DIY Bakers Twine and Bell Garland

Hey everyone, it's Courtney.  I want to share with you one of the easiest, cheapest, and quick "crafts" I've done all year.  Do you have some bells laying around the house?  Why not turn those bells into a fun and festive garland for your mantel, doorway, tree, or wreath.  This little decoration has added so much character to my mantel.  Check out how I made my DIY Christmas Bell Garland!
  

How this all came to be: One thing about me is I have an obsession for organizing other people's crap.  People think I'm way organized because of this and the truth is I struggle at it.  It's easy for me to see people's mistakes when it comes to their disorganization.  It's so hard for me to realize what I'm doing wrong when it comes to my organization.  Kind of messed up, I know.

Anyway, a couple weeks ago I was helping my mom tackle one of the biggest hurdles in my parents house.  Their disorganized and chaotic storage room in the basement.  I wish I had a before picture (bad blogger), but pretty much you couldn't open the door and there was stuff stacked on top of each other (hazard) and it's been like this for several years.  While cleaning I was afraid of find some dead things because who knows the last time it was cleaned. As we were cleaning out the storage room my mom went through ALL of her Christmas decorations and made a large pile of ones she wanted to get rid of.  I found a bag of bells, I asked my mom if I could have them, she delighted in the idea.

I was on Pinterest doing some research of ways I could use these bells.  Of course, I came across the overly done bell wreaths and cluster ornaments.  Then I found this.  It was meant to be.  This bell garland was pretty much the easiest craft session I've had in a LONG time.  It took me less than 20 minutes to make and hang, and there was no gnashing of teeth or pulling out of hair.

You only five things to make this garland: baker's twine, 21 bells, ruler, scissors, and a thick needle.

The first step is measuring the length of your twine.  I measure mine around nine feet (this is for a mantel).  

Then I threaded the twine in the needle, and then put the needle through notch that is located at the top of the bell.  

Then I decided I wanted to space my bells around 4" apart.  Make sure you start at one side of the garland.  Don't start in the middle (completely chaos).

Once I got it where I wanted it on the twine, I tied a double knot.  Then threaded the next bell, and spaced it four inches apart, then tied another double knot.  Continue until you feel like you have enough on your garland.  Make sure to leave space on each side so you can tie it to something. And that's it! 

I think it adds another great layer to my fabric banner my friend Amber made for me last year, thanks Amber!