Tie Another One On

I think I might have a problem that borders on obsession. Ever since I made my first tie headband I can not stop collecting ties. Every time I head I got to the thrift store I buy at least one tie. The fact that they only cost 25 cents apiece does not help matter. My pile of ties was getting out of control so I figure it was time to make some more tie headbands. I had so much fun making them and I was even able to use some of my vintage buttons that I bought off of Etsy!

Here are a few of the ones I made. That's right I said a few. I have at least this many that I am still working on and even more that I haven't started. Anyone want a headband? Seriously if you want one of these let me know. The striped one and Superman one are taken but the rest are up for grabs! Leave me a message and remember it is first come first serve!

Disclaimer: The headbands are not perfect. I am still figuring out the best way to attach the elastic to the back so the stitches don't look the best. But hey I am giving them to you for free you can' complain!

Yo, Yo!

As I was browsing around the 100 yen store (what would be a dollar store back in the states) a couple weeks ago I came a cross a package of some fabric yo yo's. They were just adorable so I bought them. I realize that buying pre-made yo-yo's is a bit lazy BUT they were only 100 yen so I had to have them. I pulled them out the other day and made some fun things with them.

I made a burlap bracelet. You can find the tutorial on Tatertots and Jello


Since I already had the burlap out I decided to make some hair clips.


Then I decided to use the tie from one of the my daughter's old dresses to make a headband.
I think all the projects turned out great. What have you made with yo-yo's lately?

T-Shirt Headbands

On Thursday I made my weekly visit to the Thrift store on base. Yes I really do go to the thrift store that often! As I was walking in I noticed a sign advertising their Valentines Day sale - all their clothing was $1.00 and pink or red items were half off. The clothing was a bit picked over but I was able to find some great clothes to re-purpose. I found a few great te-shirts and I spent today cutting them apart for various projects like this one:

T-Shirt Headbands

You will need:
an old t-shirt
scissors
hot glue

The first things I did was cut the bottom hem off of the shirts to use for the flowers. Then I cut a piece to use for my headband. The first piece I cut out was the exact thickness that I wanted my headband to be which was a big mistake. I didn't account for the fabric rolling a bit and I wasn't sure I like how thin it was so I cut a new thicker piece. I wanted a nice long headband that I could tie in the back so I cut all the way around the shirt and then cut through one seam. After I finished cutting the headbands I got started on the roses.

I took my strip of fabric and tied a knot in the end.

Then I began rolling and twisting the strip, applying glue every now and then. Once I had my flowers the desired size I tuck the extra under the flower and glued it in place. Then I glue my flowers on my headbands and I was all done. It was an easy and quick project which are my favorite!

I am linking up to:

and

Costume Jewelry Headbands

When my Grandmother passed away I inherited a some of her costume jewelry. For some reason I ended up with quite a few single clip on earrings. I have held onto them for years not knowing quite what to do with them, but I knew I couldn't get rid of them. I decided to put a couple of them to good use today and jazz up some store bought headbands that I had.

You Will Need:
Funky Vintage Clip on Earring
Headband of your choice
some cute fabric
flower template from Wise Craft or a flower shaped cookie cutter
tulle
a glue gun or fabric glue and E6000 glue

The first thing you need to do is remove the clip from the back of your earring. I just bent and twisted and bent mine some more until I got it off. Next you want to cut out 4 flowers from your cute fabric. I provided a link to the template I found on Wise Craft - I used 4 of the larger flowers. You could also use a small flower shaped cookie cutter if you have one. Next cut out 4 flowers from your tulle. I just folded my tulle over 4 times so I only have to cut out one flower. Now you are going to fold the fabric and tulle flowers in half and arrange them like so.


Just imagine there is tulle in there. The picture is actually from another post but if should give you an idea of how to layer them. I did cheat a bit and glue the tulle to the fabric to make arranging them easier!
Now you can either sew the flower pieces in place OR be lazy like me and glue them. I used my glue gun but I am sure fabric glue would work just as well. Take your earring and glue it into the center of your flower, again I used my glue gun but E-6000 would go a great job as well. Last step is to glue your flower to your headband and it is ready to wear. I got super lazy with the brown headband and just glued the earring on without a flower or anything.

I love headbands and I am so excited to wear these!
I am linking up to:

From Shirt Tie to Flower Headband

For Christmas my MIL sent my girls a bunch clothes. Among all the cute outfits was a random and way too big top that was not suppose to be in there. When I asked her about it she said it was a mistake and to just give it away. Of course I could do that so I decided to see what I could make out of it. The first thing I did was cut off all of the random ties on it. I couldn't just throw the ties away so I decided to see what I could make out of them. I grabbed my glue gun and this is what I came up with

Rosebud Headband

Items You Need:
Glue Gun
Headband
Fabric Ties off an old shirt or thing strips of fabric

The rosebuds was very simple to make. I took the fabric tie and added a dab of glue to the end and rolled in. Once I had a tiny center I started twisted the fabric tie around the center and twirling it at the same time. I stopped and added a dab of glue every now and then to help it hold together. Once I thought the rosebuds were big enough I added one last dab of glue and folded the remaining part of the tie underneath and glued it in place. I made three rosebuds and then I glued them onto a stretchy elastic headband for my daughter. They held up great - I let my 2 year old wear it to test it out! Next time I think I will back them with a little bit of felt for a cleaner look.

Old Tie Remake

The past few days we have been trying to get the closet and things cleaned out so we can start the New Year fresh. Both my Brandon and I ended up with a fairly good size pile of items to take to the thrift store. When I noticed that he had a bag full of old ties I immediately grabbed them and put them in with my fabric. I wasn't sure what I would do with them but I knew I couldn't just give them away.

I took them out today and looked over them to see if I could decide what to do with them. It didn't take me long to realize that they would make some fabulous headbands!

Ok the bottom one wasn't made out of a tie. That is the waistband of a shirt I was giving away!

Tie Headbands

You will need:
thread and needle
an old tie
thick elastic

Cut the bottom part off of the tie. Since the tie tappers on one end and gets wider on the other I cut out a middle piece so that it was more or less even. Measure and cut what you need. I used the sophisticated measuring technique of wrapping it around my head to see how much I needed.
Take the bottom part of the tie take out the stitching, and remove the liner. You are going to use the bottom part to make the flowers. You can either cut your own version free hand or head over to Wise Craft and read her great tutorial. Then you can use this great template like I did.
Take the top part of the tie and fold over and sew the ends. Then add a small piece of elastic between them so it looks like this.

Once you finish you can attach your pretty flower you made.
Now go and admire you beautiful new headband in the mirror. Mine was instantly taken and worn by someone...

Fabric Flower Hair Clips

During the Summer I picked up some super cute fabric scraps at the craft store. I wasn't sure what I would do with them but they were too cute to pass up. Well I finally pulled out the fabric and decided to use some of it to make some flowers. I did a little searching and found a great pattern on Wise Craft. It was easy to follow and I loved that she provided a template for the flowers. If you would like to make some cute flowers for yourself grab some fabric scraps and print out the template.
You will need to cut out 4 small flowers and 2 large flowers. You will take the small flowers, fold them in half and then layer them like you see above. Place the layered small flowers on the two large flowers.

Then get out your needle and thread and put a couple of stitches in the flowers to hold them in place. Don't cut the thread yet. Find an adorable button for the center and sew it in place.

Once your button is sewn in place your flower is ready to use. You can put on a pin and use it on a cute dress, or you can put it on an alligator clip and use it in your hair. I made these for my niece and plan to use them on a couple of different projects. The pink one is going on a hair clip and the plaid one is going on a belt I made her. The bottom green and blue one is going to go on the the large wooden letter than I made for her. If you can't tell I have been working on some fun Christmas presents for her. I promise I will post details about them soon!

Flower Hair Clips

Don't you just love these flower hairclips that I made for my niece? Well you are in luck cause the post is all about how to make them!

You will need:
some fake silk flowers
clear thread
glue gun and glue
alligator clip
center piece (this can be anything from a button to a jewel to a vintage piece of jewelry)
fake leaves

The first things you are going to do is pull the flower apart and discard the middle piece. Some people leave them in but I have found that they flake and fall out so it is best to get rid of them before you even start.

Now that your flower is in pieces you have a choice to make on how you will put it back together. This depends on both your centerpiece and the age of the girl who will be wearing it. If you have a button for the center it is best to sew it on. If you are giving this to a young child and you want it to be secure it is best to sew it. Normally I just use my glue gun (my daughter is older) but I decided to use a vintage button on this flower. When my grandmother passed away I ended up with a bunch of broken and mismatched pieces of costume jewelry. I wanted to make this flower special for my niece so I decided to use one of my grandmother's buttons.

Ok once you have your flower and centerpiece secured you will glue on the alligator clip. I like to use the silk leaves on the back of the flower as well. It makes it look nicer and it keeps the clip from sticking together.

Once everything cools you have you beautiful flower clip to wear or give away. I am currently working on some to give to all the girls in my daughter's class - I hope they love them!