Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
Designer Inspired DIY Honey Bee Hair Bows
Maybe it’s from watching so many episodes of Bridgerton recently, or perhaps it’s my love of designer fashion, or maybe it’s my love of honey bees that inspired this craft. Hair bows made a big comeback in recent years, and I love making them.
When you combine some ribbon, bee charms, felt, hair clips and glue, you get a beautiful clip in hair bow that you can make in about 5 minutes. Read to learn how to make my DIY honey bee hair bows.
Gucci inspired hair bows
Why Bees?
I credit a swarm of honey bees that began a hive high up in a tree in our yard days before Hurricane Ian for showing me what was coming. Animals do weird things sometimes right before a big weather event and even though creating a hive in a tree in typical, it seemed to happen very, very quickly. I looked at that hive, about 20 feet up in the air and thought that they had some kind of intuition to “go high” to protect their queen, and they were right.
They look cute in messy bun hairstyles
What Happened During Hurricane Ian?
Sanibel Island had storm surge that flooded a bit over 5 feet at our house, and went up as high as 13.8 feet in surrounding areas. Those bees told me to “go high”, so we did. We evacuated right out of Florida, into the mountains of Georgia and I’ve never felt so safe before.
The beautiful bee hair bows
The storm reached all over Florida, causing flooding, power outages, and total destruction in many cities, but being in those mountains, we knew we were safe. This event made us also understood that we need to move to Georgia (we love it!) and have started putting that plan in motion.
I will say that the bees chose well though, because the branch they swarmed to stayed intact. I can’t say the same for many of the trees on the island. They were then able to get back to work, helping the island post-storm, turn from brown (salt water that sprays in hurricanes kill so much) into lush and green again.
See the bees flourishing post Ian in my quick video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden with a song I wrote, dedicated to honey bees everywhere!
The Designer Inspiration
I bought some red and green striped ribbon from Temu a while ago, and had an idea to make shoe clips. I bought the bees and instantly understood it all was very Gucci looking.
Gucci has used bees and red and green colors in many of their designs over the years (see one of their bee watches here), making the brand very recognizable and iconic. I shelved the shoe clips for a while, but after watching Bridgerton and seeing all their gorgeous hairpieces, I knew I should make hair bows from the ribbon for now.
How I imagine a modern character on Bridgerton would wear the bows
Bridgerton Connection
In the show called “Bridgerton”, a bee sting is the reason Lord Bridgerton dies (he was allergic and went into shock and you can read about it here) and while bee stings can cause many severe allergic reactions, they are actually a very social creatures and are not defensive unless they feel threatened. Now days, you can have an EpiPen on hand in the event you are allergic and get stung. Learn more about bees using this link to National Geographic’s website.
The bows add a bit of style to uplift your hair
Let’s Create!
I love honey bees as they are so necessary to our world. They pollinate so we can have plants and trees that help us be able to breathe! I will always look at bees as being kind and gentle souls that I will celebrate (their work ethic alone should be sheer inspiration for many go-getters out there) and I definitely do so in this honey bee hair bow craft. Here’s how to create it.
The bee hair bows match my bee shirt
Things You Need:
If you buy any supplies from Temu (I purchased the green and red ribbon from Temu in a big roll), use my discount code afe55197 for 30% off (new app users only) or use my direct link here. Their craft supplies have great prices.
I’ve also included links to make purchases on Amazon and Walmart for your convenience.
Grab my 1-minute video tutorial for this designer inspired clip in bow project below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
—Red and Green Striped Polyester Webbing Ribbon (mine was 1.25 inches in width, is very thick, and I have a big roll from Temu, or you could use any ribbon like a grosgrain)
—0.98 Inch Pack of Alloy Bee Charms or Pendants (I got my set on Amazon, but Temu has them too)
—2” Inch Metal Duck Bill or Alligator Style Hair Clips (I got mine at Hobby Lobby)
—Kelly Green Felt
—Dual Temperature Hot Glue Gun + Hot Glue Sticks
How To:
I cut my ribbon into a 7.5-inch piece. I lightly swiped a lit lighter around the ends to seal it.
I folded one end of the ribbon towards the center and glued it using my hot glue gun set on a low heat temperature. I then folded the other end towards the center and glued it to form the bow.
The start of the bow
Next, I pinched the ribbon together in the center to form the bow shape.
Pinching the ribbon to form the bow
I added hot glue in the folded area in the center and pinched it, holding it until it dried.
Pinching the bow in the center after gluing it
I cut a small strip of felt (about a ½ inch wide and 4 inches long) and folded one end around the center of the bow and hot glued it on. The next part is a bit tricky….I opened the hair clip and while it was open, I glued it onto the folded over felt.
I then folded over the other end of the felt to cover the top part of the clip. Then I trimmed the excess felt and glued any loose ends down. I wanted the clip to stay on, so this is why I folded the felt over the clip.
Adding my hair clip onto the bow
Lastly, I hot glued on a bee on the front side of the bow, on top of the felt. The felt makes a great soft and flat space for the bee.
Adding the bees on last
I made two and will probably make the shoe clips at some point as I have tons of ribbon and bees!
The completed bee bows
They look cute in your hair when it’s up or down and add a bit of designer style to your look for a fraction of the cost.
If you loved this article, we know you’ll love this one too: How to Wax Seal a Gift Wrapped Package Like On Bridgerton
Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.