One of the easiest and most inexpensive craft projects to add flair to your home or wardrobe is a simple ribbon rose. Ribbon roses can be made in any color and are perfect for adding elegance or fun as a brooch, pen top, or barrette. A ribbon rose can even add panache to guest towels or throw pillows.
You will need:
- 3 feet of wired ribbon (flower shown measures 3 inches across)
- floral stem wrapping tape
- hot glue (low temperature)
- scissors
Optional material:
- decorative jewelry beads or seed pearls (shown in finished flower)
- any brooch or barrette hardware your desire
You will want to be sure:
Any children involved are supervised around hot glue and scissors
Your ribbon has wire down each edge and isn't too stiff.
Estimated cost for project as shown:
- spool of wired ribbon $3.50 (search the bargain bins, you can find cheaper ribbon!)
- floral wrap tape $1.49
- seed pearls $2.75
- glue sticks $1.49
* materials purchased at a large craft retailer.
Estimated Project Time: 30-40 minutes
To begin, be sure you have all your materials assembled and a clean workspace. This makes any project a lot easier.
- Cut your ribbon and knot one end.
- Get your hot glue gun ready by plugging it in on a heat tolerant surface away from kids, pets and anything flammable.
- Find the wire end on one edge of your knotted ribbon and begin gently pulling the wire against the fabric. Your goal is to create a ruffle or shirred effect.
- Once the wire is drawn through, begin wrapping it around on itself to create the rose. This takes a bit of adjusting, but the key is to make sure the gathered edge of the ribbon is on the inside of your blossom.
- When you have the desired blossom, put the knotted end and the raw end together and wrap the wire tail (from the side you pulled) around both ends. This secures the blossom for the next step.
- On the back of the rose, apply thin beads of hot glue across the edges of each wrap. The key here is to keep the glue lines thin. (Note: If you want to add a stamen, now is the time. See below for the instructions)
- When the glue has cooled, but is still tacky, begin wrapping the ribbon ends with your floral tape. A great way to start is to press one end of the tape into the glue and then start wrapping your 'stem'.
- When the stem is wrapped and secure, turn your rose over and refine the appearance of the petals by adjusting them.
- At this point, you can do whatever you want to with your ribbon rose!
You could:
Affix a brooch pin or barrette form to the back of your rose with hot glue or sewing.
OR
Attach the rose to the top of a pen for a fun writing instrument.
OR
Sew a series of ribbon roses to a canvas bag for a great new spin on an old classic
To add embellishments (like a stamen made of seed pearls and silver balls as shown), is easy to do. Simply thread the beads of your choice to fine gauge silver wire and twist the wire tail. For a richer look, create several bead strands and wind them together. Once you have what you want, slide the tail through the middle of the blossom and twist the remaining wire around the ribbon 'stem'. Then, apply your floral wrap tape as per step 7.
Remember:
- You can create just the rose you want.
- Longer lengths of ribbon mean larger roses.
- Tighter twists create rose buds.
Optional embellishments:
- A. Smaller blossoms can be affixed to the outside edge of each flip-flop for a fun tropical look.
- B. You can add the same blossom to a fun straw bag to coordinate your look for summer!
Copyright 2005 ThriftyFun.com - About the author: Marnie McCown-Guard is a freelance writer/photographer. Her work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, the Internet and even on an audio CD.
