• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Art of Doing Stuff
menu icon
go to homepage
  • HOUSE
  • COOKING
  • GARDEN
  • HOW-TO
  • EXTRA
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • HOUSE
    • COOKING
    • GARDEN
    • HOW-TO
    • EXTRA
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » How To Stuff » How to (Christmas)

    Pimp My Bow

    December 21, 2010 by Karen 37 Comments

    Pin138
    Share
    Email
    138 Shares

    I need to start this post by stating that my boyfriend is the absolute best present buyer on the planet.  The best.

    He keeps a section on his iPhone (formerly a tiny, actual notepad) dedicated to present ideas. Every single time I mention something I need or would like or want he whips around the corner and types it into his phone.  I never notice him doing this, but he tells me he does it.  He does it all year long.

    This is how I end up with presents like smokers from World Class BBQer Mike Callaghan, snowblowers, those sunglasses I saw once and loved in a store in Detroit and coffee cups with the exact right saying on them.  And his stockings are unparalleled.  I love my boyfriend.

    O.K.  Now that that's been said, I can tell you a little story.

    The first year my boyfriend and I were together he gave me a little present.  Just a silly little nothing.  I can't even remember what it was.

    He couldn't find a box so he shoved it in a Tiffany's bag he found in my closet.  He gave me a box of bandaids or something ... in a Tiffany's bag.

    I'll let that sink in for a minute and then proclaim my next statement.  Never give a girl ANYTHING in a Tiffany's bag unless it's from Tiffany's.

    I don't even like getting a present in a department store box if the present isn't from that department store.   It confuses me.  I'm easily confused.  I once tried to return a velour sweatsuit to Pottery Barn.

    So this year when I bought my presents I asked every single store I went into for a box.  Not a single one of them provided me with one.  Nope.  No boxes. Oh? You spent hundreds of dollars in here?  Gosh.  Sorry.  No boxes. Which was a more palatable response than the stores who told me they could sell me a box. I left a bloody path of punched noses in my shopping wake this year.  Well, I didn't actually, but I imagined doing it.

    So last week I went and bought a bunch of boxes that were 50% off and started wrapping.  I was excited to wrap because this year I finally did something I've wanted to do for years.

    I pimped my bows.

    You may remember this bow.

    Would you like to save this stuff?

    We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.

    Imagine walking into someone's house with a present with twinkle lights!  Who even CARES what's inside!  These battery operated twinkle lights were $1.99.  About the same price or cheaper than a store bought bow.  PLUS they can be reused and enjoyed by the present receiver.  I got these super-fantastic black, battery operated lights from Ikea.  They came in white, red and black.  Bought em all.  But you can get these anywhere now.  Dollar stores, hardware stores, garden centres that sell Christmas stuff.  If you're really lucky you can even get them on a present.

    To do this I first made the bow and then laid it on the present.  I then taped the lights on the package so the lights peeked out from in between each bow loop.

    Keep taping the lights, then laying the bow on top again to see where your next light should be taped.

    Or if you so choose (and I so chose) you can run the lights around the present like you would a ribbon.

    It's a bit easier and quicker to do, but still pretty pimpin'.

    And in red ...

    2 days left.  Happy wrapping.  :)  And remember ... stay away from the Tiffany's bags.

    More How to (Christmas)

    • Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments
    • My Best Gift Wrapping Ideas for Christmas.
    • 17 Easy Christmas Decoration Ideas for Your Home!
    • A Christmas Cocktail To Keep Amaryllis Stems Short

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      The maximum upload file size: 512 MB. You can upload: image, audio. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here

    1. Kat - the other 1

      July 14, 2022 at 2:55 am

      A veggie bow?
      I'm thinking zucchini. :D

      Maybe dried curls of it?
      And carrots...
      Green... orange... red... a zinnia? Or something...

      Ok now I've got veggie bows swirling in my brain...

      And dead squirrels... (hehehe)

      Reply
    2. Kay

      July 14, 2022 at 2:50 am

      "So this year when I bought my presents I asked every single store I went into for a box. Not a single one of them provided me with one. Nope. No boxes. Oh? You spent hundreds of dollars in here? Gosh. Sorry. No boxes. Which was a more palatable response than the stores who told me they could sell me a box. I left a bloody path of punched noses in my shopping wake this year. Well, I didn’t actually, but I imagined doing it."

      While the punching feeling is completely understandable, please keep in mind, we as store people, are bullied by management, into trying to tack on anything and everything we possibly can to each and every sale. Including trying to sign away everyone's soul to the devil... Oops, I mean, sign everyone up for store credit cards. Seriously, there are QUOTAS for all that stuff. You don't make quota consistently, you may be fired, or your hours cut - which makes it even harder to make your quota. Or vacation or sick time denied. Some will have contests, with or without prizes, others are just nasty. At one place I worked one of the managers, on multiple occasions when the store had nearly reached its total credit quota for the day, was running around bullying everyone to sign up everyone in their family (or that they knew) for a credit card. He kept at me and I told him I didn't know their social security numbers so I couldn't, he said, we'll add that later. Really. My family would kill me, so as shy and terrified of speaking to people as I am, I continued to deny him. He did not like that and got meaner. Oh and sometimes the contests, any prizes are only for MANAGEMENT. Not all the employees who worked their butts off.
      So next time you want to punch an employee, think about asking to speak to a manager. ;)
      (Although, occasionally, there is a nice manager. )

      Reply
    3. Kat - the other 1

      July 14, 2022 at 2:35 am

      A taxidermy bow???!

      YES!!!! DEAD SQUIRRELS!!!! DEAD SQUIRRELS!!!!!
      As BOWS!!!!
      HAHAHA!!!
      Serves those suckers right!!!

      Heeheehee!! ;D

      Reply
    4. peg

      December 06, 2015 at 3:09 am

      okay!! will be doing some lit boxes.As always a fun read. Thank you :D

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    SHOP ON AMAZON

    Use it 👆 to support my work. LEARN MORE

    My name is Karen Bertelsen and I was a television host. In Canada. Which means in terms of notoriety and wealth, I was somewhere on par with the manager of a Sunset Tan in Wisconsin.

    I quit television to start a blog with the goal that I could make my living through blogging and never have to host a television show again. And it’s worked out. I’m making a living blogging. If you’re curious, this is how I do that.

    So I’m doing this in reverse basically. I’m the only blogger who is trying to NOT get a TV show.

    More about me 👋

    Seasonal Articles

    • Today's Puzzle: Welcome to Sidewalk Daycare
    • Today's Puzzle: 72% Chance of Greasefire
    • Today's Puzzle: Literature, SPF 30, & Processed Cheese
    • This Fruit Fly Trap Catches 25X More Than Your Bowl of Vinegar Does
    • Apple Watch Band Stuck? How to Remove It.
    • Cleaning Copper with Ketchup: A No-Rub Experiment

    Popular Articles

    • This Is Where I Try To Buy Your Love
    • Guaranteed Crispy Sweet Potato Fries & Sriracha Mayo Dip
    • A Year Full of Pots: Win Sarah Raven's New Book
    • The Difference Between People Who Eat Mayo & People Who Eat Miracle Whip
    • Your FIRST look at my new kitchen in Canadian Living Magazine.
    • How to Print an Image on Wood.

    Footer

    as seen in

    About

    • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Social

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    104 shares