How to Use Ribbons and Charms to Decorate a Greeting Card

Add an elegant and delicate touch to your homemade greeting cards. Use narrow satin ribbon to attach small charms or pendants to your cards. This project takes very little effort or time to complete and makes a great family activity.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Narrow Satin Ribbon
• Charms
• Pendants
• Scissors
• Pencils
• Card Stock
• Hole Punchers

1. Look in craft stores for tiny charms and pendants that reflect the holiday or occasion. For example, a cherub charm would be appropriate for the winter holidays or a wedding. Make sure that the charm or pendant has a metal loop through which you can insert a tiny ribbon.
2. Refer to related eHow "How to Hand Paint Holiday Cards" for instructions on how to find a design for your greeting card. Make the card and decorate it.
3. Choose a satin ribbon that coordinates with the colors used in your card's design. The ribbon should be about 8 inches long and narrow enough to fit through the metal loop attached to the charm. A ribbon width of 1/8 inch works well with most small charms.
4. Look for a paper hole punch that will create a hole about the same size as the charm's metal loop.
5. Locate the center point on the top edge of the greeting card's face. Make two pencil marks: one 1/4 inch to the left of the center point and another 1/4 inch to the right. Both marks should be about 1/8 inch from the top edge.
6. Punch two holes through the card - one over each of the pencil marks made in step 5.
7. Insert the ends of the ribbon through the punched holes from the back of the card's face - one through each hole. Arrange the ribbon so that an equal length protrudes from each hole.
8. Insert either end of the ribbon through the charm's metal loop and push the charm along the ribbon's length until it touches the card face. Tie a bow with the ribbon - the charm should hang from the center of the bow.

Tips & Warnings

• Hang more than one charm from the ribbon. Use one large charm for the center and two smaller charms on either side.
• Place your ribbon-and-charm decoration at the center right edge of the greeting card face. Punch holes in the back of the card as well; thread the ribbon through both sets of holes, and you have an elegant closure for your card.
• Place the holes for the ribbon on the inside of the greeting card just above your message.
• Punch pairs of holes all over the face of your greeting card and tie ribbon and charms through each. Place the holes in a pattern or randomly.