I read a thread on Splitcoast Stampers regarding the bows w/buttons that seem popular these days, and how I did mine wasn't the same as how the other posters on the thread did theirs, so it inspired me to show you my method. Please excuse the fact that I'm not making an actual card - just using card "ingredients", and please forgive the "old lady hands" - my 'day job' is doing upholstery and such-like and does a number on the digits... 'Nuff said, here we go:
I'm frugal (cheap), so I don't like to waste ribbon, so I just cut enough to wrap to the back, where I adhere it. Leave it a bit slack (I didn't, but I did adjust in later steps):
Determine how big you want your bow to be by sort of overlapping like this, and cut a bit extra, just in case and for trimming neat ends.
Wrap your twine behind the ribbon and through both holes of the button, leaving a loop, as shown.
Slide your overlapped ribbon(bow) into the loop of twine, pull it tight and tie the twine into a bow.
It will look wonky like this, but don't be a-skeered - just manipulate the ribbon and the bow until it looks normal (this is why you needed to leave a bit of slack in the ribbon in the first step - I didn't, and it made the card bend and the ribbon do odd things - I adjusted it before moving on...). Trim the ends of the twine and the ribbon, and you're done! Here's mine all prettied up:
I'm really liking the one-tail-up-one-tail-down look these days, but you can also make the bow so both tails are down, simply by changing which way you put the overlapped ribbon/bow through the loop:
Flip the overlapped ribbon/bow over so the tails are against the card to slide it through the loop, then carry on, and you get this:
(sorry - I got in too much of a hurry and didn't trim the other tail even...)
You can also add a flower into the mix (or snowflake or heart or whatever) like I did on this card:
I just brought the twine through the hole in the center of the flower before threading it through the button, then slid the ribbon/bow into the loop and finished as above. This entire bow/button/flower assembly is held on with a glue dot, rather than tying it around a ribbon on the card itself.
And that's all there is to it!
Originally posted February 2, 2010