Unique Cranberry Popcorn Garland

Need a little holiday cheer but don't want to spend a bundle or have a lot to take down in January? Cranberry popcorn garlands may be just the thing! And while you can do a straight alternating cranberry/popcorn style garland, you can just as easily make something with more visual interest to spruce up small spaces!

Gather your materials. 

You will need:
Popped popcorn

• You may want to pop your popcorn the day before you plan on making your garland so that it gets a little stale and is less prone to crumble. If you can't do that, try popping the corn early in the day, placing it in a paper or other breathable bag, and setting it outside for a few hours.

Cranberries

• I found them in the regular fruit aisle at the store, not in the frozen section.

String or thread

• I used the cotton yarn generally used for doilies. If you use regular sewing thread, consider doubling your strand for strength.

Scissors

Needles

• Be sure the eye of your needle is big enough for the string or thread you chose.

Optional:

Beads or small things you can thread onto a string.

Cup of water - good hydration is always good :)

Decide how long you want your garland to be. Consider not only where you might want to place it but also who is making it. An adult might be able to handle something a lot longer than a 5 or 6 year old can.

Once you have decided the length you want, measure it out, add 6 or so inches and cut it. The extra length gives you some wiggle room for tying your knots.

Then, tie a knot in one end. I chose to set mine up with slip knots since I knew there were hooks where I planned to hang it.

Thread the unknotted end through your needle (if you are doubling thread it may be easier to cut twice as much as you need, thread your needle, the knot the two ends of the thread together).

Start threading your cranberries and popcorn on the string! Some of your popcorn will crumble or be difficult to thread ... so eat it! Don't eat the cranberries though, they taste bad raw.

If you come across a cranberry that is soft at all, toss it or save it for cooking.

I found it easiest to thread a few pieces on the string, then push them down. This made for less time spent pushing things the length of the garland! If the popcorn was "octopus" shaped - a round bit on top of where the kernel popped - it seemed to work best piercing through the round bit first and using a gentle twisting motion to get through the kernel bits on the other side.

Do be prepared for the occasional knot or kink in your string! Work at it gently and it should come loose just fine. This seems to be a bigger problem in the beginning of working the garland.

Don't be afraid to try creating patterns or designs as you thread things on, especially if you have beads or other things to throw in the mix!

Keep adding cranberries, popcorn, and anything else you are using until you get near the end of your string. Remove your needle and tie another knot so everything is secure!

Now you can hang up your garland and admire your handiwork!

If you are making multiple garlands, you can try out different pattern or different bead styles, or duplicate the same pattern for a unified look. There really is no right or wrong way to make one!