photos by Emmah Obradovich
Add some color to your summer style with a cute, inexpensive accessory. Eye-catching pieces, like this headband, always brighten up any hairdo.
To make your own headband you will need:
(1) A cheap, plastic headband, preferably with no decorations or patterns on it. It should be from three-quarters of an inch to one inch wide at its thickest point, where it touches the top of the head.
(2) Clear nail polish.
I bought my nail polish at a drug store, but you can also find it at Walmart or a 99 cent store, where I bought my headband.
(3) Two wheels of ribbon, glue and decorations.
I found my ribbon, glue and decorations all for under $5 at Joann’s Craft store, but Walmart might have these items at a similar price.
A. The first ribbon should correspond to the width of the headband, being three-quarters of an inch to an inch-and-a-half in width. The ribbon should be wide enough so that it completely covers the plastic headband when laid against it in a single piece, or doubled up.
B. The other wheel of ribbon should be much thinner than the first. Half an inch to three-quarters of an inch should be fine, since when you place the thinner ribbon over the wide ribbon, the bottom ribbon should show on both sides.
C. A bottle of “Tacky Glue” works wonderfully, but fabric glue will work too.
D. Small decorations to consider gluing to the headband. These decorations will usually be in the sewing section of any craft store. The decorations can be anything from buttons to sequins, or from tiny patches to little fabric flowers.
Note: You generally want to get ribbons and decorations that are complementary.
Match up colors or pick a funky design on your ribbon to add some flair.
Directions:
(1) With a pair of scissors, cut the wider ribbon the same length as the headband. When finished, carefully squeeze glue onto the underside of the ribbon. Beginning at the very tip of the headband, lay the ribbon (glue side down) along the top of the headband. If you have a wider headband, lay two or three pieces of ribbon next to each other along it. Make sure the ribbon ends meet at the tips of the headband (the tips are the parts that go behind your ears).
(2) When this is finished, wait two or three minutes for the glue to dry. While waiting, cut the thinner ribbon the same length as the headband and the first piece of wider ribbon. Please do not jump ahead. You will be gluing this thinner piece of ribbon over the wider piece in the middle part of the headband in just a moment. This will create a pretty, layered effect.
Note: If you are using a button as your decoration, skip step (4).
If you are using another decoration, skip step (3).
(3) Thread the thin ribbon through the button hole(s) and slide the button to five or six inches from the end of the ribbon. Carefully squeeze glue onto the underside of the thinner ribbon, making sure this is also the underside of the button. Beginning at the very tip of the headband, place the ribbon neatly in the middle of the first ribbon, directly in the center of the headband. Your button should now be off to the side of the headband, at an angle.
(4) Now, carefully squeeze glue onto the underside of the thinner ribbon. Beginning at the very tip of the headband, place the ribbon neatly in the middle of the first ribbon, in the center of the headband. Take your decoration (mine is a little fabric flower) and glue it to the headband five or six inches from the tip. This puts your decoration to the side of the headband, at an angle.
(5) Wait a few moments for the glue to dry. Afterwards, carefully cut any excess ribbon off the tips of the headband. Dab a few drops of clear nail polish to keep the ribbon ends from fraying and, voila, a cute headband is made!
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