Tutorials and Product Advice - Ribbon Impressions

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.

Company Branding with Personalized Ribbons

What is company branding?

A company’s brand is what they are, what they want to be, and what they aim to become as a whole. It can be a promise of quality, trust or service. A brand is what makes a company or organization truly unique. Branding should make any company stand out from its competitors and lets the consumer know what to expect from that company.

Branding is one of the most important parts of any business, whether it be large or small. Building a strong brand helps a company or organization be financially strong. Product marketing is really where this process all begins.

In order to be successful in marketing a company’s brand, one must have a strong branding or marketing strategy. To determine the brand of a business, one must identify a target market and the product or service distribution means. By doing so, the organization can communicate the brand to this target market. And with the use of personalized ribbons, a company’s brand will truly stand out. Personalized ribbons are truly a great tool in company branding.

A few things to consider when working with an organization’s brand:

Brand Identity: This is the customer’s knowledge of and ability to recognize the brand.

Brand Meaning: This is the character of the brand beyond the image, and includes product or business features, reliability, value and experience.

Consumer Relationship: This is the attitude of the customer toward the brand.

Remember that a brand is the means to communicate with a chosen market. Each brand needs to be visually stimulating, thereby encouraging product loyalty. Carefully designed branding leads to a secure business or organization. An organization’s brand should posses the above characteristics.

Most of our personalized ribbons can be printed with a company logo and each ribbon has its own value. Ribbon rolls are great for corporate gifting and event decoration. Badge ribbons can be used not only on badge holders and name tags, but for awards, bookmarks and other recognition pieces. Rosette ribbons are commonly used for awards and can be used to highlight accomplishments in an office or business setting.

An organization’s brand serves as a promise to the consumer. Whether this promise is of services or product, remember that the brand will be used in a marketing strategy and requires copious research. Consumers must understand a brand to increase the effectiveness and value for the company.

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.

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.*