Make Your Own Barrettes in Five Easy Steps: I AM THE NEW MARTHA! (I am NOT the new Martha)

I am not terribly crafty.

I mean, I suppose I CAN be, if we’re talking the occasional Machiavelli-lite scheme, but if we’re talking Etsy-type stuff, or anything involving advanced use of sewing implements, I am most definitely not your girl. I ADMIRE those people –deeply — but I do not possess the talent to become one of them.

Once I HAD a little girl, however, I picked up on one useful craft skill out of necessity. She’s blessed with thick, wavy hair that requires a hair accessory of some sort to keep it off her face at all times, lest she careen into the coffee table, blinded by the curls. Or get some sort of sticky food in it literally five minutes after she comes out of the bath. (EVERY! DAMN! TIME!) The first time I went to pick up some cute fabric-covered barrettes from her, I nearly went into sticker shock. EIGHT DOLLARS for one barrette? Like, for serious? Does the barrette do any light housework, or cooking? (Note: I live in New York, so STOP IT RIGHT NOW with your taunts of, like, 12-cent fabric-covered barrettes, wherever you are.) I inspected the barrette up close and realized it could not be simpler to make myself. And so I practiced, and lo! I now possess basically one craft-related skill, which I’d like to share with you:


Step 1: Gather Your Supplies.
To make a barrette, you’ll need five things, all of which are really cheap, and easily found almost anywhere: A glue gun, salon-type hair clips, ribbon (duh), a scissor, and some adhesive-backed velcro (we’ll get to that in a bit).



Step 2: Measure Once -- If That -- And Then Cut Once. That’s How That Saying Goes, Right?

Wrap your barrette with the ribbon to “measure” how much you’ll need to cover it. (Spoiler alert: These clips are generally all the same size, and if you WANT to be all precise about it, just know that you’ll need a smidgen over five inches. See?)

Step 3: Fire up Glue Gun, Burn Self.
Okay! You have some cut ribbon, a barrette, and a searingly hot, metal-tipped glue gun hot enough to leave a scar. You’re ready! Evenly secure the ribbon between the “jaws” of the clip, flip it over, and carefully (PLEASE?!) glue it in place.


Continue gluing your way all the way around, working slowly, making sure that the ribbon is even, and that you haven’t bought yourself a trip to the burn ward.

Step Four: Velcro: My secret weapon.
At this point, you’ll have an adorable barrette, which is technically ready for a test-drive. However, I am a wealth of Heloise-ish tips, gleaned from years of reading too many parenting, house, and style magazines. One tip that stuck with me (and who KNOWS where I picked it up) is to tack on a tiny bit of velcro (the rough, “hooked” side) to the inside of barrette to keep it from slipping out of hair. The adhesive-backed stuff makes this a snap. I hope everyone enjoys this macro close-up photo involving my thumb!



Step 5: Marvel at Your Amazing Skills! (And...my hair? If you want? I'm SWF'ing Emma Stone's color, basically. CALL ME, EMMA! I JUST WANT TO TALK.)





Congratulations! You now have a craft to call your own, can now save yourself some cash money on adorable barrettes AND you have a fall-back, homemade baby gift, to boot. (You can make and give a bunch of barrettes, either as the gift itself, or as an accessory to a larger one, with a few clipped on to the wrapping.)

Originally posted at Aiming Low.