"Occasion"ally, I Get an Idea

The 2012 Occasions Mini is chock-full of new products in addition to new stamp sets. One of those new items is the Hat Pins on page 18. Hat pins have been showing up a lot lately on vintage projects, mostly with pearls and beads threaded on, or trinkets hanging off. I wanted to see if I could make an easy ribbon blossom that could be used not only on a card or decorated box, but as a brooch or even *gasp* on a hat! (Imagine that!)


These little gems couldn't be much easier to make, and would definitely add some WOW to any project.  Start with a length of ribbon - how long depends on the type of ribbon. The heavier or wider it is, the longer you should start out with. For the light weight Seam Binding Ribbon, I used a 6" length. The Satin Ribbon was about 8-9", and the Striped Grosgrain about 14".  You can play around with it and see what works best for you.

Fold the ribbon in half to find the mid point and insert the hat pin there, very close to the edge. Now you will move down the ribbon and pierce with the pin, alternating sides. How far apart the piercings are again depend on the weight and width of the ribbon. The Seam Binding was about 3/8"-1/2" apart, The Satin a bit more, and the Striped Grosgrain about 1" apart.

Pierce from the top of the ribbon on one side, wrap the pin up and over opposite side and pierce from the top, and so on. Keep alternating sides until you get near the ends.

Near the bottom, pierce from the top, then bring the pin back up from the bottom about 1/4" away. When you scrunch up the ribbon to form the rosette, it will tuck the raw ends under. Do the same for the other end, too.

At this point you can add ribbon "leaves" if you want. To hold it all together, thread a bead on the pin and push it up to make the rosette. Add a drop of Crystal Effects between the bead and the ribbon, then poke the pin (all the way up to the bead) into something sturdy to hold it all in place until the C.E. dries. (I use the scrap rubber from a stamp set.)

After it has hardened, manipulate the "petals" into a pleasing shape and you're finished!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the Stampin' Addicts Occasions Mini Blog Hop, featuring more new products and fun ways to use them!