DIY Father's Day Award Ribbon

Celebrate someone special this Father’s Day with a handmade award ribbon! Learn how to make a paper medallion award ribbon and use one of my free printable tags to help you get started!

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Hello Crafty Friends! Are you looking for a special way to celebrate Father’s Day this year? Learn how to make a Father’s Day award ribbon! They are a fun way to honor the father figure in your life and they also make fun gift toppers and keepsakes. In this post I’ll show you how to make your own medallion pin and how to customize it for someone special!

Years ago my son’s baptism happened to fall on Father’s Day. We had a small party at our home and I made these award ribbons to honor my husband and the other Dads, Grandpas, Step-Dads and father-figures at the party. It was a small gesture but a fun one!

These pins can be made using scrapbook paper as I have done or even with sturdy construction paper. Use my free printable decorative tag or make your own to fit your unique and individual needs.

If you are making these with a child, try adding a photo to the center or letting the child write the message. Children’s handwriting is so sweet it will add an extra personal touch. Add the date on the back of the medallion to save as a keepsake.

How to Make a Father’s Day Award Ribbon

Supplies Needed:

Decorative Tags – Grab my free files by filling out the purple form at the end of this blog post.
Decorative Paper
Ribbon
Pin back
Hot glue gun
*optional – Tape runner or double-sided tape
Scissors
Paper Trimmer
Scoring board

Step by Step Tutorial

Step One: Create the decorative tags.

Download and print my free printable tags or make your own using stickers, stamps, decorative paper or let kids write their own message. You could even add a small picture to further personalize the medallion.

If using my decorative tags, cut out the one you’d like use with a scissors or use the jpeg file to cut it out using your Cricut and the Print- then-Cut feature.

Cutting the Tags with Cricut

Start a new project in Cricut Design Space and upload the JPEG image file and select “Complex” as the image type. On the next screen, use the magic eraser tool to remove the gray background then Apply and Continue. Select “Print then Cut” for the upload type and then insert the file into your new project.

Change the file size to 5.5″ wide and you are ready to cut your decorative tags on white cardstock. While using your Cricut, create 3-4 circles that are 2″ wide and cut those from colored cardstock.

Step Two: Cut and score the strips of paper.

Each award ribbon is made from two paper medallions, paper circles, a decorative tag, and paper ribbons.

For each award ribbon cut one decorative tag and three to four 2″ paper circles. Two of the circles will be hidden on the back of each medallion and the third will be visible under the decorative tag. You can cut a fourth circle to add to the back of the medallion after the ribbons are added to make the back look nice. *Tip: If using a Cricut to cut the tags, also use it to cut the 2″ circles!

I made three different versions of these ribbons for the tutorial so you can see just how many different ways there are to make these. Below are the paper dimensions I used for each.

For my Best Dad Ever award ribbon:
- Large Medallion: 1 strip of paper measuring 1.5″ x 12″ scored every 1/4″
- Small Medallion: 1 strip of paper measuring 1.25″ x 12″ scored every 1/4″
- Paper ribbons: strips of 12″ paper measuring 1.5″ and 0.75″ wide
For my World’s Best Step Dad award ribbon:
- Large Medallion: 2 strips of paper measuring 2″ x 12″ scored every 1/2″
- Small Medallion: 1 strip of paper measuring 1.25″ x 12″ scored every 1/4″
- Paper Ribbons: strips of 12″ paper measuring 1.5″ and 1″ wide
For my World’s Best Grandpa award ribbon:
- Large Medallion: 2 strips of paper measuring 1.75″ x 12″ scored every 1/2″
- Small Medallion: 1 strip of paper measuring 1.25″ x 12″ scored every 1/4″
- Paper Ribbons: Strips of 12″ paper measuring 0.5″, 0.75″ and 1″ wide
ALL medallion ribbons
- Cut 1 decorative tag 1.75″ circle
- Cut 3-4 paper circles 2″

Score the strips of paper either every 1/2″ or every 1/4″ following my recommendations above.

Step Three: Accordion-fold the strips of paper and form circles.

After scoring the strips of paper, accordion fold them.

Connect the paper strips into a circle. I used double-sided tape to connect them, but you could also use hot glue, to connect the two ends. In the second picture below you can see my large and small medallion.

Step Four: Create the paper medallions.

Use a 2″ circle for each paper medallion. Place a blob of hot glue on the center of the circle, then push one of the paper medallions onto it so the center of the medallion is positioned at the center of the circle. Hold it for a minute to set. Repeat for the second medallion.

Stack the medallions together, small one on top of the large one, then add the third paper circle and the decorative tags to the top. I like adhere my decorative tags to the circles first then attach them to the medallion.

Step Five: Make and attach the ribbon ends.

You can use ribbon or paper to create the pieces that hang down from the medallions. Cut the ends on a diagonal or in a V and layer multiple pieces of ribbon or paper. Glue the paper ribbon to the back of the large medallion.

If you want you can cut a fourth 2″ circle and apply it on the back covering up the ends of the paper ribbon giving the back a more finished look.

Step Six: Add a pin back to the back of the medallion and it is finished!

Add a pin back to the back of the award ribbon and it is finished!

I love creating paper medallions for all sorts of celebrations and special events! You can check out my other paper crafting projects that use paper medallions or check out the award ribbon projects below!

Get the Free Father’s Day Award Ribbon Printables!

Fill out the purple form below with your first name and email address! The free file will be sent straight to your inbox! If you have already filled out the form below, don’t worry – you won’t be added to my list twice! This freebie is for personal use only. I hope you enjoy crafting something special. Please let me know if you have any questions :)

DIY Father’s Day Award Ribbons