How to: Make a barrette holder

Barrettes are everywhere in my world. We buy them by the dozens and lose them by the tens. This leavesÂ two hair clips on nearly every surface of my house, in my car, and in my pockets. Girl moms, if your daughter is not still bald, please tell me I’m not alone. I was forced to figure out how to contain all these hair clips, so I present to you four pretty great ways to keep track of barrettes.

My cousin’s partner bought Scarlett these adorable days of the week barrettes and I have seen only Friday for months now. Enter the barrette caddy.

I was inspired first when I saw the hair-clip holder Mena made:

And then I saw the one available from barrette company Ribbies, who sent me a sampler of toddler-friendly hair clips.

I brainstormed a few ways to create this little utility for your child’s bedroom. Since I am the proud owner of a staple gun, I planned to staple fabric taut around a board and then add ribbons to match.

When I started working on Project Staple, I realized how much easier the picture frame “cheat” (above) would have been, so I offer you both.

So here are my suggestions to make your own hair clip caddy:

Version A: The Frame Cheat

Secure a piece of fabric around the backing of a picture frame. Use staples, fabric glue or tape. It doesn’t have to be perfect because the edges of your frame will hide the edges of your work. Add ribbons. Insert frame backing into frame without the glass. And done.

Version B: Operation Staple

Use any hard-ish surface you can hang up. Options include pre-stretched canvas from the art supply store, cork board from office supply store or Amazon. This pack of 4, for example is only $7.49, and gives you three opportunities to ~~screw up~~ practice.

Stretch the fabric over the board and staple on the back side of it. First the top and bottom edges; second the left and right edges.

Beginner’s move: Use scrapbook paper or wrapping paper and glue it to the front surface, and don’t worry about wrapping around the edges.

Place ribbon up and down the length of the board and staple on the back side. It should be snug, but not so tight that you won’t be able to slide several barrettes behind the ribbon.

Advanced move: Apply more ribbon in a criss-cross pattern, a style known as the French Memo Board, to create more opportunities for hair clip storage.

Version C: Just the ribbon.

Hang a ribbon on a mug hook. Done.

Rookie Moms Tip: Store all loose hair clips on a decorative ribbon. Done.

Heather stores all her loose hair clips on a decorative ribbon. Done.

Version D: “I give up”
Purchase an official hair clip holder sold online for an unreasonable $28.

Other hair clip holder ideas from smart bloggers:

Fabric-covered letter hair clip holder from Prudent Baby
Chinese lantern motif barrette holder from Zakka Life
Using a cork board and rickrack from The Fickle Hobbyest

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Whitney

RookieMoms.com co-founder Whitney lives with her husband, son, and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area where she writes about parenting, crafts, and activities that moms can do with babies in tow. She and Heather also publish 510Families.com, a site for East Bay parents.