Step One: Gather your materials
- Old Christmas cards
- Colorful paper or card stock
- Twine, string, yarn or thin ribbon
- Double-sided tape
- Ruler
- Pen
- Scissors
- Needle and thread
Step Two: Prepare the Christmas Cards
Snip the cards in half so you can use the colorful front for your garland, and save the personal notes on the insides.
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Step Three: Trace and Cut Out a Mini Garland
Using a ruler and pen, measure and trace a 2-inch wide section on your card or paper. Mark off 1.5-inch segments along the long edge of the 2-inch wide strip, and then create angled lines to create a series triangles that are 1.5 inches wide and 2 inches long.
Repeat this step on as many different cards and paper colors as you like.
Step Four: Sew Mini Garland Together
Thread a needle with a double length of thread as long as you wish your garland to be, with a few extra inches on each end for hanging. Push the needle through the back side of one of the tiny triangle, then back down through, leaving a large “stitch” across the front of the triangle. Slide the triangle down to the end of the length of thread, leaving a few inches for hanging, and then thread on the next triangle. When you’re done threading on the flags, you can knot the thread at the ends right next to the triangle to lock them in place.
Step Five: Trace and Cut Out Large Garland
Create a diamond-shaped template for the large garland: this is so you can fold them in half into a triangle with color showing on both sides. For this garland, we used a ruler and pen to draw a template 6 inches long by 3 inches wide. Cut out the template and fold it in half to make sure it’s even.
Trace the template onto the cards and other colored paper, and cut out the diamond shapes.
Step 6: Fold and Tape Large Garland
Fold the diamonds in half, ensuring you have sharp creases, otherwise the two halves won’t stick together easily. Pull out a length of twine, string, or ribbon. Leaving a few inches for hanging on the end, place a strip of double-sided tape along the inside of the diamond shape, then place it around the twine and squeeze the paper shut into a triangle.
Press firmly to make sure the two halves are stuck together (you can also use glue if you prefer). Continue placing triangles along the twine until your garland has reached its desired length.
Step 7: Decorate and Enjoy!
Now its time to decorate with your garlands! You can hang them on the wall with washi tape, drape them across your Christmas tree, pin them across a window, or even wrap a mini garland around a special holiday gift. You can try a color-coordinated garland, experiment with triangle sizes and shapes, or even attach the flags to a string of lights.
Happy holidays!
