How to Make a Gift Wrapping Bow

Ribbon bow for a gift

There's nothing like a beautiful bow on a gift to make it special. Rather than overpay for a store bought bow, create your own with a few simple steps. Make them in different widths, colors and themes, or combine different ribbons for extra flair. Keep several handy to decorate last-minute gifts like you spent an hour wrapping it.

Things You'll Need

• 3-by-5 inch index card
• Roll of 1-inch ribbon
• 12-inch strip of thin ribbon
• Scissors
• Scotch tape

Instructions

1. 

   Hold the index card in one hand on a 3-inch side in the center. With one end of the ribbon lined up with the long end of the card, put your thumb over the ribbon on the card and wind it around the 5-inch side of the card ten times. Secure each round of ribbon under the thumb. Put a 2-inch piece of scotch tape over the ribbon strips on one side of the card.

2. 

   Make a tiny slit with scissors on both sides of the 1-inch ribbon around the card, but do not cut the ribbon.

3. Slip the 12-inch strip of thin ribbon between the ribbon and the index card near the top where the tiny slits have been made. Hold both ends of the thin ribbon and make a knot, pulling the 1-inch ribbon together and securing it.

4. Remove the scotch tape and slip the 1-inch ribbon off the index card. Pull the bows apart, slightly twisting them to make a pretty bow. Secure the bow to a ribbon-wrapped gift using the thin ribbon. Cut off any excess or use scissors to curl them.

Tips & Warnings

• Make fuller bows by winding the ribbon around the card more than ten times. Different size bows can be made by winding them around narrower cards or pieces of cardboard. Mix different widths of ribbon in different colors together to create a very festive bow.