Upcycled Holiday Ribbons

By danielleantosz

Doggie treat bag to holiday ribbon!

My Blane puppy loves Beggin Strips treats and those bags are just perfect for making craft holiday ribbons. Any bag that is "foil" lined will do including coffee bags and some candy bags.
As the holidays get closer, I thought I would share this really easy way to make homemade holiday ribbons.

What do you need?

This is a pretty simple project, and can be done with kids but watch those sharp scissors! Here's what you will need:

• Vacuum seal coffee bag or doggie treat bag.
• Scissors
• Hot Glue
• Twist tie or double sided tape (to attach your ribbon to a wrapped gift)

Cut half inch strips

Get to Slicing!

The first step is to cut off the top and bottom seams of the bag. Next, cut down the side seam and trim off the edges so you have one large, flat piece. I suggest cutting around and discarding the vacuum seal "button" if you are using a coffee bag.
Once you have a large flat piece of foil lined bag, start cutting strips. I find it easier to make one cut and the slide my scissors along the material because it helps you get a smooth edge.
Your strips should be approximately half an inch wide and no more than six or so inches long. They don't have to be perfect, you can trim or discard strips that don't look right after curling.

Curling Time!

If you have several bags, try mix and match the bags so you can make multicolored ribbons. In my pictures I am using both a Beggin Strips bag and a red coffee bag. I have also used a Gummy Fruit Loops bag in the past, and that ribbon looked really cool!
Once you have cut all of your bag into your half inch strips it is time to curl them up to look just like those holiday ribbons you see in the store. Slide each strip with the foil side down along the inside of your scissors' blade (this is the part where you have to watch the little ones!) The material will curl up immediately. If yours does not, try to create a bit more tension between the strip and the blade.
Try to leave the top half inch or so uncurled so you can attach all the strips together.

Glue Time!

Once you have all of your strips cut and curled, it is time to break out the glue gun. I am going to go ahead and warn you. You WILL burn yourself. At least a little.
Apply a little touch of glue to one strip and glue it to two or three other strips. Squeeze the strips together and keep building (this is where I always burn myself!)
There really is no pattern to this, just try to make sure all the sides have an equal number of curls. The beauty of these ribbons is that they look like a (pretty) mess of curls! Also make sure you use enough glue on each curl that it does not come off.

Finishing it up!

Finished gluing? Now it is time to add your double sided tape or twisty tie so you can attach your new ribbon to a gift for a hand crafted touch! I glued the Beggin Strips ribbon to a newspaper basket I had already made. Have fun making your ribbons and let me know what you think!