Hair Bow Holder Instructions

January 13, 2009

There once was a young lady who lived in a house. She had so many hair bows-even one for the mouse.
Okay, it’s not that extreme, but with three girls, we have hair bows all over the house. It has gotten quite out of hand, I must admit.

As part of my new organized life, I decided to fix the hair bow situation. For some reason-let’s be honest here…I’m lazy-the hair bow storage container lives in the family room. We take the girls hair down just before they get in the tub at night, so there is a large collection on the counter also. We also find bows, rubber bands, etc in all sorts of odd places around the house and car. Not anymore. Today the hair bows have a new home. I went to Walmart this morning to get the supplies and this is what I now have behind the girls’ bathroom door:

I am loving the new storage solution. It was so easy! Now I’ll show you how I made it so you can make your own too.

The project took me just under an hour from start to finish.

First gather your supplies.

You will need:

• One painting canvas-I used the kind stretched on a wood frame-16×20 inch, but you can use any size you wish
• Acrylic paint-I used Valentine Pink
• A foam brush-they are cheap and work great for this project
• Ribbon-different colors, sizes, styles-you decide! I used these colors of grosgrain to match the shower curtain in the bathroom. You can use any colors to fit any room or style you wish.
• Glue-I love Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac
• Scissors

I have later learned that instead of using glue, staples work just as well! So you can staple the ribbon to the back of the canvas. It’s a quicker and easier way to finish this project.

Paint the canvas and let it dry. I just did one coat so that it would dry fast. Make sure you paint the sides of the canvas also.

While the canvas is drying, start cutting your ribbons. It’s easiest if you measure one and use it as a template to cut the rest. I like using different widths of ribbons because I think it’s easier to slide/snap smaller bows and barrettes on the narrower ribbons. When measuring ribbon, be sure that it’s long enough to glue on the back of the canvas frame. When the canvas is dry place your ribbons on it to see how they look and make adjustments as necessary.

Start gluing your ribbon down. I started with the center ribbon and worked my way out to the edges. Take off the loose ribbon, keeping it in the same order you had previously. Flip the canvas over and slide the middle ribbon into place under the canvas. If the ribbon is decorated with striped, polka dots, etc-make sure it’s facing the correct way. Place glue on the strips of ribbon that are sticking out past the canvas. Hold them down for a minute until the glue starts to hold. This glue starts to dry fast and sticks very well. I glue the end away from me first and then stand the canvas up so I can make sure the ribbon is aligned the way I want. Then I put it back down and glue the other end in place. Continue glueng each ribbon the same way. Be sure to only put glue at the top and bottom of the ribbon, not in the middle.

Half way done!

Here’s what it will look like when all ribbons are glued in place.

It’s ready for the bows.

This hair bow holder works well with alligator clips, barrettes and snap clips. You can also slide headbands in place.

I hope this tutorial was easy to follow and you enjoy your new hair bow organization as much as I do! If you have questions or my directions are not clear, please let me know.

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