10/16/08

DIY: Pinwheels and Ribbon Wands

DIY Wedding

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Looking to incorporate something a little different for your own wedding? Why not have your guests cheer you on while waving ribbons wands and pinwheels as you both depart in your get-away car(in lieu of confetti or rice)? Laurie’s simple and inexpensive DIY project this week shows us how to create a whole set of beautiful ribbon wands and pinwheels that would complement a whimsical wedding perfectly. Enjoy!

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What You’ll Need (for the pinwheels)

Several sheets of 12" x 12" double sided scrapbook or decorative paper (a lighter weight paper, not stiff, heavy card stock)

Round-headed pins

12" wooden dowels

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

A push pin

Flower shaped craft punch

A pair of scissors

A ruler

Pinwheel Instructions

1. Begin by measuring and cutting several 6" inch squares out of your paper.

2. Find the center of your one of the squares and mark it by poking a hole through it with your pushpin. (see figure 1)

3. Lay your paper pattern side down, and use your ruler to draw
diagonal lines from each corner to make an "X". (see figure 1)

4. Cut along the diagonal lines, from all four corners, stopping
one inch before you meet the hole in the center of your paper. (see
figure 2)

5. Use your pushpin to make a hole in the right hand corner of
each side of the square, just to the left of the line you just cut.
(see figure 3)

6. Use your punch to cut out a paper flower. Stick your round-headed pin through the center of the flower. (see figure 3)

7. One by one, bring each of the four pin-holed corners to the
center and stick the flower and pin through each of the four holes.
(see figure 4 and 5)

8. Next, put the pin through the hole in the center of the square and set aside.

9. Make a pilot hole, using your pushpin, 1/2 inch down from the end of the dowel.

10. Put a drop of hot glue on the hole, and quickly insert the
pin that runs through the pinwheel center into the glue and dowel.
(see figure 6 and 7) Be careful not to let the pinwheel paper touch
the glue on the dowel while it’s drying. If it sticks, it can’t spin.

11. Arrange your completed pinwheels in a vase or container like flower stems.

What it Costs

(to make 12 pinwheels)

4 sheets of paper @ $.50 each = $2.00

Package of 12 dowels = $2.00

Box of pins = $2

Total = $6

What You’ll Need (for the ribbon wands)

20 yards of ribbon total (roughly) - a mix of widths and colors

1 dozen wooden dowels (12" inches long)

1 dozen flowers (paper, silk, or applique)

Scissors

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Ribbon Wand Instructions

1. Gather several lengths of ribbon of varied colors and widths and tie them in a knot around the end of a wooden dowel.

2. Use your glue gun to attach a flower (paper, silk, or sequin applique (as shown) on the the ribbon knot.

3. Neatly trim the ends of the ribbon at an angle.

4. Place in a vase or container, like the pin wheels, for your guests.

What it Costs

(to make 12 ribbon wands)

20 yards of ribbon (ranging from $.25 – $.75 a yard = $10

Package of 12 dowels = $2

Sequin appliques (from my craft stash… I have no idea what they cost)

Total = $12

Laurie, your the best! Thank you so much!

9 comments – permalink

Liz writes

10/16/08 at 1:24 pm

This is one of the cutest ideas I’ve seen in a while! I definitely want to do this for my wedding. It would totally complement my love of paper.

Thanks always!

Sarah e. Smith Photography writes

10/16/08 at 1:32 pm

i wish your blog was around when i got married, i love you DIY ideas here. I’ll be sure to post a link here from my blog when i get my links page for brides up and running on my site. :)

TH writes

10/16/08 at 4:20 pm

This is too cute! I used to play with these pinwheels when I was little. What a brilliant idea!

Kirstin @ Southern Weddings writes

10/16/08 at 7:32 pm

Love the DIY post. Those pinwheels are so cute!

Heather writes

10/16/08 at 8:11 pm

This idea is so fun. I love the color palette Laurie ended up choosing too.

katrina + andrew = sedona bride writes

10/17/08 at 8:07 am

ohhhh i’d love to take some detail shots of these at a wedding… :)

holly hatam writes

10/17/08 at 10:11 am

This is so cute! What a whimsical idea!

Morgyn writes

08/09/09 at 5:57 pm

These are very cute. Made them for my wedding. Word of caution to anyone who wants to make them, use “Gorilla” glue or something similar. All of mine popped off their sticks after sitting in a mildly warm car. Good thing was it was well before the wedding, and family came to the rescue and fixed them.

Also placing a pea sized bead on the pin between the pinwheel and stick helps them turn better.

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