You can create your own personalized gift bows. You can make the bow a hint about what the gift is, like I did with this bow. You can put pictures of the receiver and/or giver. You can make the bow an ANTI-hint. You could use wrapping paper, the comics, magazines, etc... Get creative!

If you DO make one post a pic in the comments & I'll send you a badge. :)

Step 1: Things You'll Need

You will need:

*a razor blade cutter or similar
*a ruler to measure & to use as a cutting edge
*scissors
*tape
*stapler

*an image that will still look good when made pretty small

Step 2: Print & Cut

You will need to cut strips about 3/4" wide, so find, resize, & print an image (or images). Then use your razor cutter & ruler to cut your strips. You're going to need 9 of them.

Step 3: Now Cut Your Strips

You want to leave 3 strips the full length.
Cut 1" off of 3 strips.
Cut 2" off of 2 strips.
Cut one strip to 3 1/2".

Step 4: Figure 8 Time!

This is the step that can get a little fiddle-y. You want to take each strip &, basically, make a figure 8. Use tape to secure each strip. You need to keep track of the sizes. Keep the 3 longest strips in a group, the 3 smaller strips in a group, & the 2 smaller strips in a group. The smallest strip that's 3 1/2", you just need to make a circle with it.

Step 5: Putting Figure 8s Together

Each set of strips needs to be put together. I prefer to use a stapler to put the sets together. Yes, it will fold a curl or 2, but you can reshape them back enough that no one will notice.

Step 6: Now We Start Making the Bow! Yay!

Take your set of 3 biggest strips & put the set of next 3 biggest strips inside. Staple.
Then, take your set of 2 smaller strips & put that set in the middle. Staple.

Step 7: Finishing the Bow

Last, you want to take your circle made from the 3 1/2 " strip & put it in the middle. I used tape so no staple would show when the bow is put on the gift. If you had time, glue might even be better if you have tape that you're not sure will hold well.