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9 Ways to Use Ribbon to Make Your Home Festive for Christmas

Learn how to pull together your Christmas decorating with a variety of ways to use ribbon! Pick one style of ribbon and then use it in different ways throughout your home. You can even add more patterns!

Want to know a secret?

You can make your home look festive for Christmas with something really inexpensive!

And the best part?

It’s easy to use, and you can completely change how your home looks from one year to the next.

All you need is one thing:

Ribbon!

Okay, you might need a few rolls.

But still.

Go shopping in December and stock up on a new pattern for next year at a huge discount!

Or hit up warehouse stores like Costco, BJs, or Sam’s for huge rolls at a great price.

Always save your ribbon by rolling up flat pieces, or storing your bows so they don’t get crushed, and you can rotate through different color schemes from one year to the next without buying new ribbon each season.

Front entry hallway in a traditional style home decorated for Christmas with a nativity set on a table.

I can’t wait to show you all the different ways I used a gorgeous plaid ribbon in my home this year!

Today I’m showing you around my home and sharing how I tied all my decorating together thanks to one style of ribbon.

You can check out how AnnMarie decorated her home this year over here.

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Ways to Use Ribbon When You Decorate Your Front Entry for Christmas

The first thing people see when they come to visit is your front door.

Lots of people might see your front entry when they drive or walk past your home too.

Not to mention your delivery people.

So make your front door look amazing!

Black front door with transom and sidelights decorated for Christmas with greenery and ribbons at night.

I love decorating the area around my front door each season, but especially at Christmas.

I made these planter boxes and filled them with a mix of fresh greenery from my yard plus faux boxwood topiaries.

There’s a lot of plaid Christmas ribbon here too!

DIY hoop yarn wreath hanging on front door

It all started when I made this wreath.

You’ll never believe what’s under the yarn…

I made a big bow with some gorgeous plaid ribbon I got when we helped our friend decorate her store for Christmas.

If you’ve ever struggled with making fluffy bows, AnnMarie has a hack that makes it super easy!

Plaid ribbon bow attached to a greenery and red berry swag hanging on an outdoor lantern.

Whenever I decorate, I like making visual triangles.

What’s a visual triangle?

It’s when you space out three things that are similar at different points like a triangle.

Once things are placed, try mentally drawing lines from one item to the next to create a triangle.

This design principle is super easy to do and really does work!

The bow on my wreath is one point of my triangle, then over to the side, I added bows to the greenery on the lanterns.

Plaid ribbon tied to a candle lantern next to a winter planter box filled with cut greenery and a boxwood tree.

Then, down below I complete my triangle by tying some of the same ribbon around the handle of a candle lantern.

Remember: ribbon doesn’t always need to be made into a bow.

This simple square knot is so easy to tie, and the long tails make it look special.

How to Use Ribbon on a Front Porch

When we bought our home back in 2005, one of my favorite parts was the porch that runs across the whole front of the house.

It’s still one of my favorite features!

I tend to decorate it a lot each season.

Black rocking chairs on a front porch with Christmas plaid pillows.

If you choose a popular pattern of ribbon, like a traditional Christmas plaid, you can often find other accents in the same pattern.

These pillow covers have a very similar plaid as my ribbon, so I got a number of them to use throughout my house!

Pillow covers are really affordable, and they’re so much easier to store than whole pillows.

Plaid Christmas ornament next to a red burlap ornament nestled in greenery in a wire plant stand.

I also found ornaments with the same plaid and used them throughout my home to tie the look together.

This tiered plant stand is one of my favorite things to decorate!

I had small pieces of ribbon left over after decorating my home and tucked them into the greenery on this stand.

Tips for Hanging Wreaths with Ribbon

One of the easiest ways to use ribbon in your home is to hang wreaths from your doors.

Large white barn doors in a hallway with red berry wreaths hung by plaid ribbon.

These red berry wreaths add a fun pop of color for the holidays.

The easiest way to hang wreaths inside your home is by cutting a length of ribbon to hold the wreath, then attaching the ribbon to the top of the door with a staple gun.

This method uses a little more ribbon, but when the holidays are over, it’s super easy to remove the staples and the ribbon can be reused over and over again.

In this space, my visual triangle is made with the color red instead of the plaid pattern.

Notice how the red lantern on the floor creates a point in the triangle.

The Easiest Way to Attach Bows

Any time I make bows, I use chenille stems to either cinch them tight or to run through the loop in the back.

My favorite colors are either dark olive green or black.

Now you have an easy way to attach your bow almost anywhere!

Large plaid ribbon bow on a bannister decorated for Christmas with greenery.

The great thing about chenille stems is they’re super soft so they won’t damage wood or painted finishes.

Simply wrap the stem around some greenery like I did on my stairs, and voila!

You’ve added your holiday colors to match your color scheme that year.

Wood staircase with gallery wall decorated for Christmas with greenery, twinkle lights, and plaid ribbon bows.

If you look closely, you can see how I created visual triangles here with the plaid pattern.

The coordinating plaid pillow in the basket on the floor is the third point in several triangles with the bows on the garland.

There’s even a visual triangle with the ribbon attaching the wreath to the front door.

Ideas to Use Ribbon on Your Fireplace

My fireplace is definitely one of my favorite places to decorate each year!

Gas fireplace decorated for Christmas with garland and stockings next to a Christmas tree.

I have a semi-open concept home, so the fireplace is a focal point from both the front door and the kitchen.

Our family Christmas tree that’s filled with ornaments I’ve collected for over 50 years is another focal point in the space.

It’s a fake tree and I love my tree collar that I customized to coordinate with my home’s style!

If you look closely, you’ll see I’ve used my plaid ribbon in a few spots around my fireplace.

The most obvious is on the greenery on the mirror.

A large round mirror with window pane dividers decorated for Christmas with a half wreath made of faux cedar greenery and eucalyptus and a plaid bow. A Christmas tree is reflected in the mirror.

Oh, wait!

Is that the same plaid?

You’re right.

The plaid ribbon on the mirror has a deep green background, while the other plaid has a tan field.

I had run out of the ribbon with the tan background when I decided to add the greenery to the mirror.

Fortunately, the colors are all the same, so the ribbons still coordinate.

Remember, if you run out of a pattern, you can always mix ribbons as long as the patterns and colors work together.

Tall brass pillar candle holder on a fireplace mantel with greenery and plaid ribbon accents.

I’ve also tucked loops of the ribbon into the garland on the mantel.

If you’ve ever wanted to make your garland look more expensive for less, I shared my secrets for getting a custom look over here.

Other Ways to Repeat a Ribbon Pattern

There are some other ways to repeat a pattern found in a ribbon throughout your home.

Taking the time to repeat a pattern will give your home a cohesive look.

You can use the same greenery and holiday accents year after year but make things look very different by simply changing the ribbon!

Shelves decorated for Christmas with scrollwork iron trees, plaid ribbon ornament, and brass candlesticks

I bought ten large ornaments that had the same ribbon pattern and used them strategically throughout my house.

In addition to a few on my front porch, I tucked several more on my mantel.

We have a large entertainment shelving unit that my husband built in the family room that I decorate each season.

Shelf with a basket of rolled up sheet music next to a black reindeer figurine and a plaid ribbon ornament.

I placed a few of the ornaments on the shelves to create more visual triangles.

It’s so easy to place one on a shelf as part of a vignette.

By using three of the ornaments on the shelves, I made one triangle there.

But the plaid on the shelves connects with the plaid on the fireplace and the stairs too!

Vintage china cabinet with glass doors decorated for Christmas with red dishes and plaid accents.

Over in the kitchen, I added another of the plaid pillows.

Since the kitchen is open to the family room, this whole space is now connected visually by the coordinating plaid ribbon, ornaments, and pillows.

If you look closely, you can see I placed another ornament inside the china cabinet.

Canvas artwork of a wreath with red berries with a plaid ribbon ornament.

Plus one more on top of the cabinet beside my custom canvas artwork.

It’ll be so easy to give my home a whole new look by changing up the ribbon!

Imagine using similar greenery, garland, and accents, but with metallic gold ribbons instead of plaid.

Or leaning into the greens with more olive greens.

I could even get a more neutral or farmhouseish look by using burlap ribbon.

Be sure to subscribe so you can see how I change things up each year!

And check out our past years’ tours below.

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Numbered collage of classic red and white Christmas decorating items used in Anne's home.

More Christmas Decorating Inspiration from Our Friends

This week we’re joining 25 of our blogging friends for the 2022 Christmas Home Tour. You can visit each Christmas home tour by clicking the links below.

Thank you to our sweet friend Marty from A Stroll Through Life for coordinating this home tour.

Monday, December 5th

A Stroll Thru Life StoneGableThrifty and ChicSouthern Home and HospitalityWorthing Court

Tuesday, December 6th

Our Southern HomeThis is our BlissThe Stonybrook HouseA Pretty Life In The SuburbsUp To Date Interiors Shiplap and Shells

Wednesday, December 7th

Whispering Pines HomesteadCalypso in the CountryWhite Arrows Home Designing VibesDecor to AdoreClean and Scentsible.

Thursday, December 8th

CitrineLiving Pasha is Home County Road 407 Simply2MomsSouthern State of MindChalking Up Success

Friday, December 9th

Hymns and VersesEleanor Rose HomeDimples and Tangles

More Christmas Home Tours from Simply2Moms

Simply2Moms' Past Christmas Home Tours

Come visit our houses all decorated for the holidays over the past several years!

If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me or leave a comment!

Don’t miss any of our tips, tricks, or stories! We’d love for you to follow us on social media! You can find us on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Signature with photo of Anne from Simply2Moms

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