Handmade Gift Tags

I wanted to try easy-sew gift tags.  I picked a typewriter font and printed a bunch of  to/from tags and cut them apart.

Then I picked some (somewhat) coordinating fabrics from my scrap pile and used pinking shears to cut them in small rectangles.  Then I ironed the rectangles.



I already had large blank tags from Hobby Lobby, so I used those.  Then I sewed my fabric rectangles onto the tags.  Then I sewed the to/from paper on top of the fabric.

 

 

 I tried the tag at an angle:

 

 I learned it doesn't look great if you sew past the fabric, it makes holes in the tag.

 

 I tried a zig zag stitch on the tag.

I thought about using twine, but I decided on metallic ribbon, for a more dressed up tag look! 

What an adorable, handmade touch to add to any gift!

 

 

 If you make any tags - post a pic - I'd love to see them!!



Pretty in Pink Korker Hair Bow

My first korker bow was a 4th of July bow - instructions found here.  I thought it turned out great, so I used some ribbon I already had to make another and try a few different things. 

 

First change - instead of wrapping the ribbon around the prongs of the clip, I just hot glued ribbon, vertical and flat, to each prong.

Then I wrapped them around dowel rods and baked them at 250° for 20 minutes.

Second change, I cut them into 3 inch pieces instead of 3.5 

(small change, but I think it allows them to fluff better).

Third change - I threaded each piece onto a thread, at the center of each piece

I sewed through the bunch of ribbons several times and then sewed it to the ribbon-covered clip.

Thank You Hallmark!!!

One of the things I've learned about myself is that I don't just love decorating or sewing or graphic design or crafting or photography - I love all creative projects!  Almost every month Hallmark Greeting Cards has a new contest that their fans can enter.  I have entered the last six or seven contests and I finally got my first win with the "Celebrate Him" contest!!   It has been such a fun process:

1. Planning and thinking about your entry is so fun!

2.  Uploading your entry is exciting.  (Which anyone can do here!)

3.  As Hallmark receives entries, they review them on their facebook page (which they call flurries) and sometimes make comments about your card - I was pretty sure this comment was about mine:  "Hahahahaha! Gonna be looking that up in the A bucket. SInce we're that old."

4.  The morning before they announce the winners, they post "blurries" - all the winning pics, blurred beyond recognition!  I was convinced mine wasn't there.  I even put a comment with a sad face!

5.  Then they called me and I was in shock  - I was like, "what?  really?  wow?  Thank you!"  I'm pretty sure that was the extent of my speech.  I'm guessing I didn't wow them with my wittiness or vocabulary. 

6.  Then you fill out some forms and return them and give them info about yourself and your card and send a picture.  Then they send back "copy" that they write, based on your ramblings.  You have a chance to correct anything, but mine was perfect! 

"Lyndi says one day her boss grabbed a dictionary to look up a word, and Lyndi teased her that the Internet was faster. They had a bona fide contest, but Lyndi's internet was having a glitch and the old-school boss won! It's been a running joke between them ever since. A fun-loving paralegal, Lyndi enjoys reading, tennis, photography, board games, sewing, and spending time with her family, especially her niece."

7.  Then it is a long wait, but about a month later, you get a letter and check in the mail and it is such a great feeling!

Great to have Hallmark's seal of approval!

8.  Then your card is for sale online...by Hallmark...how cool is that?!?  You can buy the card that I created here!!

The last line of Hallmark's letter to me is what I want to leave you with:

Korker Hair Bow

I've seen these before and was curious about how to make them.  They look so cute and firecracker-y, I thought a 4th of July theme was perfect!

 

To make an adorable Korker hair bow, you need:

ribbon - several colors

dowel rods (the size determines the tightness of the curl)

a hair clip

something to clip the ribbons to the dowel rods (I've seen people use clothes pins, mini clothes pins, binder clips and bobby pins)

oven, baking sheet, foil

hot glue gun

needle & thread

 

My 4th of July themed ribbon!  I was a little nervous to use the metallic ribbon, but it worked fine (as in...it didn't catch on fire in the oven!)

First step is to wrap ribbon around a dowel rod.  Once you pin it at the top, it is easy to twirl the ribbon onto the dowel rod.

I did two dowels of each color (total of 6) and that was about right for one hair bow.



Then lay them out on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake them in the oven at 250° for 20 minutes.  I know it seems crazy, but it works!  Then take them out of the oven and carefully unwind. 

 

 This part is optional, but since I'll be giving this clip to my baby niece, I didn't want sharp metal edges on the clip, so I decided to wrap the clip in ribbon.  I just hot glued the ribbon to each side of the clip and wrapped.  This is much harder than it sounds - it takes a lot of finger strength and dexterity to hold the clip open and wrap the ribbon.

 This is what it looked like finished - not perfect, but you don't really see it when it's finished.

 Then I cut each curly strand into 3rds - so the pieces ended up about 3.5 inches each.

Then I had to experiment how to tie them together.  I was going to sew them together with a needle and thread, but there are too many pieces to keep track of.  So I laid the pieces out in a row, trying to alternate colors, then I used one piece to tie them all together.

 Finally, you attach your cute bow to your clip.  You can use hot glue or you can use needle and thread.  I sewed the bow to the clip.  This shows the clip side of the bow.

 And this is the final, firecracker-y hair clip!

What color combinations would you use to make a Korker bow?