Venus Ribbon

Valentine's Day card!

2012-02-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

What you'll need:

Glue stick

Scissors

Cluny Lace

Glitter ric rac, 2 sizes (use the larger to create the hearts)

Patent Stripping

Heart Felt Trim

Metallic Velvet Ribbon

Red and white cardstock

Here is a simple yet fun craft for you to create by yourself or with your kids! Show that special someone just how much you care with a one of a kind Valentine's Day card.

Step 1: Fold over your white cardstock (horizontally) to create the base of the card.

Step 2: Cut your trims to size. I made mine different sizes to create a bit of contrast.

Step 3: Using your larger ric rac, cut out the shape of a heart. Ric rac is so versatile!

Step 4: Glue your peices in rotating order down onto your white cardstock. Make sure to start each piece at the top of the cardstock fold.

Step 5: The next layer will be your glitter ric rac hearts. If you want to create different sizes or use different mediums, feel free! Mix & match! I'm sure some ribbon hearts would look adorable as well.

Step 6: Cut a 7/8" strip of red cardstock and glue it on top of your strips of trim. This will ensure a nice clean edge!

Step 7: Glue your piece of lace on top of your red cardstock for a cutesy and feminine touch. The card is for a boy? Change up your color scheme or add more reds!

ENJOY!!!

50 Ways to Use Ribbon

2011-12-09T06:49:00.001-08:00

Scrapbooking

Tie onto a tag, photo mat, border, or photo as an accent.
Use with a hole punch to make a booklet.
Tie onto clips attached to paper.
Use to secure a fold open photo frame.
Staple along the edge of a photo for a border.
Place behind a photo to use as a mat.
Tie in a knot and adhere with a glue dot.
Attach a ribbon charm and use as a long border.
Thread through eyelets and tie as an accent.
Tie onto a slide holder for a small picture frame.
Tie onto each end of a metal label holder.
Tie small bits of ribbon onto a larger piece of ribbon for a unique border.
Attach diagonally along the corner(s) of a photo.
Stamp words and sayings onto ribbons for titles.

Crafting

Tie numerous ribbons around the lid of a gift box.
Tie small bits of ribbon along the handle of a gift bag.
Tie small bits of ribbon on each piece of a spiral notebook.
Fold and staple along the top of a gift bag.
Tie around a sketchbook, journal or diary.
Tie ribbons through buttonholes and attach with glue dots.
Weave ribbons to use as placements, wallhangings, etc.
Use fabric stiffener to make ribbon bookmarks.
Make a french ribbon board to hold notes and photos.
Tie around the handle of a mug and fill with candy for a gift.
Use a hoop and long ribbons to make a mobile for breezy summer days.

Home Decor

Use long/wide ribbons to store and display barrettes and pins.
Overlap and hang various ribbon styles/lengths on a bathroom window.
Tie around glass jars in the kitchen and bathroom.
Tie onto candle holders (away from the heat/flame, please!).
Decorate old wooden cigar boxes with ribbon and glue dots.
Wrap around an old or damage photo frame.
Sew ribbon to your plain dishtowels.
Tie large ribbons to the backs of chairs for a fun lunch or dinner.
Tie ribbons onto napkin holders.
Tie beads onto ribbon and then attach to a lampshade.
Use ribbons and painted clothespins to make a card/artwork wall display.
Tie to the tops of curtains for a festive display.
Make ribbon tassels to hang in your home.
Sew ribbons onto the edges of your sheets, pillowcases and curtains.
Decorate a flower pot with ribbons.

Fashion

Tie ribbons onto your hangers, drawer pulls and shower curtain.
Tie a ribbon onto any zipper pulls you have!
Tie bits of ribbon onto a large safety pin for a quick accessory.
Use your ribbons as hair bows.
Tie around your neck for a quick accent.
Use wide ribbon alone or weave smaller ribbons to make a belt.
Use for a watch band.
Tie bits of ribbon around the handles of your pocketbook.
Sew/attach ribbon onto hats, clothing, socks, shoes and belts.
Use slide holders, ribbons and photos to make jewelry.

Copyright 2005 Antuanette Wheeler

Reference: http://www.theartfulcrafter.com/ribbon.html

Ribbon Tree!

2011-11-30T10:56:00.000-08:00

What you'll need:
6" - 10" Cardboard Cone (I bought mine at Michael's Arts & Crafts)
7/8" Holiday Print Grosgrain Ribbon
7/8" Solid Grosgrain Ribbon
Hot Glue Gun
Rhinestone Trim (for the embellishments and star)

Tree:
Step 1: Cut ribbon into strips, roughly 3" in length.
Step 2: Make a guideline around your cardboard cone to ensure you layer the ribbons evenly.
Step 3: Fold a strip of ribbon in half and glue edges together. Once dry, glue the ribbon loop onto the cone. Repeat until you've completed one full layer.
Step 4: Repeat step 3 but be sure to start this layer one space over (stagger the ribbons over the first layer) so there are no open spaces.
Step 5: Once you've covered your cardboard cone, add your rhinestone trim!! This will give a perfect amount of glitz to your finished piece!

Star:
Step 1: Pretty simple!! Just cut your rhinestone trim into sections and glue the pieces together. This is where your creativity can really start flowing because you can create whatever shape you'd like!!

Add ons:
Ball fringe for ornaments
Metallics for glimmer and glam

(shown using our NEW Holiday prints: Skiing Penguins & Dancing Gingerbread)

"No Carve Pumpkin" DIY

2011-10-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween crafters!!! Tired of spending all that time to find the perfect pumpkin, only to carve it all up?! Look no further, Venus is here to show you this adorable little "No Carve Pumpkin" DIY project that's kid and adult friendly.

What you'll need:

Pumpkins (I bought this styrofoam pumpkin at Micheal's because I'm going to display this project indoors)

Halloween Ribbon & Trim Assortment (I'm using our 7/8" assortment pack)

Glue (hot glue or a glue stick, depending on the surface of the object you're using)

No Carve Pumpkin:
Step 1: Layout your design ideas before adhereing them to the pumpkin.
Step 2: Cut your ribbons and trims into strips.
Step 3: Glue your product onto your pumpkin.

Make it fun!! Mix & Match! Layer it up! Add a little rhinestone for some shine! Or trim the tops and bottoms with our skull & bones iron-on by the yard.
Send us in your finished work, we'd love to see what you've created!!! :)

Show Us Whatcha Got!!

2011-09-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

Check out http://www.jennieandverascookies.com/!!! Amazing website and packaging. Below is our dot ribbon!! Modern and sophisticated, a one of kind product. We're so pleased to be a part of it.

DIY: Home Decor w/ric-rac flowers!!!

2011-08-02T06:36:00.000-07:00

Gather your supplies: I used mix and match trimmings consisting of ric-rac and novelty bead lace. I went to my local arts & crafts store and purchased a small, clear vase, glass paint, scrapbooking decals and pre-treated sticks.

If you purchase a clear vase you can choose to make it whatever color/texture you want. This way you don't have to feel limited!!

After the vase is dried (it took roughly 5-10 minutes). I applied the scrapbooking decal (paperhouse products) and arranged the sticks in the vase. I was going for a warm, country, feeling of home look with this project.

(The decal above is printed canvas)

You can follow our "how-to" on making ric-rac flowers from a previous blog post!!! Choose any color or style you'd like. Here at Venus we offer, ribbon ric-rac, glitter ric-rac, patent ric-rac, cotton ric-rac and felt ric-rac. I used our 3/8" cotton ric-rac in 2 shades of green and peach. I cut our novelty bead lace into shapes of leaves to add to the flowers. Oops! Did some of the beads fall off? No worries! Use them as the center of the flower or to accent your coil around the top of the jar!

Lastly, add your finishing touches. Add a bow to tie your project together. I used the leftover sticks I had to create a bundle to lay next to the vase. I made little flower buds out of my remaining ric-rac pieces and here we have our finished piece!!!!!!!!

Show Us Whatcha Got!!!!

2011-07-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Colleen Barr Nori, for sending us photos of her adorable belts!!

(please do not copy finished product ideas)

How to: Summer time Wind Sock!!

2011-07-25T13:22:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking for awhile now what to do about a new blog post. We just got back from walking the Craft & Hobby show in Illinois and BAM, it finally came to me. A lot of amazing products and people. So many ideas and "make it & take it" projects. I found myself overwhelmed with tote bags (none of which I had much use for) and so this is my ode to our trip to Chicago. Windy city? Wind sock! It's perfect for any day and you won't feel limited to what you can use or where you can use it. Between the bags and the drawer full of scrap ribbons and trim I have accumulated, the project came together so perfectly!

Feel free to use any base medium for the top portion of the piece. I used the canvas tote not only just out of convenience but also because of it's size, durability and flexibility. It's a very forgiving material. This is a perfect project to utilize all of your loose scraps. No need to throw anything away!!

I didn't have a concept as far as say "birthday" or "summer", I just decided on a color scheme and went from there. I chose blue, black and white. Seems pretty basic but you can mix it up with whatever you have lying around.

I layed out and cut to size the strips of ribbon and trim. It's best to lay down the ribbons first so that the trim overlays any seams/edges of any ribbon that shows through. Different methods of fastening the material to the tote can give the finished product different looks. For example I hot glued the pieces down whereas you can choose to sew them on instead!

Once you've layed out all of your ribbons/trim/embellishments (cover the area completely), you're going to join the two edges of the tote to form a cylinder. Because the tote already has straps, they will be what you'll use to hang your wind sock. I chose to cut one strap off because I felt the two together was too bulky but that is up to you.

The tails are pretty simple! Cut about 4-6 strips of ribbon at different lengths to add contrast (cut more if your wind sock is larger). I tried to line up the same pattern top to bottom so it looked fluid throughout the piece. After you've fastened on the tails, cut a finishing design into the ends of each and seal with a lighter to avoid fraying.

Tada!!! You're ready to go! It's that simple. Hang in your doorway, garden or deck.
Enjoy :)

(Ribbons Used: Dot Black Grosgrain, Spring Bloom, Owl My Goodness!, Music Mania, Camouflage)

Show us whatcha got!

2011-06-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks to

Allie Guillerm

for sending in these AMAZING guitar straps, using Venus Ribbon product!!!!!!!

(please do not copy finished product ideas)

Gift Wrapping Ideas! Perfect for your "everyday" events!

2011-06-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Get Crafting!

Show off your talents with these great gift wrapping ideas. Simple yet elegant, wow your friends and family!! They won't want to open the package, with wrapping this fantastic!

Scrapbooking and/or invites! Inspiration.

2011-06-08T13:38:00.001-07:00

2011-06-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

Dots, Dots and more Dots!

Get In Touch With Your Wild Side!

Jazz up your accessories with any of our ribbons and trim! Purchase any simple shoe, sandal, or flip-flop and turn your average footwear into somthing fabulous. Have any old items lying around? Make them new again by adding your favorite printed or solid ribbons!!!

It's Party Time!

2011-06-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

Make your birthday girl the center of attention with these fun party hat ideas! Pair up any of our ribbons with your choice color hat and let the party begin!

Birthday Ribbons

Ric-Rac Flowers

2011-06-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

How To Make Ric-Rac Flowers

1- Cut two circles out of felt. Make them a bit smaller than you want your finished flower to be. Tack them together with a stitch or two in the middle.

2- Press your ric-rac to get rid of the fold lines that happen when it is packaged. You need to prepare about 2 1/2 yards of ric-rac for a medium sized flower.

3- Gather the ric-rac on strong thread. Using a sharp needle, run a stitch through the bottom of each little "v" in the ric-rac. As you feather the ric-rac, stitch it down to the outer edge of the felt circle. Place the gathered edges fairly close together to get a full flower.

4- Continue gathering and stitching the ric-rac to the felt in a spiral until you get to the center of the circle.

5- Finish off your ric-rac flower by stitching a pom-pom, button or jewel in the center (if you so choose). If you are using your flower on a garment, handbag or pillow you have created, try a covered button that matches the main or accent fabric you used. This makes a very custom looking coordinated embellishment.

6-Stitch on a pin back if you would like your flower to be removable. Otherwise, stitch it on your project with heavy thread or use hot glue, if appropriate for the project.

Confectionery Ideas

2011-06-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

Daisy Grosgrain Ribbon

Stiletto Grosgrain Ribbon

Puppy Paws Grosgrain Ribbon

Confectioners this is right up your alley!!! A beautiful bow says it all! Dress up any of your goodies with our adorable printed grosgrain ribbons. A little can go such a long way. We have something for every occassion so don't feel limited. You can purchase the clear bags and cardstock at any local craft store. An even better idea is (if possible), make your own design to insert in your bags!! There's nothing better than being able to personalize your creation from start to finish.

Gift Wrap and Packaging. Spring time fun!

2011-05-31T13:50:00.000-07:00

View Ribbon

Using bow technique as described in our

"How To" post below. Layer it up! The more you mix and match the more fun you'll have :)

How To

2011-05-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

HOW TO

Gift Bows Using Three Different Ribbons

*Cut three ribbon lengths, about 24” each. It’s ok to be a little generous! It’s better to have more left over then not enough. Mix and Match! Use any Venus Ribbon, grosgrain, sheer or SF Satin ribbon. Add some trim or appliques for extra flair!

**Form the first loop about 5”, with print facing towards you. Always remember to firmly keep pinching and pressing down at the center of the ribbon by using your thumb and index finger. If the pattern does not show then twist the ribbon so the pattern of the top ribbon always faces forward. The twist is the key! This adds volume to the bow!

***Repeat the above step (fold over the other ends). Adjust the bow loops so they are even.

Statement Necklace

2011-05-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

Make a statement! Add pizazz to any outfit with this DIY necklace. The possibilities are endless. When I started, I wasn't exactly sure where I was taking it. I knew I wanted something floral and fun! I grabbed some trim and accessories and got started. Items used are: Liberty Print Flower (yellow multi), 5/8" Box pleated ribbon (lemon grass), Ribbon ric-rac (ivory), Rhinestone trim (Black; iron-on), Felt flower (Black multi; iron-on), Cord (white and gold), Pearl (from our sheer tulle flower). I used the cord as the base. It's important to create a sturdy underlying layer for the rest of the product to sit on. I kept everything together with hot glue and thread where needed. The cord is too bulky to use as the tie, so I wrapped the ribbon ric-rac around and utilized the end pieces as the tie/fastener. I love green! I thought this piece would be perfect for a simple white summer dress.

http://www.venusribbon.com/

DIY Projects

2011-05-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

View Ribbon