"It's My Birthday" Ribbon

 

Last month I had purchased a "Birthday Girl" ribbon at Dollar Tree for my youngest granddaughter.  (The more attention she gets, the happier she is.)  As soon as I got it home I knew I had to buy another for my oldest granddaughter since her birthday happened to coincide with her first day of high school.  My grandchildren think I'm clueless, so I wanted to present it to her and suggest she wear it to high school orientation to let all her friends know it was her birthday.  Don't worry.  I knew it was lame.  I just wanted to see what reaction I'd get.

I forgot all about it until last night.  Birthday/Orientation was today.  Dollar Tree had no "Birthday Girl" ribbons.  So at midnight I found myself desperately trying to make something.

I found a tutorial on making rosettes using the Martha Stewart Scoring Board, so I was on my way.

I started with three pieces of 12 inch by 2 1/4 inch paper scored every 1/2 inch.  I folded accordian pleats into each, then attached them into a circle with hot glue.  I flattened the circle into a rosette shape and glued the center with hot glue (this stuff gets really hot).  I used a two-inch scalloped circle punch to cut a shape for the center of the rosette.  I found a punch-out in one of my paper pads that said "It's my birthday" and glued that to the center of the scallop (this is why I collect anything I can get my hands on---you never know when you'll need something random in the middle of the night).

In my growing stash of ribbon I found one with a birthday theme.  It was a little too white and shiny, so I used Tim Holtz Distress Stain in Antique Linen to give it a softer look that coordinated with the rosette paper.  I cut a couple of strips, trimmed the ends, and attached it to the back of the rosette with hot glue (by now my fingers were blistered and numb).  I then cut a three-inch scalloped circle, glued it to the back of the rosette, and attached a pin with hot glue (still fantasizing that my granddaughter might actually wear it).

It turned out big and gaudy, and it gave my granddaughter a laugh on the day she needed it most.  It's still sitting where she left it early this morning, and that's okay.  She started her first day of high school knowing she's important enough for her Nana to make an ugly ribbon just for kicks.  I'll never solve world hunger, but today I made a nervous teenager feel loved and that's good enough for me.