Excessive alliteration – it’s a good thing.
Confession: I haven’t thrown out a ribbon out since 1988.
Y’all, I’m not even kidding. It’s nuts. We are talking eleventy hundred random ribbon scraps stuffed in drawers and boxes and hanging from hooks in the wall of my dining room. It’s not like they are especially impressive in quality, I just can’t bare the thought of throwing them out. The hoarding obsession started the first time I saw the ‘evil ribbon peddler’ scene from Faerie Tale Theater’s Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, produced and hosted by the fabulously peculiar Shelley Duvall.
What ever happened to Shelley Duvall anyway?
I heart Shelley Duvall.
She’s got those crazy eyes.
The eyes of a fellow ribbon hoarder.
I can tell.
OK, enough about Shelly and her crazy ribbon hoarder eyes….So, tradition dictates that the Maid of Honor collects ribbons from wedding gifts at the Bridal shower. This was right up my alley. Usually people tie them to a paper plate to be worn as a hat, or a bouquet to be used at the wedding rehearsal. Try as I might, BFF did not go for the hat. Poo on her! That hat would have been Hello Dolly! awesome.
Most of the bouquets I have seen are just pinned/stapled randomly and come out looking great, but I wanted something sturdy. Something that would last. A memento she could add to her children’s dress-up cupboard down the road, or to stick in a vase in the hall bathroom. Nothing too precious, just sturdy with the silhouette of a traditional bridal bouquet.
Enter ribbon roses!
Instructions.
These are so easy, I feel stupid posting a tutorial but the results are really satisfying. I have been collecting wire edge Xmas ribbon for years in hopes of one day collecting enough to cover an entire tree with these ribbon roses. It’s a lofty goal, but I’ll get there one day. These babies are fast!
PS: If you are working with ribbons without a wire edge, make a simple running stitch instead)
1. Throw a Bridal Shower and collect the ribbons. All of them. Even the plastic purple ones. Make cat toys out of the not-so-pretty ones.
2. Pull the wire out (demonstrated on a 21″ length of ribbon, but you get the drift.)
3. Keep pulling until it gets all rumpled up.
4. Wrap the wire around the end of the ribbon forming a stub.
5. Swirl the ribbon around like a cinnamon bun.
6. Pull the two stubby ends together and wrap with a pipe cleaner. The pipe cleaner will keep the shape pretty well, but if you are worried about long term use, reinforce with a safety pin or a dab of glue.
7. And there is your rose!
8. Repeat on all the ribbons and pull them together into a dense cluster. Dangle some longer green ribbons on the bottom if you like.
9. Give it to the bride and be prepared to sing She’s Getting Married in the Morning allllllll night long!
Jamie
AHHH fairie tale theatre!! i used to watch that all the time when i was little!! it was all i knew of shelley until i saw the shining… and didn’t she play olive oil in the live action popeye?
PEACHES
Yeah Jamie, that’s her! Actually, I was just reading that faerie tale theater initially started on the “Popeye” set, when Shelley and Robin Williams started talking about childhood stories and decided to do a small project…they made “The Frog Prince” together and it snowballed into a series. Lord, do I love them. You can get the whole series on netflix or even find some of them on Youtube –check it out!
The Polka Dot Closet
I can’t throw out ribbon either! So, if you are crazy, so am I! I love the bouquet, such a better option to stapling them to a paper plate! What a beautiful bride!
Carol
Michele Pacey
throw out a ribbon and you come very near death at my house. you just barely squeak by. so… i know of what you speak… never made those ribbon flowers though! they are awesome. got to have a go at those some fine day very soon! thanks Peaches!
Michelle L.
Mmm, cinnamon bu – wait, what was this post about? Oh yeah – GLORIOUS ribbon rose bouquets! I totally love them, thanks for the tute. Like Michele above, I have never tried these, thanks for the reminder and the inspiration!
Kate
Hey peaches…just found your blog. It’s a pleasure to make it to this smiley happy place!!
Little Treasures
Gorgeous!
tatiana
I’m so glad to know I’m not the only person who has ever seen Fairie Tale Theatre! I still watch them sometimes, but they used to scare the crap out of me when i was little.
BTW, ribbon bouquet – awesome idea. May have to do this for my SIL who is getting married.
IndieSpotting
Great idea for repurposing ribbon! I love finding new uses for things, and this bouquet is beautiful! 🙂
Sammy
pretty progect, gorgeous bride!
mazel mazel one and all!
mekei
Are there people who do throw out ribbon? i cut buttons off clothes before discarding them. i even have the kids trained. that’s normal too, right???? they look so pretty in the jars and when i use them.