embellishments - Ribbon Impressions

Using Personalized Wedding Ribbons

While wedding season is typically in June and July, that doesn’t mean the ideas stop flowing. Especially for planning all the details using your personalized wedding ribbons. Yes, typically personalized ribbons are used for adding detail to flowers and centerpieces, but here are a few extra ideas for using all of that personalized wedding ribbon. And, if you run out, you can always order more!

Decorate that wedding cake!

It doesn’t matter how many tiers you have on your wedding cake, what matters is that it is special to you. By adding some personalized wedding ribbon around one, two, or more tiers on the cake, you can bring out that special meaning of your day. Make sure to order this ribbon in your wedding colors and add personalized information such as the date, names and maybe a fun phrase that means something special to both the bride and groom.

Wedding aisle decorations

Using personalized wedding ribbon on guest’s chairs is a great way to add decorations to any wedding. Make a large bow that can sit on the aisle chairs from any personalized ribbon. Using your wedding colors and a unique message will help to express how special this day is to you.

Wrap any utensils in personalized wedding ribbon.

Simply put, make these items special by adding your dated personalized wedding ribbon around the handles of the cake knife and server. Or, bundle the silverware for the wedding luncheon or dinner with personalized ribbon reflecting the bride’s and groom’s initials or the wedding date.

Another fun idea, along this line, is to wrap the salt and pepper shakers or any other serving pieces with your personalized wedding ribbon. This adds to the table centerpieces and overall decorations.

Add personal flair to wedding favors or thank you gifts.

No matter what you’re sending home as a thank you for the hours spent on your special day, make it really personal with some added personalized wedding ribbon. Have the ribbon imprinted with a simple thank you, or add names, dates or any other suitable detail that will help a brides maid or even a guest remember your special day.

How To: Canning Jar Gifts

Is it time to start thinking about holiday neighbor or group gifts? If so, check out these great ideas! And don’t forget to personalize them!

Vanilla-Brown-Sugar-Scrub The Frugal Girls Gifts in a Jar

I-Love-You-to-Pieces The Frugal Girls Gifts in a Jar

Hot-Cocoa-Mix The Frugal Girls Gifts in a Jar

Reeses-Chocolate-Cookie-Mix The Frugal Girls Gifts in a Jar

Canning jars can be used for other things besides flower vases. As scary as it sounds, it is coming to the point of the year when people are starting to think of great group gifts for the upcoming holidays. (Dare one say Christmas?) One of these group or neighbor gifts can be to create large quantities of homemade recipes that only require adding minimal liquids or perishables to make yummy homemade treats. The benefits of making these is that not only do you get to let people sample your recipes, but their homes will start to smell of fresh baking for the holidays. Examples for these homemade canning jar gifts may include (but, of course, are not limited to): hot chocolate, wassail or chai mixes, candy in a jar, cookie or cake mixes, or even a good sugar or salt scrub.

And don’t forget that those canning jars don’t just decorate themselves! While a canning jar itself isn’t something spectacularly beautiful, by adding satin ribbon to compliment the contents of the canning jar, you can really create something special. Add a personalized ribbon with a “Thank You” or “Happy Holidays” and let that neighbor know you really care. Or, add any message you desire to your personalized ribbon.

So, don’t forget to throw in your own personal touch by adding embellishments to your canning jars. Not only are you sharing your recipe and the joy of homemade goodies with those around you, but you can also create your own personal flair with these gifts. Go to it; decorate those canning jars however you want! Just don’t forget to use some personalized ribbons to really make these wonderful gifts really special and memorable.

How To: Canning Jars and Ribbons

No matter what the occasion is, when the urge hits to give someone flowers, keep in mind to never just steal them from your neighbor’s garden! Put some thought into the arraignment and make it a personal gift that will mean something for a long time with thoughtful personalized ribbons. And what better way than to make a personalized vase?

So, take those flowers from last week and create a home made project that is sure to please for years to come. We’re all into up-cycling anything these days. Why not incorporate all those old Mason Jars? While it isn’t required to actually use a Mason Jar, find a few of those old canning jars that are lying around your home. And here’s a couple amazing ideas to get you going in the right direction for that something special and personal. All you need is a canning jar without a lid and some scraps of ribbon!

Spring Tulips and Burlap Wrapped Mason Jars flower arrangements

gingham and mason jars a pretty cool life

mason jars with satin green ribbon and white doilies

flowers in clustered mason jars, held together with a ribbon

The simplest way to create a personalized masterpiece is an old canning jar, a wide strip of burlap and a favorite piece of old scrap ribbon. Simply wrap that burlap around the canning jar and secure down with a bit of hot glue. Next, take that ribbon and tie a pretty bow. It’s that simple!

Another way to create these simple vases is to just take a ribbon of your choice and wrap it around the top part of the canning jar. This example used gingham ribbon, but any ribbon will work. Make it personalized by ordering (or using some you already have) personalized ribbon rolls. Dress up this version with a simple paper doily wrapped around the canning jar before tying the ribbon around it.

The final suggestion is to arrange several canning jars together and secure them with a long piece of ribbon. Finish this with a simple, or maybe a more extravagant bow. Whether they be in clusters, like this example, or individual canning jars, these are sure to impress and be a keepsake for years to come.

Using Ribbons and Flowers for Gifts

Make your flowers stand out with a personalized ribbon!

Due to the recent seasons being quite wet, there is now an abundance of flowers in nearby meadows, fields and gardens. Flowers are always a great idea to either bring into a home or give as a thank you or a just because gift. Once you choose the right flower, dress it up with some personalized ribbons!

From the beginning of recorded history, flowers have been assigned special meanings and significance. The symbolic use of a flower is mentioned in Egyptian inscriptions, Chinese writings, and in Greek and Roman mythology. Subtle and secret messages can be given by choosing a flower carefully. Flowers were used throughout history as a secret language that enabled people to communicate feelings that were not allowed at certain times and places. Other factors to consider when giving flowers include color and number.

Nowadays, it has become almost a norm to give flowers for certain occasions. Weddings still dominate this category, but they are good for funerals, birthday gifts, anniversary gifts, and many more. Once an appropriate flower is chosen, such as a bunch of a dozen red and white roses for your significant other on your anniversary, choosing the right ribbon is fairly simple.

When choosing the ribbon to match the flower bouquet, make sure that your colors compliment each other well. You don’t want to choose a bland ribbon color to go with bright flowers.

One idea is to wrap the stems of pink roses with yellow or gold ribbon. When choosing the printing color, make sure that compliments the arrangement as well. Make sure your ribbon choice helps the flower colors to really pop and stand out.

For some flower bouquets, use a neutral color for your ribbon. Try a white or tropic blue with metallic green printing. Can’t decide how to personalize the ribbons to match a flower? Try using your name or provide a date that the present is being given upon. Or, use a short phrase or logo to really make them personal.

No matter what the occasion is, when the urge hits to give someone flowers, keep in mind to never just steal them from your neighbor’s garden! Put some thought into the arrangement and make it a personal gift that will mean something for a long time with thoughtful personalized ribbons.

Avoiding Boring Badge Ribbons – Part 2

The boring badge ribbon has proven functional at many professional gatherings. Keep this in mind when choosing badge ribbons as they are meant to improve the effectiveness of a name badge. The five previous tips were aimed to help decide which type of badge ribbon was the best for each ribbon project. Here are five more tips to help with the overall design of any badge ribbon.

TIP #6 Avoiding Boring Ribbons: Choose a distinctive font.

The easiest way to drastically improve how your ribbon looks, and to keep it from being boring, is by using a nice font. There are many fonts available that will meet most any need. Keep in mind that most fonts will require a metal die.

Badge ribbon printing requires the use of dies, which are made to imprint onto the ribbons. A die is basically like a stamp as it presses a printing foil down on to the badge ribbon. Wherever the stamp touches the foil to the ribbon, the foil will stay printed, or dyed, onto the badge ribbon.

Many badge ribbons may be printed using a polymer die. Polymer dies are faster and less expensive, but they do have a few drawbacks. They are made from a softer material than metal dies; they also wear out quickly, so they can’t be used for large runs of the same ribbon; and they don’t hold detail well, so only thick, plain letters and shapes can be used. Small holes in the design, like the inside of a letter “a” or “e” may fill in because the die can’t press hard enough to ensure a clean impression.

A metal die, which is much stronger than the polymer die, can hold much more detail and will ensure a much cleaner imprint. Using a metal die no longer limits the choice of font; text may be made smaller or even add a logo or other image. Metal dies give much more freedom in the design of a badge ribbon and are well worth the additional cost. They can also be saved to use again and again.

TIP #7 Avoiding Boring Ribbons: Have fun with your text.

Text doesn’t have to be boring like straight side-to-side or up-and-down. Depending on the badge ribbon chosen, the text can be set at an angle or even on a curve. This is a great trick to get longer words to fit on a narrower ribbon and doesn’t always require a metal die.

TIP #8 Avoiding Boring Ribbons: Don’t limit yourself to one color.

For a better looking badge ribbon, use a combination of colors. A plain badge ribbon suddenly seems less boring when changes to a few elements are made. If the badge ribbon really needs to make an impression, try a Full Color Custom Ribbon. This badge ribbon will be printed in full color and has no limits to fonts or number of colors and no metal dies. You can even get a photograph printed on these badge ribbons.

TIP #9 Avoiding Boring Ribbons: Plan the shape and size of your ribbon.

Each ribbon should take content and function into account when adjusting the length or shape. If there is extra empty space, make the ribbon smaller or request options for making the text fill it better. Each badge ribbon should fit the text comfortably and not be crowded or empty. Make the badge ribbon unique by replacing the pinked ends with a fishtail.

TIP #10 Avoiding Boring Ribbons: Add a company logo.

Nothing spices up a badge ribbon like an image. Use a company logo or find a basic image that will set off the design on the ribbon; it will instantly increase the ribbon’s appeal. Remember, a metal die will be required.

So the next time you find yourself in need of a ribbon for that upcoming event, keep these 10 tips in mind and the planning stages should be a bit easier and more enjoyable.

*Tips and graphics provided by guest author Melanie Bunch, Graphic Artist at Coller Industries.*