Hair Clip How-To

We've been busily crafting hair clips the last couple of days.  Mostly during naps and after bedtime for the littles because Taylor needs all attention on her while she's awake ;)  It seems as though some of you think they are just as adorable as we do.  I've had inquiries regarding how to purchase some {thank you!  Most of the money is going straight toward the girls' dance costumes for their Christmas recital, but I've promised them that they can keep some of it to do with what they please.  We are planning on putting some in the Etsy shop, so if you are interested, let me know which designs, and we'll create a custom listing}.  And others have been curious as to how to make their own.  Well, we love to share, so here ya go.  A little mini tutorial for these little felt hair clippies.

First, we start with wool felt.  It holds up well, and looks beauty-ful.  You'll also need scissors, a snap clip, embroidery floss, needle, and any embellishments you choose.

Next, you'll want to cut the felt into the shape of the clip.  You'll need two pieces.  One for the top, one for the bottom, and you'll want the felt to be a tad bigger than the clip so that you can stitch around it.  Take one of the pieces {this will be the bottom}, and poke a little hole near the back of the felt so that you can slip the clip in. 

This is the under side.



Then you'll snap the clip closed on the felt, and proceed to the top portion.  Stitch your embellishment on the top piece.



Time to make a clip sandwich.  Take the top felt piece and position it on the clip that is snapped into the bottom portion.  Then stitch around using a blanket stitch {or any other stitch you wish.  I just like this particular stitch because it finishes it off so well}.



And voila!

I love making these clips because they don't take too much time, they're super adorable, make great gifts {truth be told, I wear them myself}, and you can put all of the supplies in a little tin and take it with you for craftiness on the go!

Enjoy :)

Wordful Wednesday ~ Mini-Preneurs

The girls {Makenna, especially} have been brainstorming ideas to make a little money.  After all, they spent a good majority of the money they had been saving when we were at American Girl last month.

Makenna's idea was to bake cookies, and head on down to the market to sell them in the parking lot.  Poor little thing, I hated to burst her bubble by telling her that wasn't a possibility. 

So I got to thinking. 
We have plenty of crafting materials around here.
Why not just put our little crafty hands together and see what we come up with.

You know how I love me some cute hair accessories. 
And these felt clippies are a favorite of mine.

Lucky for the girls, they have a super sweet and wonderful dance instructor/studio owner who just happens to have a small boutique at the front of the studio.  And who also happens to love entrepreneurs.  Especially child-preneurs ;)



Hopefully our little clippies have a permanent home soon!

But if not, no biggie.  Kenners just lost another tooth today.  And the tooth fairy is the girls' favorite form of financial support, don'tcha know ;)

Hair Clips Galore!

I love to make hair clips. They may just be my favorite craft/creation. I love that they don't take long to make. I love that you don't have to have a million supplies. I love that you can carry everything you need in one little pouch. I love that you can craft them anywhere ~ while waiting for an appointment, during your daughter's dance class, naptime. That is, if your children are nappers. Kameryn has decided she doesn't need naps anymore. But that's another story.

Let's get a move on, so that you can make yourself some hair clippies. But, I don't have any little girls, you say. Not a problem. I wear these clips, myself, and I love 'em. I surely do.

You're going to need a little wool felt, embroidery floss, snap clip, and needle. Oh, and scissors wouldn't hurt ;)

You may want embellishments.

First, you cut two pieces of felt. A top and a bottom. I use the snap clip as a guide, and leave about 1/4" around the entire clip.

Poke a little hole near the back of one piece so that you can slide the open clip through.

Slide the clip through, and snap closed.

Next, take the top piece and add your embellishement. I found these Amy Butler Brads at Joanns. I love them. Really, they make me happier than should reasonably be allowed.

See? Adorable, right?

Place the top piece of felt on the bottom piece that is holding the snap clip.

Thread your needle and start stitching. I use a blanket stitch because I like the look. Feel free to use whichever stitch you choose ;)

And voila!

Snap it in your hair, and you're ready to go!

Easy, Fast, Fun! Now go on, make yourself a hair clip or two.

I'm linking up to Jen @ Tatertots and Jello Weekend Wrap Up Party. Head on over and check out the awesomeness, whydon'tcha!

Holiday Gift Giving ~ Gifts from the Heart

It's here! The first day of the Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash from Simply Sweet Home. Jen, from Tatertots and Jello is the first to host. I just love Jen. If ever there was a woman full of amazing crafty talent and ideas, it is she! Today she is sharing homemade gift ideas, and we are encouraged to share our own. What fun!

One of our favorite homemade gifts around here is hair clippies. We're girly girls, what can we say? And with so many girl cousins and friends, we're never short on someone who could benefit from a little hair "candy" :) Sierra, Makenna, and I recently made holiday hair clips, but we enjoy making these all year round for all different occasions.

Click HERE for a hair clip tutorial ;)

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Need a little something to put those clips in?

The other day I was looking for gift boxes for a few necklaces I was making as gifts. Of course, I couldn't find a one! I didn't want to have to order more. For one, I don't need 150 of them {or whatever the minimum order would be}, and secondly, I couldn't really wait for them to arrive. I needed them NOW. I remembered a super easy way to make gift boxes out of old Christmas or greeting cards, or a little cardstock or scrapbooking paper. We used to make these by the dozens when I was in middle school.

{I apologize ahead of time for the quality in pictures AND box. I was in a hurry, so neither turned out well, but I think you can at least get an idea}.

Simply locate an unused card.

Fold each side in toward the middle, and crease. {Fold bottom up to the midway point, top to midway, then unfold. Then fold sides in to midpoint.} Unfold all and lay flat. {I've drawn lines to show where you should see creases.

Next, cut up the each side just until you touch the middle rectangle.

Fold tabs in, and fold middle over {I use a bit of tape to secure}, and voila!

Repeat these steps for the bottom of the box, except fold in just a tiny bit further so that the box is a tiny bit smaller :)

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And what's a gift without a super cute tag to accompany it???

Searching for more heartfelt gift ideas? Go see Jen!

Crafty Idea #2 . . . Holiday Hair Clips

Looking for more ideas for your own Countdown to Christmas? Look no further! :)

December 1st will be spent crafting our advent calendars {click here for tutorial}, but here is another craft on my list to be done earlier in the month rather than later.

Holiday Hair Clippies!

{Don't have a little girl to share these with? No problem! I happen to think they look lovely in mama's 'do too!}

You'll need:

I use fabri-tac, but there are lots of great adhesives out there. Alligator clips {you can find these at the craft store. I bought mine on Etsy.} Ribbon {3/8" works nicely}, and embellishments.

First I measure the ribbon to cover the clip. {You can do this by placing ribbon right-side-down and clasping alligator clip on top, then wrap ribbon around the clip to cover it entirely, and measure. I find that I use about 6 inches, give or take}. Then I lay the ribbon flat, right side down and apply a thin line of fabric-tac from end to end of the wrong side of the ribbon. You'll want to apply enough adhesive that it will hold, but not so much that you've got glue oozing out the sides. You'll find the balance ;) Once glue is applied to the ribbon, take the clip again and clamp it down on one end of ribbon, glue side up. Wait a few seconds to let it adhere, then continue to wrap the ribbon around the rest of the clip, pressing down occasionally. Hold for a minute or two to let it set. Fabri-tac happens to set quite quickly. Once your clip is covered in ribbon, you can glue on some fancy-shmancy embellishments.

If you'd rather sew than glue {like me!}, you can cover a snap clip in felt and sew on your embellishments. Not as much mess, but a bit more time-consuming. First, I cut the felt to the shape of the clip, leaving a little more than 1/4" all around. You'll need two pieces ~ a top piece and a bottom piece. Next I poke a little slit in the bottom piece and slide the bottom part of the open snap clip through. Then I snap the clip closed on top of the bottom piece of felt. Lay the top piece of felt on top of the clip and get your needle ready to sew the top and bottom together. I like the look of a blanket stitch, so that is typically what I use. Stitch around the clip, finish it off, and voila! {hint: If you're adding an embellishment, it is easiest to do that before joining the top and bottom pieces}. I recently taught Sierra {7 years old} the blanket stitch, and she does a pretty good job with it, and enjoys making the snap clips. Makenna is a bit young for sewing, so we'll be using glue and alligator clips ;)

Stay tuned for more ideas for your own Countdown to Christmas!

AND THE WINNER IS . . . .

Thank you to all who participated in our first Holiday Giveaway! Our winner is
Cozy Cabin Creations!

HO HO Holiday Sugarclippie Giveaway!

Our very first EVER Giveaway!!! Enter to win these super sweet sugarclippies. Set of 3 hair clips feature holiday ribbon, one with a little extra bling: a beaded and sequined Santa! Perfect for accenting ponies, piggies, braids, you name it! A must-have accessory for the holidays.

To be entered to win this fabulous set, simply leave me a comment here letting me know what your favorite holiday tradition is. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the lucky winner. Winner will be drawn randomly, and will be announced on Monday, November 10, 2008.

*Contest is open to U.S. Residents, 18 and up. Limit one entry per person. Contest ends November 9, 2008. If we are unable to contact the winner within 3 days, another winner will be chosen.