My New Craft: Ribbon Flowers

I'm always on the hunt for crafty projects to keep my fingers moving and my imagination spinning. Now that I have a little more time on my hands, I've been experimenting with found objects around the house. My latest fun project? Creating ribbon flowers and bouquets out of recycled ribbons! I have a huge box of ribbons from gifts we've received over the years and what better way to put them to use!

I've gotten so much amazing feedback from brides-to-be that I've decided to offer these crafty bouquets in my online store (i'll post about this soon) and for special order. Aside from being a great green alternative to the traditional fresh flower bouquet, they make sweet lasting gifts to bridesmaids and mothers. They're also beautiful as a toss bouquet, centerpiece, corsage, buttonhole, seasonal decor, accents on gifts, children's birthday and shower favors and decor- the sky's the limit! I've come up with a way to create these fun bouquets without the use of glue or chemicals for a more "green" product. Everything is tied and bound using ribbon and wire, which are both easily recycled. The beauty lies in the fact that the color options are endless! They can be personalized with jewelry pieces, old ribbons or lace from a mother's wedding dress, or accented with fun and dramatic items like feathers.

Here's a sample mini bouquet I created that features gray grosgrain and olive satin spray roses, mauve cabbage roses, and large fluffy carnations accented with velvet leaves, silver berries, and white feathers. The velvet leaves and silver berries are recycled from past christmas decor and all the ribbons were from gifts we've received.