How to Make a Garland of Coffee Filters for New Year's

Tiny votive candles flanked by flower arrangements can make for a very pretty table setting, we all agree. But the details (the candles! the flowers! the heft of the plates!) add up—not to mention when you're trying to make every inch look as dressed for dinner as your guests. Especially on New Year's Eve.

I was inspired to elevate the everyday centerpiece by this image and this image—the 8th one down: one line of greenery down the center of a table, one large bundle of dried hydrangea down another. My version? This DIY for a sweeping garland of cloud-like, connected coffee filters, which makes a real statement down the center of a long table. I’ve seen a few great tutorials out there for similar garland, but none that suggest gracing your table with one. Give it a try!

Mix filter sizes and colors (gold would be pretty for New Year's, pink for a baby or bridal shower, and a coffee or tea stain for something rustic), and then snake it down the center of your table or just let it fall straight. A great use for a cheap pantry staple and a time-saver: Make the garland days or minutes before dinner, and now you’ve got time to properly prep the meal.

What you'll need:

• Melitta Basket Coffee Filters (a 200-count pack will get you several sizable garlands)
• Spray bottle
• Coffee (for an antique look)
• Metallic spray paint (if you want a sparkly garland)
• Food coloring (for a colorful garland)
• Needle and thread

How to turn the filters into a garland:

1. Stain or spray paint them, if doing so.

• If you're opting to stain some:
  Brew a batch of strong coffee and put it in a heavy pot with lots of water; slip the filters in and let them sit for about an hour. When they're stained and the coffee has cooled, wring the filters out and lay them flat to dry—of if you have the option swing by a laundromat and run them through a dryer before setting out flat. Now, skip to step 3.

• If you're opting to spray paint some:
  Separate the filters and put them in a big paper grocery bag, take them outside, and spray them from a distance of 8 inches or so, shaking the bag in between sprays so the color hits haphazardly. The below filters were hit with a combination of silver, gold, and bronze spray paints.

2. Flatten the filters.

Start with a large selection of dry, frilly filters (spray-painted or plain white), and spread them out in a single layer on a lined surface; I open up a few trash bags and simply lay them on the floor. Fill spray bottle with water, and spray filters for about a minute until most are fairly saturated. Flatten them with your palm.

Alternatively, if you want to turn some a bright color, add some food coloring to the spray bottle at this stage.

3. Thread them together and scrunch.

Once all of your filters are dry and flat, gather them in a stack. Using a needle and thread, connect the filters together by piercing the center of each one with the needle—one after another until desired length is achieved. If you want a less uniform look, alternate white, spray-painted, and coffee-stained filters in irregular amounts. Knot the thread at both ends to to finish, leaving plenty of space for the filters to expand when you fluff them.

When you're ready to use it, crunch, fluff, and shape the filters with your hands. You want them to be different degrees of crumpled, flat, and partially-bunched up. This gives your garland some life!

4. Lay out as a centerpiece—or hang it up.

Lay your garland down the center of the table (as in the first image), or tie some twine to either end and hang it on the wall in a single swag (as in the image above)—and, of course, invite over everyone you know to admire it.

What are you crafting for New Year's Eve? Let us know in the comments!