D.I.Y. Coffee Filter Garland

This week I made this wonderful and simple coffee filter garland for our dorm room. I saw the idea of a coffee filter garland here but, took mine one step further by coloring the filters. I wanted to create something with a Spring flare to add a homemade feel. The best part about this project is it is so inexpensive! Here is how I did it:

You'll Need:

Coffee Filters

Food Coloring

Cups

White (or colored) String

Scissors

Here's How: 

1. Fold a filter in half three times until it looks like this.

2. Fill cups with water, one for each color you want to use. Add a few cups of the food coloring that you wish to use to each cup. I used yellow, green and blue. I wanted to use pink but, was out of red food dye. Then, dip just the tip in the yellow. You can pick any color but I chose yellow as an inside because I wanted mine to look like flowers. Dip it in and quickly pull it back out of the water. If you hold it in for too long the water will wick up the entire filter and cover it all the first color.

3. Dip the bottom half in another color. Here, I used blue. The colors do not have to meet each other in the middle after you are done dipping the second color. Once you set down the filter it will run and fill up the white space in between. 

4. Repeat as many times as you want. I made one plate with 10 green and yellow filters, one plate with 10 blue and yellow filters, and one plate with 20 blue tipped, yellow bottomed filters. You don't have to use a plate but, I used mine to set the filters on while they dried.

5. Let dry. I let mine sit over night.

6. Open the filter you wish to use and pinch the center of it until it makes a flower shape. I used my finger to shape the filter and pinch the center. Then, take the string and tie a knot around the center/pinched tip. Repeat this with a new color about 3 inches away from the first. I made my pattern yellow, blue, yellow, green, yellow. 

7. Hang and enjoy!

I can't wait to take ours back to our dorm and hang it. Let me know how this works for you or if you try it!