Big A** Paper Bows from Old Maps

I taught scrapbooking and paper crafting classes for several years. One of my best-selling kits consisted of some pre-cut strips of paper and instructions for making your very own paper gift bows. I had to share! These are SO EASY you'll be whipping them out in no time!



The bows I'm featuring are JUMBO and made from old MAPS. The instructions show some decorative scrapbook paper and heck, I wasn't going to retake a bunch of pictures
just because the paper changed...so as you go through them, just imagine you're looking at a double-sided map of New York instead of the floral print I used :O)

All you need: Paper Cutter, Glue, Foam Tape, Old Map (I took a warm iron to my maps to get out most of the folds/wrinkles...it didn't always work, depends on the condition of the map! Another option, go make a photocopy of the map on the biggest paper possible. Make sure to do it double-sided, as both sides of the map will show on your finished bow.)

Firstly, here is the cutting guide for the JUMBO (8 inch) bows:



Start with 13 strips of paper cut according to the diagram.



Fold and adhere the eight 12x2 inch strips into loops as shown. Adhere two loops together, end-to-end, ending up with 8 of these:



Adhere two sets together, forming two of these:



Set aside.

Repeat with the remaining 4 strips. (You end up with 3 sets, one slightly smaller than the other two.)

Roll the last (shortest) strip into a ring and adhere with the ends overlapped about ½ an inch.



Place a square of double-sided foam adhesive in the center of each piece.



Starting with a large set, stack and adhere the loops, turning each set about 45 degrees so the loops set between the loops of the layer below. The top layer should be the smaller of the 3 loop sets. Add the paper ring to the very center.



Pop some foam adhesive on the back, stick it to your gift, and you are good to go!

Here are cutting guides for standard (4 inch) and mini (2 inch) bows:




When I learned this technique, I went a little BOW CRAZY :O) Here are some more examples:





Funny story (aka, I'm still kicking my own ass story), I listed these on Etsy last winter, and someone from a MAJOR magazine contacted me, saying they needed some samples asap for their Christmas issue. I did not log in for a few days and was too late to meet their deadline. See? kicking-my-own-ass! pfft.

Trying this project? I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR BOWS! Comment me a link and I'll give you a shout-out! I can't wait to see what you make :O)

Craft on ladies, craft on.

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