bitty Blue

bitty Blue is a special request bow for my munchkin. Using 5/8" navy blue grosgrain ribbon, I attempted my first 2" bitty bow. I have been using the Brilliant Bowmaker snap templates and I am starting to really love them. I would love to be authentic and hand fold and crease all my bows but... some have talent and some BUY IT till they can MAKE IT!!!

LOL!

Forgive the lighting!

Rickety Rac

Someone posted a really cool link to create a Rickety Rac flower  and I was inspired to follow the tutorial. The only ric rac ribbon I could find was orange but I really like it. I had trouble finding a center for this but I used a fuschia flower center that actually looks orange against the ribbon. This was a quick flower to create. The tutorial added the flower to a snap clip but I haven't decided which kind of backing I'll use for this. I might even make it a brooch.

Wear your heart on your...

Wear your heart on your... head. A cute little clippie set for Valentine's Day. I attached 3/8" red ribbon with white hearts to a single prong alligator clip. I think these are best without a center or an applique.

2 Hearts

2 Hearts become 1 set. It seems I am late jumping on the Valentine's Day wagon. But here is a simple clippie set for the munchkin to don during the month on February. It's a white partially pre-lined white (single prong) alligator clip. I used a sequin heat applique. I arranged it so one can be worn in each side.

Whoo, Whoo made this?

Have you ever had one of those moments where you look at something you just knew was going to be great and then said... Whoo, Whoo made this? well that was me today. I seem to have digressed with today's creation. I did realize that with pattern ribbon and the twisted boutique bow, I would prefer to have a coordinating ribbon so you aren't just looking at the back of the pattern in the bow loops. Well till tomorrow!

7/8" owl printed Xoxo ribbon

My looping was really off- but they are a bit more even so that makes me smile!!!

Hang a bow on it!

It's testing week for me so I had to put together something quick. Don't ask me why but I bought quite a few wooden shapes from the craft stores. Not sure what I intended to do with them. Then a thought came to me... "hang a bow on it." Most bow holders that I really like are made to look like a bodice with the tutu. Others are on boards or wooden letters or frames. I added a few crystal studs to the crown, a golden 3/8" ribbon for the hook and a 1" maroone for the bows to hang on.

Bent and twisted and shaped!

Using 1.5" black grosgrain, I bent and twisted and shaped... and it still looks the same. I will say this is making me learn to do things by hand, which is probably what sets great bows apart from good ones. I didn't attach it to a clip or add a center. I'm waiting till I master the shape and then I'll attempt to dress it up. I will master the twisted bow... if it's the last thing I do... this month!

Let's twist again!

Let's twist again! I think that once i have my gator bite. I will be great at the darn twisted boutique bow. Hand creasing doesn't like me. Anyway, here's my attempt at the twisted boutique bow again. Pardon the camera work. You'd think for all that the iPad cost, it'd have a better camera. But will have to make it work while my Nikon batteries recharge.

Don't forget to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. tomorrow!

Surround a bow?

In my quest to make the perfect bow. I am attempting to master the twisted boutique bow and the ultimate over the top bow. A lot of the over the top bows, incorporate the surround a bow. I am working on a Valentine stacked bow for the munchkin. Here is part one. Pardon the little clippie. I needed something to display it.

Here is an example- of the damask ribbon I am working on using as the center of the bow. The middle bow needs to be a lot larger to fill the surround portion.

Ordering another gator bit. I find that hand creasing bows doesn't work for me...hence the thread peeking through underneath the applique! 

I used 3/8" red with white hearts ribbon for the surround a bow. Great tutorial on MommyCraftsAlot.

You got me twisted!!!

Sooooo.... I finally attempted the twisted boutique bow, which by far is my favorite style. I received my Brilliant Bowmaker Snap templates today and "You got me twisted!!!" Although I am not a brilliant bowmaker yet... I am quite pleased with my first attempt. I definitely think that using non-printed ribbon will be easier to manipulate. I realized one of my loops was bigger but was unable to adjust because the ribbon is stiff from the printed pattern. Well I certainly have a lot more days to practice... 
353 to be exact!

I used 7/8" green zebra ribbon. I like this ribbon because it is solid green on the opposite side.

Here is the tutorial that I will be watching on a daily basis until I get this one right!!!

She's a Princess!

This bow started with an unfinished 2" classic bow. I adorned it with a Princess Tiana button center. It is attached to a prelined brown alligator clip. The munchkin insists on wearing one of her Princess Tiana shirts to daycare... AGAIN! So I figured, "She's a Princess" and ought to have a princess bow in her hair.

Inside out Part 2

Inside out Part 2... Includes 7/8" pink leopard spikes and 7/8" pink ribbon. I included a Hello Kitty button center... How ironic that my button center is not centered... YET !In my overzealous mode to meet my daily goal. I took part 1 of the bow back to work for an evening meeting. (The plan was to multi-task!) As only the absent minded professor would do, I left it at work. So I'll post the completed top & bottom of this bow with a newly attached CENTERED button center... Goodnight!

Inside out Part 1

My mew favorite channel is MommyCraftsAlot- she' so crafty she makes people!! I love it. today I worked on part 1 of her Inside out bow tutorial. the video is posted below. I'll add the other layers tomorrow. This is a cute bow using a vibrant pink.


I like the bow on both sides actually. A cute bow center or flipped with a bow sitting inside it. I'll figure out what my color combo will be and show you tomorrow.

Puff my ribbon

Finally using some more of that Christmas ribbon that I didn't use and won't need till later this year. I decided to Puff my ribbon aka Loopy puff bow. Using 3/8" white, green and a green with red, white and dark green dots. I attached the puffed ribbon bow to a pre-lined white clip. I think I used about 40 loops. (Sorry I stopped counting.) I think that I can still have the munchkin wear this bow... perhaps during St. Patty's Day.

This really is a quick bow, I think the majority of the time is spent cutting and sealing the ribbon. I can actually multi-task reading or watching TV and complete this style. Considering the munchkin's hair is still short, something like this is a good distractor LOL!!

Country spikes

 Of course I bought this Country spikes (jean inspired) ribbon when I purchased the munchkin some MEGA cute boots from Target. Never did anything with the ribbon and she never did anything with the boots. It seems like most things I am more excited about them than she is. Well I decided to start this bow set but not sure what else it needs. I have to search my thing for some type of bow center... or find my creasing tool so I can top it with a bow. They would also make great pony o's. They measure about 3" in width. It's a 1" brown, jean, and leopard combo. I really like the spiked ribbon. Anyway this is another on my finish list... but at least I started!!!

I'm Blue...

I'm blue is my attempt at the darn twisted boutique bow (TBB). My munchkin actually put in a request for a blue bow for her and her best friends in the whole world! A simple task... or so I thought. During the last year when I was writing the blog regularly, the TBB was always difficult for me so if you look back you won't see it much. But since I would like to chart my growth, I decided to post these bows anyway. See my strengths and my weaknesses.

The first was my attempt at a 3" teal blue using 1/2" ribbon. The center knot looks a lot better than my last attempt. The second I became discouraged so it's not finished. I will probably take it apart and make it again. If I do, I post a new photo. That one is using 7/8" baby blue ribbon.

Let's get fancy!

Let's get fancy... is inspired by my favorite children's book... Fancy Nancy. Although I actually never heard of her when I was growing up, since I had the munchkin, I have to say she is my favorite. Pardon the shadow on the picture. This started with an incomplete pinwheel bow purple 1 1/2 inch bow I bought. I adored it the a fancy button and attached it to a white pre-lined clip. It is made to be worn on the left or the right side. I attempted fancify (not sure if that's a word) the bow ends.


It's official my creasing tool is not where to be found. So  I will be experimenting with headbands until I find it or order a new one.

Flower Clip Sets

So it's time for a new camera already. Mine goes poltergeist on me when I'm taking pictures lately. The lighting is off but it will have to do for now.  Today I am taking it easy (it's testing time at work). I pieced together 2 flower clippie sets, using very petite light pink and pink Glitter Resin flowers with a rhinestone center. These little flowers would be cute for a ring and earring set too... But I'm not that crafty... yet!


You'll notice the munchkin (or at least her head LOL) in one of the pictures. She wanted to be my model... anything to stay out of bed at bedtime.


I made two different sets: light pink flowers on a white pre-lined alligator clip and pink on pink.

O Holy... Night

O Holy... Night 

I put it off long enough... I had to take my turn at making a basic boutique bow without my crutch a.k.a. Gator Bite... and O Holy... Night, I will NEVER make one without it again. So now for today's... tonight's creation.

I am becoming a bit of a ribbon hoarder. For someone who has just gotten into bow making... I am collecting quite a bit of ribbon. I FINALLY decided to make something with one of the Christmas ribbons I bought. 1 1/2" green O Holy Night ribbon. Once I figure out this wood burner I will attempt more decorative bow ends. I attached it to a pre-lined white alligator clip. I also bought it in red... and no I haven't made anything with that either.

But hey I still have 362 days left!

Dora gets pinned!

In order to make things easier as I balance wife, mommy and jobs... I used a bow from an incomplete bow set I purchased. It's a pinwheel bow (1" white grosgrain ribbon). The center is button with Dora kneelingdown to a butterfly. I attached it to a white prelined lined single alligator clip. 

Happy New Year!

I am hoping that 2012 will be 2012 WILL BE a year that I meet all my goals. If at first you don't succeed... try... try and try again. So Good Morning to my faithful subscribers. I am meeting my 365 goal this year. "Can't stop, WON't stop!" So find your bow loving friends and getting ready to be creative.

So today I take a huge breath, scared because I've been here before January 1, 2011. Well I am making a Bowdacious move again and this time I will be successful. So here it is...

Purchased Princess Tiana fabric and stretched it across a canvas board.

Strips of lime green, pink, and Princess Tiana ribbon

Voila... Bow Board complete!

I can enhance the bow board by adding hooks to the bottom of it or a sash to hang it on. I love that I was able to find Princess Tiana ribbon. This was a gift for one of the munchkins' best friends. The glitter ribbon clippies are from a great Etsy shop I found. My daughter seems to like them more than the bows I make. They are her new go-to bows (LOL).


Another big change... I'll be selling my bows and other products on the website this year!

Well Happy New Year!
Let's make it an awesome year.