crafting to decorate your home

Decorative elastic hair garlands make the perfect hair ties for young girls. The colorful ribbons stick out every which way with a pom-pom like effect, and best of all, these pretty little crafts can be made by busy parents in their spare time. Elastic hair garlands make excellent gifts for all occasions including birthdays and holidays. 

Pick Your Ribbon

The first step in this project is to pick the appropriate ribbon for the elastic hair garland. You can choose as many or as few different types of ribbon as you want. The most attractive elastic garlands typically involve three or four solid colors and one or two patterned ribbons. If you can't decide on the right colors or patterns, pick a holiday or an outfit to use as the basis for the hair garland.

For example, when making a fourth of July hair garland, the best ribbons to choose will be in red, white and blue colors. Red and white striped ribbon and blue polka dot ribbon both make excellent patterned ribbons to use for this type of elastic hair garland. When selecting the type of ribbon, stick to grosgrain ribbon. This ribbon type is best for this project because it is stiff enough to stick out and can easily stay tied to the elastics. 

Gather the Other Materials

In addition to several different types of ribbon, you'll also want to gather the following: 

• Plain white elastic hair bands
• Fray glue
• Fabric scissors

Complete the Step-by-Step Process

Now that you've got all your materials in one place, it's time to get started. 

1. Cut the different types of ribbon in lengths of approximately 4 inches long. Cut the ends of the ribbons at a diagonal or in a V shape for a decorative effect. 
2. Run a bead of fray glue along the ends of each ribbon.
3. Leave the ribbons out to dry on your work surface until the fray glue is completely stiff. 
4. Pick a ribbon and tie it to the elastic hair band. Double knot the ribbon so that it's tightly secured to the elastic. 
5. Choose a different color of ribbon and tie it to the elastic hair band next to the first ribbon. 
6. Continue tying different ribbons to the elastic hair band until you've used all the different colors of ribbon. Push the ribbons together in a clump on the elastic hair band. 
7. Repeat the pattern of tied ribbons on the hair band next to the first pattern of ribbons you tied to the band. 
8. Continue to tie ribbons to the hair band until it's entirely covered. 

That's it! Enjoy the project. Your daughter (or granddaughter) is sure to love the decorative hair ties.