I am obsessed with
ribbon. The following are my favorite ways to use ribbon because it makes
everyday life just a little bit more adorable. Most of these simple ideas can
be made with stuff just lying around the house.
You can browse bulk ribbon by going here,
and start coordinating which colors and patterns you want to use in
certain ways.
1. Double knot a
ribbon and tie it in a bow around your boring Samsonite luggage. This adds
a cute personal touch, and will prevent that awkward and confused moment when
you grab a stranger’s luggage. You can use a single ribbon, or go crazy with it,
fitting as many as possible onto the handle.
2. Wrap a piece of
ribbon around your ponytail and tie a perfect bow. This is classically
beautiful, and makes almost any hairstyle look instantly polished. If I realize
that my outfit is too dark and drab, a pretty red ribbon in the hair adds life
to an otherwise gothic look.
3. Make a photo
collage for a loved one, and frame it with the perfect ribbon. I made a
black and white mix of photos and glued a bright red ribbon around the edges of
a thrift store frame. This turned out to be part of a perfect one year, dating
anniversary gift I gave my boyfriend at the time. This idea also happens to be
really cheap, so it is great for anybody on a budget.
4. Tie a ribbon
around a dress to change the look of your curves. I love this one. Tie the
bow and slide it around to the back. This will make your waist look smaller and
break up a pattern to add contrast.
5. String up a
necklace. If you are like me and have a ton of random pendants lying in a
jewelry box that sadly never see the light of day, you can easily repurpose
them with ribbon. Get a thin ribbon around ¼ inch wide that matches your outfit
and whatever bead you have lying around, and string the necklace however you
want. You can also add a clasp to make a more permanent necklace (alternatively
you would tie a bow behind your neck).
I
recommend these jewelry pliers, get the tiny baby ones from Wubbers
(cute!), for opening and closing the small jump rings.
6. Tie about five
inches of ribbon around a paperclip to make a non-slip book mark. I tend to
do most of my reading right at bedtime, and I like that this bookmark allows me
to place it directly to the right of the line I start dozing off while reading.
7. Use a real ribbon
while gift wrapping. This doubles a gift’s cuteness factor. Even if you are
giving the gift to a particularly masculine boyfriend, a bright green or blue
ribbon is still appropriate and handy.
8. Tie a ribbon
around a canning jar. Canning jars make great containers for dry recipe
gifts, lights and even jams or jellies! Whatever you put in the jar, adding a
touch of color and decorations will set it off.
9. Use it as a key
ring and never chip a nail on those hazardous metal circles again. Make
sure to double knot the ribbon so you can rest assured that no keys will go
missing.
10. Tie different
colors around the stems of wine glasses. Besides adding a cute splash of
color to tonight’s glass of wine, it also will help guests at a dinner party keep
track of their beverage.
Angela Johnson is a freelance writer for HairBow
Center. She loves crafting, sewing and DIY projects of all kinds. She
lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her family and two dogs.
