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Monday, December 3, 2012

[Make] Jingle Bell Burlap Garland

I love the sound and look of sleigh bells, so I decided to incorporate them into a simple, rustic burlap garland.  I toned down the brass and grouped them together to make it visually interesting.  Wouldn't this look great wrapped around a tree or hung from a mantel?



Click "Read more" for the tutorial

Jingle Bell Garland Tutorial

materials needed:
burlap garland (in floral section of Craft store; this one is 6 inches wide & 10 yards long)
1/2 inch jingle bells in a large pack.  I used 105 bells for my garland.
brown satin acrylic paint (I used Martha Stewart brand in vanilla bean)
brown embroidery thread to match burlap
scissors

the burlap garland.  if you shop at joanns, you will find this in the floral section.

brass jingle bells. silver works too.

here's the bells after they have been sponge painted with "vanilla bean" satin paint from the Martha Stewart acrylic paint line.  they also look nice sponge painted in a cream paint-- seen here on my stamped burlap ornaments

i grouped my bells in threes and make a "polka-dot" pattern, but really... the sky's the limit.  my only input is to be careful using too large of a bell (1" plus) or grouping together too many in one place, as the weight will pull the material down.

I'm not quite done with the mantel, but here's a peek at the jingle bell garland...



I feel so behind!  My allergies have kicked in and I'm in slo-mo. I  haven't been working on anything for over a week-- Normally not an issue, but this is crunch time! Am I the only one whose allergies are worse in fall than in spring? Anyhow, I finally broke down and took some zyrtec, so hopefully I'll be able to keep my eyes open and get some stuff done.  

Happy Monday!