Pinterest Project: DIY Hair Ties

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Pinterest...in fact, my love for the site borders a little on obsession. 

And, to me, the key to Pinterest not being too overwhelming or intimidating is only pinning recipes, crafts, and other projects that actually seem feasible. For example: these ridiculously adorable piñata cookies...not going to happen. Ain't nobody got time for that!

Unlike the piñata cookies, there are a bunch of easy projects to be found on Pinterest, including this simple tutorial for DIY hair ties. As she mentions in the post, these hair ties are everywhere. Several companies make them, and they are way too expensive for what they are. However, they are super cute, don't crimp your hair, and can be worn around your wrist for spontaneous ponytails. 

They are made from "fold over elastic," which I bought in several colors last summer at Michael's in order to make headbands for Ava. I haven't seen the elastic at Michael's during my last few visits, but you can buy it in a plethora of colors on Etsy and other online shops.

I cut mine in 10-inch strips, fold them in half, and then start the knot roughly in the middle. Then you can cut the excess at an angle, leaving however much you would like. Make sure to run a lighter over the edges like she explains in the tutorial, because this keeps them from fraying. 

After making some for myself a few months ago, I decided these would make a great DIY gift. So, I whipped up a few for Erin's birthday last weekend. 

I also thought it would be cute to make a card to put them on. Using some sparkly cardstock (because a little sparkle is always nice), I cut out three notches on each side to keep the hair ties in place. 

Then I wrote a little message on it and put on the hair ties. 

I was really happy with how it turned out. Super easy and super cute. 

To my friends and family who read this blog...act surprised if you get some as well :). 

Getting Crafty

A couple months ago, I was shopping around for some headbands for Ava and realized how ridiculously expensive they can be. So I decided to get crafty and make some homemade headbands/clips.

First, I found some really cute felt and fabric flowers as well as colored elastic at Michaels. And after seeing what they were charging for a pack of ribbon-covered clips, I decided to make those as well. You can get a HUGE pack of plain silver clips on Amazon.com for about $5 (I told Josh I was saving him money this way...I don't think he bought it), and cover them easily using ribbon and a hot glue gun.

I followed the instructions on this site; however, you don't have to use spare clips for drying purposes when using hot glue. 

After we watched a few episodes of "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding," my sister Charlotte referred to this clip as Ava's "traveler baby" headpiece :). 

You can use these clips by themselves (if your baby has enough hair) or clip them onto plain headbands. I also glued some of the flowers directly on headbands. I used this site to figure out how long to make the elastic, hot glued on the flowers, and then hot glued the ends together. 

The only thing I would do differently next time is to place the seam under the flowers so it is completely hidden (but I don't think it matters that much).

I was really happy with the finished products. I also think that Ava makes for a really cute model...but I am a little biased. 

My next project is to make the fabric/felt flowers instead of buying them at Michaels. There are lots of great how-to sites out there, including the one listed above as well as this one and this one.