Contributed by Jen!

These ribbon boards are both beautiful and useful!

Select a number of coordinating ribbons. Jen used 1.5" Rock Star, 3/8" Rock Star, 3/8" Silver Glitter Ribbon, and solid Hot Pink ribbon.

Cut your cork board to the desired finished size. We recommend using a thin layer of batting. It can either be tacked in the corners to the cork board or also with a little bit of adhesive.  You can leave off the batting, but it gives a softer, more upholstered look. Don't go too thick or else the thumb-tacks will not stick in the board.Wrap with desired fabric and tack to the back of the board.

Criss-cross the ribbons across the board in desired layout. Jen used hot-glue to secure where the ribbons overlap. Those points should be glued both the board and to each other.  You do not want to glue the entire length of the ribbons as you can slide pictures under the ribbons as well. Another more secure method to attach the ribbon to the board would be to add a small nail or staple as well at each intersection along with the glue and then cover with fun buttons. This will also help create a more uphostered look. Wrap ribbon ends around back of board and tack in place.

Jen glued some coordinating resin embellishments to the corners for extra kick.

Here is an additional board she created as well.  These were made as Christmas gifts for nieces!

Valentine's Day 2012 Home Page Featured Item

Layers of pretty ruffles in pink!

This is a relatively easy hair-bow to make. It was created using the NBNG Template #4 and #5 and the instructions for the templates to create a Basic Boutique Bow. The ribbon is our 1.5" Satin Double Ruffle Ribbon. Cut pieces for 3 bows. Two bows will be the same larger size using template 5 and one will be the smaller center bow using template 4. Cut ribbon ends at a slight angle and heat-seal the ends.

Wrap ribbon on template according to instructions and clip in place.  Sew through the center of the bow starting and ending on the back of the bow.

Slide bow off the template and gather along the stitches tightly.  Wrap center several times with the thread before sewing knot on back of bow to finish off.

Create all three bows.

Glue the bottom two bows together first with a dot of hot-glue in the center. Push down firmly. Attach the top bow the same way. After glued together, wrap a thread several times around the center tightly and tie off in a knot.

Put a bead of glue along the back of a french barrette (with center bar removed) and press firmly to the back of the bow.

I love using a large center on double ruffle bows, so I used the same 1.5" width ribbon. I created a knotted center and glued it to the front of the bow.

Wrap the ribbon around to the back of the clip. Cut off the ribbon ends and heat-seal them before gluing to the back. Insert the center bar and you have a finished bow!

Valentine's Day 2012 Home Page Featured Item

We all just LOVE the bobby pins as they can be decorated in so many ways and are also great for ladies as well!

The korker hair-bows are geared more towards the little ones, but the rhinestone "bling" bobby pins can be seen worn around the shop nearly every day by at least one of us.

To create the rhinestone bobby pins, simply adhere with hot glue, E6000, or your favorite adhesive. Be careful with the hot glue as if it is too hot, it can melt the backing which creates a spot that is visible from the front of the rhinestone. I usually wait a few seconds to attach to let it cool slightly. The perfect size rhinestone to use is the 8mm width, but the 12mm will work as well for a little larger effect.

You can attach a resin, small flower, cute buttons, or anything else small enough to attach to the pad.

Here is how we created the korker bobby pins:

Choose 3 or 4 coordinating korker pieces. These are all available pre-curled on our site.

I cut the ribbons in 2.5" lengths and used a hot-knife to cut them as that also seals the ribbons at the same time. Always make a straight perpendicular cut across the ribbon. If not using a hot-knife, you will need to heat-seal the ribbon ends.

Stick the ribbons on a threaded needle in the correct order.

Keep the ribbons perfectly lined up and pull the needle through.  Lay the ribbons down flat on a surface and pinch near the center so that the ribbons stay in place and do not turn as you tightly wind the thread around the center. Remove the needle from the end of the thread and you can then tie the thread ends together in a knot to finish it off.

The pieces should be lined up in a row and not going every which way.

Choose your ribbon center. I used a 1/4" pink ribbon. Glue one end of the ribbon to the back of the bow. Wrap around snugly, cut ribbon, seal ribbon end, and glue other end of the center to the back of the bow.

Hot-glue or use your favorite adhesive to attach to the bobby pins.

Valentine's Day 2012 Home Page Featured Item

Nothing softens up a hair-bow like adding a piece of fluffy marabou into the mix!

These bows were featured on the home-page of our site and we are sharing how we put them together.

Twisted Boutique Bow w/ Marabou Behind

This hair-bow was created using the NBNG Template #5.  The ribbon is our 7/8" Multi-Pink Hearts Grosgrain
 I decided to use a solid white ribbon as a backing to add interest, so the pieces were layed on top of each other and were measured and cut at the same time. The ends were both cut at a slight angle.  Heat-seal each ribbon end.

Wrap the ribbon on the template and clip according to the template directions.  This step can also be completed with alternative ways to fold the bow without a template.

Stick a pin through the center of the bow and pull off of the template.

Pull the top tail and the bottom layer to the left and the middle layer to the right, which will create an "x" on the front of the bow.  When looking at the back of the bow, the ribbons should be in a straight line together.

Sew through the center of the bow, always starting and ending from the back of the bow.  With the 7/8" bow, you will want to create two "peaks" when it is gathered. I always knot the end of my string so that it can be pulled up tight and gives a secure end for gathering. Gather the bow tightly and then wrap the string several times around the bow center, keeping the thread as tight as possible.  Flip the bow over and complete with knot on the back. Clip the thread tails.

Measure the desired length of marabou (I used a 3" piece) and try to part the marabou down to the cord before cutting. Have a trash can handy as it can be messy. After cutting, be sure to pull the loose marabou feathers from the cut end.

Separate the marabou at the center of the piece so that equal parts of "fluff" go each direction. Apply a dot of hot glue to the back of the hair-bow and firmly press the marabou center into the glue. I always wrap several times with thread as well for a better hold.

Remove the center bar from a french barrette (60mm size used). Run a strip of glue along the barrette and press to the back of the marabou. I used a narrow 1/4" white grosgrain ribbon as the center to help retain the fluffiness of the marabou and not mash it down with a larger ribbon.  Glue one end of the ribbon to the back of the barrette, wrap snugly around the center of the bow pulling the marabou out from underneath it, and then cut the ribbon leaving enough to glue the end to the back of the bow. Hear-seal the ribbon end and glue it down on top of the other ribbon end. Insert the center bar back into the clip and you're finished.

Basic Boutique Bow w/ Marabou On Top

This bow was created using the NBNG Template #5 and instructions for the Basic Boutique Bow. The ribbon is our 1.5" Pink with Multi-Pink Hearts Grosgrain. Cut ribbon ends at a slight angle and heat-seal.

Wrap on the template and clip according to instructions. Sew through the center of the bow starting from the back and ending on the back.

Gather tightly and tie off in back of bow.  Clip thread ends.

Cut marabou according to instructions on bow above.  I used a 2.5" piece. Pull the fluff forward and then hot glue the marabou to the bow. Use a decently long strip of glue as it will be all that's holding them together.

Run a strip of glue along the back of a french barrette and press firmly to the back of the bow. We will not use a center on this bow as it would ruin the round "poof" effect of the marabou.

What a fun way to dress-up your wall art!

Using grosgrain ribbon to "hang" your artwork adds instant character to any space!  As grosgrain ribbon is available in a wide range of colors, widths, and print patterns, virtually any style of wall art can be used.  This hanging method is very strking used for picture groupings, especially if they are all in a straight row.  It's also a lot of fun to select funky coordinating ribbons to hang children's framed pictures.

You can also leave the bow off for a simple classy statement.  If leaving off the bow, simply use one piece of ribbon and attach the ends to the back of the picture frame and hang on a dressy hook or accessory using the hanging instructions below.

Materials: wall art, ribbon, staple gun, sharp scissors, craft glue, lighter, saw-tooth picture hangers, small nails, hammer

Cut 2 ribbon strips leaving enough length for the bow as well. 

Arrange the strips so that they lay at the same angle as you want them once hung.  To be exact, you may want to measure the distance from the edges.

Use a heavy-duty staple gun to place a staple in the corner of each ribbon.

Place a small line of glue under the edge of the ribbon so that it is secured along a line instead of at a couple of staple points as using only staples can cause the ribbon to pull and stretch when hung.

Tie the two ribbon strips together in desired bow shape.  Our example used the bow described in this method shown in another post.  You can tie the bow so that it is centered or slightly off to one side.  To make it easier to perfectly center the bow, you can also tie the bow before attaching the ribbon pieces to the wall art so the bow can be postitioned exactly where you want it.

Cut the ribbon tails using whatever style you prefer.  This bow has a straight cut but you can also cut at an angle or use a decorative v-cut.  You will need to use a lighter or other method of sealing the edge of the ribbon ends.  To help secure the bow shape, we recommend using a small drop of glue inserted inside the knot to keep it from slipping later.

Attach either one or two hangers to your frame depending on the size of the wall art.  We used two.

Hang your artwork on the wall using the picture hangers.

Stretch the ribbon until it is taught (if there is any slack it will be obvious it is not actually hanging from the ribbon) and then tap a small nail into the wall to hold up the ribbon.  Use a small nail that can be covered up by the bow.

That's it!  Enjoy your artwork!

We had our official Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony this morning!

The saying is that "man cannot live on bread alone", but apparently man can live on coffee alone!

We could not keep up with the coffee intake and have almost all of our biscuits and gravy left!

So, if anybody is in the area and has a hankering for some good old home-made biscuits and gravy, stop in!

So I assume most readers of this blog will already know how to tie a hair-bow, but some of you bow-masters may be stumped when it comes to tying a decorative bow on the gift you are needing to take to a party. 

This classic bow also has many uses beyond gift packaging!  It is perfect for tying a dress sash (no more lopsided bows on the back-side of your daughter's elegant holiday dresses), tying decorative ribbon around a flower vase, tying a chair sash, hanging a picture frame, and the list goes on...

Materials:

Pair of sharp scissors

Ribbon (7/8" Shocking Pink ribbon used)

Lighter or other heat-sealing tool

Wrap your ribbon around the package with the ribbon ends going opposite directions on top of the package.  From the center of the top of the box to the ribbon ends should be at least 18" to give you enough length for the bow.

Wrap the left ribbon over and under the right ribbon.

It produces the same half-knot used when tying a shoe.

Create a loop with the ribbon now on the right.  Make it a little larger than the desired final size.

Move the ribbon on the left behind and around to the other side of the ribbon loop.

Continue to bring the same ribbon around the front of the loop.

With the same ribbon piece, continue to wrap it back around the back-side of the loop.  To do this, you will need to push it with your thumb between the back of the original loop and the first part of the same piece you are using.  This will create a new loop.

Pull on the loops of the bow and/or the tails to adjust the bow to your desired size and shape and to tighten the knot.

Line the tails up together to make your desired finish cut so that the cut is the same on both pieces as made at the same time.

Use a lighter to run along the edge of the ribbon or your preferred method of heat-sealing.  Some different types of ribbons do not require heat-sealing to prevent fraying, but the grosgrain ribbon used in our demonstration will need to be sealed.

Finished Bow

Welcome to the new home of the HairBow Center Blog Spot!

We have lots of fun things planned for this blog!

Besides the usual posts regarding sales, promotions, and news, we are also planning on periodically including project ideas and how-to instructions using the products we offer for sale on our web-site.

We would love to hear and share some of YOUR project ideas and see some of the fun things you have created with our product as well!

Let's have some fun creating together~