Sunday, October 26, 2025

DIY Ruffled Ribbon and Bow Lighted Cone Tree

Christmas time can be quite overwhelming - and one way to help overcome this is to start early with an adorable easy to make ruffled ribbon and bow lighted cone tree! Here's a simple, creative craft idea to get you started that looks impressive but uses only a few items and little time to make!

I originally published this project on the Bowdabra.com site, where I am on the Design Team!

Supplies Needed:

Clear Plastic Cone Tree - 15"
Wired Ribbon - 2.5" wide
Measuring tape, straight pins/hot glue/scissors
Remote Control Base Light - 4"
Mini Bowdabra/Wand
Bowdabra Bow Wire

Disclosure I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, this post may contain links. I may receive a very small commission at no cost to you! Plus Google Adsense provides a platform for me to monetize my content by hosting ads from Google's network of advertisers. The money I earn helps pay my crafting expenses. Thanks so much for your support!

How To:

I'm starting with a 15" clear plastic cone tree that I had in my stash. Before the craft store ACMoore went out of business, I picked up several plastic cone trees for fifty cents apiece. They were in the doll section and was suppose to be a doll's body but I haven't a clue how. I love using the clear plastic cones since you can add a light at the bottom to add color lighting which I think is so cool!

To Make the Ruffle Ribbon:

For the first row, cut off approximately 54 inches of wired ribbon. You want the ruffle to be very curvy so don't skimp on the amount of ribbon used. Since the ribbon's design is on one side, make sure the pattern is upright and not upside down. Then gently pull out a little bit of wire from the top side of one end of ribbon and then the other end. Secure one side by crimping the wire around and together a few times. Do this so, while you're pulling out the wire to gather the ribbon, wire on one side will not disappear into the fabric which will make it almost impossible to gather the fabric on that end.

Continue pulling the wire out, gathering into ruffles. Then measure the ruffle around the base of the plastic cone to fit, adjusting ruffles and pinning the ribbon fabric in place. Wrap excess wire into a tiny pile, squeezing together. Then glue ruffle in place with a dab of glue

Place ruffle on plastic cone for the first layer.

Continue making additional ruffle layers, gathering the ribbon by pulling the wire out . . .

adding ruffle ribbon layers, to cover the cone.

Be sure to continue to cut the ribbon in long lengths despite the narrowing of the tree to get the curvy effect of ruffles for each layer. I used at least 24 inches of ribbon for each of the last few layers.

Twelve ruffled layers in total.

To Make the Mini Bowdabra Bow Top:

Cut an 18" piece of Bowdabra bow wire, and fold it in half. Lay the folded bow wire in the Mini Bowdabra, tucking loop and ends under. Pinch one end of a 26" strip of ribbon, and place faced down into the Mini Bowdabra.

Then take the other ribbon end up and over the Mini Bowdabra tower, creating a large loop across and squeezing the ribbon down into the slot, smoothing out.

Pinch the center of the ribbon and inserting down into the Mini Bowdabra, creating three inch loops on each side.

Continue taking the ribbon over the tower and down into the Mini Bowdabra to create loops since the design on the ribbon is on one side and upright.

Scrunch down the loops with the Mini Bowdabra wand as you continue to make more loops . . .

for a total of eight loops - four on each side.

While the bow is still in the Mini Bowdabra, thread the two loose ends of the bow wire through the loop, pulling tightly while gently pulling the bow out. Tie bow wire around to the back and cut off excess wire.

Attach the Mini Bowdabra bow to the top of the tree using a dab of hot glue.

Have fun using the colorful remote control lighting placed in the base to create special holiday lighting moods . . .

and of course I had to show it in purple, too!

Great for decorating your home for holidays!

Thanks for stopping by

and take a little time to enjoy,

Happy Crafting!

Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Gold Glitter Leaves Table Runner

7:00 AM Gail @Purple Hues and Me Creative Craft Hop, DIY table runner, gold glitter leaves 4 comments

Fall is here and it's truly the season of celebrations! And with that it's time to give your home a stylish autumn update - especially for all the activities involved in celebrating this time of the year! Imagine creating a dazzling tablescape to decorate your dining area starting with a shimmering table runner featuring a scattering of sparkling gold glitter leaves! I know I could use regular fall color leaves but where's the fun in that - although I cannot deny the stunning beauty of the colorful hues of foliage that occurs during Fall! Gold - especially gold glitter pairs well with traditional fall colors as well as neutrals and white - thus creating a glittering and glimmering effect to your fall decor!

Hello and Welcome to this month's Creative Craft Hop co-hosted by Donna @Modern on Monticello and Sara @Birdz of a Feather who take turns every other month! The lovely and talented Donna is our host for this month!

If you're coming over from Cecilia @My Thrift Store Addiction wasn't her Chunky Crocheted Throw gorgeous!

So let's get started with how I made this lovely Gold Glitter Leaves Table Runner!

You Will Need:

Clear Gold Metallic Mesh Table Runner material - 11" x 33'
Faux fall leaves
Mod Podge
Gold Glitter
Aleene's Rapid Dry
Brown paper
Parchment paper
Ruler, scissors, brush

How To Make:

I'm sharing a way to transform your dining table with a stunning handmade table runner featuring DIY gold glitter leaves! First, I'm cutting the runner from a roll of gold metallic mesh material.

Begin by rolling out the length of your table runner desired.

I wanted the runner to overlap the ends of my dinning room table and hang down a bit - so I just laid the roll on the table, marking off the length needed and cutting off the excess.

Once I had the mesh runner cut out, it was time to get the leaves glittered! I had a garland of fall leaves in my stash!

All I had to do was cut each leaf off the plastic vine to apply Mod Podge. I placed the leaves on parchment paper to . . .

sprinkle on the glitter.

How cool do these leaves look!!!

I guess you're wondering why I didn't use spray-on glitter to cover the leaves. I tried, but that was a complete disaster for me. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures. But to make a long story short, on a nice sunny day, I placed an open plastic bag on my backyard grass and secured the bag with thin bamboo skewers. I laid the full garland down on the plastic and secured all the leaves with more bamboo skewers. Then I started spraying the leaves with Krylon Glitter Blast. That's when I realized I couldn't control the direction of the spray and the paint went everywhere. When I tried stopping the paint, it continued to spray! What a mess! There was more paint on the plastic bag and my gloved hands than on the leaves! And then the can was empty with very few leaves covered. I was so disgusted! Plus, I didn't care for the color of the glitter. It was too dull. So I picked everything up and threw it all in the trash! Later, I went on Amazon and read some of the reviews for the paint. Some stated that the spray mechanism has significant issues, with customers reporting that it goes everywhere and doesn't spray evenly. Moreover, the product clogs easily and stops working after a few uses. I wish I had read that first before buying a can at Michaels!

I continue the process of applying Mod Podge and glitter and letting the leaves dry. Then I would shake the loose glitter off onto the parchment paper and return it to the glitter bottle.

After the leaves were dry, applied another coat of Mod Podge to seal.

Once all the leaves were dry, I cut off the stems from the bottom center of the leaves and applied glue to the back . . .

and began gluing the leaves onto the mesh table runner until . . .

the runner was completely covered with sparkling gold glitter leaves!

What a lovely way to transform my dining table for Fall!

Up next is Donna @Modern on Monticello and one of our awesome hosts sharing her charming Handmade Christmas Card Ornaments!

And be sure to visit all of our very creative crafters listed below!

DIY Mason Jar Pumpkins

Viking Knit

How to Make an Easy Felt Leaf Wreath for Fall

Beginner Friendly Chunky Crocheted Throw

Gold Glitter Leaves Table Runner

Handmade Christmas Card Ornaments

Saturday, September 27, 2025

Stiffened Organza Fabric Vase

7:00 AM Gail @Purple Hues and Me Do It Over Designers Blog Hop, Stiffened Fabric Vase, Upcycle Craft 19 comments

Hello and Welcome to the 'Do It Over' Designers Blog Hop!! In case you haven't heard, the "Do It Over Designers" is a group of creative bloggers who love to recycle/upcycle/ DIY, hosted by Anne @The Apple Street Cottage. It happens the 4th Saturday of every other month and it's all about taking something old and/or unused and 'doing it over' into something new.

One of my favorite past times is looking online at high-end stores for DIY craft inspirations! High-end stores often showcase craftable ideas that can be duplicated or imitated at a much, much lower cost. Many expensive items and or ideas can often use thrifted, recyclable, or lower cost items transformed with affordable materials. I especially love vases made from unexpected recyclable items. I've made a few throughout my crafting years!

I fell in love with the vase pictured below found at Neiman Marcus! Especially the colors and flowers! It's crystal and made by the Jean Daum dynasty, selling for over thirty one thousand dollars! It's pretty spectacular in height, too, standing at an amazing 30" tall with a 29" diameter! It is one of many on the site created by the Daum dynasty. I love this one because, you know, it has purple hues in it!!!!!

When I look at this vase as a crafter, I imagine a smaller version and re-creation or "Do Over" of one using inexpensive stiffened organza fabric in the shape of a vase with flowers surrounding the top and body. Why use organza, you ask? A dear, dear friend of mine was once a costume designer and seamstress many years ago for a local playhouse. She knew I loved purple so when she came across a small piece of purple organza fabric leftover from a costume, she gave it to me. It was really beautiful and I had no idea what I would do with it at the time but I kept it in my stash - and still cherish it very much to this day since she is no longer with us!

So this is what I came up with using the organza fabric. To create a DIY stiffened organza fabric vase. For this, you'll need fabric stiffener and an old vase (plastic container) or other recyclable objects (paper mache cone tree) to use as a stand. The process involves saturating the organza with a stiffening solution, draping it over the stand, while shaping it and then letting it dry completely to hold its shape. Resulting in a soft, flowing look of fabric in a translucent dimensional vase that holds its shape.

Materials:

Organza fabric
Beacon Stiffen Stuff Fabric Stiffening Spray
Clear plastic vase shape container for a stand (16"x4")
Paper mache cone tree (23"x5.75")
Plastic wrap
Plastic trash bag/ gloves
Flower images
Parchment paper
Scissors/pins
Fabric glue

How To:

First, cover work surface table with an open plastic trash bag. Then place the plastic container over the paper mache cone tree to make the stand a bit taller and for the fabric to hang in folds and off the table.

Next, wrap the stand completely in plastic wrap. This will prevent the fabric from sticking to the stand and make it easy to remove once it's dry.

Before I go any further, I must say that I tried a couple of different ways to stiffen the organza. First, I used Aleene's Fabric Stiffener & Draping Liquid. The product got good reviews and I love other Aleene products! I followed the directions but the fabric didn't dry clear. I could see product stains. I washed what I could out and then tried painting the stiffener on with a brush and that didn't work either. The fabric did not dry clear. I also tried Mod Podge and that wasn't stiff enough and also left stains.

Luckily, I found a half used bottle of Beacon Stiffen Stuff Fabric Stiffening Spray in my stash and tried that. And thank goodness, it worked after spraying on several coats and letting it dry between coats.

So I draped the stand with the organza fabric and saturated the fabric using the Beacon spray-on stiffening solution until it was completely saturated.

Then I arranged the fabric into soft drapes, and folds and let dry.

I had to spray it several times and let dry each time to get the fabric stiff enough to hold a vase shape.

While the fabric was drying from being sprayed with fabric stiffener, I found a flower image in two different sizes that I've used before to cut out for embellishing the vase. I folded the organza several times and then pinned the images on the fabric and . . .