Hanging out w/Garland by Kimberly Garofolo Neddo

Type "garland" into the search box at Pinterest, and without a doubt, what pops up is every garland variety imaginable. No longer is garland just for celebrating special occasions like birthday's and weddings, or the standard party hall. It's become so much more than that, thanks to the infinite possiblities at one's disposal for creating his/her own handcrafted garland. Today, I'm going to share with you one such possibility; Paper Dotted Garland. It's quick, easy and doesn't require the use of a sewing machine! It can also be made to span a room, or fit on a sheet of 12" x 12" paper. In this instance, I added to a layout, and I adore the way it turned out!! Let's get started...

{Garland Supply List}

Scrap Patterned Paper from Crate's Pretty Party Collection

Glue Gun (Or any glue that dries quickly)

String, Twine, Thread or Yarn

Several different size and shape punches. Mainly punches that you can fold in half to mirror it's shape.

Plug in the heat gun and allow it to warm up. Collect your other supplies while waiting.

Trim 15" sections of string (or longer). You'll want it long enough so that there are tails at each end of the garland.

If you've yet to gather your paper, pull it out. Make sure it coordinates well with your layout/photographs, etc.

Next, you'll want to punch out several different circles. You can keep it simple, or go all out! It's completely up to you :) I'm going to keep mine simple, as in the example.

Once the circles are ready to go, line them up on the string while leaving about a 1/4", or 1/2" space between each one. You can also mix things up and vary the spacing. I went ahead and randomly changed the spacing for a more eclectic look.

Now, simply apply a bead of hot glue to the string and place your shape over the top of it. I used a non-stick heating mat (Ranger) beneath the garland while piecing it together to protect my work surface and to ensure the pieces wouldn't stick to my desk during the adhesive process.

After the garland is finished, attach it to your layout to create a fun embellished border across your page. You can drape it, make it straight, layer several together, one on top of the other.

Do have fun with this simple embellished garland! With the holidays quickly approaching, this will make it especially easy to add a little something extra without costing you too much time. One last note - it's great for cards, too!