How to Make a Sweet Garland in just 3 Easy Steps

I am a HUGE fan of my projects serving a purpose in my home. I love when something I have creating can serve multiple purposes, it is kind of like multiple projects all wrapped into one! This tree garland is one of those projects... After the holidays this can easily be used in my daughters room decor all year long.

SUGAR PLUM TREE GARLAND

SUPPLIES:

Smoothfoam 1.5 inch balls
scraps of fabric in 1/8th to 1/4 INCH strips (these will be super thin)
glue gun for foam
scraps of lace, tulle and muslin for the spacers
optional: Clear thread

TIP: For this project, I used scraps of clearance fabric. This fabric was on clearance for $4 a yard at my local craft store, I maybe needed 1/8th of a yard so that puts each cut at about $0.50 each.

Step 1 Create Fabric Balls: (This is super duper easy...)
take your fabric and cut it into 1/8 to 1/4 strips. You can traditional cut with scissors or rip it for frayed edges. NOTE: try and keep your fabric strips thin as this will wrap easier.

 

Glue one end of your fabric to your foam ball. I used a foam hot glue gun to prevent melting. This works great to keep the fabric secured your your foam.

Wrap fabric around your foam ball until covered. You can cut and reposition your fabric and can glue down any rough edges as you go. This is why having thin pieces of fabric works best. the thicker the width, the more likely you are to get puckers of fabric you will have to glue down.

 Here is what the fabric looks like if it is too wide, I had to glue down the right side pucker.

Here is what it looks like when the fabric strips are thinner, creating a smoother application.

Step 2 Add filler fabric

For this I simple took 1x12 inch strips of white lace, muslin and sparkly glittered tulle and created "swags" in between each of the fabric covered balls.

TIP: Glue all three fabric edges together before attaching them to your balls.

You have two options on how to attach your fabric you your balls.

1. You can sew them with a tapestry needle and transparent thread
   
   
   
2. You can hot glue gun them together

Once you have one end of your fabric trio glued to your first ball, lightly braid or twist your fabric allowing all of the fabrics to show.

Continue this till you have one continuous strand of garland (make sure to add fabric to both ends anchoring your garland with fabric to hang if needed).

Step 3 EMBELLISH!

This is my favorite step! Add scraps of tulle, netting, sequin fabric or any colorful fun trim you can find. I used scraps that I have had in my stash for a while. The basic idea is that you want to add depth and texture to your garland through different types of fabric.

I LOVE the way this turned out and I extremely LOVE the fact that it can be used year round since I didn't use traditional holiday colors. The nice thing is that as you go to create your own garland you can add WHATEVER you want in WHATEVER color you want. This project is totally versatile and customizable to YOUR needs :)

The Smoothfoam balls I used were nice and light weight, didn't shed and kept their shape well during construction.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Liz Hicks ♥

Sweet Child Of Mine...

Here is another fun layout using my March Bad Girls Kit. I have been meaning to post all of the pics, but I wasn't sure exactly when I would be able to post them, so here I am...posting them now... better late than never... I will add the rest as I go (I think I only have a few left).

This Layout is of my sweet child. Although she may look like daddy, her fiesty spirit is all mommy. I say right she says left, I say here she says there... She is argumentative, but in a good way, she keeps me on my toes and well I love every minute of it because she reminds me of when I was young. I only hope that her independent spirit remains and that this world will embrace her strength.

The technical scoop:

For this layout I took the box that my kit came in a cut out a 12x12 piece of it, I then ripped and tore it to get my fun corregated look. I gesso'ed it with a paint primer and continued to layer my favorite colors of Glimmer Mist onto it, from there I inked the edges and brushed some fun colors of stickles along for a little sparkle (this is what I love to call the girly grungification of cardboard). I exacto'd out the frame to the Prima Flirty Little Secret paper and cut out hand drawn leaves and hearts to decorate my page. The flower is flanked with paper that I misted with glimmer mist, folded in half and cut fine slits into so that it framed the flower and added some much needed fluff around the flower (well the flower really didn't need the fluff, but I love the contrast of textures). Lastly, and seriously the coolest trick ever... I applied green stickles to the tops of the Prima Say It In Crystals, with the crystal on the bottom, it adds depth to the stickles and makes them look like set rhinestones.

Well I hope this has given you some ideas for you next project, I definately feel like a mad scientist sometimes...sitting in my scraproom...concocting schtuff.

~Liz