Paper garlands
Fiona from Hop Skip Jump sent us this beautifully simple Christmas idea


This Christmas, I thought we might try making some simple cut paper garlands. It’s such an easy, fun craft that has a very festive result, and something that works well for kids of all ages. Older children could tackle the entire project by themselves, while younger kids will probably need help with cutting and threading.
We made a couple of different garlands: one constructed from decorated paper and cardstock, and another made from plain white card which was enthusiastically decorated with lots of glitter, sequins and confetti by my three year old.

You will need:
2 x A3 sized sheets of card stock
Decorations (patterned paper, glitter, confetti, sequins, fabric, buttons, etc)
Hole punch
Glue
String
Scissors
Trace or print your desired shapes onto the cardstock.

There’s a downloadable template below if you don’t have time to make your own.
If you’re going to be decorating your garland with patterned paper only (like the bird one in the photos here), it’s best to glue your paper to the card before cutting. Once your shapes are cut out, decorate as desired and arrange vertically. When you’re satisfied with how it looks, punch holes at the top and base of each shape (except the base of the lowest hanging shape) and loop together with short lengths of string. Hang and enjoy!
Tags: birds, Christmas, garland
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Very cute, but the download link isn’t working for me!
Dee December 16th, 2006 11:42
Ooops! Sorry about that… the pdf file is now working.
Claire December 16th, 2006 12:19
oh very cute fiona!!i love those birdies, so pretty, any time of the year even!
jenny vorwaller December 16th, 2006 12:44
Love it! We are SO doing this.
Eren December 17th, 2006 03:37
[…] string and hang garlands […]
To Do List at Pithy Fit December 18th, 2006 00:47
It’s alsways so nice when I discover I’m not alone in my odd obsessions
Veronique December 18th, 2006 01:32
these are fantastic! thanks for the idea.
Dacia December 21st, 2006 10:34
I used your bird pattern to make “gingerbird” cookies. I really like the way they turned out. They are just the right size and taste so yummy.
Leslie December 21st, 2006 23:10
Oh these are lovely! It’s not too late for me to download the pdf and make some of my own either… thank you!
Rebecca December 21st, 2007 18:20
SUPER CUTE! I wish I had time to make one before Christmas. Maybe next year …
kristin December 22nd, 2007 02:13