How To Make A DIY Garland For Your Dorm

Imagine this: it’s finally freshman move in day! You have been counting down all summer long, just waiting to move into your dorm and finally, finally move out of your parent’s house and have some freedom! After carrying up multiple bags and bins, you open the dorm door and see…nothing. The walls are bare, the furniture is bare, and the beds are bare. Have no fear though, you can create your own dorm room decor for a fraction of the price! Dorm decorations can help your room feel more like home, while giving off whatever vibe you hope to portray. To help you turn your drab dorm room into something with a little more character, here is a quick (and easy) how-to on DIY garland, two different ways!

1. DIY Tassel Garland

This decoration is one of my personal favorites because it can make a dorm room look so elegant! To make this DIY garland you need a few supplies including: Ribbon, scissors, tissue paper, a hot glue gun or school glue.

Step One

First, cut your tissue paper into 10×6 rectangles. Because I used three different patterns of tissue paper, I cut 21 total rectangles (7 of each pattern). Once all of your rectangles have been cut, fold each piece widthwise and then lengthwise. Once your paper has been folded into fourths, cut down the lengthwise fold. You should now have two smaller rectangles that are folded in half. These will soon become your tassels! These smaller rectangles should measure about five inches. Take your scissors and cut four to five strips that are 3 1/2 to 4 inches up the rectangle. Don’t worry about measuring too much, when all the tassels are done, you give them a “haircut” and make the ends even!

Step Two

Unfold the rectangles and twist the middle part where you did not cut. I like to twist the middle pretty tightly to ensure it won’t come undone in the time it takes me to glue it into a loop. Once the middle part of the tassel is twisted, form that piece into a loop and secure it with a drop of hot glue. Regular school glue can work as well, but not if your impatient like me. Once you have formed and glued a loop, you have one tassel done! Repeat these steps over and over until you have the desired amount of tassels created!

Step 3

You’re almost done now! Once all of your tassels are formed and glued, all that is left to do is string them on a piece of ribbon in the desired pattern! Be sure to leave some excess ribbon on each end so that you can properly hang your new decoration. I like to glue the tassels in place on the ribbon so they don’t move around. To do this, simply place a dot of glue on the ribbon and put the tassel over it. Now you have a cute and easy DIY garland that will be sure to last the year!

2. DIY Animal Garland

Maybe tassels are just not your thing. Well, you can create an animal garland that is just as easy as the tassel garland shown above. To make this garland you will need a few supplies including: Scissors, ribbon or string, some type of template, tape, colorful paper, and cardboard (optional).

Step One

To make this adorable DIY garland you will need to come up with a template of which animal you want to use. I happened to have an old Vineyard Vines sticker lying around so I used that. However, I have also printed off the shape of an elephant and used that in the past as well. If you do choose to print off a shape of an animal, cut the stencil on cardboard so it isn’t flimsy!

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Step Two

Once you have your stencil, find some colorful paper! I used a few old Lilly Pulitzer magazines and agendas to make my garland! You can also print patterned paper from your printer, it is up to you to decide what type of patterns you like! Once you have acquired your colored paper and stencil, simply trace the shape onto the back side of the paper to ensure no pen or pencil marks will be seen on the colorful side of the paper.

Step Three

Once you have traced a couple of your stencils on the paper, it is time to cut them out! I have found that using smaller scissors like the ones we used in kindergarten can help cut the shapes out better. Once this step is done, you are so close to being done with your one-of-a-kind animal garland.

Step Four

All that is left to do is tape the animal shapes to the ribbon or string you have selected! Of course you can use glue to secure the animals in place as well. I left about an inch between each of the whales on my garland to ensure that they were not too close together. Also be sure to leave some excess string on each side of your garland so that you can properly hang it!

Although the idea of decorating your dorm room may seem daunting at first, you can create decorations like DIY garland for a fraction of the price; and have twice the fun making them, rather than purchasing them!

Featured image source: youtube.com/watch?v=KL6d_1d0ixg