DIY Prop Tutorial: The 3 Minute Bow Tie

senior pictures, Virginia Beach senior photographer, Chesapeake, VA family photographer

Okay, so here's the story behind this bow tie.  I had this fabulous stylized session planned for my son and his adorable little friend (also known as my best friend's daughter).  I wanted to give his outfit more of a vintage feel so I decided to add a bow tie.  The only problem is I live in Western Washington when the weather is super unpredictable. 

When all of a sudden tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and 60 degrees I was not entirely prepared.  I was throwing things together all day to beat the sun and catch that gorgeous backlighting.  (Luckily we made it because we haven't had a nice day since.  In fact, it snowed here today!!)  Anyways, as we were about to walk out the door I realized I still needed my bow tie!

So here's how I whipped out an adorable bow tie in about 3 minutes.

Supplies

- a sheet (or scrap) of felt in desired color

- scissors

- a hot glue gun

- a piece of bulky or extra-bulky weight yarn

Tutorial

Step 1: Cut a piece of felt approximately 1 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches.

Step 2: Fold the piece of felt in half lengthwise.  Put a small dab of glue down at the bottom of the fold.

Step 3: Fold both sides back down like so.  Secure them down with hot glue (careful not to burn yourself)!  This will then be the back of your bow tie.

Step 4: Cut a piece of bulky weight yarn about 20 inches long and glue the middle of it onto the middle of the back of your bow tie.  When you are tying onto your little one you will want to tie a very small bow, then trim the ends short so it can all be tucked under the collar.

That's it, you're done!  It's not something you would want to sell (lol, funny thought, I know) but it cost me less than $1 and it sure looked cute in my photo shoot, didn't it?!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, thanks for reading :)

DIY Prop Tutorial: The Itty Bitty Headband

I am guest blogging over at Prop Insanity today!  {yay!}  Go check out my tutorial for making these adorable little headbands that are oh so popular in newborn portraits right now.  You may be surprised (or maybe not) at just how fast and easy they are to make! Etsy online classes should also be able to teach you how to create other cute baby accessories.

Also don't forget, you can win one of these by entering our first weekly photo challenge!  Click here to go enter and join in the fun {please :)} !  The top three winners will also get featured here on Frame Worthy Shot.  I'll be introducing this week's fabulous guest judge Wednesday or Thursday!

March Giveaway Extravaganza is still open so if you haven't entered yet go check it out for your chance to win almost $1,300 in fabulous prizes!  And if you have been considering purchasing anything from one of the awesome vendors remember that lands you an extra entry!

DIY Prop Tutorial: Pennant Banner

Pennant banners are all the rage right now for newborn and baby photography.  I really wanted a boy banner and a girl banner and there are so many cute ones out there, but they are a little on the spendy side.  After looking around and debating about purchasing one I realized I could probably just whip one up myself.  You may also want to check out arts and crafts classes at online accredited colleges that can teach you how to make different kinds of darling pennant banners using left-over fabrics.

Now here's the thing, this is a simple, no-sew banner.  I wanted it to be quick and easy.  It is not heirloom quality like the ones you can purchase on Etsy.  Those banners are spendy for a reason, they are double sided and stitched with love and care to make a very high quality product.  I may very well purchase one of those beauties in the future but for now, since I have to pick and choose which props to spend money on, I save where I can.   The banner I am going to show you how to make may fray over time or in the wash because that's what happens to fabric when you don't finish your seams (which includes lots of sewing time). 

However, if you take care of the banner it should last you quite awhile and make a great, affordable, and fun prop to add to your collection.

A couple notes before we get started:

1) After seeing the finished product used in my photography there are a couple things I would change If I were to do it over again.  I would choose only fabrics with small prints on them because the larger prints seem to be a little distracting.  I would probably also switch the brown fabric out with another shade of blue, or maybe a soft green.  The brown just seems to bold to me.  I would also choose a ribbon that had no gloss/shine to it. 

2) The adorable birthday outfit set was purchased from Fuzzy Cheeks Boutique.

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Okay let's get started.

Supplies:

- An assortment of fabrics.  I chose to do three flags of three different fabrics (total of 9 flags) but you could choose nine different fabrics if you wanted, or do something in between.  If you do three fabrics like I did, a half yard of each will be plenty.  If you do nine different fabrics the little pre-cut portions (I think they're called fabric quarters) would easily be enough for one or two flags.

- Fabric scissors

- A ruler

- Fabric chalk or normal chalk

- A piece of paper

- A roll of 1 inch wide ribbon (that coordinates with your fabric)

- A hot glue gun

Steps:

Well there you have it.  I hope some of you will have fun trying this out and making yourself an adorable pennant banner!  I would love to see any photos if you do try it out!  Let me know if there are any questions.