Celebrate the fall season by bringing your family closer together with this garland craft. By blending natural fall elements with fall colors and old-fashioned crafty experience, you and your family can create a memorable and warm decoration.
Supplies:
12 Craft pinecones
12-foot Hemp cord (minimum)
39 ¾-inch Round wooden beads (unpainted)
Red acrylic paint
Orange acrylic paint
Yellow acrylic paint
Paintbrushes
1 Red marker
1 Cup of water for rinsing
Tip: While many types of pinecones will work, if you choose to source your pinecones from the great outdoors, you’ll want to freeze them for a day to avoid bringing in any unwanted hitchhikers from the insect kingdom.
Step 1: Set Up
Lay out your supplies, visualize the order in which you’ll need them and decide who is going to do what. This craft involves knot-tying, painting and measuring. While young children can help with measuring and watch you tie the knots, it’s best to leave those tasks for yourself or an older child. This craft also involves painting, which can be delegated to children ages 6 and older.
Step 2: Kids’ Set Up
Set your child(ren) up to paint the wooden beads. You’ll want 13 of each color (red, yellow and orange). Sort the beads into three piles of 13 and have your child paint one color at a time, or divide colors between children if more than one child is helping. The hand-painted fall-colored beads will give the garland a personal touch.
Tip: You can add more beads if you’d like your garland to look fuller. We chose to use three to maintain flexibility in where the garland can be hung. A bulkier garland is heavier and less flexible.
Step 3: Measure and Cut
Measure out 12 feet of hemp cord, but leave 1 foot extra on the end for a 13-foot long piece. You may cut this extra foot off at the end, but if you end up using more cord in your knots, you’ll be glad you left room for error.
Step 4: Drying Time
Give the beads time to dry before assembling the garland. If you’d like a more finished look, help your child fill in any unpainted spots they might have left behind. Wait for the beads to dry before continuing. This will take 10 to 20 minutes. While you wait, take turns talking about what you like about fall and the things you’re looking forward to.
Step 5: Lay Out Segment One
The garland will feature three beads (one of each color) on the end. For these directions, we are going from left to right. Start with a solid double knot; then, add the three beads. This first segment with three beads should be about 6 inches long. Mark that point with the red marker.
Step 6: Attach the First Pinecone
After the red mark, use the next section of cord to tie the first pinecone on the garland. We tied the cord about ¾ of an inch down from the top of the pinecone, where it would have been attached to the tree. If your pinecones are on the longer side, feel free to secure them a little further down, but the garland will look best if they’re secured near the top. Use a double knot to prevent sliding.
Step 7: Repeat Steps 5-6
After the first pinecone is secured, add three more beads (one of each color), mark the cord and add pinecones until the garland is finished. When you run out of pinecones, add the final three beads and finish the garland with a double knot. You can also use a bow for added cuteness.
Step 8: Decorate and Enjoy!
Hang the garland above the doorframe, on the mantle or above the family photo wall. Happy fall!
Read More: Framing Fall Leaves
