A quick look at the many various ribbons and trimmings at your local craft store may leave you feeling confused in your search for just the right material to adorn a gift. If you're wishing for a simple approach to gift wrapping, consider making a raffia bow. This natural, inexpensive material can add a beautiful finish to your gift.

Determine the size of the bow. Use a few strands of raffia for a small bow and use a large handful for a large bow.

Stretch the raffia across a flat surface after cleaning the surface of any debris. You don't want dust or crumbs clinging to your bow.

Arrange the raffia so that the center of each strand meets at approximately the same central point. The easiest way to do this is to fold the entire bundle of raffia in half, and then pull the strands until each one seems to be hanging at equal lengths from both sides.

Tie the raffia in a knot at the center of the bundle. Just imagine you are tying your shoe.

Make loops with the raffia on both sides of the knot. Hold one loop in your left hand and the other in your right. Tie the loops together to create a bow.

Adjust the bow to the size you'd like by gently pulling and adjusting as needed. Don't worry if you need to start over; raffia is a forgiving material.