Friday, May 14, 2010

Celebration Streamer Wand Tutorial

Really, you can look at this photo and probably figure out what you need to do, but I get so many requests for wands like this for weddings, that I thought I'd show you a simple version you could whip up in no time all by yourself.
This type of wand is a great addition to weddings, birthdays, parades, and firework events on Canada Day and the 4th of July in the United States. It's super easy to make and will have you wand waving in no time.

Here's what you need:

  • A selection of 4 ribbons. I prefer double sided satin and in my example I'm using ribbon that is slightly thicker than 1/4 inch. I'm using white, gray, garnet and teal.
  • Scissors
  • A big tack
  • An eyelet screw (sometimes called a steel eye) usually found in the picture hanging section of your hardware store.
  • Round nose pliers (or other long nosed pliers)
  • A dowel cut to 12 inches in length. Mine was 1/2 inch dowel.
  • A hammer ( only necessary if your thumb struggles with pushing the tack in)
They're are more technical ways of doing this, but for the basic, use what you've got method this works in a pinch. A sturdy tack is pushed into the center of the dowel. This is the hole you will be using to turn the eye screw into. I use my pliers to do the turning, but those of you with strong fingers can probably just do it by hand. Depends how many you want to make. More than a couple and the pliers are a must. Decide on your ribbon length. I used 4 feet of ribbon in each color. Gather them all together and push through the eye screw. I pulled the ribbons until they were equal on both sides, so that was an equal two feet, with the eye screw in the middle. I then tied a double knot and I was good to go. If you want to seal the ends of the ribbon, heat with a heat gun or use a basic non toxic glue to seal the ends against fraying. A super simple celebration wand that will keep the kids happy and entertained and they'll look cute while they do it. Enjoy!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing, this is exactly what I was looking for!

Becky Marie said...

Love this! You've been featured at UCreate with Kids. Thanks for such a great craft.

Jaimee @ Havenwood House of Boys said...

These are so sweet! I'm sharing this post on my crafty facebook page : )
Jaimee @ craft-interrupted.blogspot.com

mzzbev said...

What a great idea! I would love to make these for our family get together for the 4th of July. Please share this post at my Patriotic Linky party I am currently hosting (and any other patriotic/Americana posts you have). I really need to run by Michaels on my way home today! Have a safe and Happy 4th of July!! :)

Fluid Ink said...

Soooo love this idea - thanks for the tutorial - are the coloured sticks easy to find? Or do you make them? Cheers Davina

Nicole Morell said...

Thanks for this! I love a DIY project with virtually no tools involved. I included your tutorial on my blog:

http://honeybunchhomecompanion.blogspot.com/2011/10/diy-watercolour-party.html

Pebbles Catto said...

Buy ribbon wands HERE: www.etsy.com/shop/pebblescatto

Unknown said...

Wow nice this is what i am looking for.

Unknown said...

Really useful thank you