Bows, Bows, Bows!

Olivia's bow collection began the day we found out she was a girl.  Literally.  It just kept growing from there.  When she was an infant we used mostly stretchy headbands, so the collection was stored in a basket in her closet.  I had been eyeing hanging bow holders on etsy for a while, but just put the thought to the side.

Once her hair got to a certain point, the stretchy headbands got packed up and the clippy bows took over.  I have been wanting a bow holder for probably a year or so now, but a) didn't want to spend the money and b) couldn't decide what it was that I wanted.  I just kept dragging my feet and digging through the basket for the right color bow.

So about 6 months ago I decided that I was just going to bite the bullet and make her one.  I headed to Michael's with coupons in hand.  I had a general idea of what I was going for, but was still a little clueless on the specifics.  I ended up leaving with a plain board and glittery letters that spelled Olivia.  I got overwhelmed with  the fabric/ribbon/paint choices, so those items just sat in a bag in my closet for months.

Finally I convinced myself that this was not a life or death decision and I just needed to finish this project.  I went to Hobby Lobby and was greeted by a very yummy selection of fabrics.  Seriously.  I loved so many of them.  Keeping in mind that I had already chosen white letters, I went with a bold print with bright colors.  I wanted something where the white letters would stand out nicely and not get lost.  I found the perfect matching ribbon (at 50% off) and we were in business.

I already had spray paint, so I painted the board a white color.  I covered the insert with the fabric.  I glued the letters on with hot glue and added the ribbon to the bottom.  I actually had to do this step twice.  At first I cut the ribbons too short.  I didn't like how long they looked in pictures, so this was a deliberate choice on my part.  Then I started hanging bows and realized why the ribbons were so long.  The bows needed that much room!

I didn't worry about matching her room color because I knew I'd be hanging it in her closet.

I love it.  The whole thing costed between $10 and $15.  Organization well worth it to me!

I love that I can pick out a bow when I'm picking out an outfit.  I love that I can see how many bows we have of each color.  I love that I'm not digging through a basket trying to find the bow I want.