felt christmas tree garland tutorial

I am enjoying all this time I have...for the first time since I graduated college....I can make the things I see in my head...or on pinterest.  So here is another one.

Step one...buy stiff felt...since I decided to make Christmas trees I used dark green and yellow for the stars in between.

Step two...using a disappearing ink pen trace trees onto the green felt, and stars onto the yellow.  Cut out all the pieces.  If anybody has any ideas for how I can use the scraps please let me know.  I can't make myself throw out the remnants.

Step three...I started out punching tiny holes in the trees, but once I added the beads they didn't show through like I wanted.  So...just use a regular hole punch to make ornament holes in the trees.  I left the small holes at the edge of the second branch for stringing.  Use the small punch to make holes for stringing the stars also.

Step four...buy felt glue.  Any other glue will just be sucked into nonexistence by the felt.  This glue works really well.  Glue around the opening and place a clear bead in the opening. 

I enjoy all things multicolored so I used multicolored beads.  If you have a more monochromatic style choose whatever color beads you want.

Step five...use twine to string the trees and stars together.  It took five trees and six stars to reach across my mantle.  You can adjust the space between trees and stars based on where you want to put them and how many trees and stars you want to cut...punch...bead and string.

Here is the finished garland on my mantle.  Fun and simple...

Thankfulness...day 103

woohoo...I am caught up...today I am thankful for my crafty nature.  My mind is in need, as of late, to be occupied in non taxing manners.  My mind tends to swirl about on topics without any immediate solution, so I use crafts to distract my brain.  Most of the time it works...I can derail the destructive thoughts and in the end I get something pretty to give away or keep and put somewhere in my house.  Here is my favorite so far.  I have had these Dala horses drawn on several canvases for about 6 years. I pulled one out and started covering it with fabric.  I was going to leave the horse in the middle canvas colored, but my mom and dad offered a suggestion.  So I filled the horse in with white and gray fabric.  I really, really, like it.  I have it on my hearth in front of my dream board...so that i can see it all day everyday.  I have about 6 more canvases..please leave me a comment about another fun way to finish it.

I also posted a tutorial a couple of days ago for a fall garland.  Well...I made another trip to Home Depot and collected another gajillion paint chips so I could make Christmas garlands.  I have tried several different ways to put them together (tape, glue stick, and hot glue).  FYI...double stick tape seems to be the most successful...I keep having to replace the various glues with double stick tape.  

I also started making ornaments out of Sculpey, and I think I might hang one ornament in the middle of each holiday garland.  I have some really fond memories of making things with Sculpey. I spent a couple of weeks for several summers with friends in Nashville and I loved making and baking with Sculpey.  So now I pass that on to Robin this holiday season. 

 I have also made use of things I find on pinterest.  I think I am transitioning from a person who pins tons and things and makes none of them...to a person who pins tons of things and makes one or two of them.  My favorite pinterest to real  life thing so far is my peppermint patty pedicure.  I changed the colors, but the basic premise is the same

here is the original

I had to add some extra colors,
but this was the hit of the nail salon!

So there you have it...I am thankful that I have the crafty nature in my mind to complete...or at least start lots of projects and occupy my brain.  Enjoy the rest of your day.

To the moon and back,

Sarah

Quote of the day...WHEN PIGS FLY...so here are some of my pigs

this was my first pig...I found him at a 15 mile garage sale

I love this one made out of scrap metal

Fall Leaf Mantel Garland

Please excuse the personal goodies in the background, but I couldn't wait to put it up.

Step One - Visit your local home improvement store, and pick up a few paint chips.
I know they put these out for people to take,  but I still have trouble
taking them without feeling like a thief.  That doesn't stop me though!
I picked up a slew of different fall and harvesty colors.

Step Two - cut each sample down to 1 inch strips.  The Behr samples I got at
Home Depot are five inches so they cut down nicely and evenly...I hate needing to do
math.  Then if you are a control freak as I appear to be...lay out the color scheme as you
want it to look in the garland.

Step Three - Choose the first color and put a piece of tape on the lightest color,
then bring the darker color around and make a circle. 

Step Four - I chose to link two of the same color together, so no color would be lost
in the garland.  Thread another strip through the circle you just made, and tape it closed.
Continue with this step until the garland is the length you want!

Step Five - To create the leaf embellishment in the center of the garland...turn over
one of the paint chips.  I free handed these leaf shapes, but if you want there are
tons of leaf templates to be found on Google images.

Hint! Make sure you either have wrong sides or right sides facing each other or you have 2 leaves
that cannot be put together with the color swatch on the outside.  OOOOPS!

Step Six - After cutting the leaves out the right way (way to go me)!
Attach double stick tape in the middle and put the leaves together.

Step Seven - Use a small hole punch to create a hole in the stem of each leaf.

Step Eight - Add a twine string between two leaves.  This way they
will hang nicely in the center of the garland

Step Nine - I can't show this step in real life...but once the garland is tacked
up in the middle. ..wrap the twine around the tack and shift the leaves up or down to your liking.

Finished garland and my very decorated hearth area.

Have a great Day...to the moon and back
Sarah