Can you imagine lots and lots of pretty bows for a sweet sixteen party bow backdrop for a candy buffet? My sister-in-law asked me to help with the decorations for my niece’s sweet sixteen dance party. It was being held at a hotel and most of the planning and set-up was done by the event coordinator, but she wanted to add a few personal touches to the surroundings.
So since I’m on the design team for Bowdabra, all I could think of was making lots and lots of pretty bows for the occasion.
Here’s what I did:
Materials Used
Assorted Ribbon – 3-4 yards per bow
Bowdabra, Bow Wire, Wand
Scissors/craft knife
Heavy-duty poster board
Letter “K” – 40″
Cardstock
Hot glue gun
It’s so easy to make fabulous bows using the Bowdabra! I’ve been collecting different shades and sizes of purple and gold ribbon for a long time, especially the 50 yd. rolls from Costco, Sam’s and BJ’s at discounted prices. So it was a no-brainer to come up with a design that would incorporate pretty bows!
Sweet sixteen party bow backdrop
First, begin by cutting a 24″ piece of Bowdabra bow wire, fold in half, and place in the Bowdabra. Next, for 10″ tails, cut a 20″ piece of ribbon, centering in the Bowdabra, right side up. Dove tail the ends.
Now, make the bow on top of the tails by pinching an end of the ribbon, placing right side down into the Bowdabra. Dove tail the ends.
Decide how large you want the loops and fold and twist ribbon into the Bowdabra, making your first loop and press into the Bowdabra.
Continue folding and twisting the ribbon and pressing down into the Bowdabra, creating 6 large loops on each side.
When you’ve made all of your loops, scrunch the ribbon down using the Bowdabra wand.
While the bow is still in the Bowdabra, push the two loose ends of the bow wire through the loop and pull the bow wire tightly, gently pulling the bow out and tying the wire around to the back into a knot.
Fluff and shape the bow!
A total of 33 bows were made. For example, here’s a few of them:
To prepare the poster board, cut off the corners by rounding them off with scissors or craft knife and then glue on the letter “K.”
Next, pre-arrange the bows close together and by groups of colors to keep them uniform, starting at the upper left hand side and moving down and around the board in order to have an idea as to how many bows will be needed.
Once you’ve filled in the area with bows and you like the color arrangement, hot glue them in place.
Leave space on the upper right hand side for a sign printed out on cardstock. Fill in additional bows where needed.
Finishing your backdrop
Finally, add a decorative trim to the sign by cutting around the edges.
See more of the Sweet Sixteen Dance Party Décor here.
Isn’t this sweet sixteen party bow backdrop just adorable? And you can change the colors of the bows to make it uniquely yours! I’m am sure this sweet teener is going to love the decorations for her party! Want more of Bowdabra designer Gail’s creative crafts? Visit her at her blog Purple Hues and Me.