Candy Lei

These leis are great as gifts for graduations, weddings, birthdays, or really whatever occasion.  What is nice about this kind of lei is that you can put anything you want in them, as long as their small and lightweight.

What you need:

- cellophane
- items to put in the lei (I've put in candy, little bubble bottles, small matchbox cars, and for adults: small bottles of liquor).
- curling ribbon
- (optional) ribbon for aesthetics -- perhaps school colors if this lei is for a graduation

Here's what you do:

1. Cut cellophane to about 6 inches x 6 feet (this size can vary depending on the item you're putting in the lei, and the length of lei you want to have.)  A good test is to roll the cellophane around the fattest item, and make sure it holds in place and doesn't slip out.

If you don't want to cut a really long piece of cellophane, you can use 2 pieces of cellophane with the ends overlapping.  If you do it this way tho, it's a bit trickier to roll, and you need to make sure the overlapping pieces are between items (this is where you would tie the ribbon).

2.  With your cellophane laid out, arrange the items you want to use along the center of the cellophane.  You can add a ribbon (optional ribbon) along the length of the cellophane to add to the aesthetics.  Lay out the items with a few inches in between.  If you're using relatively heavy items, you may want to distribute the weight more throughout the lei.

3.  Carefully roll the cellophane and items so you have a tube of items.

4.  Cut several pieces of curling ribbon and use a piece to tie around the cellophane tubes between the items. I like to start in the center and work my way out.  Use a double knot to ensure that the ribbon stays in place.  Once all of the ribbons are tied on and your items are secure, you can curl the ribbons.

5.  You're almost done.  The last thing you need to do is tie the ends together.  Hold both ends together where the ribbons are tied on, and tie on one more ribbon to hold them together.  Again, use a double knot here to make sure it stays in place.  Curl the ribbon for looks.

You're done.  Your recipient will love the lei and it's contents. :)

Here is one made with small liquor bottles for my cousin's birthday

Happy Lei Making!

Ribbon Lei

With commencement events popping up everywhere, I thought it would be a good time to do a post on this easy and impressive ribbon lei.

Here's what you need to make this:

Ribbon (lots of it. I used 18 yards or 3/4" ribbon here, and probably could have doubled the amount for a nice long lei)
string (I used embroidery string, but a nice sturdy thread will work).
needle

Now for the time-staking part.

1.  Thread the needle with enough string to hold how ever long you want your lei to be, plus extra length just in case.
2.  Sew along one side of the ribbon with stitches about a 1/4" apart.  After every few inches, scrunch up the sewn area, and slowly turn the ribbon onto itself.

3.  Continue with the rest of the ribbon, or until you've reached the length you want.  Tie the ends together, and you're done.

Congratulations to all the recent graduates.  Go Tigers! :)

Origami Iris - Revisiting an Iris Lei

So, some time ago, a friend of mine asked me if it was possible to string up the origami irises and create a lei with them. I think I said, "probably... let's try it". After we made a couple dozen origami irises, she took it home and tried it out. It turns out that the origami irises kept on fitting inside of each other making it seem like you need a whole lot more irises to make the lei.

So, recently, I decided to revisit the idea and make several on my own. I got lazy and stopped after about 9 irises, but I do believe it's possible. The trick is to put small cut pieces of straw (the kind you'd get from a fast food place, use clear in case it's visible) in between each flower. Here are pictures of my 9 strung up as the bottom part of a lei and just hanging. It looks pretty cool just hanging - not sure what to use it for tho. As a lei, I would definitely curl the petals instead of folding them down as I show in the picture. There's at least potential for something more in here. :-)