Pardon this venture from recipes. I actually have several recipes ready to post about but by the time I upload pictures (even if my memory card wasn't acting up), make a recipe card, and actually post... it adds up to quite a chunk of time! So I wanted to post something quick and easy, and hopefully something you mama's of girls will benefit from.
A long time ago, I made hair bows. I made several bows with ribbon, but they never looked "quite right." Sure, I used them on my girls' heads, but I'm not picky. I also made a bunch of flower clips with flowers I bought at the store. Adorable, but the bows were really expensive. I couldn't afford to keep it up.
Enter this bow:
Cute, right? But here's the secret:
It's really easy.
Trust me, you uncrafty moms! You can make this!
All you need to do is make a bunch of graduated circles out of polyester (or a poly cotton blend fabric). By that I mean circles that start out big (mine was about 3 inch in diameter) and gradually get smaller (my smallest was about an inch, maybe less, in diameter). This was probably the hardest part, making decent circles. I struggle.
Now if you want to make a carnation-y flower, like I did here, take your scissors and snip around the circle, about every half inch or so You're just going to make a simple cut, about a half inch deep. Don't make this complicated, you hear me? If you want your flower to look more rose-y, then forgetting the snipping.
Next you're going to operate a flame starter. A fire stick? You know, one of those candle lighters. I made a circle or two to experiment with first. But basically all you're going to do is slowly run the flame starter (with the flame going, obviously) around the edges of each circle. The edges will curl up. If you bought truly cheap fabric (like moi) your fabric may, on occasion, catch on fire. No biggie, just blow it out.
Now you should have circles with curled edges. Stack your flower. Take a cute brad and poke it through the layers and push out the prongs. That's it! Glue it to an alligator clip, a headband, or if you're truly pressed for time, your daughters hair. Whatever. :)
