DIY Paper Garland

I seem to be transitioning into a vintage book theme for much of our Christmas decor. Last year my boys and I made some beautiful heart paper ornaments, along with a rolled paper star for the top of the tree.

This year I decided to try my hand at making a paper garland. I posted a pic on my instagram this afternoon, which sparked questions as to how it was made. That is where this blog post comes in :).

I know that there are a bunch of people making similar garlands, and I in no way claim that this is my own original idea, this is just my own interpretation. 

 

You will need a big stack of paper; from books, sheet music, maps... whatever you would like. A paper punch of the size and shape that you desire, but at least 1 1/2" at it's narrowest point. And a sewing machine with heavy white thread, set at a fairly wide stitch.

 

Start by punching out a big pile of paper pieces, you will need quite a bit to make a long garland. 

Pull out several inches of thread from both the spool and bobbin before starting your stitches, this will be for hanging later. Sew 4 paper pieces at a time, right down the middle. Between each little stack of papers, make several "empty" stitches to create a space between each paper ornament.
Continue along until you have the length you desire.

Leave another few inches of thread on this end for hanging.

Now you can begin fanning out your pages. Press each piece open to create a 3D effect.

Now you have your very own paper garland =).
I will be adding mine to my wall tree, once I get it put up.

No classic literature was harmed in the making of this garland. I generally use books that are damaged, or that were destined for the dump.... especially copies of old Reader's Digest books ;).

Dollar Store Christmas Village, Revamped

 I am SO excited about this little village! 

 My Mom has a village that she has collected for years and has it set up all winter on top of her piano, complete with a little skating pond. I have always wanted one, I just haven't found one that was "me"... that wasn't going to cost me an arm and a leg!! 

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon this blog, via Pinterest, that really got my wheels turning. She had taken a cheap village, the kind you can find at the dollar store or Walmart, you know the ones with the poorly painted details. What she did was GENIUS!

Here is my version.

I started with a dollar store village. I really liked the shape and texture of these three houses, and of course I had to have a church =). I haven't decided about the little people yet... but I picked them up just in case.

 On the other blog she had spray painted the pieces, which admittedly would have been much easier, but I decided to use what I had on hand. I mixed equal parts white and antique white acrylic paint, with just a little bit of pearlizing medium for a bit of shimmer.

 

I then started applying coats to the houses with a 1" artist's brush. It took about 4 coats to cover everything, especially the roofs and little nooks and crannies. Once that was dry I painted all the raised "snow" areas with white paint, to make the snow stand out against the ivory a bit.

I forgot to get a before pic of the trees.... but they are just basic bottle brush trees that you can get at Walmart, or anywhere they sell the villages. Walmart has them in white, and "flocked" green. To make them match the houses I dipped them in a white wash solution of my paint mixture with quite a bit of water, mixed really well! Spray painting would work much better for this, but again, work with what you've got ;).

The last part is making everything "snowy". For this I used modge podge and mica flakes, but glitter would work just as well. I applied the modge podge with a small brush on the houses, just where the white snow areas are, then sprinkled heavily with mica flakes.

 I brushed the trees lightly with modge podge, just on the tips of the bristles, then rolled them in the mountain of mica flakes that was covering my workspace ;). Nothing wasted!

 After that it was all about gathering up the perfect accessories around the house and making a little vignette. 

We have several old books that I use for various projects, and also for photo props, so I thought these would be a lovely addition.
I also added a few antique electric insulators that I have collected, and placed battery operated tea lights underneath, as well as gold painted pine cones as bushes.

 My boys were sweet enough to donate a vintage looking truck from their matchbox collection =). I will be adding a tree to the back as soon as I have an extra one.

I am excited to have a bit of winter up in the house! Can't call it Christmas decor until after Thanksgiving or the Hubby might just blow a gasket ;).

Next will come our "tree", which I have found the cutest idea on Pinterest for that too!!
Pics of that to come soon!

YAY!