Making a bow for a gift for any occasion is a way to personalize your gift. However, with many types, colors and shapes to choose from, making a bow is often considered more of a hassle than it's worth. With simple instructions to look at your options, consider the size of the gift and the color of the wrapping paper, it's easy to decide which type of bow is best for you to make.
Type of Bow: Standard
A gift-wrap bow can be many different shapes. There are three popular bow shapes that you may have seen on many gifts before: a standard bow, curly-cue bow and pompom bow. A standard bow is made the same way you'd tie a shoelace. Simply wrap a ribbon of any width around the box, and tie a bow like tying a shoe. It's the easiest and simplest bow to create and also adds a traditional elegance to any package.
Type of Bow: Curly-Cue
There are also curly-cue bows. To make a curly-cue bow, simply get a bunch (five or more) arm-length pieces of cheap ribbon (the kind that sells for 99 cents per roll) and fold the bunch in half so that five ribbons looks like 10 ribbons. Tape the loop of the bunch to the box and then use scissors to curl each of the ribbon ends. Do this by running the sharpest blade of the scissors up from the base of the loop to the end of each ribbon.
Type of Bow: Pompom
Pompom bows are made with a wider ribbon, usually half an inch thick at least. Take five or six strands of ribbon the same size in length and lay them out like a fireworks star. In other words, lay one ribbon flat horizontally, lay the next vertically over the first one, lay the next diagonally over the second one, etc., until all of the ribbons are laid out on top of one another with their ends forming a circle. Staple the center so they are all connected. Now, take the two tips of the top ribbon and fold them in (without a crease) as if you're folding the ribbons over something round in the middle. The two ends should meet at the center staple and form a two-looped shape. Staple or glue those ends. Repeat this for all of the ribbons until you have multiple loops that look like a pompom and has bounce. The type of the bow you choose is simply a matter of personal preference, as any shape will work with almost any package.
Color
When choosing a bow color for wrapping a gift, it's important to coordinate with the wrapping, but not to match the wrapping exactly. Matching the wrapping exactly means to have a red bow on top of red wrapping, which makes the bow and wrapping blend together and doesn't make the bow stand out. Also, a bow with a pattern requires the wrapping be pattern-free to ensure the two patterns don't clash. A bright bow, multicolored bow or shimmery bow all work in most situations because those types of bows will stand out, making the overall package stand out in a pile of other gifts.
Size
The bigger the bow, the bigger the package is how you should think when deciding what size bow to make for a gift. If the box is bigger than the bow, it's as if the bow is trying to trick the gift receiver into thinking the gift is bigger than it is. A bow should work as an accessory works with an outfit. It should complement the package without overpowering it. With traditional bows, a bow half the size of the gift box will work because the bow is flat and can lay across the box and even over the edges of the box. However, a poofy pompom bow should only be a quarter or less the size of the gift box. This is because the poofy bow has height and will overpower the box if it's too big. Curly-cue bows are long by design and will drape down the front of the box, so one that is approximately 3 inches thick is perfect for most boxes.
Placement
When it comes to placement of a bow on a package, three things come into play: size, shape and the card. If the bow is big, relative to the box, middle placement will usually work. However, a curly-cue bow will usually look awkward draping down the very center of the gift box and looks better when placed in an upper-corner position of a box. If your card is smaller than your bow, it can be placed with the bow in the middle. However, a standard card is usually bigger than most bows and thus, most bows look best when positioned in a corner or side of the box, making room for the card.
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