Creative Ribbon Rolls: Kanzashi Flowers

When most people think of ribbon rolls, they consider wrapping presents or decorating for a party or some other function. Some people, however, think “what can I do with this that will make it quirky?” Here’s an idea to get your creative juices flowing! Kanzashi Flowers!

We love sharing the way people around the world use ribbons! Kanzashi are traditional Japanese folded flowers. These flowers are made from small squares of silk, fabric or ribbon, and are typically worn by women as hair ornaments.

Kanzashi flowers are traditionally made with habotai silk giving them a vibrant color and rich texture. However, some people create these flowers with ribbon or other fabrics.

Making kanzashi flowers takes patience and a lot of practice. There are several ways to make these flowers, depending upon the ribbon type you are using and what kind of flower you are creating. Some people reinforce the flowers by sewing the petals together or gluing beads and buttons into the center of the blooms.

While kanzashi are traditionally used as hair ornaments, these lovely flowers have a variety of other uses:

Secure a flower to a pin or wearable magnet and wear it as a brooch.

Sew flowers to the bottom of a scarf or the brim of a winter hat.

Add a flower to a gift in place of a ribbon.

Sew flowers to your favorite accent pillow.

Arrange several flowers in a glass bowl for a unique centerpiece.

How To Make Kanzashi Flowers

Take your ribbon and fold it across the width to get a triangle and with that as a template cut it out into square pieces. The number of pieces you need will depend on the width of the ribbon.

Fold the square into a triangle first and bring together the corners. Now, fold this shape again along the newly formed edge and the gathered corner. Be sure to secure the cut edges using a lighter or another flame. Hot glue also works to hold the petals together.

Once you have finished all folding, you will have three folds parallel. Make sure to align them properly/evenly so that your flower petal looks symmetrical.

Now that your petals are ready, all you need to do is to apply hot glue on the sides of each flower petals and glue them together to form a ring of petals which will resemble a flower in any case.

While there are many tutorials online for making kanzashi flowers and ornaments, here are a couple of pictures to get any creative mind working at full capacity.

making Kanzashi Flowers using ribbon rolls and turning them into decorations

Add your flair to these lovely flowers using buttons, lace, rhinestones or glitter; whatever your heart desires to make this craft your own.

Creative Ribbons: Hair Accessories

Ever wonder what people really do with all those ribbon rolls?

Here’s an idea to get your creative juices flowing! Hair Accessories!

Time to bring out all those ribbon rolls again, and the project this time is hair bows and other accessories. While most of these don’t require a personalized ribbon roll, it doesn’t hurt to have them on hand. So, grab whatever you can and let’s get started.

First, and probably the easiest idea is the hair tie. Grab a length of ribbon that will wrap at least twice around a pony tail. This length may vary depending on how much hair you intend to tie up in this ribbon. Secure the pony tail in an elastic. Once this is done and the pony tail is to your liking, simply wrap the ribbon around the pony tail to cover the elastic. Finish this look by securing the ribbon with a simple bow, much like a shoelace.

This next idea will only take about five minutes to complete. You will need to hair elastics and a long piece cut from a ribbon roll. Simply join the two hair elastics with a simple knot. Once this is done, take your ribbon and measure the length needed. This is done by gently, but securely, wrapping the ribbon roll around your head where you will wear the headband once. Add one to two inches to that length and give it a snip! Singe the ends of the ribbon to avoid fraying. Then just wrap one end of the ribbon through one end of the hair elastic knot and sew it in place; hot glue is also an option to secure the ends. Repeat this process with the other side of the knot and the other end of the ribbon. And, you’re done!

Another super easy idea is to take approximately the same length of strips from a ribbon roll and secure them with a knot around a single hair elastic. Variate the colors on this project for a unique look, or use color combinations that go with holidays or specific outfits that are in your closet. These are super cute for little girls and they typically love the frilly look of this simple hair accessory.

The last idea is super cute and also really easy! Cut three to four 5-6 inch pieces off a ribbon roll. Find the center of each strip and fold the ends in to meet each other at this point. Hot glue the ends to the middle of the ribbon strip. Repeat this process for each strip. Lay each ribbon on top of each other and fan out into a flower shape. Once this is done, carefully pull each layer up and secure them with a dab of hot glue. Line an alligator clip using another strip of your ribbon roll. Glue the flower onto the clip and add a colorful button to the center of the flower to complete this cute project.

While there are only four ideas here, there are hundreds other out there. Do you have a unique idea for hair accessories that you would like to share?

Idea of the Week: A Ribbon Curtain

How about an easy project for this week?! A ribbon curtain can be used for almost any occasion and it is easy to set up and make! Just choose a ton of your favorite ribbon rolls, customize them if you wish, and make this fantastic project!

There are multiple ways to make these, but here are a few quick ideas.

The first way is to simply take the desired length of ribbon and run it the full way down the desired wall. Attach the ribbons to a string to create the curtain. Repeat this process until the curtain is the desired width. Once this is all done, simply secure the string or bar into place. These are great for weddings and other formal parties. And don’t forget to customize the ribbon rolls with the wedding details, such as the date or the bride and groom’s names.

The second way is to use a bar that can either be hung or placed in a doorway. These are great for birthday parties and photo booths. Use the same technique described above. The fun part about using a bar is that it can be hung outdoors or used on a party table or as a photo booth for fun pictures.

Our final suggestion to creating your own ribbon curtain is to actually use a curtain and either permanently affix the ribbon rolls or using tape, or another removable adhesive, temporarily place the ribbons along the curtain. This creates a unique and fun way of displaying the customized ribbon rolls and will add character to any function.

A Couple of Extra Ideas

Tie the curtains on the backs of chairs for a unique detail at a formal party or wedding, use shorter ribbons for a fun picture accessory, or tie the ribbon rolls around a curved bar or hula hoop for hanging decorations at a birthday party.

Our ribbon rolls come in a variety of types and sizes. From Grosgrain to Floral Satin Acetate and even Organza, we can meet any need you might have. Can’t decide which will work best for your project? Try browsing our Idea Gallery to help with your ideas.

Unique and Easy Ribbon Jewelry

There are many things you can create from ribbon rolls. Why not use them to create your own unique ribbon jewelry. Here are a few ideas:

unique ribbon roll beaded necklace ribbon jewelry Beaded Necklaces: This ribbon jewelry project is super easy. Choose your favorite ribbon and measure it by looping it around your neck. Make it as long as you would like, add a couple inches for the knotting, and trim the piece off the ribbon roll. Then, simply add beads! There are many kinds of beads that can be used on this project; and thousands of colors. Thread a bead onto the ribbon and move to the center. Tie a knot on each side of the bead making it immobile. Continue to do this until you have the desired look. This example has extra ribbon cut to make two cute bows at the end of the beading. Simply finish the necklace by tying the ends together in a bow.

Metal Tab Ribbon Jewelry: For a bracelet, thread your ribbon through a washer, making sure to leave plenty of ribbon left over on the end. Thread the ribbon through a second washer and then back down through the hole of the first washer. Pull the ribbon tight. Thread the ribbon back through the hole in the second washer. Thread the ribbon through the middle of a third washer and back through the hole in the second washer, pulling the ribbon tight. Repeat this process as many times as you like until you are happy with the amount of washers on your necklace or bracelet. When you are done, trim the ends of the ribbon so they are the same length and tie them together.

These pop tab necklaces can be done with several ribbon colors. For this example, there are two colors. Start by measuring out the two ribbon rolls to the desired length and knot them at one end. Using an under and over weaving pattern, add the first tab to the bracelet by weaving the ribbon under the first slot in each pop tab for each ribbon. Then add the second pop tab by weaving over the first slot. Follow this with weaving them back through the first pop tab. Tighten the ribbons to make sure they are laying correctly and add the third tab using the same steps. Repeat this pattern until your bracelet is the desired length. Once done, simply tie the ends together into a bow.

Ribbon Headbands: While not exactly ribbon jewelry, the only materials needed for this easy craft are two pieces of ribbon that are equal in length and a plastic headband. This headband can have two colors or one. Start by taking one ribbon by the end and fold it back on itself to form a loop. Take the second ribbon and wrap one end around the base of the first ribbon’s loop, then tie it into a secure knot. Make sure to leave a short tail on each ribbon for the end of the bookmark. Note that the tails should be on the same side of the longest tail on the first ribbon. This step should also leave the length of the first ribbon hanging down. You should be able to gently pull on this longer tail to adjust the size of the loop. Once the knot is secure, form the second ribbon into a loop (just like the first loop you made) and thread it through the first loop and pull the first loop’s tail down to secure the second loop. Make sure to leave this as flat as possible and not bunched. If it becomes bunched, you are pulling the loops too securely. Now that you have completed this, the rest of the project just repeats itself from left to right. So, at this point you should have a loop on the right side. Pull the right hand ribbon through this loop and secure it down with the ribbon on the left. Now you should have a loop on the left side. Repeat this process until you have created a the braid as long as you want. To finish the bookmark, instead of forming more loops, pull one side of the ribbon all the way through to create a free end. Pull the other end up to match this one and finish with a simple overhand knot. Make sure this isn’t pulled too tightly or it will smash the final braid. Now, by using hot glue, simply attach the chain to the headband.

Building School Spirit

Show pride in your school with two-color school spirit bows.

Perfect for school fund raisers, booster clubs, school bands, pep rallies or just for fun. You can use any color combination to coordinate with your school or favorite sports team. Take these school spirit bows one step further by adding a logo, saying or motto as a custom ribbon roll.

Each school spirit bow can be used in many different ways. Use them for chair decorations, hair ribbons or pom-pom accessories. And the best way to use them is by recognizing each student and helping them to develop positive feeling for themselves and the school. By helping all students to know of their worth, school spirit can be developed and shown in everything around the students.

While there are many ways to make and shape this type of bow, this is probably the easiest: Classic Pom-Pom Bows.

school spirit bows with personalized ribbons using satin acetate ribbon rolls Pom-pom bows are the fullest type of ribbon bows. To make this bow, you will need two very long pieces of ribbon; they will need to be the same length. The longer the pieces of ribbon, the fuller and bigger the bow will be. Start by matching the ribbons together, making sure that each of the ends match up. This puffy bow is then made by wrapping the ribbon around your fingers or another device, such as a ruler. The main point on this bow is that the loops are uniform in size. Start with five or six wraps. To make your bow larger, spread your fingers or use a longer object. To make it fuller, add more loops. After completing the wraps of ribbon, fold the loops in half. Tie the bow in the middle with a coordinating narrow ribbon or wire. Separate the loops one by one to the right and left from the inside out. Twist each ribbon loop toward you as you pull it from the center. Make sure that the colors are alternating in your bow.

While most ribbon will work for this project, make sure to use a ribbon that will be of the appropriate size for your project. The thinner the ribbon roll is, the smaller the bow will be. Also, Floral Satin Acetate ribbon or DYNA Floral Satin ribbon will typically hold the bow shape better than an Organza ribbon or Single/Double Face Satin ribbon will.