Floss Keepers

I was starting the get a huge tangled mess of floss this weekend as I have been embroidering all of the faces for my new line of PDF Doll and Animal Sewing Patterns. 

Instead of letting it get to the point where I just give up and throw out all of the floss, I decided to make up some floss keepers.  I cannot even remember where I saw this but someone used clothespins to organize their floss. 

Basically, you put the tail into the pin, wind it around and clip the other tail into the pin.  This is so useful.  It really keeps the floss organized.  But I wanted something less plain.  I started thinking about these altered clothespins that I always see on papercrafting sites.  I never made them because it seemed like something pretty useless.  Now I have a reason to make these altered clothespins. 

 I started with a couple of scraps of scrapbooking paper.  I cut the paper down into little sticks the size of the front of the clothespins. 

Then I applied double stick tape to each clothespin.

 Then, I attached the paper onto the clothespins and wound the floss around each pin. 

 I threw a few extras into my sewing basket for the scraps of floss.

I thought that this would make a great gift.  Clothespins are $1.00 for 30.  So, you can make up several sets for under $5.00.  This might be a nice craft show item.  Also, my niece just made up a friendship bracelet kit for one of her friends and she wound floss around business cards or something like that.  This would be much cuter.  Some spools of floss, beads, safety pins tucked into a little makeup bag.  That would be a sweet and affordable gift.

Because I already had everything out, I wanted to make up a set for my sister's birthday.

 I've seen photo puzzles with clothespins, so I decided to make up a set of the floss keepers with a photo of my niece.

 I just sliced up the photo and taped it onto the clothespins.  I think that it would be a cute gift for a birthday or Mother's Day.