How to Make Gift Bows from any Paper
Reuse and recycle those old magazines and paper to turn them into gift bows! Learn how to make gift bows from any paper and decorate those packages!
Have you ever gone to wrap a present and realized you didn’t have any bows? Or you pull out your supply and they are all smashed? If this has ever happened to you or you just want your package to stand out, you’ll want to try these awesome homemade gift bows.
How to Make Gift Bows
How to
I’m all about recycling and alternative method for household items. To get started just find some old magazines and take off the cover.
Cut the cover into 9 strips about 3/4 inch wide. Leave 3 at full length, cut 1 inch off of 3 strips, 2 inches off 2 and the last piece should be 3 1/2 inches.
Then you can use double sided tape or staples to secure them into position, however my favorite and easiest way to do this is with a scrapbook brad. Twist each piece to form a loop at each end. Then staple or use double sided tape to adhere. Take the 3 1/2″ piece and form a circle, adhere with double sided tape.
This is where I use my brad. Start with the smallest piece (not the circle) and punch the brad through the center. Layering all the pieces until you’re done. Here is one half way done. When complete, secure the brad in the back. Then take your circle and adhere it to the center of the bow. Voila!
Soon you’ll be looking at magazine covers in a whole new light. Just don’t let the Doctor’s office catch you ripping off all of theirs! Oh and how about using up all those catalogs you get in the mail?
These would be great with my Homemade Christmas ideas! They are just fabulous! Thanks Karen!
Karen is a wife and mother of two who enjoys writing about creative projects on her website SavingTheFamilyMoney.com. She enjoys sharing recipes, DIY projects and deals so you can spend less on everyday items and spend more on family fun.
I LOVE this! I can’t tell you how many times my packages go “bowless” because I refuse to spend ginormous amounts for a bow or the ones I have are crushed or just “don’t fit”.
Thanks so much for this!1
This is by far the cutest, most usful (imo) DIY recycled project I think i’ve ever seen before! I’m with Kat on this one too…I will not spend a small fortune on something that will go in the trash!!! I just got off the phone with my Granny and she’s got a handful of magazines for me as well as the All You’s+ more that I have…I’m thinking about wrapping in newspaper then topping with a magazine bow for adults and wrapping with the comics and topping with a “kid theme” magazine bow for the kiddos! Thank you sooo much for posting this!
i saw this and thought it was the best idea ever so i sat down and got to it!! i made 6 bows so far. love this idea!! i just used staples and hot glue to hold it together and it worked perfectly! if i could post my pics on here i would. thanks for the great idea.
Thank you so much for this tutorial! Using your instructions as a guide, I used some wired ribbon and made a huge bow for my front door for Christmas! My normal door hanger covers the peephole my husband put in, so I couldn’t use it. This is perfect! Thank you!!! My daughter and I now plan to make all of our bows!