I made this tassel garland for the playroom to give it that pop of color it needs. When Anabelle saw it hanging on the wall, she immediately responded, "Wow!" It made the three hour effort I put into making this happen completely worth it. No, it will not take you that long. I had a minor mishap before I started making this garland. It's kind of funny actually. If you do not wish to read about my battle with an entire gallon of paint that I dropped on the playroom carpet, please feel free to scroll down directly to the tutorial.
Anabelle went down for her nap so that meant the husband and I had to get ALL THE THINGS done. The husband was touching up some paint in the playroom, decided he was finished and left the can of paint in the middle of the room. Naturally, I had to move it and put it away immediately. I wrapped the can of paint in the towel it was sitting on and attempted to move it over to the end of the room. The next thing I know my lower body is covered in paint, along with my beloved leopard-print office chair, the desk I just spray painted a couple of weeks ago, and a 5x6 area of the playroom. My clothes, however, were untouched. It must be because I was rocking my first bodysuit ever ;-)
I stood there in shock, afraid to move in fear of tracking paint anywhere else. So, what did I do? Here's the scenario:
Me: "Chriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis! Chriiiiiiiiiiiis. I need help!"
Husband: "What?"
Me: "Help!!!"
Husband: "What? What happened?"
Me: "Come help me!"
Husband: Walks into the playroom clearly disturbed from being interrupted.
Me: "I don't even know what happened. What do we do?"
Husband: Stunned silence.
Me: "I don't... I mean... what do we do?"
Husband: "We have to get as much paint up as we can before we completely ruin the carpet."
Me: "I can't move. I need you to pick me up and put me in the tub."
Husband: Picks me up under the arm pits and carries me to the tub.
He starts cleaning up with all the pile of dirty towels I planned on washing later that day. (I guess it's a good thing I procrastinated doing laundry.) We continue to sop up the majority of the carpet, desk and ruined office chair. The husband brings the chair outside and I hose it down in a vain attempt to salvage it. It's completely ruined. If I had time to sit down and cry I would, but I had a tutorial to get to! The husband runs to the nearest store and picks up a steam cleaner. While he's gone, I stand at the top of the stairs and survey the damage. I drag my desk near the window, take a deep breathe and divulge into my crafty side.
Supplies needed: Crepe paper streamers, twine/whatever ribbon you fancy, gold tissue paper (optional), scissors, tape (optional), ice coffee with soy milk (also optional, but super helpful and tasty).
Step 1: Cut streamers into desired length. My streamers were roughly 37 inches in length (I'm an odd number lover). Divide that number in half, and that's the length the streamers will hang from the wall. Mine were roughly 17-18 inches long. As you can see, my streamers were a little uneven. You can cut the streamers to be perfectly even, or be a craft rebel. You really can't tell either way. If you are using gold tissue paper, cut the tissue paper roughly the same width as the crepe paper.
Step 2: Tape the edges of 2 pieces of gold tissue paper with tape. Again, as you can see, the gold tissue paper is not even. I promise you can hardly tell. The gold paper was flimsy, to say the least, and it was nearly impossible to cut it into a straight line. After we exchanged several not-so-friendly words, I gave in and let it run wild.
Step 3: Drown out the whir of the steam cleaner while the husband cleans the gigantic mess you made (again, optional). Fold the streamers in half and mark a shallow hole 2 inches from the top of the fold.
Step 4: Cut 2-3 strips in each of the streamers (depending on your desired thickness) roughly one finger-width apart. Stop cutting at the mark made from step 3. Ponder how disturbingly similar these streamers look like Mr. Snuffleupagus (not optional).
Step 5: Unfold the streamers and lay them flat.
Step 6: Roll the uncut portion of the streamer from front to back.
Step 7: Twist the middle portion like you would wrap a piece of freshly melted caramel during Christmas [insert drool noises here]. Insert your finger into the middle of the twist and wrap it around your finger until you have a head portion on the top. If you are using gold tissue paper, I would recommend using tape or superglue at this stage to hold it's shape. Embrace it's independence.
Step 8: Thread the garland into the twine or ribbon and hang!
Step 9: Step back, admire the beauty of your garland and enjoy the view.
You can always add or decrease the amount of tassels you like. When I get another chance, I'm going to add 5 or 6 more strands to the garland to give it a fuller effect.
I hope you all enjoyed the tutorial! My original plan was to give you a sneak peek of the playroom, but since we had a wee bit of a disaster, I had to rearrange the playroom for the 15th time. I will leave you on the edge of your seat in suspense until the reveal! Like oh em gee, can you hardly wait?! ;)
Have a great day everyone!
xo,
Valerie
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