Tutorials and Product Advice - Ribbon Impressions

Buttons and Ribbons Projects

From buttons, ribbon pieces, leftover lace, scrapbook supplies and other items we think we’ll eventually use, most craft rooms aren’t complete without a collection of odds and ends. You probably purchased these items for other projects that ended up not using everything purchased or not using them.

So, what do you do with all those leftovers? You can’t return them and don’t feel right throwing them out. So, do you recycle them or give them away? Nope, keep them! You might eventually use them, right?

How many of us have extra buttons laying around the house or a craft room?

Instead of collecting piles and mounds of these leftovers, throw them into your next project! From hair ribbons to bookmarks to jewelry, buttons and ribbons are great for any project.

Does someone you know have a birthday or other celebration coming up? First, make them a homemade card with buttons and ribbons to acknowledge them on their special day. Then, follow up with a specialty ribbon medal made with those leftover pieces as a wonderful and personal gift.

Need to update your style? Take that old, worn out t-shirt out of the closet and add buttons and ribbon in complimentary colors to the hem, front or back. Use your imagination for this project to make your wardrobe truly unique.

Need a great piece to put with that fabulous new outfit? Match ribbons and buttons together to make fabulous one-of-a-kind jewelry, from earrings to bracelets and everything in between.

Don’t know what else to use these odds and ends for? Create your own projects, such as button and ribbon bookmarks or hair bows for your kids. Or simply wrap the next gift you give with colorful buttons and ribbons. Let your imagination dictate the direction you take, and remember, “the sky’s the limit!”

Logos On Ribbons

While ribbons are a great tool to use in the office or in commercial settings, the best use is adding personalized logos.

These logos can range from basic and simple, to somewhat complicated. By adding these logos to custom ribbons, whether they be ribbon rolls, badge ribbons or rosette ribbons, one can take full advantage of the advertising that comes from these wonderful tools.

A well designed logo is a mark of a well-run business. Adding a logo to to custom ribbons helps to associate employees and other that represent a company with a brand image that has been built for that company. Personalized Ribbons does require that these logos are provided in specific ways.

High quality artwork is required for all processes. All artwork will be reviewed by a designer and adjustments will be made to your order if necessary. These adjustments will be shown on a proof prior to production. Imprinted ribbons require black and white (one color) art files. Full color ribbons may be created using vector art or high quality bitmap files. Templates are also available to aid customers in the process of creating logos and placement for ribbons. All art received by Coller Industries Incorporated must be in compliance with all trademark, copyright, patent or related laws or acts and are the responsibility of the customer. And, as always, customer service is happy to assist where and when necessary.
VECTOR ART: Imprinted ribbons require vector art files.
BITMAP ART: Full color ribbons may use either vector or bitmap artwork (300 dpi or better).

With that being said, logos should be a fun way to express oneself. And what a great idea to help promote and brand a business or organization. Company branding helps to expands a business or really get the word out about the company’s purpose.
Corporate branding is the process of promoting the logo and/or brand name of a company or corporation for marketing and advertising purposes. Typically the range of a corporate brand is very broad and is often used as a way to express the company’s ideals and goals.
From corporate gifting to recruiting and retention of employees, this brand (or logo) will always come in handy. Use it to your advantage today by putting it on ribbons.

Ribbon Colors and What They Mean

Have you ever seen different ribbon colors and asked: What does that yellow ribbon tied around that tree mean? Or, why is “so-and-so” wearing that ribbon color?

Ribbons in a large variety of colors are used throughout the year to celebrate and honor many occasions and holidays. Typically ribbon rolls are used to celebrate weddings, birthdays and other party events. Acknowledging achievements is the role of award and rosette ribbons, whereas badge ribbons provide information. However, all ribbons can be used throughout the year and for many different purposes.

The Importance of Ribbon Colors

The color of the ribbon can be important, especially if you are using the ribbon to support the awareness of causes that are important to you. A short ribbon is folded and glued into a loop, with the color determining the meaning. Also, these awareness ribbons can stand for many different things depending on the color. Though color is most important for awareness ribbons, don’t forget choosing colors for badge ribbons and rosettes are just as important.

The Meaning of Ribbon Colors

Colors can influence our thinking, inspire decision-making and impact our moods. So when choosing your ribbon colors, be aware of the common reactions inspired by them.

Black

Black is elegant and shows formality and strength. It is an deep color that can be intimidating, but it exudes authority and makes us feel secure and protected.

Awareness ribbons: Black ribbons generally symbolize mourning, including the loss of a child, POW/MIA, anti-terrorism and gun control. Medically black is used for narcolepsy, sleep disorders and melanoma.

Gray

The calming influence of gray is peaceful, relaxing and soothing. However, it is also a conservative and unemotional color.

Awareness ribbons: Allergies, aphasia, asthma and brain cancer.

White/Pearl/Silver

The purity and lightness of these colors stand for intuition, faith and innocence.

Awareness ribbons: Blindness, bone disease, osteoporosis, postpartum depression, peace, adoption, child exploitation, elderly abuse and violence against women and community.

Blue

Blue is the color of trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, protection, intelligence, tranquility, integrity, healing, understanding and devotion.

Awareness ribbons: Assault, abuse, victims of natural disasters, drunk driving, anti-bullying, addiction recovery, cancer, dystonia, education, anti-tobacco, arthritis, free speech and water quality.

Yellow

This bright color inspires thought and curiosity. It is a cheerful and energetic color boosting enthusiasm and confidence.

Awareness ribbons: Hunger, cultural diversity, leukemia, cancer, self-injury awareness, support for troops and suicide prevention.

Orange

Orange exudes warmth and joy, encouraging emotional strength, social communication and creativity.

Awareness ribbons include cultural diversity, leukemia, malnutrition, ADHD and self-injury.

Green

Inspiring harmony and health, green is a warm, relaxing color that helps balance our emotions.

Awareness ribbons supporting the color green: Environmental concerns, depression, growth and rebuilding, literacy, mental health, cerebral palsy and tissue donation.

Brown

Standing for stability and reliability, brown is dependable and comforting.

Awareness ribbons: Disability, spinal cord injuries, paralysis and anti-tobacco.

Red

Red radiates intense, passionate, powerful energies that motivate us to take action. However, red is also a warning and can signal caution and danger.

Awareness ribbons: Burn victims, cardiovascular disease, courage, inspiration, DARE, stroke, AIDS and HIV.

Pink

Pink symbolizes sympathy and compassion; it feels kind and comforting. It communicates love and its friendly and playful spirit calms and nurtures us.

Awareness ribbons: Breast cancer awareness ribbons are among the most recognized. Pink ribbons are also a symbol for birth parents and nursing mothers.

Purple

Purple is the color of spirituality and imagination. People often associate it with luxury and royalty.

Purple Awareness ribbons include ADD and ADHD, Alzheimer’s, domestic violence, elderly abuse, epilepsy and March of Dimes.

Valentine Ribbon Uses

You might be saying to yourself, “Wait! I thought the holidays were over!” But, here comes another one! And what a great way to use some of that left over red and white scrap ribbon! So, pull yourself together and gather all your creativity onto the table. Bring it on… bring on Valentine’s Day!

Simple projects for just about anyone.

Let’s just get this idea out of the way. Super quick, grab a good length of leftover ribbon roll (red or white to match the season) and wrap that perfect gift for your special someone. This could be a beautiful bouquet of flowers or a quick box of chocolates. By adding the ribbon, it shows how much you really care.

Got kids? Do they need Valentine cards for classes at school? Here are a few quick ideas to use up those ribbon scraps.

Idea one – While this doesn’t really use ribbon scraps, it could still be fun! Order badge ribbons with a cute phrase and your child’s name. Then when the time comes, each recipient child will have a unique memoir.

Idea two – At some point in everyone’s life, we’ve all ended up needing paint for something. Remember those paint chip sample cards? Go grab a bunch of those and either punch hearts into them or buy stickers to simply decorate for the kids in your child’s class. Once decorated, use that scrap ribbon roll to tie streamers to the top of the paint chips. These fun and unique Valentine Cards can now be reused as a bookmark.

Idea three – When was the last time you really used all of the baking cups for cupcakes or muffins? Have any left over? Stack a couple of these together, cutting and trimming some of them, to create a stacked look. Use a fun sticker for the middle of this fun rosette ribbon. Once completed, each rosette still needs the streamers. Use those ribbon roll scraps and attach a couple to the bottom of each rosette. These can now be attached to a piece of card stock or given as is.

While these ideas are to use leftover ribbon pieces you might have, don’t hesitate to order new ribbon rolls, rosette ribbons or badge ribbons to meet your needs. Be creative and, most importantly, have fun!

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.