DIY Christmas Ribbon

What do you do when you can’t find a simple green striped ribbon for your Christmas décor? You make it! But seriously, why don’t they make this classic striped ribbon in green? I searched everywhere online and only found red and black. They forced me to take matters into my hands with this DIY…

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After posting the DIY Mini Wreath blog the other day, the most common question I got was “Where did you get that green ribbon?!” So I decided to jot it all down for you, creative friend.

Here’s what you need:

  1. Chalk paint (my favorite is Waverly from Walmart.)

  2. Cotton Ribbon

  3. Painters Tape

  4. Brush

To watch this DIY, go to our IGTV channel on Instagram!

Let’s get started…

Determine your length. This depends on what you are using your ribbon for. I planned to use mine for adding small loops in my Christmas tree, so I found it easier to cut the ribbon into smalls sections before painting. That way I could set them aside and keep painting.

Tape down your ribbon. I found it easiest to tape the ends down first. Next, add a piece of tape down the middle of the ribbon. Then add a piece tape on the top and bottom edges. (photo below) This will reveal two lines to paint. You may have to adjust the tape to get even thickness in your lines. You don’t have to have perfect lines, but once you get some practice it gets easier to lay the tape evenly! (Tip: Make sure the tape is pressed down on the ribbon so that paint doesn’t get underneath the paint.)

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Paint away. Brush on the paint of your choice! I used chalk paint, because that’s what I had on hand. I tried not to load my brush with too much paint. I used just enough paint to get a fairly solid line. (Tip: if you take a break from painting, just stick your paint brush in a zip lock bag to save it for later!)

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Remove tape. You can do this immediately after painting. (Tip: You can reuse the tape over and over, but if you do just know you’ll have small paint marks to clean up after you’re done.)

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Let it dry. Lay each section of painted ribbon out to dry. (Tip: If you need to straighten the ribbon after it dries, you can use an iron.)

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That’s it! Just let it dry completely before using and you’re good to go!

Oh the possibilities with this project! You can create any pattern you’d like using stencils or other tape patterns. Use the ribbon you made for gifts packaging, wreaths, and more…

Happy Ribbon Making!

Megan

Click the image below to see how I used the ribbon in our DIY Mini Wreaths blog!