Punched Paper Garland

Happy Monday! I got myself into a few little projects this weekend that I’m looking forward to sharing, the first of which was inspired by this image:

A Little Glass Box

My arm has been twisted. I’m jumping on the decorative garland bandwagon. I decided to craft mine using patterned scrapbook paper and a circle punch.

Supplies:

  • patterned paper
  • decorative circle punch (mine has scalloped edges and cost about $8 at Hobby Lobby)
  • spray adhesive
  • sewing machine

I got some paper in colors that I thought would complement my blue dresser nicely.

My first attempt went terribly awry. I made several mistakes, not the least of which was allowing Pistachio to watch as I tied the garland onto the dresser, little paper rounds bobbing and dancing in a most tempting way to the feline among us. I can’t say I blame her for making that fateful leap which ripped my garland right down the middle. At first I was furious, but once I’d allowed my anger to cool I realized this was an opportunity to correct my earlier mistakes and discover a better method. Technique 2.0 Post-Pistachio-Destruction is what I’ll be sharing here today.

First, I folded my paper in half, trimming off any areas left unusable by my first attempt.

Then used spray adhesive (purchased at the craft store) to stick the two sides together. This gave me double-sided paper rounds in my final product, a detail I’d originally overlooked.

Next, I used my decorative circle punch ($8 at Hobby Lobby) to punch some holes out. Try not to overlap your circles like I did on accident here.

Repeat this process with each of your pieces of paper, then figure out approximately how long you want your garland to be and lay out an arrangement. It’s good to punch more rounds than you’ll need to give you a little wiggle room in arranging them.

I flipped each one over to make sure nothing looked stupid on the backside.

If everything looks good, bring them over to your sewing machine and stitch them together, leaving a long tail on each end and a little bit of space between the rounds.

Sewing them was my favorite part. I don’t know why but I really enjoyed watching each one get pulled under the presser foot and through to the other side. A delight I tell you.

Tie each end to a drawer pull or whatever other apparatus you’re adorning and step back to admire your creation!

I think it adds a little whimsy to that corner, and since I rarely open the second drawer of the dresser it shouldn’t be a big deal that the garland hangs down a little lower than I’d intended. I think a garland like this would be really cool hanging vertically, but I’m pretty sure my cats would destroy it in 2.5 seconds. It’d be sweet for a baby mobile or something like that, though.

Do you see the College World Series on in the living room? Is LSU in the CWS this year? No. Must we still watch every game?  Yes. Should my husband write a sports blog so he’ll stop yapping to me about it? Yes. I have no idea what he’s talking about half the time.

4 Responses to Punched Paper Garland

  1. From our morning newsletter at Vanderbilt: “Omaha, Neb. – Playing in the first College World Series game in school history, Vanderbilt permanently etched its name in the history book, while becoming the answer to a future trivia question with a 7-3 win over North Carolina on Saturday.” They don’t sound very optimistic about their chances.

  2. Pingback: DIY Patterned Coasters | Living Well on the Cheap

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