Bring out the Artist Within

This past weekend we had the pleasure of a real get-away, with no agenda!

We escaped to a little town in New Jersey called Frenchtown. A B&B seemed just the thing, so off to the Widow McCree house, a charming 1800's home with many modern but well done updates.

Hunterdon County (NJ) and Buck's County (PA) are separated by the Delaware River, they are truly a weekend getaway delight.

Two of our BFFs met us there, so we were off to a weekend of fine dining, fun, shopping, and viewing of artists galleries. Which brings me to the meat of my story.

In one of the chichi galleries, there was a framed ribbon weaving in the tumbling block style. Although well done, I was dismayed the artist didn't use prettier ribbon. To top it all off, it was was mounted on a fabric covered box but the fabric was badly wrinkled.

I was curious to know how much one could charge for a piece I knew I could create better. It was a mere $400.00.

And so my fellow ribbon lovers; Google "ribbon weaving-tumbling block pattern", and you too can become an artist.

My personal favorite is Elaine Schmidt's book The Complete Guide to Ribbon Craft available on Amazon.

Send pictures, and keep on playing with ribbon.

Alice aka The Ribbon Lady

Tutorial-Decorate your Christmas Tree Beautifully with Ribbon

About Grosgrain Ribbon

Did you know the translation for the French word grosgrain?  It is coarse texture. This ribbon is aptly named, because it is a textured woven ribbon, very sturdy and utilitarian. It is durable and washable hence you will see it in many fashions, the brim of hats,wraped and woven into plaits and pigtails and, cheerleader ribbon. You can find grosgrain ribbon in many widths, solids, patterns pleats and sometimes scalloped edges. Grosgrains are made of a variety of fibers usually a blend of cotton and viscose, and more recently, green and ecological bamboo.

Grosgrain is an excellent choice for hair ribbons, because it doesn't slide or un-tie

Here at Over the Moon Ribbons we have a wide range of grosgrains,in the coming weeks the Swiss dot. confetti dot, and asprin dots will arrive.

Although the bamboo is not shown, it is available, just e-mail me with your request.www.allim089@cs.com

Gifting with ribbons

Hi fellow ribbon lovers.

I have often given ribbon "birthday cakes",  to my fellow crafters, floral designers, scrap bookers, and romantic ribbon lovers.

You can use any combination of Over the Moon Ribbons to make an exquisite "cake of ribbons".
a color theme may be in order, or perhaps an approaching holiday, and therein lies the fun; using different combinations of ribbon

Of course you don't have to use the birthday candle if you would like to give for another reason, such as newly expectant mother to decorate the nursery, or a cheerleader with different ribbons of her school colors.
I used a narrow plastic bag to wrap the ribbons, such as clear bags that newspapers come in. One could use cellophane as well, and of course shrink wrap would be fabulous.

If you would like to order a ribbon combination from Over the Moon, in your notes include, "please include plastic bag"

Soon to come to Over the Moon "goodie bags" You will love them, they will include at least 5 rolls of  ribbons for $8.00. Perfect for the "Ribbon Cake."

There is a chance you may not want to wait for me to get my act together, in that case contact me ribbonlady

Until next time,


The Ribbon Lady

Seat Belt Purse

I love my Harveys Seatbelt Bag!!! I bought it from Material Girl.  The bag is great and so is the company. They offer excellent customer service important to us and one of our strengths at Over the Moon Ribbons, I love them.


The bag comes in several styles and many colors.  I purchased mine in an olive green (love that green-- my favorite).  Then I went crazy one day adding Over the Moon's cheetah ribbon to it. The cheetah ribbon is from our new safari collection.


 It was so easy and lots of fun. I can change it whenever I want to.
The method used was to cut 3 lengths of ribbon a bit longer than the circumference of the bag.

Weave the ribbon in and out of the weaving already present. When the ribbons joined, I stapled them and hid them under the non cheetah spot. It took me about eight minutes to complete, and any 1-1/2" ribbon can be used.

Hope I have inspired you.

The Ribbon Lady

Easter Sensation

 


Spring is here!.  The bear that lives here woke up from hibernation and is dutifully visiting every bird feeder on the mountain.

I have transformed a basket from a thrift store into an Easter sensation.

The materials you will need are as follows:

• Handled basket---- store bought, or flea market find.
• Scissors
• Wire cutters (not pictured)
• Trusty glue gun
• Ribbons of your choice.  Of course, we love when you buy our ribbons.
• Silk greenery and flowers. Flower choice and color are yours. Tip: smaller flowers work better; one large head of flowers may have many little flowers that can be clipped apart using your wire cutters. Example: the hydrangea pictured above can yield about 25-30 small flowers.
• Filler for your basket such as Easter grass, or excelsior.

1.  Cut small sections from your silk flowers with a wire cutter.  Using your glue gun, attach greenery to your basket, small ferns and ivy work very well.

2. Trim the handle of your basket with your ribbon choices. I wrapped the handle of my basket first with a narrow double-faced satin in yellow. This step is not essential. I attached two types of ribbon to the handle; attaching them with wire at different intervals along the handle.



My ribbon choices were Chick-N-Egg, an adorable wired ribbon, 1-1/2 inches wide from our Spring Collection. Second choice was our delicate organdy sheer in light yellow, 2 ¾ “wide, not wired.

The next step is like trimming a Christmas tree in that you can use as few or as many flowers as you wish; color coordinate them with your ribbon choices.  Use some smaller flowers to camouflage the wire where you attached your ribbon. See?  No wires showing.

Fill your basket with whatever you would like, decorative eggs, treats, bunnies, birds, fresh flowers etc.

Note for Brides: You could alternatively create an necessity basket for the ladies room for a wedding. Of course you would be using wedding appropriate ribbon, lining the basket with a lace edged napkin, and filling it with the necessary items.

Sit back and enjoy your efforts, and guard your bird feeder from the bears.

The Ribbon Lady

Over the Moon Ribbons

Organizing and Storing Ribbon

OMG I have never seen so much snow as this past week.  I remember snows in New England as a kid, but I really think this tops it.  I am here in Bangor PA; it has virtually been snowing for four days. I am sure you northern states are laughing, but this is a real dump of snow for us. On a positive note, it is sooo beautiful, and lots of fun watching the birds.

With all this snow and trapped in the house, it’s a great time to organize, including your ribbon.

One great idea is to mount rain gutters, yep, to your wall or pegboard. You can go simple or fancy, such as copper gutters.  Your rolls will fit right in there, and you can see them all.

And for all you scrapbook crafters who have enormous amounts of ribbon, check out Pull-EZ Ribbon Purse organizers by Simply Renee.  The Pull-EZ Ribbon Purse can hold more than 200 ribbons at a time in a small compact space and is flexible enough to squeeze into a tight space. The best part...the ribbons do not tangle when you pull one out!  If you find any other clever ideas let me know.

Coming soon: I will craft a ribbon storage box for you out of a photo box.

Speaking of coming soon expect a spring ribbon line from Over the Moon Ribbons, you will love the great selection.

Until next week keep crafting and enjoying!!

the Ribbon Lady

Wired or Unwired?

Hi and happy New Year. You may have “the holidays are over” itis.  I get it about now every year but it doesn’t last long  because I am one of those people that actually like winter!

It’s a beautiful winter morning here on the mountain.  This is a view from where we eat breakfast and bird watch every day.

Many people don’t realize that you can remove the wire from a ribbon if you want to use a ribbon that won’t get bent or squashed.  Just grab the wire and remove it like I'm demonstrating here.

You would want to do this if the bow is going to be handled frequently, or there is a chance it will be brushed by a lot, or something may sit on top of it. (Examples pillow trim or drapery trim, bridal and bridesmaid bouquets, hair bows)

Whoa, look at that squished one.

 Let me show you the difference.

 A simple bow made from unwired ribbon.

Wired bow.

 

I know many of my customers like to use our toile ribbon as tie backs for curtains.  This is a case where I would suggest leaving the wire in place. Here’s a sample on curtains in our Granddaughters room.

Next week -- valentine craft tips, meanwhile keep crafting, and enjoy the winter.