a gift idea from Petrina

Recently I made up some little parcels to donate to people who have been affected by the recent floods in Qld as part of this generous idea. As I made them I thought they would be good to also give as gifts (especially for people who are so difficult to buy for!) or even perhaps for a school mother's day stall or fete. My gift packs each contain a washer decorated with ribbon, a cake of soap, pack of tissues and a chocolate. To mix things up a little I also added a few extras like spray cologne, deodorant, razors and shaving foam for the fellas, and even some novelty band aids for the kiddos. Mine were simply packaged into ziplock bags but I imagine if you were giving a pack as a gift it would look lovely wrapped in cellophane (with a matching ribbon of course!)

Like most ribbon addicts, I have a lot of leftover bits of ribbon around the place!!! After I've used some on a layout and a card there is easily plenty leftover to decorate a washer or hand towel. Here are the ones I made for the fellas:

And here are some I made for the girls, along with a few tips I can share for how to go about this quick and simple task:

• If you don't have cotton to match the ribbon or washer - white or black is a great option. I used black for the geisha girl ribbon on the pink washer and with white cotton in the bobbin it looked perfectly fine on the back. If you don't think you are great at sewing straight, choose a dark coloured washer and ribbon and match the cotton exactly and no one will know!
• It's easy to find nice things that match your washers and ribbon - I couldn't believe how perfectly that "Impulse" spray bottle matched the washer with the organza spot ribbon!
• If you need to buy a gift for a teenage boy and can't come at simply handing over a gift card, you could always make a pack with ribbon such as the sporting ball ribbon and pop the gift card in there as well (at least his mother might think it is nice!!). There's always black skull ribbon or black flame ribbon if you want to be really cool or for a younger boy the outer space rocket ribbon might do the trick.
• With some of my packs I included a blank card for the recipient to use. I wrote my message on a slip of paper and popped it inside, explaining that the card was part of the gift.
• Some washers actually have, as part of their design, a flat strip that runs the width of the washer an inch or two from the end. If you choose that style of washer, it's very simple to sew your ribbon along that section as the thick toweling is absent and you can also line it up to be straight without getting out your ruler.

Now of course I've got all sorts of ideas for future gifts. I think this pink elephant ribbon would look adorable on a hot pink towel (with a matching washer of course!) for a baby girl.

And just imagine this cupcake ribbon on a hand towel (or apron!!) for a kitchen tea gift.