DIY Paper Bows

These paper bow templates are perfect for customized gift-giving all year round. In this tutorial, I will show you how to make a gift bow out of paper.

I remember when I was a kid, I used to buy bags of those metallic looped ribbon bows with the stick on the pad at the base during the holidays and stick them on everything.

My taste has since changed (hopefully for the better) and those generic bows just won’t do any more for my presents.

These days, when I want to add that extra special touch, I make my own paper bow to add on top of the packaging. The best part of making your own bows is being able to color coordinate and customize the paper print that you use.

diy paper bows

I have a few different paper bow templates I use depending on the package. I also like to mix and match the base ribbon shape with the top bow piece. You can also play around with various colored and printed cardstock.

Regardless, even the simplest one makes any present extra special.

Materials for Making Bows out of Paper

Cardstock – I find a medium to lightweight cardstock works best for paper bows. The heavier cardstock doesn’t flex as well. Here are some of my favorite brands:

Cricut – I use a cutting machine to do some of the cutting for this project. This of course is optional but it sure makes things go faster. Check out my reviews for Best Cricut machines for beginners if you’re new to the Cricut.

Templates – These paper bow templates are available in both SVG and printable PDF formats for free in my resource library.

How to make a paper gift bow

Step 1: Cut out the pieces using the bow template

bows out of paper

Step 2: Glue the bow ribbon ends together

I like to use as little glue as I can for this part because the more you use the longer it takes to dry. I just dag a bit in the center of the strip and dip the ends in this before pressing it together to dry.

bows out of paper


Step 3: Glue the layers together

If you get impatient, you can always paper clip the piece together while it is drying so you don’t have to stand around and wait.

DIY paper bow template

Once the layers are secured, glue the center piece in place to secure the layers.

Related Articles:

All Paper Flower Tutorials

All Cardmaking Tutorials

All DIY Decor Project Tutorials

DIY paper bow template
diy paper bows
diy paper bows

2 thoughts on “DIY Paper Bows”

  1. kmccoy2@gmail.com

    I have a premium membership but I am having a hard time downloaded some of the SVGs. I would like to download the bows, but cannot find the actual file. Any help would be appreciated.

    1. Elf @DomesticHeights

      Hi,
      Please drop us an email on info@domesticheights.com with the name of the designs you are looking for – we’ll send across the templates to you.

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