Shoe Lace Bow

Today we are putting the finishing touches on our belly band wrapped box--a bow and decoration.

Step One: Measure out ribbon. Place your ribbon of choice on a flat surface. If you are using more than one ribbon (like I am) place the topmost ribbon (the smaller silver organza ribbon in my case) on the surface and then place the second ribbon on top (the purple ombre ribbon). Place the package, right side up, and center the belly band in the center of the ribbon as shown below.

Bring the ribbon along the side of the box on both sides and measure 18-24 inches above the top of the box. This length will give you plenty of ribbon for a nice size bow and tails. I always go towards the 24 inch measure in case I need to cut off extra tails and/or measure incorrectly.

Step Two: Tying the bow. Once you have cut your ribbon to length. Bring both sides of the ribbon onto the top of the box (as shown below).

Cross the two ends over each other and start tying a knot (just like you would your shoe laces). At this point, tie the knot tight and place one length of ribbon above the knot and one below the knot (as shown below).

Now is the time to add any decorations you want to the knot (before finishing the bow). You can use any decoration you want (in this case I used candy canes) but you can add gift tags, ornaments, etc.

Once the decorations are in place, make a loop, bring the other end up and around the loop and form the second loop to secure (just like tying your shoes)--as shown below.

Step Three: Finishing touches. Once the knot has been secured, even out the size of the bows and the tails. Since I used wire edged ribbon, I can form a bow that takes any shape I want. Cut the tails at an angle, using very sharp scissors, and twist the tails so they are on the same side of the bow (one will usually finish in front of the bow and one in back of the bow). Make sure that your ribbon isn't twisted in the process. You might have to reform your loops so that both ribbons are in the same order (i.e., both silver loops are centered over the purple loops, in my case). You can also make your bow look larger by separating the loops so it looks like a double bow.

This completes our first gift wrapping tutorial.