A Few New Bows,...and Wardrobe Repurpose......

A few friends and I got together today to make bows. Yes, more bows!!! One can never have too many bows. :)

I don't know if anyone else has been feeling this way lately, but I certainly have. I open up my closet and.......SNORE........Everything in there is BoRiNg, boring, BorinG!!! I don't want to wear any of my clothes, and I don't feel like the state of the economy will really help me to justify buying any new ones. I rounded up a bunch of clothes to donate, and made a decision. I would take the ones with the most potential and try to make them into something that I would be more likely to wear. This skirt is my first and most simple re purpose. I will be doing a series of them over the next while. It was gaucho pants (which are adorable on girls with tiny little thighs, but not adorable on me.) I bought them on clearance because I loved the bohemian fabric and thought that paired with the right shirt I could make them work. Ya,...Not so much. I cut down the middle seems of the legs. Cut out the excess fabric in the hiney area, and stitched them back together to make a skirt. ( I took pictures of the process and managed to lose them in the many file folders of my computer...so sorry.) Still not my absolute favorite item of clothing, but much more likely to be worn now. One down, about 5 to go. Wish me luck!!!

Hairbow Tutorial

I am not the most articulate person on the planet, therefore I do not often do tutorials. But,...several people have told me they would like to know how I make my bows. This type is my favorite. I call it the double decker.

I like two use three semi-coordinating ribbons in different widths.

I take the widest and wrap it around my fingers until I have two complete loops. This ribbon will determine how large you want your bow.

I have no idea what this stuff is called (helpful huh?), but you can find it in the ribbon section of any craft store. It is an inexpensive twine that is some what wiry, but still very flexible.

I wrap it around twice and tie it off. Then spread the ribbon for a desired effect.

Then I use my next choice of ribbon and follow the same steps making the bow noticeably smaller. I plop it on top and tie it off. (Husbands, roommates, and little sisters can be a helpful set of hands if you are lacking in coordination. :))

I flip it over and tie the whole thing securely in the back before trimming off the excess twine.

Sometimes I top it of with a button or a fabric flower, but when I choose to top it off with ribbon I cut a small-ish length and tie it into a loose knot for a decorative finish.

I put a small dot of hot glue in the front of the bow to hold the knot in place.

Use your favorite kind of clip, (I prefer this kind because they slip easily on top of other bows and hold well in fine toddler hair), and hot glue it to the back of the bow. I try to hold it open so that the clip doesn't glue shut. This can be awkward to hold,...so sometimes I just slip something between the prongs.

Once it is really well secured I wrap the top ribbon the rest of the way around and hot glue it between the prongs. This also secures the clip on better.

Trim off the extra and..............Voila.......................Cute hair bow. Nowadays when I give a baby present I top it off with one of these instead of curly ribbon. (For girls of course. ;))

Too Many Bows???

Am I wrong in assuming that a girl can never have too many bows. I have been making bows for my girls. Bows, bows, bows!!! I like to put them on headbands, and layer them, and even pretend they are pins and wear them on the strap of my bag. But,...when one has so many bows that one cannot find the one one wants, then one has a problem. Too many 'one's'? Never fear, I found ONE solution. These cute little frame-hook-thingy's were on clearance at Michaels. Shazzam,...I will hang the bows on them. (My life would be so much more simple if I didn't feel like everything had to be cute.) I could have tacked a piece of yarn to the wall months ago,but I digress,...it was worth the wait. Aren't they cute? I put a lock of my half pints hair in the rectangle frame, and if my quarter pint ever has enough hair for a cut, hers will go in the oval frame. I hung them on the wall in the girls closet. They will never even be seen. But I know they are there, and they make me smile.