DIY Braided Garland by Cupcakes and Cutlery

I begged Sharon, of Cupcakes and Cutlery, to give me the tutorial for the adorable little garlands she made me for my birthday.  As a girl that loves parties and plans every single one she can get her hands on, the best present EVER was getting one in the mail. Everything, right down to the snacks

AND balloons - the BIG ones.  **pictures of my party don't do these lovelies justice, taken by me in bad light**

How amazing is that?  I got a super cute birthday party and didn't have to do any of the work. Sharon is tops on my list. So, today I can't wait to share Sharon's super easy DIY garland with you. You are in for a treat, for certain the funniest girl I know. Take it away Sharon...

DIY BRAIDED GARLAND

You will need:

scissors and fabric



I created the fabric braided garland because I wanted Jenny to have cute walls for her birthday without having to sew her own. But, as I lack a working sewing machine, oh, and the skill to create the gorgeous, finished garlands a la Hank and Hunt, I did what I know. My style of crafts is a mix of cute, rough and a little undone. These garlands are stupid easy to make, I mean, it's really just braiding fabric. But in case you can't figure it out on your own, here is how to do it.

Cut your fabric in to 3 approximately equal lengths (try to keep the widths consistent as well, but only get out a ruler if you are planning on rapping someone on the knuckles with it).

Lay the strips on top of each other and tie them into a simple knot leaving a few inches of fabric at the end.

Find something heavy enough to tie it to (a chair rail or small child will work) and braid. I found that a lose braid showed the fabric better and also I was conscious of keeping the printed side showing out (this will make the garlands more colorful - using a solid color fabric? Braid it as haphazardly as you want!).

Braid the length of the fabric and tie off the other end, again leaving a little bit left at the end. Duh.

After I made them for Jenny's little bday in a box, I decided I was going to use them at my son's birthday party as well. I really enjoy the finished look and will probably make them for everything and people will start to tell me they are tired of seeing them and that I need to retire them. I also googled braided garland and found out that one of my fave looks by Ashley Meaders was actually made from braided garlands. Since I think she is an event design genius I geeked out that for a moment, I was on the same wavelength as her. But only for a minute and then I came crashing back to reality. Also check out these braided garlands on  Celebrate at Home by Kristi of Luna and Chloe. Hers are made with yarn and I love how those look too!

And Sharon is taunting me with this...she won't let me see ANY pictures of Mile's party. All we get is this cute little snapshot of the birthday boy.  How cute are those garlands up top?  I NEED more, Sharon!!! 

Thank you sweetie for sending us this little DIY.

xo,

j