Kidnap the Magic: NOS Holiday Wall Decoration

Don't you love New Orleans Square during the holidays? I do. It's totally gorgeous.

Oooooh!

Aaaaaaaahhhh!

Damn, I miss the Court of Angels.

These days, the lampposts receive arrays of décor like this:

Originally, though, they were decorated in a slightly more restrained fashion with the ornaments on and in a base of evergreen. That's how it was some years ago when I decided to try my own version of a New Orleans Square-style Christmas decoration, and that's what I'm going to instruct you in here. Since very few of us have 19th-Century vintage wrought-iron lampposts handy to hang things on, this can go on your wall or door, like a wreath. It's a very modular project, and no glue is involved so you can disassemble it after the holidays are over and perhaps try varying it up in years to come! You can find most of what you need at any big craft store such as Michael's or Jo-Ann's.

Start by choosing your colors. Each lamppost, balcony, and nook in New Orleans Square has its own vivid palette. The year I did my big grand Disneyland decorating project, I went with Mardi Gras colors just to make the point:

This year, my decorating colors are warm hues—red, orange, bronze, and gold. So that's what you'll see in this step-by-step guide.

For your base, use a plain evergreen swag:

Definitely use a simple one like this, not one of the fancier kind with juniper sprigs and pine cones already attached. That's too rustic for New Orleans Square, and you're going to cover up the plainness with Christmas bling.

It wouldn't be New Orleans Square without loads of beads, so find a nice metallic bead garland. I like this one for my theme this year because it reminds me of a string of firecrackers:*

Let's throw some necklaces on there too:

Hang up your swag and start draping. Don't worry about being symmetrical or even particularly tidy—you want this to look as though someone threw beads at it from a float and they got caught in the branches. Loose hanging loops and ends are lovely:

Next, you'll need some wired ball ornaments. These ones from Michael's came in groups of three, twisted together:

So I separated them...

...and re-assembled them in mismatched bunches.

(The large gold one is left over from the Mardi Gras color scheme. I couldn't find the large sizes this year.)

Plunge the wire ends into the foliage of your swag in an artful arrangement—largest toward the fat end at the top, smaller ones as it tapers downward. If they stay put, fine; if not, bend the wires around in the back to secure them.

Now it's time to add some super-glittery Christmas picks. Here's what I'm...picking from this year:

While you're perusing the picks in the store, look for things like the above, but also fern leaves, artificial peacock feathers, and sparkly butterflies. You want to create a sense of lushness and tasteful excess. The glitter is a must!

Tuck these around the top of the swag. I wound up having to omit one for reasons of space:

For a finishing touch, add a masquerade mask—this one is actually from Italy, but it fits right in with the NOS aesthetic—and at least one musical instrument. My little golden lyre has served me very well for iterations of this project throughout the years:

 Optionally, add some ostrich feathers around the top of the swag. See the first photo after the break for an example. I wasn't able to include these this year, but they were one of the most striking features of the old decorations in the park.
And there you go! Your very own New Orleans Square-style Christmas wall decoration! Vacuum up the stray glitter, fire up your jazziest Christmas CDs** and break open the eggnog a little early—you've earned it!

As for me...I think I've earned a break. I've managed to keep to a regular weekly posting schedule on this blog for an entire year, plus one or two bonus posts! Consider the Disneyland Dilettante on a brief hiatus. See you in 2016!

* NOS already combines Christmas with Mardi Gras and Halloween; Chinese New Year is not much more of a stretch.

** I'm really dating myself by referring to CDs, aren't I?