Quick and Easy Holiday Garland

Happy December everyone! I am celebrating because this happened…

 

Hold on to your hats because we are going to be showing you LOTS of inspiration this month! It’s the most wonderful time of the year so keep coming back to check out some quick and easy ways to package holiday gifts, make tags, cards and labels for your homemade (or store bought- we won’t tell!) crafts and goodies. The important thing is to show you are thinking of someone, right?

Raise your hand if you remember making Christmas garlands by cutting strips and pasting the links together (hand raised).  Well, now there is a new die that makes it really easy to create garlands and there is no gluing involved!

I am so happy to introduce the Sizzix Kitchen Garland die from the brand new Vintage Kitchen collection!

There are three different patterns of strips which latch together with slots. I will tell you about a trick I discovered to make the strips go together easily! And don’t throw out the negative space paper because there are lots of ways to use that for other projects. When I buy a die, I want to make a good investment and get one that can be used in MULTIPLE ways, don’t you?

This is a Bigz Large die so if you use 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper, there is almost no waste. 12″ x 12″ paper works well too. I like using double sided paper because you will see both sides of it. This is a great way to use up extra paper scraps. Coordinate colors or make a scrappy garland- you choose!

Here are TWELVE WAYS to use your Garland die:

1. Make a Christmas Wish Chain- die cut the strips and have your family write down what they’d like for Christmas, then assemble and hang on the tree
2. Get the kids involved and create your own advent calendar. Write an inspiring message or good deed to be done on that day
3. Hang it over your mantel or a mirror
4. This would be a great activity for a kid’s activity at a party or Sunday school- even the smallest fingers can make a chain
5. Dangle lightweight ornaments or paper flowers from the garland and hang over a doorway or on a banister
6. Use for a bridal shower or wedding in coordinating colors to make the space festive- so inexpensive and makes a great impact
7. Think of others- write prayers on each loop- make a prayer chain and pray for one person each day
8. Loop over your chandelier with glass balls suspended from it
9. Use as napkin rings with a sprig of seasonal greenery
10. Save negative space to make placemats (see photo)
11. Tape strips of negative space together and make a holiday card hanger (see photo)
12. These strips also happen to be just the perfect size for wrists! Create bracelets by adding charms, beads, doodling, and inks. Make gifts for all your friends!

Ready to start creating? You will need the #659871 Kitchen Garland die- you can find it here along with the rest of the collection:

How to make FOUR PROJECTS from ONE set of cuts:

Prep:

1. Cut 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper in half width wise so each piece measures 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″. That fits perfectly on the die. Line it up straight (you’ll see why in a minute!)
2. Run4 pieces of paper through the Big shot in a pass. (I used a light card stock for this project and four pieces went through with no problem.)

GARLAND:

1. Hold the strip with your thumbs over slots on either end and raise one hand above the other. Press one slot under and one slot up so one slot is depressed and one is raised.
2. Now curl the strip so the slots meet and connect the strips to make a chain. That’s it!  If you want to keep this as a permanent garland, you can staples or glue the slots together. If you want to store it flat, just take the links apart and store for the next use to conserve space.

NAPKIN RING:

1. Die cut strip and wrap around folded napkin. Add greenery, name card or embellishment

PLACEMAT:

1. Position the negatives cut outs with alternating colors. Tape two long ends together and then the two strips together to create a rectangle (as in placemat photo above).
2. Place alternating colors of solid card stock behind each rectangle and adhere both to a piece of chipboard. Laminate if desired to keep it clean.

CARD HANGER:

1. Follow instructions above but tape four cuts together. Mount on a wall or door where you want to display your cards. Use double sided adhesive to adhere strips to wall on the top and bottom. This will prevent the cards from slipping out.
2. Slip cards and photos in between openings left from die cuts. Just add another strip next to existing ones if you run out of room!

Wasn’t that easy?

I can’t wait to see what our amazing Inspiration Team will be sharing tomorrow… stay tuned and don’t stress- we have your back!

Eileen