All posts tagged: garland

heart garland.

I’m a big fan of hearts so I Googled “macrame heart garland” and was inspired by artist Isabella Strambio. It looked daunting because this was my first try at creating a shape with knots (versus shapes/images with color blocking). It was easier than I thought it was going to be; and it only uses two knots. Bookmark this craft for Valentine’s next year. 🙂 Materials*: How to: For a garland with five hearts, cut one strand of rope at least 6 feet long. This will be your base cord and the length will give enough extra rope between each heart and hanging cords on each side. I like to tie ends with an overhand knot to create hanging loops. For each heart, cut twelve 4-foot strands of rope. Tape down the hanging cord as you knot. Attach twelve 4-foot strands to the hanging cord with lark’s head knots. Ensure the knots are not squished too close together. The hearts are made up solely of square knots (SK). Here is the pattern: You can also create …

slice of pie.

Happy Thanksgiving! Ever since making mini felt pie slices for a custom order, I’ve been contemplating a pie slice garland! I channeled my Pietisserie experience for pie inspo. For this project you will need: Felt in pie colors (think browns, deep berry colors, whipped cream colors) Twine or other cord Fabric scissors Hot glue Make your favorite pies! Pumpkin pie with dollop of whipped cream: Cut a triangle for the pie base. Cut rough ovals for the crust. Cut a spiral, roll, and glue for the whipped cream. To assemble, glue the crust pieces in a overlapped fashion. Glue the whipped cream in the center of the slice. Cherry pie with lattice work: Cut a triangle for the pie base. Cut a long rough oval for the crust. Cut thin strips and create a woven lattice. Glue the lattice first and trim excess lattice. Then glue on the crust. Pecan pie: Cut a triangle for the pie base. Cut rough ovals for the pecans. Cut a curved line for the crust. To assemble, glue on …

bats and beads.

I’ve always been a little bit obsessed with felt pom poms, but lately, I’ve been using lots of them in garland projects. And with Halloween coming up, I had to create a pom pom garland for the occasion. Let’s make a felt pom pom, bead, and bat garland! Materials: Felt pom poms in any Halloween colorway (I personally love Halloween colorways with pink or another shade of orange. Neon/tennis green is also a great choice. Currently, I have two sources for my felt pom poms – Benzie Design and the Rainbow Barn.) Wooden beads (Get these at any craft store.) Nylon thread or upholstery thread Sewing needle Sturdy felt in black Fabric scissors Optional: clear fishing line Cut out bat shapes. I looked for a bat shape online to use as a guide. You can also cut out other Halloween shapes like ghosts or pumpkins. I folded my felt in half so the bat would be symmetrical when I cut it out. Cut a piece a cord (or clear fishing line) and sew through the …

fall garland.

I made a Fall garland! I might be biased but I am obsessed with it! A combo of mushrooms, gourds, leaves, tiny flowers and hearts, and felt pom poms. Meep, so cute! And I’m going to share how you can make one, too! For this project I used wool-blend felt and felt pom poms from Benzie Design, acrylic felt from Michaels (the green one), nylon jewelry cord from Blue Door Beads, a sewing needle, scissors, and hot glue. Pick your favorite fall color combos for your project! How to: Mushrooms! Create mushrooms by cutting out mushroom tops in assorted mushroom shapes, mushroom stalks, and tiny circles. I like when the mushrooms look a little stubby so I lean towards shorter stalks. Glue the circles to the front of your mushroom tops, and stalks to the back. How to: Gourds! Gourds come in all the shapes so you can cut any shape for your garland. Cut out curved gourd tips and a small leaf for each gourd. Glue on the tips and leaves with just a …

swatch.

Turn fabric swatches into holiday art! We were semi in the market for a couch upgrade so I requested a fabric swatch pack from JoyBird. In the end, we decided to wait until we really needed a new one / moved to a bigger space, but then I was left with these perfectly cut square fabrics – ahem, unexpected craft supplies! For this holiday garland you will need fabric swatches, fabric scissors, a needle, and nylon cord (find it at jewelry/bead stores). Anything goes with this craft. I made a ‘thankful’ word garland and cut out some flag shapes. For the A (or any letter with a hole in it), fold the fabric and cut a slit before cutting out the hole. Fabric swatches are great because they don’t fray; no finishing required! Plus, they come in so many colors and textures; so fun! Then I sewed each piece onto cord. It you’re using thicker cord or other string, you may need to use a fabric punch first to create holes. These garlands are light …

garland challenge part seven.

And here’s the rest of them – for a total of 366 garlands! I can’t take all the credit because the Hubby helped, too – remember the cheese garland? 🙂 Catch parts one, two, three, four, five, and six, too. Which one is your favorite? I think mine is any garland with food. Yum!

garland challenge part six.

Oh, hello there. It’s been a while since I’ve posted, I know. Did you miss me? 😉 2017 has been rocky so far (my car was stolen on NYE!), but also filled with love and happiness (Hubby and I celebrated our ninth love anniversary on the 2nd AND bestie got married on the 7th!). So, I’m easing my way back into writing. Today, I’m sharing another edition of my 2016 garland challenge — a garland challenge within a challenge, if you will. For this challenge inception I wanted to feature a local business for each letter of the alphabet. Perhaps you’ll spot some familiar artisans. I’ll have to wait and see what 2017 has in store for me, but I’m predicting and am hopeful for lots and lots of colorful projects; spending time with loved ones and making new friends; and exploring new skills, places, and  ideas. Happy New Year, everyone!

purple puppy pawty. 

Pebbles turned three so Puppy Mama Laura threw a party and I got to be the garlandier (that’s “maker of garlands” in “French” 😉 ). There was a purple theme! Laura made the birthday and tassel garlands; I made some scallop, polkadot, and doggy bone garlands. It was so fun to hang garlands everywhere! What does one eat at a puppy pawty, you ask? Hot dogs and pupcakes, of course! Rosamunde catered and provided all the fixins plus sides. We were also celebrating one year since Laura adopted Pebbles from the Berkeley Humane Society, so in lieu of gifts, Laura set up a donation fund. Here’s Pebbles all pooped from the pawty and all the love and attention. Fur Mommies & Daddies – how do you celebrate your fur babies? Share below!

garland challenge part four.

April was was crazy busy. Work trips (bleh!), birthmonth (yay!), wedmonth (yay-er!), visitors (wee!), taxes (eep!)…. I got way behind in the garland game. And May may have been just as crazy. But I made it! All 61 garlands are here for your viewing pleasure! My favorite: hair buns! I rock these on the daily. What’s your favorite? Share below. And follow my garland challenge on Instagram with #ftfgarland366.