'Bow Out'

In just three short weeks, Thanksgiving will be upon us and so will the holiday season.

While you wait for the rest of those gift guides in the mail, time to take stock of the ribbon, tissue and wrapping paper. Perfect your gift wrapping technique, or else it’s going to be a long holiday.

Here is a recipe I learned from fashion stylist Nancy Alusick for crafting the ultimate bow – whether you need a gift show-stopper, or a decorative touch on flower arrangements and curtains.

What you will need:

- 3 Yards Ribbon of your choice (a wire-edged ribbon is easiest for beginners)

- 6 Inches of Wire

How to:

1. Take the end of the ribbon and fold a piece of it downward in a loop, so you have the folded piece lying on top of the length of the ribbon.

2. The folded piece’s length will determine how big or how small your bow will be. Fold accordingly depending on your needs.

3. Now take the length of the ribbon and have it facing you. Where the length of the ribbon meets the folded piece, twist at that point.

4. Make sure that when you twist, the back of the length of the ribbon (which wasn’t facing you before) is now facing you. Smooth out the ribbon.

5. This will form the first loop of the bow.

6. To continue, you will want to hold onto the center of the bow – where you just made the twist.

7. Take the end of the ribbon that had just been twisted, bring it up and bend into a loop.

8. Twist at the center, where you fingers should already be holding the ribbon.

9. With two loops already complete, continue until you have your desired bow.

10. Take the wire and tie around the middle of the bow (shown in picture above). Once secured, you can now fluff the ends of your finished bow.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photo courtesy of decorativepackagingblog.com