Circle Circle Dot Dot Garland Tutorial

Circle circle, dot dot, now I've got my cootie shot!  Did that just take you down memory lane, or what? 

Today, I'd like to share with you how to make a Circle Circle Dot Dot Garland.  It really has nothing to do with cooties but everything to do with making your special occasions even more special!

Sharon shared yesterday a little bit about the food aspect of the bridal shower we helped to host a few months ago and here's one of the ways we made the atmosphere a bit more special:

No, we didn't play the piano.  We did, however, string our custom-made garland here and there to add some subtle charm. 

Since this bridal shower took place one week before Thanksgiving, we opted for a Harvest-y/Autumn theme.  Not all bridal showers have to be pink and flowery, right?  And when it's holiday time, why fight the seasons? Ya might as well just "go with it".  The garland added just the right playful decor for the occasion.  Balloons and streamers are fine, but aren't homemade decorations so much more fun and customizable?



Here's the paper I chose in keeping with our Autumn theme.



All you need to make your own garland is:

• a few pieces of scrapbook paper (colors and patterns that suit the theme, obviously)
• a circle cutter (SO handy) or a circle to trace
• fishing line or something similar
• glue

First, you'll want to estimate how much garland you want.  This will determine how many circles you need to cut out.  Sharon and I guesstimated (I say that word all the time but have never written it before--weird!) the length of our garlands.  Then we cut lots of circles! 



This circle cutter has been one of my most worthwhile craft purchases!

  

We cut numerous 3" circles and lots of 1" circles, too.  We used thick, solid colored scrapbook paper for the backs of the circles and for the 1" dots.  That was just how it worked out; there's really no right or wrong way to do it.

Once all of your circles are cut, it's time to glue!  I used fishing line as our "base" because it is super-strong and clear, and there's an abundance of it in my garage! 

We layed everything out on the floor because it was the biggest open space to work on.  Just make sure your toddler is napping so they can't reek havoc on your project!  I left about 2' excess of fishing line on the side before I started gluing the circles and dots into place so that there was plenty of leeway when we hung the garland.

Just glue the circles on the fishing line by sandwiching the fishing line between the front and back circles.  If your garland has a decorative front side like the one we made, then be sure to place the fishing line about 1/3rd of the way to the top of the circle.  This way, the weight will be off-center and the garland will hang with the pattern in front.  If you put the fishing line running right through the center of the circle, the circle will spin when you hang it.  That could be cool, too, but it wasn't what we were going for. 

We left 1" of space between each circle and dot, but you can play around with it.  Again, there's no right or wrong way to make this!

Once it's completely dry, your Circle Circle Dot Dot garland is ready to hang!  Ours was such a hit, we ended giving some away to guests as they left.  No joke, our guests loved it!

Here's another garland I made in the same fashion for Junebug's watermelon-themed first birthday party last June:

See how versatile the concept is?  And how cool is her 4-tiered "cake" made out of watermelon? 

So, this was a pretty do-able project, huh?  The only real cost of the project is the scrapbook paper and a little bit of glue, so it was super-inexpensive to create, but the result was spectacular!

What are you waiting for?  You probably already have all the supplies! 

Happy Crafting,