With 2013 approaching, I think of everything new and babies seem to hit the mark in the newness category. I wanted to create extra special packaging for a baby shower gift and reached for May Arts Ribbon and the Bowdabra, of course to create a big, bountiful and beautiful bow for my gift bag.

There was never more of a perfect combination than the Bowdabra and May Arts Ribbon. Normally, I would reach for the vast array of wire ribbon available, however I needed a softer look for the baby gift and went for some silk ribbon in a deep yellow.

The Bowdabra makes tying big, bountiful and beautiful bows very easy. The instruction booklet provided is very thorough and easy to understand but I’ve got just a few pictures and a short explanation for each step.

1. Layer the wired tying cord with a cut piece of ribbon first, these are your ribbon tails.
2. Next, loop your ribbon back and forth between the slot of the Bowdabra. The amount of ribbon needed depends on how fluffy you want your bow. Wired ribbon could use less because the wire allows for the “fluff” to stick and look full, but I relied on the sheer volume of the silk ribbon to maintain my “fluff.”
3. Squish the elements together good and tight with the tool provided.
4. Tie the cording around the looped ribbon, no extra fingers are needed to create a tight knot here!

5. Secure the knot tightly to keep the looped ribbon in place.
6. Finish your bow with an extra piece of ribbon to hide the wired cord. Fluff as needed!

I attached the bow to a plain white gift bag (that had been decorated with a tiny bit of gender neutral border stickers) using the tails from the bow.

I completed my gift with a matching card, complete with a matching silk bow! Such a sweet, soft gift ensemble that is exactly what I had in mind for gender neutral packaging to hold a baby shower gift The possibilities are truly endless when the Bowdabra meets May Arts Ribbon. I really liked using the Bowdabra tool with the silk ribbon because silk can get slippery when you loop a lot of it together and therefore you could loose your bow shape. The Bowdabra held everything in place and I was able to secure the loops together before they had the chance to slip out of the bow shape.

Blog post by: Karen Baker

May Arts Ribbon Used:

Yellow Silk SK30

Partners in Crafts Supplies Used:

• Authentique Delightful Collection

Other Supplies Used:

• Bowdabra
• White Cardstock
• White Gift Bag