Now that it is officially post Thanksgiving my husband and I can stop feuding about whether or not to play Christmas Carols prior to Thanksgiving and let the playlist roll! One song that is always allowed because it may or may not be a Christmas song is ‘A Few Of My Favorite Things’. While I certainly don’t mind some whiskers on kittens I am more drawn to brown paper packages tied up with string.

You just never know what could be in there….maybe it is filled to the brim with every hello kitty trinket imaginable or maybe a hello kitty keychain with keys to a new Honda Spree parked in the garage. Wait… we don’t have a garage.  Could it be a cleverly disguised note telling me that we can finally build a garage and fill it with every power tool imaginable because we just won the lottery? Unlikely! Regardless of what is in there, brown paper packages tied up with string solve one of my huge wrapping dilemmas- having the right paper for each different person on my list. Lets face it, the paper I would wrap my nieces Palace Pet in might be a tad different from what I will put together for my husbands boss.

Now let’s make some really adorable string!

Here is what you need:

• Paper/cardstock- something relatively thick is best (paint chips perhaps?)
• Sewing Machine
• Thread
• Paper Punch or Paper Cutting Machine
• Washi Tape or Painters Tape
• Scissors

The first thing you should do is decide on a color scheme and cut the paper however you like. I really like circles, rectangles and triangles but for this post I tried some unique shapes to see what they would look like. I thought the acorns were cute,, I recommend them fairly simple and imagine the thread running through it. You want the thread to enhance it, choosing contrasting colors can make the garland pop. I like the way the thread sections off the top of the acorn and makes the deer look like they have reigns for santa’s sleigh.

Tips on cutting- I used a silhouette cameo. It makes it very easy to space out each piece evenly. You don’t need a cutting machine though, see below for an example of a hole punch garland made with paint chips!

Don’t they look like cupcakes on a pan? A dirty pan….

You can pull it right off the cutting mat onto the washi tape. Oh how I need a new cutting mat…

Next you simply sew them together! The washi tape is great for the teeny tiny garland’s because you can keep your fingers further from the needle which is a good thing in my case.

Here is one of those do as I say, not as I do tips.

I tried this with and without a zipper foot on my sewing machine and it was easier with the zipper foot (note zipper foot is not in the photo). The regular foot is more likely to get stuck on the washi tape if you aren’t super careful to stay in a straight line.

Now…..if you don’t have a cutting machine no need to fret! Hole punches work great, you may have to line up the paper yourself but it’s not hard at all. I did it with these paint chip circles. Seriously, want a garland for pennies? Get a few paint chips in pretty colors. I incorporate paint chips whenever possible because the are free and so colorful they make roy-g-biv look blah. All you need to provide is the thread so splurge and buy yourself that color you never could justify buying!

Happy Wrapping!

Heidi

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