Presents Without Bows Are Just WRONG (A Gift Wrap Bow Tutorial)

When my dad was growing up, he and his family were very poor. One day my aunt was going to a birthday party and they wrapped the gift in the comics from the newspaper. Well, she was already embarrassed her gift wasn’t wrapped in real gift wrap, but she was devastated that they didn’t have a bow to put on top! So, my grandmother made her own bow. She grabbed some more newspaper, folded it up and I’m pretty sure that gift turned out to be the cutest present of the bunch!

My grandmother taught my  mom how to make this bow and my mama taught me. And now I’m passing on what works for me to you. Don’t you feel honored?!

First. Wrap a present. Piece o’cake.

Second. Find some leftover wrapping paper. (Usually the extra you cut off the end of the package…)

Third. Fold the two ends in so they meet in the middle..or overlap a little, apparently.

Fourth. Trim it to a good size. (This is subjective and just depends on the size of your gift. I kinda like to go overboard and make a giant bow that covers the whole box. But you coul make a little one, too.)

Fifth. Find the middle. Get ready to squeeze.

Sixth. Squeeze.

Seventh. Find another scrap of paper. Wrap it around the middle. (To keep the squeeze.)

Eighth. Tape together on back. Now set aside.

Ninth. Find more scraps. Cut into two equal strips…these will be the tails of your bow. So, try to make them proportionate to the bow. (This is something I do not always accomplish…)

Tenth. Now, fold it in half longways. Cut one of the bottom corners off with a small diagonal…uhm, cut.

Which will give you a bea-u-tiful ribbon bottom. (Or something. I don’t really know what it’s called. But it looks nice.)

Eleventh. Now, tape your little tails down on the package. It looks a little better if you gather the top…give it a little 3d feel.

Twelfth. Now get your bow back out. Tape it down in the middle…sometimes it might need a little taping down on the sides, too. Fluff, spread and shape to your liking.

I also think this would look great with coordinating gift wrap instead of matching. I haven’t tried that yet…but I think I’m gonna! Happy gift giving!!

(and because I love me some linky love,
here’s a few more make-your-own-bows I’ve found online:
curbly, shirleyfyfe, perennial passion, instructables)