NO SEW BAREFOOT BABY SANDALS AND HEADBAND

All moms want the best for their kids. I know -- I’m one of them.

It was a Sunday morning when I saw a cute baby wearing a red headband with matching red "ribbonny" sandals at Church. I told myself that very moment that I’ll make one of those for my baby, though it won’t be red (we do have our own  color preferences, right?)!

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When we arrived home, I immediately surfed  the net in search for those baby sandals. Barefoot baby sandals... so that’s how it is called :) I found a good site, Craftaholics Anonymous, that gives an easy step by step tutorial on how to make CUTE barefoot baby sandals. I tweaked a part a bit, gave it a try , made a headband, and voila! I now have a cute set of sandals and headband for my baby ;)

How to Make a No Sew Barefoot Baby Sandals and Headband

Materials

• 3 pieces chiffon flower trimmings
• Two fold elastic
• Scissors
• Tape measure
• Hot glue gun

 Methodology

Prepare all the needed materials.

Measure your baby’s head, and foot girths. 

Cut the elastic based on your measurements.I used 15 inches

 for the headband and 5 and 6 inches for each pair of the sandals.

                                               

For the Headband

Glue the ends of the elastic together to make a loop.

Glue the flower on top.

Glue a round felt at the bottom of the ribbon. 

You now have an elastic headband for your princess! :)

For the Barefoot Sandals

Glue the ends of the shorter elastic together to make a loop. 

Attach this at the bottom center of the flower.

Glue the ends of the longer elastic perpendicular to each other. 

Attach this at the bottom of the flower—touching but not overlapping on the first loop.

Cut a circular piece of felt and attach this at the bottom of the elastic touching the flower.

Repeat the steps for the other pair and try it on those cute little toes. 

I told you they're lovely! Even my baby's pediatrician took notice! :)

DO-IT-YOURSELF HAIR BOW ORGANIZER

These hair bow organizers are the firsts do-it yourself projects that I have made with my eldest daughter. She was two years and ten months old when we made her "project, " as she calls it, and we made two more soon after that -- one for her newborn sister and one for my best friend's daughter.

I was not able to document the making of our first project so what you will see next are the photos of the project we made for her sister. 

Oh,and one more thing: having been a science teacher for nine years and having written tons of scientific papers, there are some words and style that I couldn't shake off my system. So just grab a cookie when I start sounding techy.


How To Make a DIY Hair Bow Organizer

Materials

• old wooden frame (I used two from framed canvases and one from framed silk screen)
• coco cloth
• cotton wrapper or fabric (design and color of your choice)
• ribbons
• glue gun/hot glue
• thumbtacks
• scissors
• letter cut-outs for names (optional)
• L-hooks
• scrap booking materials for design (I used small flowers, butterflies, miniature fence and lace)

Methodology

First, prepare all the materials needed. I have got most of mine from our local craft store.

If you are using an old frame, clean and wrap it with coco cloth. Be sure to stretch the cloth as you cover the frame. This will be the base of your organizer so it should be firm and strong. I prefer using thumbtacks in securing the coco cloth to the frame because it can be undone easily every time I need to pull the cloth tighter. 

Cover the frame with the cotton wrapper or fabric of your choice.

Next, arrange the ribbons on your frame. Use a ruler to measure the spaces between them and temporarily attach the upper parts to the back of the frame with thumbtacks. Pull the ribbons tightly across the frame. Again, use thumbtacks to secure the bottom parts to your frame. 

At this point, you may check the ribbon spacing by trying out some of your favorite bows. Be sure that there are no loose strands before you cut the excess ribbons (this is easier than cutting the ribbons before fastening them on the frame). Finish the ribbons and attach them permanently with a hot glue.

You may fasten L-hooks on your organizer for ponytails, headbands and even for fancy bracelets and keys! Do this by screwing the L-hooks on either sides of the frame. I placed mine at the bottom and covered it up with a miniature fence and flowers. 

Now you may add designs and the girl's name to personalize your project. You may include small flowers and butterflies (or any garden creature!), hearts, stars, etc... The possibilities are endless! 

For the finishing touches, cover the edges of the frame with a ribbon or excess cotton wrapper for a flawless look.

Finally, flip your organizer over and attach a ribbon, nylon or a hook at the back. This will be the hanger of your project (I am sorry if mine is not quite visible -- I used nylon).

Tada! Your organizer is now ready for your little princess' hair bows!

My eldest enjoyed clipping her bows on her project and I realized that she has more clips than the organizer can handle. It looked crowded with all of her bows and I had a hard time persuading her to just keep her old clips in her old clip box.

Just the same, we are both very happy with the outcome of our very first project together!

She's also very excited to buy clips for her baby sister so she can fill her sister's project, too! :)

There you have it! Whether you are a creative or trying to be a creative mom (like me!) or dad, I hope this will inspire you to make your very first DIY hair bow organizer and spend quality time with your little girl(s). 

Happy bonding!

Honey