Please welcome back esteemed DIY Contributing Editor, Chelsea of Lovely Indeed! Chelsea’s project today is as budget-friendly as they come. Zero dollars. That’s my kind of crafting!

Just as I’m sure many of you are, I’m totally over the moon for anything and everything from Anthropologie. And not just the things they sell, but their ultra-creative, beyond-inspired styling and in-store displays. I was there recently, browsing through all of the winter sale racks, when I noticed the line at the cash registers. But what caught my eye wasn’t the hordes of people waiting to make their purchases – it was the adorable garland that Anthropologie was using as stanchion rope to keep people in line. And I thought to myself, “I could make that.”

Here’s the rub. I made this for zero dollars. Just go through your house and see what you might have laying around. You can use rope, twine, ribbon, yarn, embroidery floss, baker’s twine, fabric, or any similar items – pretty much anything that you could braid or twist together. The only other essential items are scissors, a large needle, and some felt scraps. A few possibilities:

Start by deciding how long you’d like your garland.  I decided on five feet (mostly because I had a piece of ribbon from a Christmas package which was precisely that long). Cut a piece of thread, embroidery floss, or baker’s twine to the length that you’d like your garland. From your felt scraps, cut a few circles in varying sizes, probably no larger than about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Thread your needle with the floss or twine, and sew a few felt circles onto the thread by folding the circle in half and inserting the needle through once.

Repeat with your felt circles, in random order, until you feel that you have enough on your thread.

Next, prepare some of your materials to be braided or twisted together.  I used a few different methods:

1. Braid multiple strands of yarn.  Leave the ends untied and let them unravel slightly.

2. Braid varying materials together. This one is yarn, ribbon, and a strip of fabric (approx. 1/2 inch wide).

3. Cut wide ribbon into narrow strips (approx. 1/2 inch wide) and place knots at various intervals.

4. Cut fabric in narrow strips and twist together.

The beautiful thing about this project is that there’s no possible way you could mess it up! It’s meant to be frayed, imperfect, and somewhat haphazard. So don’t be afraid to experiment! After you have created about 5 different strands, group them together and organize them into a swag. Use a bit of thread to tie them all together, about six to eight inches from each end.

That’s it! Now decide where you’d like to hang your super-awesome new garland. I picture it at a wedding, gracing the chairs of the bride and groom (or of any guest of honor at a party), or in a doorway, or even untied and wrapped around a pretty present. I decided to start mine off on my bedroom mirror, and see where it goes next. xoxo

{Photos by Lovely Indeed.}