Decorative Packaging

Display all your team spirit with craft projects that celebrate your school’s colors, name or mascot.

You can easily make ribbons like these with spools of single faced satin ribbon, glitter paints, gel pens, stickers, tube paints with writing tips, and anything else you can  imagine. 

This would be a great group project for PTO, or student groups to spend a few hours making many of these to be sold before a game to raise money for various school activities. 

A few ideas might be to use several ribbons attached to a stick for waving, or with a button or bow or just one ribbon with a pin to wear on a jacket.

Proudly wear or wave your spirit ribbons at football games or pep rallies or any school activity to encourage your team.

Invite friends and family in this season with a welcoming fun fall wreath. This is my favorite time of year when the days are cooler and humidity is down, Here is a great project to work on and be ready for those changing leaves and wonderful Fall season. This festive Fall Wreath with Mums is so simple to make that you’ll be finished in a short time. And this wreath is very easily adaptable to all fall parties and gatherings. By changing the colors and flowers, you can use this idea for any holiday or season all year.

Instructions  for Fall Wreath with chrysanthemum for a table or door.

You’ll need the following materials and tools:

-A 24″ to 36″ grapevine wreath (which you can buy or make yourself.)
Two large “plants” of mums in two fall colors, such as yellow, burnt orange, or brown.
-Wire cutters (to cut the plants apart and the wire for hanging.)
-Berries or sprays of smaller flowers or glitter to decorate the wreath
-Wire to hang the wreath, if you’re going to hang it
-Yellow Ribbon or any complimentary colors, if you’re going to hang the wreath
-Glue gun if you want to make the wreath permanent

Follow these simple steps to make the Fall Wreath with Mums:
-Cover your work table with plastic or an old sheet.
-Lay out the materials and tools.
-Cut the mum blossoms from the stems, leaving about 3″ to 4″ on the flower stem.
-Place the flowers into the grapevine wreath, alternating the colors evenly around the wreath form. If you want to make the wreath construction permanent, secure the stems with hot glue.
-Insert the berries around the wreath, spacing them evenly.
-Secure a 10″ wire loop at the top of the wreath on the back if you’re going to hang it.
~variations for decorating with this

Place a square of seasonal fabric on the middle of your table. Either leave it flat on the table or gather it up in a creative way. Place the wreath in the center and place fall-colored candles in the center of the wreath.

Place a festive fall figure in the middle of the wreath. Make raffia bows and  space around the wreath for a more country look.

Add  cranberries, or bittersweet or any fall berries on branches for a more homey, rustic look.

Add Shiny berries around the wreath to add a more formal look.

By using a smaller wreath form, you could use this basic wreath on a coffee table or even a bedside table in a guest room.

Decorate a hanging wreath with a beautiful, wired bow in colors that are complimentary to the flowers and your decor.

You can get a totally different look by using roses, poinsettia blossoms, zinnia heads, lilac clusters, and bunches of violets or ranunculus around the wreath form, instead of autumn mums.

Place large pillar candle columns in the center of the wreath on the table.
Once you get the basic design of this beautiful wreath put together, you’ll find lots of ways to change the look and lots of places to put it. And you’ll easily see that you can get any seasonal look you want.

  Wearing an Awareness ribbon is a great way to show support for your cause and raise awareness of the situation.  The ribbon will provoke conversation and you can then share your thoughts with them. 

Many causes have fund raising events, special campaigns, or simply ask for prayer for those involved.

Making an awareness ribbon is simple, just cut a 6 inch length of ribbon, loop it around and attach it to your top with a tiny pin.  A double faced satin ribbon works very well for this.

The Yellow Awareness Ribbon has several meanings.

Here is a short list of the most common.

• Deployed soldiers (”support our troops”)

• Suicide awareness and prevention

• Endometriosis awareness

Scissors
5/8 inch wide Decorative Ribbon Round Needle Nose Pliers Jewelry Essentials Spacer Jewelry Essentials ribbon clamp Nickle Badge Hook   or claw

Cut your favorite decorative grosgrain ribbon to the desired length to hang around the neck or how ever you choose to use it approximately 36 inches long depending. 
Compare the width of ribbon to the width of the ribbon clamp, make sure that it fits so that the ribbon is not wider than the clamp and vice versa.

Put a dot of glue inside the clamp on both sides and in-between ribbon ends and attach both ends of the ribbon. Use you needle-nose pliers to close the clamp. Make sure to hold the ribbon in place. Using round nose pliers open a jump ring and attach the clip of your choice to the ribbon clamp.

Attach the loop to the clamp and close securely with chain nose pliers.  The end will look like one end of this book mark.

 This craft allows new life into heirloom hankies. To make a table runner, measure the length of your table (plus overhang) to determine how many hankies you’ll  need (we used ten 12-inch squares for an 82-inch-long table). To connect the  first two, flip them pattern side down, overlapping the edges by about ⅜ inch; pin, then stitch together. Continue attaching handkerchiefs in this manner until the runner is complete. Since some hankies have scalloped edges, to keep the runner uniform in size, you could stitch a neutral or common color, double faced, satin ribbon along the entire runner, down both sides.  You could finish off with some thin ribbon fringe at the ends or stitch some thin ribbon delicate bows at each corner.  A beautiful way to display heirlooms sure to prompt a wonderful conversation. A lovely runner for a ladies tea! Idea by Amy Barickman’s latest book, Hankie Style

Bunch pink peonies and tulips, red roses, and green verbena in an
large square vase wrapped in striped and polka-dotted grosgrain ribbons. Hot-glue the dots to the backs of the ribbons and attach them to the vase.  If you want to make it a seasonal vase, you can substitute heavy-duty double-faced tape and change the ribbon to fit the occasion.  Neat Idea!

Floral Favors

Arranged with small, sweet flowers from the garden or even the supermarket, nosegays ( see bottom for definition) make perfect party favors (or boutonnieres at a country wedding). Tie them with homemade ribbons that are made with pinking shears from floral fabrics. To make them a bit more formal, gather with satin, thin ribbon. To keep the flowers fresh, cut them the morning of your party. You might want to provide small vases or containers so guests can tote them home.

 Many of the items you may need to create your own version of this idea can be found on our website by clicking on the ribbon link in my post.  If you don’t see exactly what you are looking for, please call the phone number on that page.

Colored Pencil Vase

This is a great way to transform an ordinary jar or plain vase into a work of art bursting with color.
Magnify the hues of gifts from the garden with a kaleidoscope of colored pencils hot-glued to a glass vase or jar. Fill the vase with your favorite blossoms (displayed are purple and white lilacs, anemone, and privet berry) and tie a bow (this is double-faced satin ribbon) around the bottom.

Many of the items you may need to create your own version of this idea can be found on our website by clicking on the ribbon link in my post.  If you don’t see exactly what you are looking for, please call the phone number on that page.