DIY | Flowers & Bees - Paper Garlands for Spring

At this point, garlands of any kind are basically a DIY staple. Pinterest is a veritable encyclopaedia of all the different ways and styles in which you can make this versatile decoration. And there-in lies the source of its popularity; no matter how many different craft projects you may come across on the subject, there are always different ways to make a garland for your home! As far as decorating goes, it is super easy and cost effective and can be used for so many different reasons or occasions. So with all this in mind; here’s yet another garland DIY. I hope you’re still as into them as I am, because I really love this one!

There is an amazing stationary store in the city that specializes in cards and high end wrapping paper. When I cam across this bee and rose wrapping paper I just knew I needed to buy it and make something pretty out of the beautiful prints! Because the paper was good quality, it is quite thick and strong, so it was ideal for this project as it still holds its shape when cut out. Keep this in mind when choosing your own paper for this project as if it is lighter paper you may need to adhere it it to something stronger before starting if you want your garlands to last.

Guys, this is super easy: get yourself some paper with a reoccurring pattern or image (I found a couple of sheets of good quality paper, one with roses and the other with golden bees), string and some scotch tape (the non-shiny kind so it’s not as obvious if any pieces flip over).

Start by cutting out your images. How many you need will depend on the size of your garland and the size of your images, so cut as many as you think to start off with and you can always get some more later. Depending on how detailed your images are, this could be slightly fiddly and could take a while. Don’t rush it, sit yourself down with a movie or your favourite TV show and cut away - it’s quite therapeutic once you get going.

Once you have all your images cut out, sort them into the order you want them to appear: for example, my roses came in 4 different shapes and sizes so I sorted them into alternating patterns. The bees, of course, were all once size and shape, so they didn’t need any sorting.

Flip your pictures over and stick them securely to the string using the scotch tape. Space each image evenly along the string, leaving around 5  - 10cm in between each. It’s easiest if you don’t cut your string at this stage, just unravel around a rulers length (30cm) at a time and stick your images as you go, otherwise you will find yourself getting tangled in string!

Trim the string from the ball when you have your desired length and you’re done! Hang on the wall, over your mantle, around a window, wherever you like! The paper I used had pretty patterns on both sides, so I wasn’t worried - but if you are concerned about the images flipping over to the blank side you can always double up your images and stick them on both sides of the string. Just make sure that your images can be reversed so they will fit snugly against each other back to back (ie: the Bees are a perfect example of this, but the roses are too irregularly shaped for it to work with them).

So, are you digging my take on the old paper garlands? What kind of images would you put on yours?