A couple weeks ago Allie received a little care package from her Auntie Laura and Grandmommy.
It contained a collection of bows that even I have to admit were pretty darn adorable. I asked Laura to write up a little how-to for each one, so here they are:
All ribbon is 3/8 inch grosgrain unless otherwise noted. Laura and my mom used hot glue for this project. I personally find that Beacon’s 3-in-1 works just as well, if not better. It has very similar properties to hot glue (gloppy, stringy, quick drying) without the burnt fingertips.
Ghost
- Cut 5 pieces of white ribbon 2 1/2 in long and cut bottoms into two points as pictured; tie a small bow out of orange ribbon. It’s easiest to use about 8 inches and trim it down after tying.
- Glue the 5 pieces of white ribbon together, with the center piece on top. Position side pieces at slight angles so the bottom of the ghost is wider than the top.
- Round off the top with sharp scissors. If you need to, use a circle stencil on the back side of the ribbon to draw your cut line.
- Glue the bow on top of your ghost’s head, and add googly eyes. Ta-da!
Pumpkin
- Cut 4 strips of orange ribbon 5 1/4-5 1/2 inches long. You will also need a small spool (12-16 inches) of sheer green ribbon.
- Glue the centers of the orange ribbon together, in an asterisk or star shape. Starting with the ribbon on top, glue ends together in little circles.
- Loop the green ribbon in overlapping figure-8s, gluing together in the middle as you go. Leave about 2 inches of ribbon for the pumpkin stem.
- Glue the pumpkin to the vines. Twist the remaining small piece of green ribbon 2-3 times and glue the ends together (you can fold them over to taper), then glue that to the top of the pumpkin. Voila!
Turkey
- Create loops as pictured above:
Brown ribbon – 4 1/4 inches, 3 1/2 inches, and 7 1/2 inches. With the long ribbon, form into a figure-8 rather than a loop. Glue the ends to the back center of the 8 so they don’t show. Flatten and glue together the “top” of the 8 into a rough triangle for the Turkey’s head. Decorate with a small triangle of orange ribbon and googly eyes.
(2) Yellow, (2) orange, and (1) red ribbon: 4 1/2-4 3/4 inches each. You may make the outside loops (yellow) slightly longer if you want.
2. Glue the brown loops to the back of the turkey’s body. Glue red loop behind the head of the turkey, then glue on orange, then yellow loops to either side. And that’s it!
From here, each of these bows can be used however you like. Laura made herself some ponytail holders by attaching them to hair ties. The bows for Allie were attached to small clips, which will go right in her hair if she ever grows any. For now, we’ve attached the clips to a headband. Of course, you could also put these on a pin, or use them to decorate a gift tag.