Friday, January 31, 2014

DIY Heart Garland

Hi guys! Can you believe it's February tomorrow? Where did January even go??????? Well, with the arrival of February, it's probably due time to start thinking about Valentine's Day, huh. Today I'm here to share a super easy, super adorable DIY heart garland!
To get started, you'll need:

- A selection of cute paper
- A pencil
- Scissors
- A sewing machine that's threaded up and ready to go
Begin by cutting out 2 heart shapes. You'll want a big one and a small one! I had one that was about 2" tall and one that was about 1 1/2" tall. These will be your templates.
Next, trace an even amount of big and small hearts on to the back of your cute paper. You can vary the colors and patterns as much you like. Once they're traced, cut 'em out!
Voila! A lovely array of pretty hearts. Now, the number you need will vary based on how big you'd like your garland to be, but for reference, I had about 20 of each size.
Once you've got your hearts, make your life a little easier by pre-arranging them. I found it easiest to stack them up alternating between the big and little ones and was sure to have the patterns and papers alternate so I wouldn't end up with two in a row.
Now, bring your stack of hearts over to your sewing machine. To start, just run your machine so you can get a chain of stitches a few inches long. Then, start sewing through your hearts. I found it easiest to try to stitch through them just below the top point, and left 3-5 stitches between each heart so it would have nice spacing. If you're lucky, your cat might help you.
Since these can get tangled, I kept a jar next to my sewing machine that I could wind the garland onto as I sewed it. This made it super easy to get everything hung up when I was done!
Once you've sewn through your last heart, keep sewing so you can make another chain of a few inches.
All you have to do now is hang up your garland and admire your handiwork! I created this specifically as a Valentine's Day project, but I love it so much I think I might keep it up year round!

Have you guys been working on any fun Valentine's Day projects?

Til next time!

-Becca
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38 comments:

  1. Emory Ann KuryshJanuary 31, 2014 at 7:42 AM

    Looks great, Becca!

    Emory

    helloscarlettblog.com

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  2. hildeJanuary 31, 2014 at 9:26 AM

    This is so cute! :)

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  3. UnknownJanuary 31, 2014 at 9:29 AM

    Awww, very cute!!

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  4. UnknownJanuary 31, 2014 at 10:22 AM

    Super cute!

    Tiffany Ima
    Style Honestly

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  5. Sara Strauss {Sincerely, Sara}January 31, 2014 at 10:31 AM

    This is a wonderful idea!! I need to do this!!
    ~Sara

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    1. BeccaJanuary 31, 2014 at 8:53 PM

      Thanks, Sara! I hope you try it out soon. Mine's totally staying up permanently!

      Delete
  6. LaurenJanuary 31, 2014 at 11:01 AM

    That's a great Valentine's craft idea. I don't know what I'll be working on..

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    1. BeccaJanuary 31, 2014 at 8:53 PM

      Thanks, Lauren! I hope you come up with some fun ideas!

      Delete
  7. AlliJanuary 31, 2014 at 1:49 PM

    This is so adorable, I love sweet yellows and pink together.

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  8. Suzanne LJanuary 31, 2014 at 2:02 PM

    I intended to ask you where you'd bought this cute garland after admiring it when I was taking care of your kitties last weekend--and now I see that you MADE it! It's so cute, Becca! And it appears that Buddy was a very helpful little assistant.

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    1. BeccaJanuary 31, 2014 at 8:54 PM

      Thanks, little mother! Buddy is really into crafting. He always wants to help! ; )

      Delete
  9. nicole s.January 31, 2014 at 3:10 PM

    oh no! i wrote you a whole long comment and then my browser crashed and deleted it. here goes again.

    i LOVE this DIY! it's one of my favorites you've done, and one that i'm dying to do. i'm so mad that my sewing machine will not get its act together so i can do this like..today! the paper you chose is gorgeous and it looks so perfect in your house. i love that it could hang all year and not just during v-day!

    xo nicole
    writeslikeagirlblog.com

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    1. BeccaJanuary 31, 2014 at 8:55 PM

      Man, isn't that the worst? I'm so glad you like it! I hope your machine will shape up so you can try it out. I ended up buying a pad of fancy papers and used a few different prints from it. Something tells me I'll be doing a lot more paper crafts now that I have it!

      Delete
  10. Simply Alexandra // My Favorite ThingsJanuary 31, 2014 at 5:43 PM

    Adorable!! Love the yellow especially. So cheery. The jar tip is amazing. Never would have thought of that! Haha yes 'lucky' when cats help... well maybe when your cat is <1 things are a little different ;) Dreaming up some recipes for a romantic weekend away with my husband... thinking up ideas for Valentines at pre-school. :) Other than that I need some more ideas/projects! I sort of want to have a girl's day of some type... We'll see.. but now I may need to add this little project to my list! But perhaps with a die cut or cricut just to save time. :) Thanks for sharing... totally jazzed about upcoming vday! I've got inspiration collages going up tomorrow! -Alexandra

    Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things

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    1. BeccaJanuary 31, 2014 at 8:57 PM

      Thanks, girl! Having something to wind it up on makes SUCH a difference! You could also just wind it on a piece of cardboard for storage. Turns out my cats are the least helpful critters in existence. They have a penchant for running off with my craft supplies in their mouths while I'm mid-project. NOT appreciated!

      Thinking up Valentine's ideas for pre-school must be so much fun! I'm excited to see what projects you come up with!

      Delete
  11. lisaJanuary 31, 2014 at 5:54 PM

    1. This is cute. 2. You have a pretty sweet paper collection. 3. That wrap around the jar trick is pretty darn clever.

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  12. SofieJanuary 31, 2014 at 11:02 PM

    This is gorgeous, Becca! I absolutely love the idea and the paper you used is so lovely! Haha, my cat is very curious as well, she always needs to check out what I'm doing :)

    Sofie x
    Little green Sofie

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    1. BeccaFebruary 3, 2014 at 8:29 PM

      Thanks, Sofie! Glad I'm not the only one with furry helpers!

      Delete
  13. ElissaFebruary 1, 2014 at 7:41 AM

    This is too cute! The perfect festive way to celebrate.

    xo
    www.style-wire.com

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  14. get carried awayFebruary 1, 2014 at 7:57 AM

    wonderful ideas, so cute!
    happy weekend!

    http://www.getcarriedaway.net/

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  15. UnknownFebruary 2, 2014 at 1:57 PM

    Lovely garland! I might be a newbie to this, but using paper with your sewing machine…? How interesting!

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    1. BeccaFebruary 3, 2014 at 8:31 PM

      Thank you! It'll dull the needle a touch, but it works really well! It's much faster than connecting them all by hand, for sure!

      Delete
  16. Maria CocoonFebruary 2, 2014 at 3:12 PM

    I love it !!!!
    Kss.

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  17. UnknownFebruary 3, 2014 at 12:12 AM

    the jar trick is brilliant, haha i tried this kind of garland once and mangled it so badly ive never tried again. haha i think this is what i needed!

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    1. BeccaFebruary 3, 2014 at 8:32 PM

      Thank you! I hope the jar trick will help! It's certainly much easier than untangling a bajillion little things!

      Delete
  18. BeccaFebruary 3, 2014 at 8:32 PM

    Oh thank you so much! I'll be sure stop by and check your out, too!

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  19. LisaFebruary 4, 2014 at 7:18 AM

    Very pretty! I'd keep this up all year! ^___^

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    1. BeccaFebruary 4, 2014 at 9:10 PM

      Thanks, Lisa! I'm planning on it, for sure!

      Delete
  20. LauraFebruary 4, 2014 at 10:09 AM

    This is so cute, Becca! I love your jar winding idea. xoxo

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