Hello friends!
This time of year the weekends seem to go even faster than normal, and I find myself wanting a quick craft or project to add to my Christmas decor without taking hours.
I am impatient, it is true. This is most likely the reason I have never taken up quilting. I LOVE the idea of making a quilt, and even tried my hand at a queen sized patchwork quick in the 90’s.
Let’s set this up properly however.
We lived in central WA at the time and the forecast called for feet of snow, not inches. So, knowing that the roads would be crummy for days I thought it would be a great idea to make a ton of soups, breads, AND a quilt.
A queen sized one.
Being born with the “how hard can it be” gene this did not seem like an unreasonable plan in any way.
I drove my old station wagon thru a bit of snow with the storm on it’s way, listening to my Amy Grant Christmas tape just as happy as a clam. I got all of my grocery shopping done and headed for JoAnn’s.
JoAnn’s is like going to the local tavern for crafty ladies. You see the regulars, talk about what you have been up to lately, and peek into each other’s carts silently summing up what the other is making next.
I played by the quilting rules with no internet of course (thank you 1995) and carefully pieced all of my squares together.
We ate soup, I listened to more Amy Grant for comfort and some semblance of peace at this point. My stress level was intensifying and it had nothing to do with the plow that just left a small mountain of snow directly behind the aforementioned station wagon.
And in 4.5 days I finished my very first and ONLY quilt.
It was that snowy day that I realized I am not a quilter. And that is ok! I just had not figured out that I have an incredibly short attention span and expect perfection in 30 minutes for less.
This is in the DIY hall of fame/shame with some other projects like baked Fimo beads, safety pin bracelets and a dream catcher or two.
Of course, on my next JoAnn’s trip I was asked “how did your quilt turn out?” I mumbled something about a pipe bursting and hoped that my distraction would be enough to throw my fellow crafters off my trail of quilt shame.
So, with that giant back story, I bring you a quick and fun Christmas project for your home that I promise will not have you doing anything but making soup with all of the time you have leftover.
Here my friends is how I made the easiest pink Christmas tree garland, redeemed myself as a crafty gal and made soup all in the same day.
Listening to your favorite tape is completely optional might I add 🙂
I used some thin cardboard that was headed for our recycling bin and cut out 7 trees in various sizes. I just eyeballed and trimmed them if they looked wonky, and also cut out the trunk, hot gluing it on the back of each tree.
I bought this dusty pink macrame yarn a few months ago (this would have been the how hard can it be gene again) but did not become a macrame master, instead saving it for a rainy day.
Using a dab of hot glue I attached the yarn at the base of the tree, wrapping and overlapping until the cardboard was fully covered. Another dab of hot glue at the top on the back of the tree secured the yarn, and it was time to glue on the pearls.
A bit more hot glue attaching the upper top rear of each tree to some white thick twine so I could hang my little tree garland and I was done!
No stress, snow plow or tears were involved in the making of this super cute little pink tree garland, all in 30 minutes!
You may or may not have noticed that this little garland is hanging from my latest vintage hutch I shared recently. YEP, I PAINTED IT!
But she is not quite done yet so today it’s just a peek at the amazing difference before and after. I am so glad I painted her, it took a few months to decide but I am thrilled with the results I’ll share soon.
I have some super thrifty Goodwill makeovers too just in time for Christmas coming soon!
Until next time my friend, I appreciate you and your readership so much. Drop me a comment and let me know if you have any quilt fails or successes you would like to share 🙂
Hugs, xx Tanya
24 Responses
HAaahahaha!!! I LOVE that story. Hilarious!! Also, the Amy Grant Christmas album is top 3 for Christmas music..especially a Tennessee Christmas 🙂 Anywho, this tree garland is just adorable, Tanya!! I do love a quick and easy DIY and always get impatient when it pivots or takes longer than expected. Your’s turned out super cute and looks lovely on your hutch. Can’t wait to see what you’ve done with it! Thanks for sharing at Home Imagined this week!! Happy Thanksgiving!
Rachel, a Tennessee Christmas I LOVE IT 🙂 I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving my friend, hugs from WA State xx Tanya
I loved your story about making a quilt, Tanya. It sounds just like something I would do Amy Grant tape and all 😆 Pinning now and will share on Friday – these are super cute! Big hugs, CoCo
When writing you take a guess that the quilt fail and support by Amy Grant would resonate with a few people, and boy did it 🙂 thank you so much CoCo, hope you have the most amazing Thanksgiving 🙂 xx Tanya
All of my old scrapbooking buddies switched over to making quilts, but it’s not for me, so I can relate! I have two Amy Grant CDs that I play constantly during the holidays! I love an easy DIY that looks fabulous and your sweet Christmas tree garland is adorable! I’ll be sharing it in my weekly newsletter on Saturday!
You know what? I think everyone I knew who did scrapbooking also moved to quilts, so I am not alone haha! Thank you so much for reading Donna, and sharing my project in your newsletter too 🙂 Hugs xx Tanya
Well, how gosh darn cute are these? I absolutely adore them. The pearls are such a fun touch. And I love how easy they are too! I totally need to try making my own garland now. Thank you for the inspiration!
Thank you Jen 🙂 they were so quick and easy! Thank you so much for stopping by xx Tanya
LOVE that this garland all starts with recycled cardboard, Tanya!
Will be featuring you starting Wednesday at the Creative Crafts Linky Party! Pinned and shared!
Creatively, Beth
Thank you again Beth you are so sweet, I really appreciate the feature! xx Tanya
Tanya, I love this pretty Christmas tree garland! I am happy to feature your post at this week’s Tuesday Turn About Link Party. Thank you so much for sharing!
Oh Tanya, you delight me every week with your fabulous projects… and this one is so cute!
Thank you for sharing your pink and pearl Christmas garland at Create, Bake, Grow & Gather this week. I’m delighted to be featuring it at tonight’s party and pinning too.
Hugs,
Kerryanne
Thank you again Kerryanne, I know a fellow lover of all things pink in you as well! xx Tanya
What a cute DIY Christmas Tree garland. Saw it at Wonderful Wed. Simple, fun, and attractive. Nancy Andres @ Colors 4 Health
Thank you so much Nancy! I really appreciate it 🙂 xx Tanya
Hi Tanya – I had to laugh at your quilting story. I too made a quilt ONCE and decided that I am not a quilter. It requires too much precision and time. Holy smokes. So much time. Love this little garland you put together – it is charming AND looks easy AND doesn’t appear to require much time. All the boxes have been checked. Happy Holidays!
Thank you Anna! I guess that is part of doing what we love, figuring out what we don’t right? Hugs and thank you so much 🙂 xx Tanya
I love this sweet garland! Your back story I think we can all relate to at some level or another. I have never attempted a quilt (I know my level of impatience 🙂) but so many times I look at something & think. I can make that. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t 😂. Anyway, your garland will be featured tomorrow at the Home Imagined link party. See you there. XO- MaryJo
I am glad I am not the only one haha thank you so much MaryJo!! xx Hugs 🙂 Tanya
Haha, your 1995 quilting adventure sounds epic! I can picture you in the snow, determined. Did you ever try a quicker Christmas craft after that? I’m all about fast and fab decor ideas!
Haha, your 1995 quilting adventure is hilarious! I can picture you in that station wagon, all excited with an Amy Grant tape playing. It’s so relatable how we think we can take on big projects but then realize our limits. I once tried to knit a scarf in a weekend and ended up with a lopsided mess. Did you ever try any other quick Christmas crafts after that? And how did you feel when you finally finished that quilt, despite it being your only one? 😜
The decoration ideas are very creative and beautiful, I really like such DIY decorations.
That garland looks way better than the store-bought stuff, but I would’ve given up the second the string started tangling. Solid choice on the Amy Grant album too.
Absolutely stunning Christmas tree garland! The pink and pearl combination is so elegant and unique — this is definitely one of the most creative holiday decoration ideas I have come across in a long time. I love how detailed the instructions are making it so easy to recreate at home. As someone who loves DIY holiday decorating I always print out craft tutorials and decoration guides so I can follow them step by step without constantly going back to my screen. For anyone who loves doing the same, this ij start canon setup guide helped me get my home printer set up perfectly so I can print all my favorite DIY and craft tutorials hassle free. This garland is going straight on my Christmas list this year — thank you for such a beautiful and inspiring post