Ribbons "Down the Shore"

The Ribbon Lady and family had the pleasure of two weeks "down the shore" in Ocean Grove NJ.  I am always looking for fellow ribbon lovers, and the quaint little Victorian town of Ocean Grove delivered.

Ocean Grove is one mile square with a huge Methodist Auditorium and "tent city"smack dab in the middle where traditionally, the Methodists lived to be close to the church. You can still hear the large choirs as you walk by.  The town and auditorium date back to the 1800's, it's only been in the past 20 years that the town has allowed people to drive on Sunday.  Go to http://www.oceangrovenj/,  for a more extensive description of the town. One visit there and you will fall in love.  You just feel like any minute John Phillip Sousa,and 76 trombones will  come marching down the street all at the same time, while playing Stars and Stripes Forever!

Lovely Victorian wreaths, red white and blue buntings,and charming "painted ladies" abound.  Of course there were lovely ribbons on the wreaths, one home had celebrated a graduation with school colored ribbons all along their white picked fence, but my personal favorite was the basket of impatience, with the double face satin ribbons streaming from the planter.

So my friends as summer starts to fade, I will remember fondly our special family time "down the shore" in Ocean Grove.

What is your favorite summer time memory?

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

Dressing up the Pumpkins

As you all know I am in love with fall and I have been dressing pumpkins for years.

You can choose to spray paint your pumpkin a color, or leave it au natural.
I am a big fan of coppery colors, and since the two places where I'm likely to put this pumpkin, the fireplace mantle or the dining room table, are dark, copper works well (in fact, any metallic color works well to bring light to an otherwise dark area).

Next I looked around my studio for ribbons and stuff to add to the little critters. What you see is the end result.

I used sheer ribbons, red gold from our Luxor Collection, and double faced satins. You can pin or glue your creations onto your pumpkin neck. Tying works well too, but if they are moved much the tying sometimes slips and moves around.

Spray painting doesn't seem to affect the life of a pumpkin, in fact it may lengthen it; it seems to seal it as long as there are no blemishes.

Another helpful tip is to be sure to add ribbons on both sides it it is a true centerpiece. If it is only viewed from one side this is not necessary.

You can choose large or small pumpkins, all size pumpkins, you can even choose an artificial pumpkin.

I have used them as an inexpensive centerpiece for charity events, as decorations on my table, as place card holders etc.

Add some fall leaves or some fall garland to give them a little extra punch.

Jodie and Bill are having their wedding here on the mountain this week, I will be showing you pictures of their dressed ladies next week, a real variation on a theme.

Cinco de Mayo and ribbons

The history and reason for the celebration can be found at this website. It is quite interesting, and even includes some recipes. I was excited about this, because I am having a Cinco de Mayo party. I thought the soupy stew called Menduo sounded interesting, but the ingredients of calf's foot and tripe gave me pause for serving it at the party, I am sure it is delicious however.

I am making these wonderful flower cones for my party, and since I don't own a Mexican table cloth I will create some fun on the table with ribbons.

For the flower cone project you will need :   

• pins
• craft glue
• glue gun
• card stock  paper  or colorful wrapping paper
• Styrofoam cones of different sizes
• brightly colored silk flowers or fresh flowers                  
• colorful ribbons from Over the Moon Ribbons, varied widths and textures

I am using Styrofoam cones for ease of doing the project.

Start cutting a square of paper big enough to cover your cone.

Glue or pin paper in place and wrap around cone.

Trim excess paper away from top and bottom of cone.

Next I added my flowers.  Using wire clippers cut stems to three to five inches long. Simply arrange in cone until the Styrofoam is covered, (sometimes foliage is very helpful in covering)  I tend to like to use the same colors and flowers in each cone, you may choose to do it differently, designers choice.

Now I will add a ribbon handle pinning the ribbon and adding a drop of glue to secure the ribbon handle.

Lastly, using pins I will add ribbons to give the cone a festive party look.

I think these would be fun for any party or shower, just use the appropriate paper and ribbon to coordinate with you event.

I am hanging these from my patio umbrella, they can hang from a ceiling, or shepherd hook plant hangers.

Have fun and keep crafting, especially using ribbon!!!

Alice aka 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.