Recycling Crafts
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Make a CommentRelated Recycling Crafts:
Recycled Gift Bags
Make new gift bags from old ones.
Greeting Card Gift Boxes
Turn old greeting cards into tiny gift boxes.
Reusing Left Over Wrapping Paper
More ideas from our blog for recycling wrapping paper.

How to Make Recycled Wrapping Paper Bows
by Jane Lake
Wrapping paper usually litters the floor on Christmas Day, and you will often have paper left over after wrapping birthday gifts or anniversary gifts at other times of the year.
Here's a creative way to recycle all that surplus gift wrapping paper; you can use it to make beautiful paper bows.
This is a nice recycling craft idea for the kids to do after Christmas - just give them the supplies and let them make you a stash of gift wrapping bows for the next holiday season.
Wrapping Paper Bow
Supplies:
left over wrapping paper
invisible tape such as Scotch Tape
small piece of cardboard
scissors
ruler
optional: small piece of double-sided tape for each bow
How to Make a Paper Bow from Wrapping Paper
Instructions:
1. Cut the wrapping paper into strips that are approximately four inches long and 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch wide. There's no need to use a ruler to cut each strip, but try to make them all roughly the same.
2. Cut a 1½ inch square of thin cardboard (cereal box or food box cardboard works well for this).
3. Take a cut strip of wrapping paper and fold it over into a curled loop, with the plain sides together. Bring one end about an 1/8 inch away from the other end and hold in place with a small piece of invisible tape, allowing the tape to extend past both ends about 1/8 inch.4. Stick the first loop down on the cardboard square, centered at the edge of one side. Repeat with three more paper loops, so you have a loop in the middle of each side.
5. Take four more loops and stick them down at the corners of the square. At this point, your bow should look like the photo, shown above, at right.

6. Continue making paper loops, sticking each one down just in front of, and between two loops from the previous row. The bow will begin to fill in, as shown in the photo, lower right.
7. When you get to center of the small square, make a single loop and stick this down right in the middle. Fluff the bow gently with your fingers and it should look like the completed bow shown in our large photo at the top of the page. It is now ready to decorate your next gift package.
8. Stick the bow onto a wrapped gift by making a loop of invisible tape with the sticky side out or, if you wish, use a small tab of double-sided tape instead.
Have saved paper for years and years, Now this will cut down on those expensive bows that end up in the trash.
Can't wait till next Christmas, but will use this for other occasions. Grand kids put their things in their "special" treasure boxes.
you dog buffalo
This was a cool idea. I made all my bows for Christmas using this method. I even made ones to match the wrapping
paper. I had so much fun and got a lot of compliments.
GREAT idea!!!
this is amazing. i did this 4 my coaches out of pictures of our routine and it looked cute. i will do this evry yr. thx
wow! Soooooooooo fun!
Not bad,it takes a lot of time
This is sucha n amazing idea!!!!
My nephew will love this
This worked wonderfully for me at work...I needed a bow for a tiny gift for a co-worker and forgot it at home. I made the bow out of colored office paper and it was absolutely adorable! Thanks!






