How to Make a Simple, DIY Lantern Swag with Bowdabra

This week on the Bowdabra Live, join Kelly Klekamp-Smith from Florals in the Barn by Finklea, as she demonstrates the entire process of creating a simple and cute DIY swag for a lantern that takes you from the fall season to Christmas and even after that, just for us. This handmade decorative piece is the perfect accessory to make any indoor lantern look ready and pretty within seconds, so go on ahead and learn how to make one. Then go on to create several adorable swags for all the lanterns in your home. Make sure you make more to hand out as gifts to your loved ones.

A Simple DIY Swag for Lanterns (Starts at 1: 01)

Materials required:

• 100-yard Bowdabra bow wire spool
• Large Bowdabra
• Glue gun
• Golden burlap ribbon roll
• Red and black chequered ribbon roll
• Thin golden ribbon roll with a patterned piping
• Lantern
• Christmas decorations such as greens, frosted pines, sparkly picks, etc.

1. Kelly folds the bow wire in half and tucks it into and underneath the Bowdabra.

2. She then takes the plain burlap ribbon roll and adds a tail from it to the Bowdabra.

3. Next, she begins to make large loops with the ribbon on each side of the Bowdabra to make a full bow.

4. She moves on to the red and black chequered ribbon and begins to add loops that are smaller than the original ones in the Bowdabra on either side of it, after making the tail.

5. Finally, she takes the smallest ribbon roll and follows the same process from start to finish with it just as with the other ribbon rolls, with the only addition of a cute button loop in the center.

6. She then compresses the ribbons down, goes on to pull the bow wire from one end of the Bowdabra to the other, and ties the bow up securely.

7. She takes the swag out and finishes off by fluffing all the loops to make it very pretty like a pretty multi-colored flower.

8. Finally, she remembers to cut the dovetail pattern on all the tail ends.

9. She attaches all kinds of greenery and frosted pines to the back of the swag securely so that it all holds in place.

10. She then goes on to fix some of the sparkly picks with rust bells at the bottom of the swag with enough hot glue to hold everything properly in their places to complete decorating this cute swag for the lantern.

11. She brings out the lantern next, places the swag on the handle, and attaches the swag on to the handle as securely as possible.