You can keep it simple with plain faux popcorn or add red wooden beads or faux cranberries for that classic popcorn-and-cranberry garland look.
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What you need
Expanding spray foam gap filler
Parchment paper, freezer paper, or a silicone craft mat
Disposable gloves
Safety glasses
Old apron or protective clothing
Acrylic craft paint in cream, ivory, pale beige, or buttery yellow
Small stiff paintbrush
Fishing line, strong thread, or clear jewellery cord
Large embroidery needle or darning needle
Needle-nose pliers
Scissors
Optional red wooden beads or faux cranberries
Optional wooden beads, cinnamon sticks, dried orange slices, or small fabric bows
If you are buying supplies online, this is a good project for picking up a pack of disposable gloves, acrylic craft paints, parchment paper, fishing line, and large-eye needles from Amazon. Nothing fancy is needed, just the practical basics that save you from trying to wrestle sticky foam off your hands later.
Instructions
There is something so sweet and nostalgic about popcorn garland on a Christmas tree. It has that old-fashioned handmade Christmas feeling, like something you would see in a vintage holiday movie or on a tree decorated with paper snowflakes, cinnamon ornaments, and a few wonky-but-loved handmade treasures.
The only trouble with real popcorn garland is that it can be a bit of a nuisance. It breaks, it crumbles, it can attract pets, and if your house gets humid, it may not look quite as charming by Christmas Day. This faux popcorn garland gives you the same cosy vintage look, but it is reusable, lightweight, and much easier to store.
This project uses expanding spray foam to create little lumpy “popcorn” pieces. Once they are painted and strung together, they look surprisingly realistic. It is a brilliant Christmas craft for adults who love handmade decorations with a rustic, vintage, farmhouse, or old-fashioned Christmas style.
A quick note before we begin: expanding foam is not a children’s craft supply. It is sticky, messy, and should be used with care in a well-ventilated area. Wear gloves and safety glasses, follow the directions on your product, and keep the finished garland away from toddlers and pets. It may look like popcorn, but it is definitely not edible.
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare Your Work Area
Cover your work surface with parchment paper, freezer paper, or a silicone craft mat. Expanding foam sticks to almost everything, so do not spray directly onto your table unless you want a very permanent reminder of your Christmas crafting session.
Work in a well-ventilated space and put on disposable gloves, safety glasses, and old clothing or an apron.
Shake the expanding foam can according to the manufacturer’s instructions and attach the nozzle.
Step 2: Make The Faux Popcorn Pieces
Spray very small blobs of expanding foam onto the parchment paper.
Start smaller than you think you need. The foam expands as it cures, so a tiny blob can quickly become much larger.
Do not try to make the pieces perfectly round. Real popcorn is bumpy, uneven, and wonderfully odd-shaped, so the more irregular your foam pieces are, the better they will look.
Leave plenty of space between each blob so they do not expand into each other.
Allow the foam to cure completely. This can take several hours depending on the product and the size of your pieces.
Step 3: Shape The Foam Popcorn
Once the foam is fully cured, peel the pieces away from the parchment paper.
Some pieces will already look like popcorn, while others might need a little help. You can gently pinch, tear, or trim the foam to make it look more natural.
Keep a mixture of small, medium, and chunky pieces. The variation is what makes the finished faux popcorn garland look more realistic.
Step 4: Paint The Faux Popcorn
Add a small amount of cream, ivory, pale beige, or buttery yellow acrylic paint to a paper plate.
Dip a stiff paintbrush lightly into the paint, then wipe most of it off on scrap paper or paper towel. You want a dry-brush effect, not a heavy coat of paint.
Lightly brush the paint over the raised bumps and creases of each foam piece. This softens the colour and gives the popcorn a more realistic, slightly toasted look.
For extra detail, add a tiny touch of pale tan or beige into a few of the deeper creases.
Let the paint dry completely before stringing the garland.
Step 5: String The Faux Popcorn Garland
Cut a length of fishing line, strong thread, or clear jewellery cord. Shorter lengths are easier to manage, so aim for sections around 4–5 feet long rather than one enormous garland.
Thread a large embroidery needle or darning needle.
Push the needle through the thickest part of each faux popcorn piece. If the needle is difficult to pull through, use needle-nose pliers to gently help guide it.
Continue threading the pieces until the garland is the length you want.
Tie a secure knot at each end, or thread back through the last few foam pieces before trimming the excess line.
Step 6: Add Faux Cranberries
For a classic vintage Christmas look, add red wooden beads or faux cranberries between the popcorn pieces.
Try one of these simple patterns:
- 5 faux popcorn pieces, then 1 red bead
- 3 faux popcorn pieces, then 1 red bead
- Random spacing for a more handmade farmhouse look
- Popcorn, cranberry, popcorn, wooden bead
This version looks beautiful on a traditional Christmas tree, especially with handmade ornaments, dried orange slices, gingham bows, and warm white lights.
Tips For Success
Make your foam blobs smaller than you think you need. Expanding foam grows, and giant popcorn pieces can quickly start looking more like marshmallows.
Use matte acrylic paint rather than glossy paint. Popcorn should look soft and natural, not shiny.
Do not make every piece the same size. Real popcorn is uneven, and that is part of the charm.
Work in shorter garland sections. They are easier to handle, easier to drape, and much easier to pack away after Christmas.
Keep the finished garland away from pets and small children. It looks like food, but it is not safe to eat.
Decorating Ideas
Use your faux popcorn garland on:
- A vintage-style Christmas tree
- A farmhouse Christmas mantel
- A stair rail
- A kitchen hutch
- A rustic Christmas wreath
- A tabletop tree
- A holiday basket display
- A handmade Christmas photo backdrop
You can also pair it with cinnamon sticks, dried orange slices, wooden bead garlands, gingerbread ornaments, or little fabric bows made from scrap fabric.
How To Store Faux Popcorn Garland
After Christmas, wrap each strand loosely around a piece of cardboard or place it in a zip-top bag. Store it in a sturdy Christmas decoration box so the foam pieces do not get crushed.
I would also label the bag clearly as “Faux Popcorn Garland — Not Food,” because someone in the family will absolutely ask.
Craft Notes
This is a lovely project to make ahead of the Christmas rush. You can spray and cure the foam pieces one day, paint them the next, and string them while watching a Christmas movie.
It has all the charm of old-fashioned popcorn garland without the yearly mess, which is exactly the kind of Christmas crafting I can get behind. Handmade, nostalgic, and reusable — that is a win for the tree and the craft cupboard.
What do you think of this project? Let us know!