the pomanders turned out to be super simple and easy to create. though i will admit that it came at a small price: i burned myself with my hot glue gun. i can’t believe that happened after 10 years of flawless usage. i’m serious. i was really sad.
anywho, i had a request for a tutorial and i’m more than happy to oblige. and as i’m a very visual learner, i included pictures. so ready, set, craft!
1) styrofoam balls [mine are 2 ½ inches in diameter]
2) screwdriver
3) small cupcake liners/candy cups
4) glue gun and glue sticks
5) floral wire
6) ribbon of your choice
7) crochet needle and thread [totally optional but they came in handy...you'll see how later]
step one:
take the screwdriver and push it through the styrofoam ball. that makes the hole you’ll later use to string the ribbon through. keep the screwdriver in the ball; it makes handling the ball a lot easier as you’re working
step two:
take a cupcake liner and twist it. i like to use a crochet needle because i am addicted to needless steps. but truthfully, i did find that it was helpful with shaping the liner. when you’re done, snip a length of floral wire and wrap it around the end like so to make a little flower type of thing:
step three:
put a little glue on your desired location and press the flower into the glue. the best thing is the hot glue kind of melts the styrofoam so you can really press it in there
step four:
rinse and repeat. i like to start at the top and work my way around to make sure i covered most of the spots. the amount of liners you’ll need will depend on how dense a look you want. for a looser looking pomander, you can use less and space them out more. for a denser pomander, pack them in tightly. just be aware that you’ll need more liners per ball if you go for a denser look.
step five:
now the fun part, threading your ribbon. this was kind of hard for me so what i did [again with a possibly needless step] is tie some sewing thread around the end of the ribbon and to the crochet needle and just pull it through from there. you can either have your ribbon looped so it will create a handle or you can have it as a single line like i made mine. just tie the knot on the bottom to keep it from sliding off and you’re done!
i hope this was helpful. oh another tip is i’ve found it to be a little faster when i took the time to make a bunch of the flower things first that way i didn’t have to stop after each placement to make the next.
i hosted a bachelorette party this weekend for my friend akilah. as befitting any bachelorette party, we had to outfit akilah in the finest apparel.
i’m not so into the stereotypical “accessories” for bachelorettes (i.e. anything with peens or rubbers and what not) and i knew that wouldn’t fly for akilah either, but what’s a bachelorette without a sash?
i made my first sash last year for another one of my friends’ bachelorette party. i volunteered to make a sash when one of our mutual friends [and bridesmaid] was worried about finding a nice looking sash for a decent price. you’ve seen what’s available at most party stores; its slim pickings.
the miss america inspired sash is super easy to make with virtually no sewing. i didn’t take pictures of the process but there’s nothing too complicated about the whole thing.
materials:
2 yards of sheer ribbon, 2 ½ wide
4 ¼ yards of silver sequin trim
blue puff paint
tools:
hot glue gun
white thread and needle
1] position the sash across your body and cut the ends as you see fit. i like the angled “fish tail” myself.
2] stretching the sash across the floor [or table], glue the sequin trim on one small section at a time. this makes sure the glue doesn’t try before you can place the rope over it. make sure to press down.
3] repeat on the other side
4] here’s where the minimal sewing happens. put on the completed sash and pin where you want to overlap the edges. sew the outsides of the sash. that’s it.
[source]
5] for the lettering, i picked out a fancy font [this one was Splendid…it’s a free font that can be found at dafont.com and the like] and printed it out. adjust the sizing so it fits between the sequin trims. then tape it to the back of the sash and trace the lettering with the puff paint [this ribbon wasn't as sheer as the previous one so i had a little trouble following along with my guide]
6] let dry overnight and you’re done!
it comes out beautifully every time and it’s pretty impressive, especially when you consider just how little time you spend on it. i can bust one out in about an hour or so. probably in less time if i were ever focused enough to just get it done in one sitting, but i never get anything done in one sitting.
