Bridal Tradition to Repurposing Mission
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. These are three words that we have all heard countless times in our lives. For some, these are words to live by. For others, they are a modest reminder to be conscious of our waste production. Even with a cleaner and greener world underway, half of the things we throw away could be recycled or transformed into a new product. Chief among these dumping ground offenders are gift ribbons and bows.
Unfortunately, bows and gift wrap are generally not accepted for recycling due to their material makeup. California's Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery states that if every family reused just two feet of their holiday ribbon, the amount saved could tie a 38,000 mile-long bow around the entire planet! Furthermore, EcoPlanet, a website dedicated to sharing facts and statistics on how to create a more sustainable planet, states that, "It is estimated that if every American family wrapped just three presents in reused materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields." Not only is this a concern during the holidays, but also consider the many other gift giving occasions such as birthdays, showers, graduations, retirements, and more!
The usual advice to combat this waste is to wrap gifts in newspaper or use a reusable gift bag. While these ideas certainly address the problem, they diminish the whimsy and festivity of gifting. Deanna Russo, the creator of Bow K®, has invented a way to repurpose gift ribbons, bows, silk flowers and other decorative accents so that you can be creative and guilt free with gift trimmings, knowing that they can to be reused.
Russo was inspired to create this patented ribbon craft out of her own frustration with a decades-old tradition. During her friend's bridal shower, Russo found herself using a paper plate and scissors to create a bouquet of gift bows for the bride to carry during her wedding rehearsal. The flimsy paper plate ripped as the ribbon ends were threaded through and it bent under the weight of the bows. Thus, Russo's plan to escape the plate was born.
For showers, Bow K-ing transforms the paper plate tradition into a fun and elegant way to create beautiful and customized keepsakes. The Bow K has a 10" circular structure with a 4" handle. It is lined with 48 holes, making it easy to thread ribbons through the base and attach other items. Since the Bow K sits easily in a vase or doll stand, some brides choose to display it on the wedding gift table. It can also be carried as a fun bachelorette prop!
Bow K-ing is great for any celebration or season. Pass it around during any gift giving occasion and build it together. The Bow K transforms the typical gift-opening frenzy, into an opportunity for families to become more engaged with one another while also building environmental consciousness. Get inspired to introduce this new tradition to your family!
Bow K can be used to create centerpieces, rehearsal bouquets, gift arrangements, tree toppers, and keepsakes. It can be constructed with a variety of materials, including bows, fresh or silk flowers, candy, wired accents, balloons and more. As Russo proudly states, "there simply is no wrong way to Bow K!" If you aren't the crafty type, the Bow K also works to keep bows tidy and on hand until they can be used again.
Flora-ribbon, hybrid centerpieces, unlike traditional cut flowers, are easy to refresh and reuse! Simply swap out a few bows or flowers to create an entirely new look! The Bow K handle makes it easy to lift the arrangement, trim stem ends and refill the water. Aqua tubes, foam, and other floral/crafting tools are compatible with the Bow K, allowing for limitless possibilities.
Now is the time to change your mindset from bouquet to Bow K! Instead of buying new materials to complete your Bow K, use what you already have! We all have a multitude of decorative items lying about our homes that we do not seem to know what do with but cannot bring ourselves to render useless and throw away. Russo states that "whether it's the cute wired dragonfly that came with a now-deceased house plant or a once-favorite, but now broken, piece of jewelry, virtually anything can be incorporated into a Bow K arrangement!"
Regardless of whether your inspiration comes from spooky jack-o-lanterns and creepy crawlers or spring flowers and brightly colored gift ribbons, your Bow K is made your way! With its endless design potential, the Bow K helps to repurpose ribbons and other materials into unique keepsakes, gifts and décor items. This Martha Stewart American Made Awards finalist is a product that you do not want to miss out on! Bow K is a great way to refresh, repurpose, and redesign old traditions into timeless keepsakes.
