Vintage Scrapping

How to Make a Homecoming Spirit Braid Tutorial

SPIRIT BRAID

I love this one!!   So easy and looks amazing.  Perfect to glue trinkets onto!

Since this is a quick braid - let's see if we can make the tutorial as easy and quick!!  On your mark, get set and GO!!!

 

Supplies:

There are two ways to make this braid and both look great.  You can use two of the same size ribbon or one size bigger than the other.  If you do the one size bigger than the other, then the bigger ribbon would need to be the base and the smaller ribbon the one you weave with.  I will give dimentions for both.

• 36" Braid same size ribbon - 2 Yards continuous of #5 (7/8") Ribbon in 2 colors.  Or 2 Yards continuous of #3 (5/8") Ribbon in 2 colors.
  
• 36" Braid different size ribbon - 2 Yards continuous of #5 (7/8") Ribbon in one color and 2.5 Yards of continuous #3 (5/8") Ribbon in another color.
• 18" Braid same size ribbon - 1 Yard continuous of #5 (7/8") Ribbon in 2 colors.  Or 1 Yard continuous of #3 (5/8") Ribbon in 2 colors.
• 18" Braid different size ribbon - 1 Yard continuous of #5 (7/8") Ribbon in one color and 1.25 Yards of continuous #3 (5/8") Ribbon in another color.

 

Step 1:

Take your base ribbon and fold exactly in half and crease.

 

Step 2:

Now you will open the ribbon and fold one side down at the half way mark crease you just created.  Make sure the side of the ribbon you fold down is flush against that crease. 

 

 

 

Then fold the other side down.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a back view after both sides have been folded down.

 

Step 3: 

Flip back over and place the weaving ribbon going diagonally down to the right at the point of the base ribbon fold and staple.

Step 4:

Now tape the end down to help hold braid in place.  With this braid, you want to crease your edges very tightly to help hold it in place nicely.

 

 

 

Now start your weave by taking the weaving ribbon and folding UNDER the first base ribbon but OVER the second base ribbon.

 

Now crease it tightly and it should look like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 5:

Now start weaving from the left side by taking the weaving ribbon and folding UNDER the first base ribbon but OVER the second ribbon. 

 

 

 

Crease the ribbon once in place and it should look like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6:

Keep weaving ribbon back and forth until you get to end.  Once you get to end put a staple into both sides at the end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now you have a spirit braid!

 

NOW FOR FREE!  Free Printable Step by Step Picture Tutorials for Single, Double, and Triple Mums and Garters with over 30 color photos in each!  Click here and you will see the Free Printable Instructions!!

 

Thank you for looking!  I hope this tutorial has helped you and if it did - be sure to leave me a comment!  I love to know if you enjoyed this!

Melissa

How to Make a Homecoming Diamondback Braid Tutorial

The diamondback braid.  AKA the bubble gum chain. 

No doubt you have seen these braids and believe it or not they are extrememly easy to make.  They are time consuming however more so than the other braids.  I love using these to put trinkets and charms on.  Since they are flat they lay nicely in the mum anywhere! 

 

So let's get started!!

 

SUPPLIES:

• For a 36" braid you will need a total of 54 pieces of #5 (7/8" wide) ribbon cut exactly 7.25" each.  So if you want it to be 2 colors you would need 27 pieces of each color, etc.
• For an 18" braid you will need a total of 27 pieces of #5 (7/8" wide) ribbon cut exactly 7.25" each.

 

Step 1:

Cut all of your ribbon.  You must be precise.  I have found the 7.25" works just right for me.  If you cut it too short, the ribbon won't fit inside the other when braiding and if you cut too big you will have a gap.  If it is a little over the 7.25" you will be ok, it isn't very noticable, but try to get as close to it as you can.

 

Step 2:

Fold each piece of ribbon EXACTLY in half and crease it and re open the ribbon.

 

Step 3:

You are now going to fold the end of each ribbon to the crease in the middle that you just made.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4:

Fold back in half.  

 

Side View

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continue to do this to all your pieces of ribbon and you will have a bunch of what I call "chompers" - well that's what they look like to me anyway! :-)

 

Step 5:

Pick up one chomper in left hand and one in right.  Have the open end of the compers facing out.  This is where you are going to start "braiding" them. 

 

 

You feed them into each other.  The open end of the right chomper will go in two "loops" of the left chomper.

 

 

 

 

Pull all the way through and make sure the one that was in your right hand that you fed into the left - the right one needs to be moved to the end tightly.  Now staple right in the middle of where the two connect.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6:

Start weaving!  Take the next chomper and feed it from the left into the top going towards right.  Same way as you did the first piece, the open end of the chomper feeds into the open "loops" of the other.  Pull all the way through tight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once done pull the next piece though from the right side up to left.  Keep going!!

 

 

 

 

 

After you weave all the pieces, staple the last piece to keep in place and you have a Diamondback braid!!

 

NOW FOR FREE!  Free Printable Step by Step Picture Tutorials for Single, Double, and Triple Mums and Garters with over 30 color photos in each!  Click here and scroll to bottom of page and you will see the Free Printable Instructions!!

 

Thank you for looking!  I hope this tutorial has helped you and if it did - be sure to leave me a comment!  I love to know if you enjoyed this!

Melissa

These are a few of my favorite things.....

My Favorite Crafting Tools

So yes, as I type that the song is playing in my head.  Chances are now it is stuck in your head too - but hey, doesn't that song make everyone happy!!

During my past few years of tasking the know how of the homecoming mum, I get several questions a year about specific items I use or work with.  These tools are vital to crafting but are often overlooked. 

I know that these can get a little pricey, but let's be honest.  If you buy the $2 glue gun, you are going to be waiting forever to get enough glue out or by the time enough gets out, half is already dry.  Or the $5 pair of scissors, do you really wonder why it keeps snagging your ribbon?   Well for a few years of learning through trial and error, I have settled on my favorite products that I have continued to use the past couple of years and will not switch from.   These products (and I DO NOT get paid, free stuff or anything of the like for recommending these - but boy I wish I did!!) are my personal preferences after many years of testing what works.  These tools are what I personally use and love.  Also to make things easier I will post a link to amazon for each specific item. 

Now on with the show!

Staplers:

This is an easy one and there is only one.  No exceptions.

Stanley Bostitch B8 Heavy Duty Plier Stapler.   

First, the stapler is super smooth.  After as much stapling as I do, my hand doesn't hurt from these.  Super easy to squeeze.  Also I like that no matter how many times I drop it, it doesn't ever break! 

 

It is advertised as anti-jam and I can honestly say I have NEVER had one jam on me.

 

Also the fact that these are top loading makes it easier for me to quickly pull the lever back, throw more staples in and shut it - ready to go!

 

 

And look how far it reaches on a 5 1/2" backer!  Much easier to work with especially for stapling all that ribbon on!

 

 

And don't forget your staples!!  They are powercrown staples made specifically for the B8 and I use the 1/4" ones.

 

Glue Guns:

Lots to post here!

I mainly use 3 different glue guns.  The first is my mini detailer.  The Surebonder H-195 Mini Detailed Glue Gun.

I use this glue gun mainly for adding things like rhinestones and lights.  The fine tip is what makes this gun so spectacular.  I can get a little dab of glue or a big glob right exactly where I want it!  It also doesn't get as hot as my other guns so I prefer this for little items so I don't burn myself too badly.  My husband ended up stealing this one from me last year so I had to buy another :-) You can see how fine the point is next to a dime.

 

 

 

The second one is my most powerful and hottest gun.  The Surebonder PRO2-100 100-Watt High Temperature Industrial Glue Gun.

 

I use this gun alot for adding my flowers to the backers, gluing the bears down or gluing the mum top to the streamer backer.  This gun gets extremely hot which keeps the glue melted longer giving you more time to work with it before it dries.  Elimates the rush of trying to place items before the glue dries!  But be warned - if you burn yourself  - OOOUUCH!!!

 

 

 

I saved the best for last.  This is my FAVORITE!   #1 reason this is my fav - dual heaters!  That's right!!! DUAL HEATERS! The Surebonder HE-750 Professional High Temp 2 Heater Glue Gun - my most favorite glue gun EVER!

It heats the glue super fast so I can pump lots of glue as fast as I need to  - but make no mistake this one is a super hot gun too so be careful!! It is an 80 watt gun so your glue will stay melted longer as well.  I have never had clogging or leaking problems, it has been nothing but wonderful for me!  The handle feels more ergonimical to me and makes it easier to use.  Best thing about this gun for me - I have three of them and have NEVER had one burn out.

 

Now I do want to note that the nozzles you see on the two large glue guns (The Surebonder Pro 2 and the HE 750) did not come on these guns.  They come with the normal nozzle shown on amazon.  I used the normal nozzles until I found these bad boys last year and this is what you see on my guns now :

Surebonder 6000 Glue Gun Nozzle Assorment Set

 

 

 

Now this last one will look a little weird and it new to me this year - but so far I am really liking it!  It is the Surebonder 7" Electric Glue Skillet. 

 

 It has an adjustable temp on it and uses the little Diamond Cubes Hot Skillet Glue.  I am using this mainly for dipping the back of my bears in it before putting on the mum.   Also adding picks and sprays to the top, it's easier to just dip the stem in the glue!  In the picture you can see it sitting on a pink heat resistant silicone mat.  These are essential with the glue guns, the glue just peels right off and it protects the table as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scissors:

These are actually new to me this year and I LOVE THEM!!  They are theFiskars 5" Titanium Micro Tip Easy Action Scissors    and have a spring handle action which makes clipping a breeze.  The tiny fine point lets you get into really tight corners.   

 

The Tonic Studios Tim Holtz Non Stick Micro Serrated 7" Snippers are amazing.  I have two pairs and swear by them.  The tiny tip gets into tight corners but these things are also incredibly strong.  I have cut all guages of wire and plastics with these and they just keep on cutting!  The wide handle makes them easier to hold too.

 

 MY # 1 CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT SCISSORS!!!!!!!    The Gingher 8" Gold Handle Knife Edge Bent Trimmers.  I actually thought I lost them last year, panicked and immediately bought another pair (turned out they were hiding under the couch).  These are not cheap but MAN they cut through ribbon LIKE BUTTER!!!  Thick ribbon, thin ribbon it doesn't matter what kind of ribbon - they are hands down my favorite scissors.

 

 2nd Fav!   These are Gingher also.  The Gingher 8" Featherweight Dressmaker Shears are extremely light weight (making them my hubby's favorite).  They are excellent at cutting ribbon and never snag. 

 

 When my hands are hurting or cramping I reach for these Fiskars 8" Premier Easy Action Bent Soft Touch Scissors.  The spring loaded scissors are much easier on the hands.  Like the fine tip ones at the beginning, these have a safety latch.  Once open, instead of pulling your hands out to open scissors, they automatically stay open and you only close them to cut.   If your hands tend to hurt while crafting or cutting alot, you would really benefit from these!!  The picture on the right is what they look like when you turn the safety latch to off.  They automatically stay open.

 

 

 

 

 

Misc Other Tools:

 

These are a MUST for me.  Tweezers.  But not any tweezer, the push to open tweezers.  I tend to have to pick up rhinestones and stickers with these and I love that I don't have to keep pressure on them to hold them.  The tweezers automatically use the right pressure.  I must say too, that all of these are not equal.  I have tried several different brands and the EK Tools Craft Tweezers are by far superior to the other.   A close second would be the new cricut ones that have come out.  I tried the We R Memory Keepers but they were way too weak and wouldn't hold anything.

 

 

 

 

 

We R Memory Keepers Crop-A-Dile.  I know this is super weird looking but I have the small one and the large one both and use them all the time to punch holes.  They have two different hole punch settings, but are so helpful for me to punch holes anywhere I need to on the backer or on ribbon to tie onto.  UPDATE!!!  I have a new one I enjoy more!!  We R Memory Keepers Power Punch!

 Large Crop-A-Dile II Big Bite

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ott Lamps.  We overlook the lighting factor alot, but once I put money into good crafting lamps, I found it is much easier on my eyes and of course you see true color better when you are working at 2 am.

 

 

 

 

 

1" Hole Punch.  I like this style punch personally but any brand would do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ranger 15" by 18" Inkssentials Craft Sheet.  I love this - everything comes off of it (ink, glue, etc.).  Even though I have a large mat on my table, I like this to have an area where I do messier stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 So there you have it!  These are the tools I can't live without!

 

Hope you enjoyed!!

Melissa