A string of bright red cranberries draped on your Christmas tree adds a dash of festive color and warmth.
Nothing warms up a holiday like good food and homemade, natural decorations on the tree. With this craft, you can have both at the same time. Leave the popcorn for munching on during holiday movies this year, and string cranberries. A string of bright red cranberries draped on your Christmas tree adds a dash of festive color and warmth.
Instructions
1. Calculate how much garland you will need for your tree. Multiply the height of the tree by approximately 8 feet of garland. For example, if you have a 6-foot tree, multiply 6 times 8, meaning you'd need approximately 48 feet of garland.
2. Calculate how many cranberries you will need. A 1-lb. bag of cranberries will make approximately 5 feet of garland. Thus, if you want to cover a 6-foot tree with cranberry garland, you would need 9 lbs. to 10 lbs. of cranberries. If you wanted to use half cranberry garland and half silver tinsel, you would need about 5 lbs. of cranberries.
3. Sort your cranberries into bowls by sizes. You can grab cranberries at random, but it is more aesthetically pleasing when the objects are all close in size, such as mixing a string of small cranberries with a string of big ones on your tree.
4. Drill a hole through each cranberry with the skinniest drill bit you have. Drill right through the center of the cranberry. If you go too off-center, it could crack. Make sure the cranberries are dry and not too slippery.
5. Use a push pin to make a pilot hole for the drill if you are having trouble keeping the drill steady when breaking through the skin.
6. Cut the thread at least a foot longer than the size of the garland string you plan to make but no longer than 10 feet to avoid tangles.
7. Thread the first cranberry, loop the bottom of the thread up and over it and tie it.
8. String the rest of the cranberries onto the thread. Finish by tying the last piece on the same way you did the first cranberry. Cut away any extra thread.
9. Hang your cranberry garland outdoors over a clothesline or in a well-ventilated area from a hook. Spray it with a clear acrylic sealer and allow it to dry overnight before hanging it on the tree.
Tips Warnings
If you want to mix sizes of cranberries, repeat a pattern, such as small, small, small, big, small, small, small, big. Sorting will make it easier to find what size you want when you're making your garland.
If you have a very sturdy needle and strong hands, you can skip the drilling part and go straight to stringing the cranberries. Poke it through part way, then press the back of the needle against a table as you push the cranberry down. Protect the table's surface before you do this or the needle could ruin the surface.
Wear work gloves and safety goggles during the drilling process.
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