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Garlands - How to Make
This easy to do project will add wonderful scents to your decorating. It can be included with festivities of any season or as a decoration to be enjoyed all year. The fun part is mixing and matching materials to get a different, unique look every time.

See our printable version of these instructions.

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Suggested Materials (Let your imagination add to the list)

• Rose Hips
• Whole Chili Peppers - Note (1)
• Bay Leaf
• Dried Apple Slices - 1/4" thick
• Dried Orange Slices - 1/4" thick
• Dried Miniature Corn
• Pomegranates
• Cinnamon Sticks
• Whole Garlic Bulbs
• Strips of Colored Fabric (1" to 1 1/2" x 6") - Fabric can be torn or cut with regular or pinking shears depending on the effect required. Buttons - Shank buttons can be used; however, they do not have the same effect as flat buttons

Needed Materials

• Large-eyed needle such as a bodkin although a sharper point may be required to penetrate some materials.
• Dental floss (unflavored) - Note (2)
• Drill with very small bit ~ OR ~ Hammer and small finishing nail. This will be used to make a hole in the cinnamon sticks

Decide where you want to display your garland and then gather the materials you will need to complete your project. Quantities will be dependent on length desired.

Note (1) It is recommended to use rubber gloves when working with chili peppers.

Note (2) Starting length of floss is approximately eight feet long. The length of floss can be shorter or longer dependent on end use. This will be folded in half and knotted after threading needle. To ensure materials don't slip off the thread, use a double knot. Leave a tail of floss at least six inches long.

Note (3) Threads can be joined in the middle of the project should a longer length be required. With six or more inches of floss left on the needle, cut the floss as close to the needle as possible. Thread the needle with the additional floss, double it, but do not tie a knot in it. Attach to garland floss, securing with a couple of knots as close to the end of the last item on your garland as possible. Cut loose ends to approximately one-inch tails. The tails should be hidden as you continue with your garland.

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Kitchen Garland
Note (2 & 3)

Bay Leaf, Garlic Bulbs and Dried Orange Slices will be the base for this laurel. Starting with the Bay Leaf, thread until leaves measure approximately two inches. Next add one or two chili peppers Note (1), depending on their size. Followed by a garlic bulb, one or two more chili peppers, and two more inches of bay leaf. Continue using this sequence until you have reached the desired length. To finish, secure floss as closely to the last item on your garland as possible.

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Christmas Garland
Note (2 & 3)

Suggested materials are Cinnamon Sticks, Dried Orange Slices, Dried Apple Slices, and Holiday Ribbon.

Use ribbon that matches your holiday color theme or incorporate a variety of colors. Cut ribbon in eight-inch lengths. Fold in half, but do not crease. Cut a V at both ends of the ribbon. The points of the V's should be facing towards the middle of the length of ribbon. Set aside until you need to add them to the garland.

Cinnamon sticks can be left in four-inch lengths or cut or broken smaller. A small whole will need to be drilled crossways to facilitate threading if longer pieces are desired. Cinnamon pieces that are curled and are approximately one inch or smaller, can be threaded right onto the garland.

Starting the sequence with a few pieces of dried apple followed by a piece of cinnamon. Forming a loop with a piece of ribbon, add one or two pieces. A piece of cinnamon and an orange slice(s) round out the sequence. Continue in with this order until you have made the project the desired length. To finish, secure floss as closely to the last item on your garland as possible.

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Displaying Suggestions
Ways to display the finished project can be endless.

Leave as one long length and wind down the middle of your dining table. Place candles every twelve to eighteen inches. Ensure your candles are unscented so they will not interfere with the aroma of your garland.

For Christmas, intertwine with evergreen boughs, cinnamon or pine scented candles on your mantle or dining table. Make a small garland and wrap it around a towel rack in the bathroom.

Join ends together, and create whatever shape you want. Place as a centerpiece on a coffee table or buffet table. Add some pillar candles to the center.

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Garlands Children Can Make

Materials

• Yarn or string
• Needle - a bodkin is recommended as it is not as pointed and sharp
• Colored cereal - the kind with the whole in the middle
• Gumdrops
• Lifesavers
• Jelly Beans
• Cellophane wrapped candies

This is a good exercise in eye hand co-ordinations as well as learning sequences for younger children. Help the child choose a sequence pattern and lay one or two sets out on the table for their sample. This will allow them to work independently while they are learning. It is guaranteed that the final result will be different than the sample model, after all who can resist gumdrops and lifesavers!

Put items to be threaded into separate containers for ease of handling.

Start with a length of yarn that will be easy for the child to handle. Place the first piece of cereal on the yarn and pull it through to the end. Tie a knot around the cereal leaving at least a six-inch tail hanging. Show the child how to thread one set of the sequence. Let them work on their own. Add wrapped candies every so often. These treats can be removed from the garland and eaten, while the rest of the creation stays intact. Remember, this is their labor of love and they are the artists. From a child's eyes, perfect, is all in the way you look at it.

The finished product will add color and a special memory when intertwined with boughs or draped around the Christmas tree.

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Bird Feast
Children young and old will enjoy working on this project. When it's finished, drape it through the bushes and shrubs for the birds to enjoy.

Materials

• Yarn or string for garland rope
• Yarn - cut in three to four inch pieces
• String - cut into eight to ten inch pieces
• Needle
• Plain popped corn
• Cranberries
• Pieces of fat cut into one and a half inch cubes
• Birdseed
• Small pine cones
• Peanut butter
• Suet

Using short lengths of string, securely tie around the bottom base of the pinecones. With a plastic knife or small spoon fill the cone with peanut butter. Roll in birdseed and set aside.

Cut yarn or string the length required for garland rope. Thread items starting with a piece of suet. Leave at least six inches of string hanging. Add the items as you like. Every so often, loosely tie on a piece four-inch wool - the birds will use it in nesting. Don't forget to attach the pinecones as well.

This is a treat for the birds. Don't use items that have sugar in them or other processed items that could harm our feathered friends.

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