You’ll Need:

• Mix of stone fruits and nuts such as small firm plums, walnuts, chestnuts, cranberries and lemon leaves (or other green leaves)
• Heavy string
• Long leather or needlepoint needle
• Drill with 1/4 inch drill bit

Slowly drill a narrow hole through the center of each plum, walnut and chestnut. Set aside.

Thread a long section of string (approximately 3 feet) onto needle, tie a good size knot at opposite end.

Roll a lemon leaf’s top edge back over itself twice to make a thick, curled edge to pierce through. Push needle through rolled edge of leaf and push slowly onto string, then push it all the way to the knotted end.

Add a walnut and slowly push all the way to the knotted end next to the leaf. Add another leaf, rolling the top of the leaf back twice, as before. Add a plum, then another leaf, etc. (Follow whatever pattern you like. Try chestnut, cranberry, cranberry, chestnut or cranberry, walnut, plum, cranberry, walnut.) Use the plums sparingly so your garlands don’t get too heavy.

You can tie your finished garlands together at the end to make longer garlands, but keeping them to 3 feet or under is more manageable.