Images and text by Amy Christie for Design Mom.
Tomorrow is October! Bring on the black and orange!! And you know me, I love the garlands. Sewn paper garlands can be customized for everything and I just can’t stop making them. They are a simple, inexpensive and low-key way to dress up your home or decorate for a party.
But for this holiday, an eerie trick! Make the seemingly ordinary garland into a glow-in-the-dark treat.
By day, a festive string of color — and by night, a gleaming strand of ghoulish shapes.
Gather your materials and let’s get started.
Supplies:
-paper
-punches, paper cutting machine, scissors or cutting blade
-thread
–glow in the dark paint
Cut the paper into your desired size and shape. Small or big, holiday themed or generically geometric, anything works (and are equally as striking, in my opinion). I do like the itsy bitsy size and the large size is just as lovely, however, most of these are sized between 1-2 inches. If you’re into the little ones, I’ve got a special tip for you here.
Then, piece by piece, feed the paper through the sewing machine. You can create as little or as much space between the shapes as you’d like. To keep the space even, use a landmark on the machine or a piece of tape to ‘measure’ between paper pieces. Consider contrasting thread to add more color.
And then for a spooky twist: a garland that glows in the dark!! I tried to find glow-in-the-dark paper. I did some internet searching and didn’t find exactly what I wanted so I used paint instead. I painted pieces of cardstock, coating them in a few layers so the they would really gleam. Once they dried, cut them and sew them together like the rest of the paper. I think it’s just enough spook.
Once done, hang them where you will and enjoy the season.
P.S. — Love making things? Find more projects here.
So great! I love any & all fall crafts but I haven’t seen this done before! At least not in this way. I’m definitely going to make the pumpkins. And maybe the glow-in-the-dark ghosts, too. Fun!
xo kristen genevieve
sunnywithachanceoflemons.blogspot.com
Amy is a genius! I love this
LOL I am also excited to have October come! It seems right that I officially segue into fall decor. It allows me to let go of summer too, but feel good about it! ♥
Fun!!
Do you enjoy doing new things? Then I have an idea for you to try balloon sculpting that is also fun and you can sell them in the market with big profit.
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eep! these are adorable and best of all so simple to make!
Can I ask where you got your pumpkin and ghost shapes?? Thanks!
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Where do you get the pumpkin shapes?
So cute! I love the glow in the dark element, I hadn’t thought of that. I always have a rotating garland in my apartment, but I have easy access to the ones we make at eeBoo, the toy company I work for. Our halloween one is pretty darn cute: http://eeboo.com/store/show/CHWEEN?parent=games (perfect for those of us who don’t have a sewing machine on hand!)
I also am curious of where you got the ghost paper punch!
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I love this paper garland idea. I was looking for a project for my halloween themed sewing classes. This will be a great project for basic machine sewing for the kids and 4 h groups.
I love this cute idea! Where did you get your ghost and pumpkin paper punch?!
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What is the name of the glow-in-the-dark paint you used? I’ve tried the craft glow-in-the-dark paints but it doesn’t glow as bright as yours.
Thanks a bunch!
Sandra
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