~First, attach the brackets below your windows, leaving enough room for the board on top.
Screw the board to the hung brackets.

~Next, secure the greens to the board with the staple gun. Starting at the back, staple one end of the evergreen boughs in the middle of the board. Staple a second bough opposite the first.

~Move from the back of the board forward, filling the entire board with evergreen Christmas boughs.
~Be sure to fill the board with enough greens to cover the front of the board.

~Insert sprigs of winterberries or similar Christmas berries atop the greens to cover the staples and add color.

~Pine cones, Christmas lights, Christmas decorations and more can be added to customize the look of your faux Christmas boxes.

~Finish the Christmas window boxes with large wreath bows stapled to the front of the Christmas window box.

Additional Tips

The following tips are optional, but can take your Christmas window box decorations up a notch.

~Spray paint the board green before you attach the greens to your window boxes. This will hide any gaps in the greenery and make for a more forgiving Christmas window box project.

~Spray paint pine cones, nuts, or sticks and twigs in silver, red, or gold and work them into your Christmas window boxes for additional flair and striking color.

~Drape garlands of beads or berries along the front of your Christmas decorations, and staple them in place. Berry and popcorn garlands will help feed the birds, as well.

~Collect abandoned bird nests and set them into your Christmas window box decorations. Filled with a little birdseed, they are another decorative way to feed winter visitors.

~Use small pieces of green craft wire to secure items in place as needed. It will be unnoticeable amongst the greens of the faux Christmas window box decorations.

~Think ahead to making your Christmas decorations last throughout the rest of the winter. Greens, berries, and pine cones all look fabulous throughout the winter season. When Christmas is over, simply remove Christmas decorations and bows for faux boxes that can stay up for the next few months.

Enjoy!

With that, your project is complete. Enjoy the look of your Christmas window boxes along with the rest of your Christmas decorating efforts, and have a Happy Holiday Season!