Entirely Smitten

Orange and Clove Pomander {Fall Craft}

I don't know if I willed it to happen last night before bed, but when I woke up this morning I felt a little Autumn creep in!  The air was cool and crisp and the sky was bright blue with wispy clouds floating overhead.  Simply lovely.  Even though the midday heat will linger for a couple more weeks, I'm definitely in fall mode! 

One of my favorite things about fall is the smell that I have come to associate it with-  fires, mulled cider, pumpkin spice muffins, and leaves, somehow all magically blended together to make a distinctly "fall" smell.  So comforting. 

Today, being in a fall mood and all, I decided to make a few orange and clove pomanders. 

 
Full tutorial after the jump!

Hammerhead Ribbon Hair Clip {Photo Tute}

At the request of a dear friend who is OBSESSED with shark week...

Ariel Ribbon Clip {Photo Tutorial}

This is just a photo tutorial to help you see how Ariel is made.  I used a lighter to create a lot of the curves in the ribbon- shell bra, tail fin, hands, hair, etc.  If you're unsure on something, just ask :)

Ribbon Princess Hair Clips

These are so much easier to make than they appear!  Read on for the full tutorial!

Summer Headbands

Summer is upon us and my frizz is out of control.  I love headbands, but for some reason they never seem to fit my head.  They either squeeze me to death or they slip off every 10 minutes.  I decided to make some.  I experimented with a few different designs and found a couple that were PERFECT!  Read on to find out how to make your own!

St. Patrick's Day Hair Accessories

Everyone knows it's all about the accessories!   Here are a few quick and (relatively) easy ideas to jazz up your little girl's hair for the upcoming holiday!  Just click the link and the tutorial will open in a new window :)

 

Shamrock Clippy

 

Basket Weave Headband (Tutorial unrecovered as of yet)

 

Sweet and Simple Green Clippies

 

Faerie Ties

Enjoy!

Faerie Ties

Super Easy! 

Materials:

Hair Ties (elastics without a metal band are best, fabric ponies lose their elasticity too quickly)

Assorted Ribbon (grosgrain, sheer, satins)

 

Tools:

Glue Gun

 

For this project all you have to do is loop ribbons onto the hair elastic randomly.  All you need to know is how to loop.  (You can knot, however looping is much neater.)

So easy it didn't even need words.  Now just put a tiny dot of glue in the loop's "knot" to secure it.  Ribbons like to come untied with this loop, especially grosgrain!

 

Now just fill it up!  It can be as full or sparse as you like.  Remember that it will be tied into the hair several times so it won't be too naked :)

Have Fun!

Cute St. Patrick's Day Hair Clippies

Here's another easy clip to make!

 

Step 1: Cover the clips

(You know how to do this now, right?!

 

Step 2: Make a Ribbon Loop

Glue the end of the ribbon down in the center of the clip.  Make a loop and secure it back down in the center of the clip.

 

Step 3: Capain of Knots...

(if you haven't seen "Drinking out of Cups" on youtube, do so now!)

Tie a knot in a ribbon.  You want it to be somewhat loose so that the tails will be nice and straight.

 

Attach the Knot

 
Use a dab of glue to attach the knot to the top center of your loop.

 

Use a dab of glue to secure the knot to the underside of the clip.  Make sure the "alligator's mouth" is open or you will have a really cute non-working clip... it does happen!

 

Glue and down the other ribbon tail and trim any excess.

 

Yay!  So sassy!

Shamrock Clippy Tutorial

 

Materials:

Ribbon

Alligator Clip

Button(s)

 

Tools:

Glue Gun

 

Step 1: Cover The Clip

Start by gluing the ribbon to the "top jaw" of the alligator clip.  Glue it up over the top of the clip, around the back (pinchers) and then secure it to the underside just before the "bottom jaw" begins.  This will make sure that the clip sides easily into your kiddo's hair.

This is what your covered clip should look like.

 

Step 2: Start the Shamrock

Start by securing the ribbon in the center of the clip.  You want the ribbon to be perpendicular to the clip.  (Note: Personally, when I'm making these, I like to leave my ribbon attached to the spool and trim it off after I'm satisfied with the result.  It's a simple enough shape that it will not be cumbersome to work with.)

 

Step 3: Get Loopy!

Loop your ribbon up and to the left, securing it as you swing back over to the right. 

 

Now loop right and up, securing the ribbon as you bring your ribbon back down.  Repeat your loop swinging down and right, securing it in the center as you bring your ribbon back to the left.  Complete your last loop by bringing your ribbon left and down, securing it back in the center.  Your ribbon tail is now hanging off the top where you started.  You can either trim it off or if you want a stem, leave it.

 

Making a Stem:

Flip your clip so that the ribbon tail is at the bottom.  Trim the tail to the stem length desired.

 

Dab a but of glue to the underside of the tail, right up near the center.  Pinch the tail, folding the ribbon lengthwise in the center.  You can repeat this down the stem until you ar satisfied with the look of the stem.  If you happen to take it too far, or just don't like the look of it you can always cut it off.

 

Step 4: Add Button(s)

Use whatever buttons you have around the house.  Here I used four simple green buttons that came in an assorted back of buttons.

 

Step 5: Fold the Leaves

Slide your index finger into one of the loops.  Dab a tiny bit of glue in to center of one the leaf. 

 

Slide your other index finger into the top of the leaf too and using both thumbs, fold the leaf into itself slightly.  You want the top part of the ribbon folded a bit more than the bottom part.  This will make sure that the shamrock leaves are visible.  Repeat for the other leaves.

 

See?  EASY!

 

 

Side Note-  HD photos are bad for my ego.  I swear those glue stands are INVISIBLE to the naked eye!

 

 

 

St. Patrick's Day Ribbon Wreath!

This project is super easy and is perfect for any kid that knows how to tie knots!

 

Materials:

a wreath (foam or wicker) found a wicker one at the $1 store!

assorted ribbons in green (or cut strips of fabric

flowers to decorate

 

Step 1: Test for your ribbon length

Tie one long ribbon/ fabric strip onto your wreath.  Trim the ribbon ends to between 2" and 2 1/2".  Remove the ribbon and measure the length. 

 

Step 2: Pre-cut your ribbons or fabric

Cut all of your fabric/ ribbon strips.  I just cut 3 or 4 lengths of every color/ size green I had and figured I'd cut more if I needed to.  Keep in mind that the wider the ribbon, the shorter the ends will be.  I cut mine all within a half inch difference regardless so that I'd have all different sizes.

 

Step 3: Let the kids take over!

Have your kiddo sit on a small chair, feet on the floor.  Place the wreath between their knees and let them tie the ribbons onto the wreath randomly.  They may struggle with some of the wider ribbons, so stay close by to lend a hand. 

 

Step 4: Glue where necessary

Once the wreath is nice and full, you may see a few spots that look naked because the ribbons are haywire from being tied.  Just fire up the dlue gun, pull the two pieces of the problem ribbon together, drop a bit of glue in, and pinch together!

 

Step 5: Add Embellishments

This is a great place to get creative!  You can use flowers, moss, a small St. Patrick's Day banner, a little bird's nest complete with a few birdies (find at any craft store), even a family photo can be popped into the center !

 

Step 6: Hang it!

I just looped on a nice long satin ribbon and tied a bow at the top.  You can use a wreath hanger as well.

 

Now you can enjoy your child's wreath for years to come!