Stringing Popcorn
Day Seven of A Handmade Christmas: Popcorn Garland
Yesterday was super busy for me. It was our church Christmas party, and I spent a lot of the day getting ready for it. I sewed some costumes for the nativity, painted the inn’s, picked up food for 200 people, and helped clean up after everyone went home. When Scott and I finally got Creamie to bed we sat on the couch and watched a movie and then inexplicably stayed up talking until 4 this morning. Which was awesome, and stupid all at the same time.
We’ve had our Christmas tree up for nearly a week, and it is still completely undecorated, except for the lights. I’ve been waiting to make my popcorn garland so I can then load it up with the rest of my ornaments. So today I’ve been sitting on the couch listening to Sufjen Steven’s Christmas Album and stringing popcorn and pompoms into a garland.
Along with gingerbread boy cookies, popcorn garland’s were a big part of my childhood. For most of the year I don’t even like popcorn, hate it actually. It’s one of Scott’s favorite foods, but I think it’s about the grossest thing ever. However, I think it’s pretty perfect on the tree, so once a year I’ll pop my own large bowl. And I don’t eat a single bite.
I popped one cup of kernels in our air popper. And that gives me two huge large bowls of popcorn, enough for Creamie and Scott to snack and for me to make enough garland for the whole tree. That also means means this project only cost about ten cents. Then I use a big 6″ doll needle and the cheapest and/or ugliest thread I have. This is the fist time I’ve included pompom’s, and I think that might be a yearly tradition.
[ Free Felt Peppermint Pattern and Reindeer Christmas Ornament Tutorial ]
I’m off to finish up decorating the tree. And after two SUPER late nights in a row, I am making a promise in front of Santa and all of the internets that I will go to bed before ten, eleven, midnight. I swear.
pinksuedeshoe 
As I was reading your post I was actually listening to one of Sufjan Steven’s christmas songs. I think that is a lovely coincidence. His christmas album is wonderful. I made a pathetic pom-pom garland last week with that exact same color of deep red as yours. I love the popcorn and pom pom combination. What is your method for doing the pom poms?? Do you have one of those pom pom makers?? I literally wrapped them around my fingers do do mine and they are a bit crazy. I am loving your Handmade Christmas series. I look forward to it everyday:)
Annie
When you showed us that delicious bowl of pom poms last week, I was wondering what they were for. I just had to be patient to find out. They look perfect!
Pink,
I completely agree with you — those pompoms are genius! Your tree is so fun! And that last paragraph was comedic genius at its best.
xo -El
The pom poms add such a nice touch to this!
I can’t wait to see the whole tree!
(and you’ve only got a couple more hours to be up E… and I’m off to check out that Christmas album)
I’m sending you a provocative email at midnight to check on your promise.
You aren’t going to believe this. You really aren’t. I actually MADE your felt reindeer. I’m not even kidding. Truly. And I gave one of both my eldest and my tiniest to Grammy & Grandpa and even they didn’t believe that I had done it. But I did. And I was quite pleased with myself.
However, I used a sewing machine for the stitching………..and now there is perminant marker all over my machine because my tiniest thought it was his own personal white board. Bah.
Anyway, thanks for being so inspirational. There is magic in the air thanks to you.
You know, if you’d like to save that popcorn, since you have made it in a hot-air popper, and you store it in a well sealed container, you can use it again next year……. Mine is now 30 years old. It still looks pretty good, it has lost a bit of length over the years. So unless you find it therapeutic to string it new each year, it will keep!