Paper Straw Garland – DIY!

Deck the halls, the tree, the walls and more!

This quick and easy craft is more fun than stringing popcorn and less messy!

We love making decorative garland with the kids. We have strung popcorn, cranberries, cereal and even candy. The birds seemed to love the garland more than my tree or living room did, so this year we decided to make a garland that we could use over and over again.

The supplies are simple – those fun seasonal colored paper straws can be found at party stores, craft supply stores and even DollarTree has them.

Pair those straws up with some coordinating beads and embroidery floss or yarn and you have a blingy beautiful garland that your can keep for years to come.

This simple, festive garland is easy to string and oh so sweet!

Paper Straw Garland Supplies:

• 1 Package of paper straws

A variety of beds for stringing:

• 8mm faceted crystal beads – we purchased a Value Pak bag at the craft store – there were 625 beads in the bag for under $4
• 18mm starflake raspberry beads – we purchased a Value Pak bag at the craft store  – 190 pieces for under $4
• Embroidery floss – we used a spool of floss, white DMC #5 – you can also use fishing line, beading cord or thin yarn
• Size 22 Tapestry needles – these have a blunt tip so they safer to use with smaller kids, but still require supervision
• Scissors, ruler (or you can estimate/approximate)

Getting Started

1. Cut your straws into pieces. We cut our straws into approximately 1 1/4 inch pieces
2. Cut a strand of beading cord, floss or line the length of your choosing. TIP – When working with kids keep the length under 3 feet – too long and the tangling will cause frustration.
3. Select a single bead to start with and tie a knot with your beading cord. (See middle picture) This will keep the beads from falling off the strand.
4. Start stringing!
5. Create a pattern, go random, have fun with it and enjoy!
6. Finish off your garland strand by tying a knot around the last bead threaded.