What do you give to all of your lady friends who don't go for robotic mice and DIY kits? How about a nice bit of homemade jewelry?
I made ribbon chokers for all of my friends this year (at least, the ones who would wear one).
They look particularly nice as an alternative to a bow tied around a gift. No more bows in the landfill!
Best of all, they're low cost and simple to make (no sewing skills required).

Step 1: Gather Materials and Tools

You will need:

a length of ribbon at least 14 inches (though I have a fairly small neck).
I used black velvet ribbon from a sewing store, and sheer green ribbon from the craft store.

A decorative centerpiece: I used miniature silk and velvet flowers, also from the craft store.
other ideas include: beads, miniature birds, letters, hardware.

'hook and loop' closures. Name brand not required. You can either purchase sticky ones like I did, or use glue.

Tools:
Scissors, hot melt glue gun, ruler, hands.

Step 2: Measure and Cut

Measure out a length of ribbon in an approximation of the neck that will wear your creation. (the necklace in the picture is 14 inches. The velcro will have about 1 inch or so of flexibility. If in doubt, call and ask the giftee to measure his/her neck. It should confuse them, if nothing else.

Tie the stem of the flower in an overhand knot up against the base of the flower. This will give the hot-melt glue something to hold onto. Snip off the excess with your scissors.

Step 3: Stick It On

Choose 2 closures, make sure one is hooks and the other is loops!
Arrange the ribbon in a loop as if it were being worn.

Stick the velcro bits onto the necklace with the soft loops pointing towards the neck and the hooks pointing away from the neck!

We don't want to scratch the necks of our recipients with tiny plastic hooks.

Trim off any extra velcro or ribbon and save it for something else if you like.