She'll be the only one in her class with adorable balloon and button hair bows.
Most little girls love hair accessories, and parents love that the accessories keep their little ones' locks from going wild during the day. If you are looking for an original hair bow for your daughter or as a gift for a niece or neighbor, you can make your own hair bows with just a few supplies from the craft store. Handmade hair bows can be less expensive than boutique store-bought bows, but the real benefit is the feeling you will get when you see someone's mane tamed by your unique creation.
Instructions
Balloon Hair Bows
1. Choose a color scheme and find balloons in at least two coordinating colors. You can also try this project with the curly style of balloon or smaller water balloon styles; adjust the number of balloons used accordingly.
2. Lay out the uninflated balloons and arrange them in a row. Rearrange the row until you have a pattern that you are satisfied with. Thread the beads onto the balloons. Use only one or two beads per balloon, and coordinate the colors of the beads to go along with your chosen color scheme.
3. Wrap the first balloon around the hinged end of the bar clip. Push the beads, if you used any, to be on the top of the hair clip, along the bar and tie the balloon around itself in a simple knot.
4. Wrap the next balloon in the arrangement around the bar with the end you would blow into facing the opposite direction of the first balloon. Push the beads to the top of the clip and tie a knot to secure it. Repeat the wrapping process, alternating the direction the balloons are pointing until the whole clip is covered with balloons.
Button Bows
5. Cut a bow shape as large or small as you would like out of the foam core. A 3.5 inch bow works well, but if you have very small buttons or a large number of buttons, adjust the size accordingly. A bow of over about 4.5 inches will get floppy. Use a template to trace the bow shape if you are not comfortable cutting it free-hand.
6. Plug in the hot glue gun. When it is hot, put a dab of glue on the button or charm itself, rather than on the foam and press it firmly into the center of the foam bow.
7. Arrange the smaller buttons on the foam. Try different arrangements until you find one that is satisfactory. Remove all of the buttons, but place them in the same formation in your work area. Glue them one at a time onto the foam, again putting the glue on the buttons rather than the foam.
