Bows are all the rage right now and I recently went to a boutique where they were selling a party banner made out of bows. I couldn’t believe the price, however. It was $50! As all crafters do, I went home and decided to make my own with my electronic cutting machine and, you guessed it, CutCardStock papers.
Hi, it’s Maureen today, and I’m going to show you a lovely idea that you can make for just pennies. This banner is great for birthdays, showers or just for fun. I started by searching for a cut file in the design library for Cricut. The file I’m using is called “3D Bow” but you can recreate this with another bow file and an offset image.
I chose 4 different boho colored papers from my CutCardStock stash. I love the neutral color schemes in a boho-style project, so I picked Basis Light Blue, Gingersnap Brown (the non-linen side), Basis Soft Pink and Basis Light Yellow. Note – not all papers are created equal here. If you want a good bend to the paper, I suggest choosing a more lightweight paper, like the ones I did in this project.
I cut 4 images from these colors, which includes the bow itself as well as the offset image and the middle loop. I sized mine at 10.5″ inches, so it would fit with the 8.5″ by 11″ papers I had, but you can do a slightly larger one if you have 12″ by 12″ cardstock handy.
Next, I took a large bone folder and slowly curved the bow shape around it, like I was curling ribbon. I got bends in my Gingersnap Brown bow, so I recommend you go slowly. Don’t rush the process. Otherwise, you’ll get bends in your paper.
Once I curled the bows, I used clamps to hold the middle sections in place with adhesive. I like to use wet glue so I don’t risk it coming apart, but it does take more time to dry.
After securing the middles, I gently pushed the middles down with adhesive and a clamp and let dry. Finally, I curled the middle loop around the bow and clamped it while it dried. Notice I didn’t glue this down. I want this to float around the looped area.
Now it’s assembly time! I took the offset pieces and punched holes in a spot where I knew the top bow would not touch. I used a white velvet ribbon and threaded it through the holes.
Then I glued the bow pieces to the top and used a banner to hold them in place while they dried.
All I had left to do was hang up my banner! I love how this turned out. I will save this for a birthday this month. How about you? Where would you hang a banner like this?
I hope you consider making your next party supplies using CutCardStock materials. Feel free to save this to Pinterest for your next party idea. Cheers, and see you next time!