By Scrapbooking & Card Making Contributor
Peg Rounds
This time of year we think most often about using bows to finish off our holiday gift wrapping, but we actually use bows all year round. Handmade bows are particularly nice to use on handmade boxes and gifts. The paper can be chosen to match any occasion be it the holidays, a birthday or even Valentine’s Day.
Begin by cutting eight-1” x 6” strips from card stock or patterned paper using a paper trimmer (Tonic V Blade trimmer used). Next, cut four- 1 x 5” strips and then one- 1” x 4” strip to create the bow. You can use all patterned paper or mix papers and card stock as I’ve done with this bow. Add texture by using textured papers or using an embossing folder and die cut machine.
On the bottom of each piece, add a strip of adhesive using a tape runner or tape gun (Scotch Tape Glider used here). Lay the 1” x 4” strip aside for now.
Loop each of the strips giving one end a twist so that they form a cone at the bottom as shown in the picture below. Make sure the end is fastened to the adhesive that is on the opposite end of the strip.
Place each loop in a hole punch (Crop-A-Dile Big Bite used) and punch a hole about ¼” from the bottom.
Take the 1” x 4” strip that you created earlier and overlap the ends to form a ring. Make a mark in the center where the ends overlap. Punch a hole where it was marked.
Place a large brad through the hole. A large one is required in order to hold all of the bow pieces.
Begin forming the bow by placing the four- 1” x 5” strip on the brad forming a star shape.
Place four of the 1” x 6” loops on making sure to offset them from the first layer as shown in the picture.
Finish the bow off with the last four loops lining them up with the first layer that was placed on the brad and close it to hold the bow.
Add a 3-d adhesive over the brad to attach it to the box or gift.
The next time you create a handmade gift or box, be sure to finish it off with a gorgeous handmade bow. It only takes a short time and is well worth the work when it comes to creating your own things. This way you can tailor it to any occasion or theme that you want. How fun is that?
