Make Something Pretty Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Hannah and HusbandHannah and Husband

As I mentioned on Friday, every house should have a handmade garland this time of year when we are all forced to spend a bit more time indoors. It just makes walking in the door on those chilly, dreary days a bit more festive. So I thought I would share the one that I made for our home this week. It’s hanging in our living room and, I must admit, I want one there all the time now.

What You’ll Need…
– I am 100% obsessed with my Martha Stewart circle cutter and love finding any excuse to use it. (However, scissors with a traced, round object would also work but may take a little longer.)
– Scissors
– Bone Folder
– Decorative Paper or Wrapping Paper
– Glue Stick
– Yarn

1.) Measure the space where you’d like to hang the garland and cut a length of yarn accordingly.

2.) Cut out circles. I used 4 inch circles and cut out about 40. I ended up having some extra, but I’m the type that would always rather have too many rather than going back to cut out more.

3.) Fold your circles in half, and use a bone folder to make a smooth crease.

4.) Put glue on one half of the circle and lay your yarn right in the crease.

5.) Fold the circle over the yarn on to itself. Use a bone folder to smooth out any wrinkles.

6.) When the garland is done, you may want to make something that will cover the place where you attach the garland to the wall. In this case, I made a few flowers out of that craft paper with slits that many places use as a shipping material now.

Hang and voila!

In my circle of friends, I have always been known as that girl that never throws anything away. Case in point, a good friend recently brought over these tea tins. “I hated for them to go to waste,” he said, “and I knew you’d make something out of them.” Well, they sat in my studio for a while, until one day when I just really had the itch to make something but didn’t have any particular thing in mind. Here’s what I came up with…

1.) First, I applied a layer of acrylic white paint to each tin as a primer. Then, I painted them whatever color I wanted.

2.) I gathered scraps… Right to left you’ll see: a photocopy of a black & white children’s book illustration that painted with watercolors, part of a map cut to fit the tin, and magazine clippings.

3.) Finally, I got out the matte Mod Podge. Apply this in a thin layer with a foam brush to the paper and place the paper on the tin. Allow this to dry completely before adding one more layer on top to seal it.