Sugar and Spice

A few weeks back, I needed something to go along with the little dress (actually store bought, by the by) we were giving our first niece. And what better than a bow? Or two. Or several. Because a girl needs options, right? 

In the end, I assembled a little "folder" of bows, with a few elastic headbands thrown in for variety (and because newborns rarely have enough hair to handle a full-fledged bow). I prefer double-fold elastic for baby headbands, since the narrow elastics seem like they would be rather uncomfortable. My method is to hand sew the ends of the elastic together with a 1/4" overlap, and then wrap the seam with a short piece of elastic (sewn together on the back side of the headband) -- this allows you to affix a bow to the "wrap" so the bow clip doesn't contact the baby's head, and also is a tidy finish if you're not using a bow. 

Bow making is such a blast! One of these days I need to take a picture of Rosa's bows, because her collection is already rather large. I primarily use the Ribbon Retreat tutorials and, when necessary, a homemade bow-making jig (i.e., a short 2x4 drilled with 1/4" holes and a pair of 1/4" dowels). 

Presentation was a bit of a puzzle, until I decided on a "folder." Two pieces of scrapbook paper (one was card stock weight) were affixed together, folded in the right places, and finished with two card stock bow holders. The edges of the folder are covered in gold washi tape, since the raw edge of the paper was not particularly attractive! Yes, I often obsess over gift wrapping. Yes, I know that's probably not healthy.

Little Man and Rosa finally have a cousin, something Little Man is particularly excited about. He talks lovingly about holding her and patting her on the back, and then (when she gets "bigger and bigger") taking her to Wal Mart to buy a swimsuit so she can play in his sprinkler with him. At any rate, hopefully she will not be at a loss for bows any time soon!