Sew Easy Boy's Bow Tie

Doesn't this little guy look so dapper in his bow tie?! It is the cutest little bow tie and it's so easy to make.  I promise, it'll take under an hour to complete. All you need is a little scrap of fabric. 

Materials needed:

• Fabric: cut per below.

1) 13 1/2" x 1 3/4"  - Neckband

2) 4" x 6 1/2" - Bow tie

1) 1 3/4" x 2 1/2" - Center of the bow tie

• Velcro
• Thread

1.   Add a safety pin to the ends of all the cut pieces.  For the neckband, add a safety pin to both ends.  

2.   With right sides together, fold the pieces in half and sew using 1/4" seam allowance.  Leave the ends open to turn. For the neckband, sew the small ends and leave the opening in the center.

3.    Once sewn, all the pieces will look like this.  Turn all the pieces and iron them flat.

4.    Mark with a pin, the middle of the bow tie pieces.

5.    Fold the ends toward the center of the bow and with a zig zag stitch, sew down the middle of both bow ties.

6.    Find the center of the neckband and mark with a pin.

7.    Stack the bow ties one on top of another.  Wrap the center piece around the bows and neckband and pin.

8.    Tuck one raw edge on the center piece under an edge that has been folded under about 1/4"  Hand sew the two edges together making sure you stitch a few times through the neckband.

9.    Sew  1.25" of Velcro loops on one side of the neckband.  Sew 3/4" of hooks onto the opposite side of the neckband.

Only 9 steps and your bow tie is complete. I told you it was easy! Make that little boy in your life handsome in a classy, new bow tie.  xoxo Grandma

Easy Heart Ribbon Wreath - a Tutorial

Are you a big holiday decor person?  I like my holiday decor to be nice and simple. Simple to make, and simple to decorate (equating to simple to clean up when the holiday is over). With Valentine's Day right around the corner, here's an easy heart ribbon wreath that you can make to spruce up a door or wall.  

There are 7 easy steps to complete this project.  Plan about an hour to make this cute heart ribbon wreath.  You'll need the following supplies to make it:

• Heart tinsel wreath (I found my wreath at my local dollar store.)
• Red ribbon 
• Gold wire cording
• Heart tinsel
• Scissors
• Bowdabra tool (or just really amazing bow making skills)

Now follow along as I show you how easy this wreath is to make:

Step 1:  Fold the cording in half and add the cord wire to the Bowdabra tool.

Step 2:  Add about 2" of red ribbon into both sides of the center of the tool; twisting the ribbon as you add two layers of ribbon loops per side.

Step 3:  Add 6" of red heart tinsel on top of the ribbon.

Step 4:  Remove the ribbon from the Bowdabra tool by lifting the gold cord and looping the ends together.

Step 5:  Pull on the gold cording tightly and loop the cording around the ribbon one more time and tie the cording into a knot.  Repeat the first 5 steps until you have 13 ribbon bundles or stop with just three ribbon bundles for a simpler look.

Step 6:  Tie the ribbon bundles to the back side of the tinsel wreath and twist the ribbon so it looks how you like it.  You can stop at this point for a simpler look or continue to make more of the ribbon bundles for a complete heart.  

Step 7:  Add some of the leftover heart tinsel to the back side of the heart and twist the tinsel together to use as a holder for your wreath.

Making this project is so simple! The wreath would also be fun to use for a wedding or anniversary and could be made from any combination of colors.  

Do you have any special plans for Valentines day? xoxo Grandma

Linked to: Crafty Allie, Nap Time Creations

Book Centerpieces

If your fridge is anything like mine, you probably have at least a half dozen wedding announcements displayed on it. It is that time of year! With so many weddings scheduled during the summer months, I wanted to share how to put together a classy, yet simple, wedding table centerpiece.   

These book centerpieces were used at one of my daughter's wedding luncheons.

They are so simple to assemble, and give a vintage, yet classy, feel to table decor.

• Gather two to three books per centerpiece.  
• Remove all book jackets before assembling, so just the hard cover shows (as shown in photos below). 
• Wrap book stacks with a piece of netting, lace, and ribbon and tie in a knot around the books.  
• Under the knot, tuck at least 3 pieces of dried eucalyptus. The eucalyptus will add a nice aroma to these centerpieces.  
• On some of the stacks of books I hot glued onto the knot a satin rose. On other stacks, I tied a bell, heart or even a miniature decorated lock into the knot of lace/netting/ribbon. 
• Drape about 18" of white pearl garland on top of the arrangement.

Place the wrapped stack of books on top of doilies. As you can see, these centerpieces are very simple and romantic looking.  I was told by several guests that they enjoyed reading the titles, which provided some fun conversations during the luncheon. Happy wedding planning! 

- xoxo Grandma

Shared:  2 Crochet Hooks, The Dedicated House, Nap-time Creations

Round Wedding Banners

This was a wedding banner thank you banner I made for this special couple. I love how their card turned out!