How To Make Colored Popcorn Garland

 

Now that the long Thanksgiving weekend is over, Christmas becomes our new focus. Many people I know got their tree this weekend, so I though a fun Christmas tree decoration post would be a great idea for this week! With a few simple supplies that you probably already have around the house, you can make popcorn garland to adorn your tree.

This really is a craft for the whole family. My girls and I make a popcorn garland for our tree every year and I am so looking forward to doing a colored one this year. You can decide what colors will best match your Christmas decor, but I chose to go with the traditional red and green for our project.

DIY Popcorn Garland Instructions

To make the colored popcorn, you will need to put a little oil (maybe 1/4-1/3 cup) in the bottom of a large pot. I used stainless steel and had no problems at all with the food coloring staining my cookware, but I would be worried about using an enamel coated one just in case it stained that. On top of the oil, squirt in enough food coloring to make your oil turn the color you are looking for. Add enough popcorn kernels to cover the bottom of the pot in a single layer and heat the oil over medium high heat. Shake the kernels around in the colored oil until they are completely colored. Shake the pot over the burner to keep the popcorn kernels from burning and continue to do so until all of the kernels are popped. Pour into a large pan or bowl and let cool for 1 hour so the color will set. Wash pot and repeat for additional colors.

After your popcorn has cooled for an hour, you can thread your needle. I used black thread so it would be easier for you to see what I was doing, but I usually use plain white thread.

String the kernels on the thread, being careful to thread through the fattest part of the popped kernel.

We did a pattern of 6 red/2 green, but you can do anything you want! The fun part is making it your own and being creative with such simple supplies. We usually string our garland on 8 foot pieces of string and do 3-4 to cover our tree, but how many you do will depend on the size of your particular tree.

Try making one of these for your tree and see just how much fun it is 🙂