BIRTHDAY pARTy: DIY Frida Kahlo Flowered Headbands

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BIRTHDAY pARTy: Take Home Activity

DIY Flowered Headband “Loot Bags”

Inspired by Frida Kahlo

Theory & Practice : Supplies : Preparation : Printables

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Theory & Practice

Originally, I thought we were going to have the time for five activities at the party.  Inspired by both Frida Kahlo and my daughter, both of whom tend(ed) to draw their self-portraits with flowers in their hair, I assumed that some sort of flowered hair accessory would be in order.  After purchasing the supplies necessary for my Frida Kahlo Flowered Headbands, I realized, however, that it would be difficult to give the guests the individual attention they would need to complete the project in a short-enough stretch of time. Thinking about the four activities I already had planned, I figured we would be lucky to finish 3.5 of the four activities with time to enjoy our cupcakes before parents began to arrive to take the girls home.  The supplies, however, were already bought. [Ironically, most of them came from the art store as opposed to the dollar store, maxing this craft out at the top of my $30 per craft budget. So, if one left this activity out of the picture, so to speak, the craft budget would likely max out at just $100 – not bad at all].  Instead of keeping the supplies to use for something else, I decided to go ahead and send the girls home with a take-home version of the headband that they could complete with the help of their parents. A loot basket  filled with the four sets of objects we had already made at the party was surely “loot” enough. Still, I figured we might as well go for the gold and package these items up “to-go style” for everyone to enjoy.  The headbands were a big hit – I had several of the girls from the party come up to me in teh schoolyard on the following mornings to report their progress.  With this in mind, I think it’s safe to say that on its own,  this craft would make a good “loot bag” for any party!!

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Supplies

Sheets of Felt in 2 Colours
2 sheets/1 per colour per 3-4 guests
Sparkly Buttons
Plastic Headbands
Embroidery Floss
Embroidery Needles
Small Clear Plastic Loot Bags
Curling Ribbon

1 Pair Sharp Scissors
Multi-Coloured Index Cards
11.5×16.5 cm, 1 per craft per guest
Paper Clips
mine looked like tiny clothes pins
Computer
Printer
Printer Paper

Optional Loot Basket for all Activities 
9x12in Plastic Basket for each guest
Avery Label printed with each guest’s name

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Preparation

Print

  1. Since I was packaging up this take-home activity in a small lootbag, I planned to include the five index cards/instruction sheets that I had designed for each of the party crafts. On sheets of 11.5×16.5cm cardstock I found at the dollar store, I printed out the double-sided instruction/artist-bio cards I designed for each activity, choosing a different colour for each craft. You’ll see the text and a downloadable version of each index card on the web-page for each activity. I have also included links to those word docs below in the Printables section. Additionally, the text of the Kahlo activity and the word version of that card are both among the Printables.
  2. For this headband activity, I designed patterns for the large and small headband flowers, scanned them into the computer, and printed multiple patterns on plain paper.  You’ll find these in the Printables below.
  3. Then, using the “collage” feature on my favourite photo site, http://www.ipiccy.com, I put together a photo-strip of head-band making in action. I printed them out on plain paper so that the guests would have a visual guide to go with their instructions. (See Printables section below for all of these templates.)

Cut and Package

  1. I cut my pages full of flower patterns and how-to photos into individual images, 1 of each item per guest.
  2. Using SHARP scissors, I cut my felt into 10cm/4in squares, reserving 2 squares of each colour for each guest.
    (They only need 1 of each colour, but I wanted to leave room for error.)
  3. I cut the embroidery floss into 60cm/24in lengths, one length for each guest.
  4. I pinned one button to one of each of the guests’s squares of felt using the embroidery needle I wanted to include.
  5. I used a pretty paper clip to secure sets of the five index cards for each guest.
  6. I packed all of these items, along with a plastic headband, into a clear plastic loot bag and tied if off with some pretty purple curling ribbon.

 

Here’s the finished product:

Optional Loot Basket:  The week before the party, I picked up a 9x12in basket for each guest at the dollar store and placed an avery label with their name on one of the handles.  I had these stacked in a pile at the outset of the party. These came in handy as a place for the guests to deposit their finished crafts after we’d finished each one.  Towards the end of the party, I snuck in this pre-wrapped take-home activity, and I placed their plastic-wrapped Mini Action Painting in this bucket, too.  This way, each girl went home with a basket full of goodies.

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Printables

Here’s a sheet of Photo How-To Strips you can print, cut, and include in your loot bags.

Here are sheets of Large Flower Pattern templates and the Small Flower Pattern templates.

Here are the word-docs for the four main project Index Cards: Mini Action Paintings Index Card  : Pop Art Index Card : Secret Wish Fashion Photo Ornament Index Card : Chanel Chic Pearl and Ribbon Jewelry Index Card

And, here’s the printable Frida Kahlo Flowered Headband Index Card I provided to the guests in the loot bag. You’ll also find the text below!  Good luck!!_______________________________

TAKE HOME CRAFT: Frida Kahlo Flower Headband

Supplies: Headband, Two Colours of Felt, Button, Needle & Thread, Sharp Scissors,      (Optional: Hot Glue Gun), Flower Patterns

Using the patterns provided and a pair of sharp scissors, cut the gray felt into a larger sized flower and the purple felt into a smaller sized flower. Thread your needle and knot it at the end.

Stack your felt flowers (smaller on top) and place a button at the top and center of these flowers. Starting from the bottom center of the felt, sew up and through the hook on the back of the button and back down through the center. Continue sewing up and through the button and back down again about 5-7 times. If you are NOT using hot glue, keep your needle and thread attached to the flower. If you’re using hot glue, knot and trim your thread, and attach the flower to the headband now.

To continue with the sewing method, place the flower where you would like it on the headband. Wrap the thread underneath the headband and sew back up and through the button, Sew back down through the flower, around the band, and back up through and button, etcetera, another 5-7 times. Now, knot and trim the thread!
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INSPIRATION: FRIDA KAHLO (1907-1954)

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter.

She was known for her self-portraits.

She often painted herself with flowers or pretty dragonflies in her hair.

Kahlo was a survivor. She was often very sick, but she would not stop painting!

She said that she painted her own portrait so often because she knew herself better than anyone else!

How well do you know yourself?

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