Four ways with garlands

1. The holly and the ivy

How to: We painted cardboard in green, then used a circle punch to make the berries and made our own template for the holly. Using a machine, we sewed two holly shapes together vertically, interspersing them with berries of each colour.

2. Sackcloth and ribbon

How to: We cut lengths of hessian into 12cm strips and frayed the edges. Using an embroidery needle threaded with string and a generous running stitch, we gathered the hessian into folds and added colourful ribbon bows at the seams where strips were joined together.

3. My heart on a string

How to: We painted cardboard pink on one side and bronze on the other and cut into 15cm x 3 cm strips. To create the hearts we stapled two strips together at one end, then folded them back on each other and stapled a new pair together in an upside down V shape. Keep repeating the process.

4. Loop the loop

How to: This one is simple but effective. Cut pie cleaners in half and twist into loops, then join together with washi tape. We bought the pipe cleaners, hessian and ribbon at Spotlight and a $2 shop.