Elegant Flower Clip: A Tutorial

Love is in the air.

I know a few lovely ladies getting married soon...

And one of the brides-to-be asked me to make her something for her hair.

Although I had a picture of some she liked, I had to come up with my own assembly process!  And now I'd love to share it with YOU!

1. You'll need:

chiffon

tulle

beads

felt

alligator clip

scissors

needle

thread

Candle and matches/lighter

hot glue

2.  Cut about 7 circles of chiffon about 2 1/2 in. diameter and about 5 circles of tulle the same size.  TOTALLY, roughly cut.. mine were more like octagons!

3.  Using a small flame, carefully melt the edges of each piece of chiffon and tulle.

4.  DON'T put the fabric IN the flame... just close enough for the edges to barely melt and curl up.

5.  Roughly stack the finished circles on top of each other.  The more random you stack them, the more they'll resemble real flowers!

6.  Tack all pieces together with your needle and thread.

7.  Use as many or as few beads as you'd like for the middle of the flower.  I wanted mine to have the clustered look.

8.  Cut a circle of felt (in a coordinating color) for the back of the flower.  Cut a slit just large enough to fit the back prong of the clip through.

9.  Hot glue the back of the felt (and clip) to the bottom of the flower.

Done!

Dress up your hair-do with some flower clips or give some to your favorite bride-to-be for her big day!

Thanks for reading!

-Jess

Name Hanger

Happy Wedding season everyone!

Every year, once May hits, I feel like there are a TON of weddings to attend.

And I LOVE every one of them.  

Seriously.

What's not to love about eating, drinking, and being merry with the ones you love most?

And this season is going to be the best yet, because our youngest sister, Aly, is getting married! (To a pretty awesome guy, I must add.)

So, needless to say, wedding shenanigans have been on all of our minds.

So, I was feeling a little crafting withdrawal and had been meaning to make one of the brides a hanger for her wedding dress.  And, luckily, I had almost all the supplies on hand.

Supplies:

Wooden Hanger (Wal-Mart)

Spray Paint (only if you want to paint the hanger and/or wire)

Painter's Tape

Sanding Block

Drill

Wire (Lowe's or Home Depot)

Wire Cutter/Needle Nose Pliers

Glue Gun

First, I sprayed painted one side blue.  I waited 10 minutes for it to dry, flipped it over, and sprayed the other side.

The color I had pictured in my head was sort of a mint green which would go with Aly's color scheme. Since I didn't have any spray paint in that color, I thought I could achieve that effect by layering blue and green paint.  I actually ended up spraying it blue, then green, then blue again.

I then took the sanding block and lightly sanded all over, focusing on the corners and edges.  This allowed the green to be seen underneath and give off a bluish-green color when seen from a little ways away.

Next, I used a drill bit slightly larger than the diameter of the wire I was using, and drilled a hole through the hanger.  (I could have actually used one slightly bigger than the one pictured for reasons you'll read about in a second.)

Then, I wrote out the name I wanted to use as a template for the wire.  (You can also use a script font on the computer and print out the name as opposed to your own handwriting).  Using a combination of twisting with my hands and needle-nose pliers, I bent it into the shape of the name.  

Next, I spray-painted the wire gold since it will go well with this particular wedding.

I then cut the wire to the appropriate length at the ends, bent the wire at the ends as well, put glue in the hole, and stuck the wire into the drilled hole.  (The reason a larger drill bit would have been beneficial is because it would have been easier for the glue to get down in the hole.)

The glue dries very quickly, and since nothing will hang on the name part, it doesn't have to be super strong.

And that's it!

This is a great personalized gift for any bride or new baby!

If you make one of these, send us a picture to be featured on the blog!

{ I just wanted to let all you faithful readers know that Jess is out of town, so you are stuck with me on the ole blog this week!  Sorry for the Rox posting overload....but enjoy nonetheless! }