Easy Duct Tape Bookmark

     Don't throw away those old envelopes.  Turn them into bookmarks with a little duct tape.  If you liked my monster bookmarks and heart bookmark tutorial, this craft may be right up your alley.

Materials:
*Duct tape
*Envelope
*Scissors

Directions:
*Cut off a strip of duct tape and place it diagonally across one corner of your envelope.  This should be fairly straightforward if you're using solid colored duct tape, but if you are using patterned duct tape and want a particular part of the tape on the bookmark, it gets a little trickier.  I left the very tip of my bookmark untaped so I could fit the whole owl on there.
*Trim off excess duct tape, making sure not to cut open the sides of the envelope.
*Cut the corner of the envelope off along the bottom edge of the duct tape to create your bookmark.
*For a double sided bookmark, add a second strip of duct tape to the back of the bookmark and then cut off the excess tape.  You can use the same duct tape as you used for the front side or you can mix things up by adding a different color or pattern.

Bobby Pin Duct Tape Bow

Materials:
*Duct tape in two different colors/patterns
*Bobby pin
*Scissors

Directions:
*Cut off a piece of duct tape as long as you would like your bow to be in the color that you want your bow to be.

*Fold tape in half.

*Cut off a piece of duct tape in the second color as the first and then cut off a strip of that piece about 1/2" in thickness.

*Place this strip along the center of the strip that is to become the bow.

*Cut off another strip, also about half an inch in width, and set it aside.
*Pinch the duct tape in the center as demonstrated in the picture below to create the bow shape.

*Wrap the strip of duct tape around the center.

*Cut off a shorter, thinner strip of tape and secure the bobby pin to the back of the bow.  Make sure it is well secured (or perhaps use glue or some other method of adhering it.  I tried glue first, but could not get it to work as I wanted it to, so I went with duct tape), as the last thing you want is duct tape stuck in your hair.

Duct Tape Fall Leaves Table Runner

     I got the idea for this table runner from the duct tape leaf garland I made a couple of years ago.  If you like this craft, be sure to check out that one too.

Materials:
*Duct tape in colors of your choice
*Leaf templates or leaves and paper
*2-3 cereal boxes
*Pen
*Scissors
*All purpose adhesive

Directions:
*Print out the leaf templates given below.  Alternately, you could collect leaves of your own and trace around them to make your own set of templates.

*Choose whichever leaf templates you like and line them up along the table that you intend to place the runner on, overlapping the tips and bottoms of the leaves slightly.  You can then either measure the combined length of the leaves and compare it to the length of the table or eyeball it to determine how many of each leaf type you'll need to create your runner.
*Select one of the leaf templates.  Place about 3 strips of duct tape (or five if you're planning on cutting out two copies of the same leaf) slightly wider than the template on the inside of one of the cereal boxes, with only a slight overlap between the strips.

*Trace the leaf template onto the duct tape.

*Repeat the previous two steps until you have created as many leaves as you want for your table runner and then cut out all of the leaves.

*Line the leaves up in whatever pattern you would like, overlapping the tips and bottoms of the leaves, and then glue the tips and bottoms of adjacent leaves together.  Let dry.

Toilet Paper Tube Bowling

     I found this idea here.  Below are my slightly modified directions.

Materials:
*6 toilet paper tubes
*Duct tape in various colors/patterns
*Red duct tape
*Scissors
*Stress ball

Directions:
*Wrap toilet paper tubes in duct tape.
*Add a red band around the middle of each tube using the red duct tape.
*Use a stress ball or a similarly lightweight ball for the bowling ball.

Whimsical Spring Floral Arrangement

It's finally starting to feel like spring here in Maine!  I got the idea for this bouquet from this post from Fave Crafts.

Duct Tape "Dandelion"

Materials:
*Duct tape
*Measuring tape
*Thick gauge floral wire
*Scissors
*Wire cutters

Directions:
*Cut off a strip of duct tape about 18" in length.
*Fold it over (the hot dog way) almost in half so that about 1/4" of tape is left unattached.
*Cut slits in the tape almost all the way down to the unattached portion to create a fringe.
*Cut off a length of floral wire and wrap the duct tape around one end.
*Gently push on the petals to open the flower.

Large Sequin Flowers

Materials:
*Large sequins
*Medium sequins
*All purpose adhesive
*Wire

Directions:
*Take three large sequins and glue a medium sequin into the center of each one.
*Cut off three sections of wire of varying lengths and attach a large sequin to each one.
*Twist together the three wires to create a branch.

Sparkly Pom Pom Flowers

Materials:
*Sparkly pom poms
*All purpose adhesive
*Thick gauge green floral wire

Directions:
*Cut off a length of floral wire.
*Glue a pom pom to the top of the wire.

Hearts and Flowers Branch

Materials:
*Artificial floral branch
*Patterned paper
*Heart punch
*All purpose adhesive

Directions:
*Punch out hearts from the patterned paper and glue them to the artificial floral branch.

Glittery Flower

Materials:
*Artificial flower
*Glitter
*Glue

Directions:
*Coat the tops of the petals of the flower in glue.
*Pour glitter over the glue.  Set aside to dry.
*Once dry, shake off any excess glitter.

Butterfly

See my Spring Butterfly Bookmarks post to find out how to make this lovely butterfly.

Putting it All Together:

Materials:
*Oversize plastic cup
*Cone shaped Styrofoam
*Mini pinwheels

Directions:
*Fit Styrofoam inside cup.  Mine fit perfectly as it was, but depending on the size and shape of your cup, you may have to trim the Styrofoam some.
*Stick flowers and pinwheels into the Styrofoam.
*Glue the butterfly to one of the flowers.

Duct Tape Ornaments

     Here's a fast and easy way to liven up some plain ball ornaments.  Looking for more ornament ideas?  Check out these ornament ideas and stay tuned, because I'll be posting new ornaments, if all goes as planned, from now until Christmas.

Materials:
*Plastic or glass ball ornaments
*Duct tape
*Scissors

Directions:
*Cut off thin strips of duct tape and stick the duct tape strips to the ornament.
*Continue adding duct tape strips until the whole ornament is covered in duct tape.

Duct Tape Leaf Garland

Materials:
*Duct tape in colors of your choice
*Leaf templates or leaves and paper
*2-3 cereal boxes
*Pen
*Scissors
*Light brown colored pencil
*Ribbon
*All purpose adhesive

Directions:
*Print out leaf templates in a variety of shapes.  Alternately, you can make your own templates by tracing around leaves you have collected, as I did.
*Select a leaf template.  Place about 3 strips of duct tape slightly wider than the template on the inside of one of the cereal boxes in the top left corner, with only a slight overlap between the strips.
*Trace the leaf shape onto the duct tape.  Draw a stem coming out of the bottom of the leaf on the cardboard.  Color the stem in with a light brown colored pencil.
*Repeat the process with other leaf templates.  You should end up with something like this:

*Cut out your leaves.  Arrange them in a pattern that you find pleasing, then glue the stems of the leaves to the ribbon.

Freezer Bag Pencil Case and a Contest Reminder

Want an inexpensive but stylish pencil case?  Add some duct tape to a freezer bag.  Thanks to my fantastic second mom for this neat craft idea :)

Materials:
*Duct tape
*Freezer bag
*Scissors

Directions:
*Cut a strip of duct tape slightly longer than the width of the freezer bag.
*Fold the strip of duct tape over the bottom of the bag so that half of the strip of tape covers the front side of the bag and half covers the back.
*Cut off any excess duct tape sticking out, being careful not to cut the bag's seams.
*Cut a strip of duct tape slightly longer than twice the width of the freezer bag and wrap around the top of the bag.
*Continue adding strips of duct tape until you have covered the whole bag.

Contest Reminder

     If you would like to be entered to win a nail polish splattered picture frame and a pair of duct tape earrings (both pictured below), please send your name and address (if you don't live nearby) to hathaway.amber@gmail.com before August 25th.  The winner will be announced on my anniversary blog post on August 25th.

Duct Tape Sneakers

Have an old, grungy pair of shoes that you're not yet ready to give up on?  Decorate them with duct tape. Here's a link to the post that inspired me to try decorating my shoes with duct tape.

Materials:
*Old Sneakers
*Duct tape in the colors/patterns of your choice
*Scissors
*X-acto knife

Directions:
*Cut off strips of duct tape and adhere to the portions of the shoe that you would like covered.
*Carefully trim off any excess duct tape with an X-acto knife
*Use smaller pieces of duct tape around the curvy parts of the shoe so that you don't end up with bulges and creases in the tape.
*To cover the toe of the shoe, take a strip of duct tape and set it across the toe of the shoe.  Carefully cut the tape to the appropriate shape, making sure not to stick the tape to the shoe all the way.  Otherwise the tape will bunch together in places and it may be difficult to unstick the pieces.
*Peel the duct tape off of the toe of the shoe.
*Excluding the flat top part, make incisions about 1/4" deep every 1/4" along the piece of tape.
*Line up the flat top part with the top of the toe of the shoe and stick down.  Slowly press down the other parts of the tape, which will overlap slightly.

Duct Tape Feather Earrings

Materials:
*Duct tape in the color(s) of your choice
*Marker
*Scissors
*2 ear wires
*Round nosed pliers
*Flat nosed pliers
*Needle, safety pin, or similar implement

Directions:
*Cut off a strip of duct tape about twice as long as you would like your earrings to be and carefully fold in half, so that the sticky sides of the two halves touch.
*Repeat with a second piece of duct tape.
*Draw or trace a feather shape onto each of the two duct tape pieces, then cut out.
*Decorate the feathers as you wish.
*Cut slits into the duct tape to create the feathery look, being careful not to cut all the way through.  Also, once you reach the top of the duct tape, leave a small portion at the top center uncut.
*Using a needle, poke a small hole through the top center of each earring.
*Using the pliers, open up the base of one of the ear wire and slide it through the hole in one of the earrings, then close the base of the ear wire.  Repeat for the second earring.

Duct Tape Pencil Holder

Materials:
*Aluminum can
*Duct tape in color/pattern of your choice
*Black duct tape
*Scissors

With the end of the semester rapidly approaching, I wanted a quick and easy craft and these cute pencil holders turned out to be just what I was looking for.  I'm including a link to the post that inspired me.

Directions:
*Wrap duct tape in the pattern of your choice around your aluminum can until your can is covered in duct tape.
*Take a strip of black duct tape and wrap it around the rim of the pencil holder so that about half of the strip of tape hangs over the rim.
*At about half inch intervals, cut the overhanging portion of the tape in a straight line down to the rim of the can.  Fold the resulting pieces of tape over, sticking them to the inside of the can.

Duct Tape Bag / Purse

Need a new tote bag or purse?  Make one from duct tape.  I'm including a link to the post I worked from, in addition to my own, slightly modified instructions.

Materials:
*Duct tape in a variety of coordinating colors
*Fabric (as wide as and twice as long as you would like your bag to be)
*Scissors
*Three different but corresponding types of ribbon

Directions:
*Lay fabric pattern side down on your work surface.
*Tape down the corners of your fabric with duct tape so that the fabric won't move while you're applying duct tape.
*Cover the fabric in diagonal strips of duct tape, like this: 

*Overlap neighboring duct tape strips by about 1/4" so that when you peel your duct tape covered fabric off of your work surface, the strips won't separate.
*Once you have covered the fabric in duct tape, carefully peel it off of your work station and trim off excess duct tape.
*Cut a strip of duct tape in a color of your choice as wide as your bag and tape it over the top edge of the bag.  Repeat the procedure with the bottom edge.
*Fold your bag in half, duct tape side facing out, and tape the sides together.  Trim off any excess duct tape.
*Optional step: fold the bottom corners of your bag inward, taping the corners down on the inside of the bag (it's hard to explain and my pictures did not come out well, so for slightly more detail regarding this step see here).
*Braid together three strands of ribbon so that you end up with something like this: 

*Wrap tape around the ends to secure them together, then tape to the inside of your bag to make the strap.
*Note: there are a number of alternative options for the strap.  Here's a video tutorial that shows you how to make plain or braided straps from duct tape and here's a tutorial that shows you how to use rope and duct tape to make a strap.

Duct Tape Wallet

If your old wallet wears out, or your wallet gets lost or stolen, instead of buying a new one try making one out of duct tape.  If you already have duct tape at your house it's a very cost effective solution.  Here's a link to the video tutorial I worked from when making my duct tape wallet.

Materials:
*Duct tape
*Scissors

Directions:
*Cut four strips of duct tape about 8.5" in length and overlap the pieces slightly, sticking them together with the sticky side facing up.
*Cut four more strips of duct tape about 8.5" in length and lay these strips over the four strips already stuck together, with sticky sides touching.  This will form the duct tape "fabric" of your wallet.
*Fold your "fabric" in half (the hot dog way) and trim off any uneven duct tape edges. 
*Take a strip of duct tape that is 9"-10" in length and cut it in half.  Use each of the pieces to cover the edges of the top part of the wallet.  Trim off any excess duct tape.
*For the pockets, cut off three 16" strips of duct tape. 
*Take two of the strips and stick them together to form the material for the pockets.
*Cut the third strip in half and use it to cover the edges of the pocket material.
*Cut the pocket material into four equal pieces and arrange the pieces on your wallet as you would like the pockets to be arranged.
*Tape the edges of the pockest down.  Make sure not to tape too far over or otherwise you won't be able to fit your ID's, etc. into the wallet.
*With the pockets facing outward, tape the sides together.
*Fold in half with the pockets facing in toward one another.  Now you have your duct tape wallet.
*If the wallet won't stay folded, set it under a heavy book for a little while.

Duct Tape Rose Ring

Materials:
*Duct tape in two colors (one color for the flower and one to wrap around the ring band)
*Cutting board
*X-acto knife
*Ring base
*Ruler

Directions:
*Center a 12" strip of duct tape on your cutting board so that it falls directly between the 4" and 6" marks.
*Using a ruler to keep your cut straight, cut the strip of duct tape in half lengthwise.
*Cut the duct tape strips widthwise at each 1" mark.  You should now have 24 duct tape squares that are approximately 1"x1".

*Wrap some duct tape of the color that you plan on wrapping around the ring band around the center of your ring base, then take a thin strip of duct tape at least the same width as the roll of duct tape and center it around the ring base, taping the ends together.  You will now have a duct tape protrusion on the ring that should look something like this:

*Wrap a couple of pieces of duct tape around the duct tape protrusion.

*Take a piece of duct tape in the color that you plan on using for petals and fold it over the protrusion.
*Peel one of your duct tape squares from the cutting board and fold it not quite in half diagonally so that it looks like the duct tape piece circled in red:

 

*Fold it again so that you end up with a triangle that looks like these:

*Attach the sticky part of the duct tape triangle to the duct tape protrusion on the ring base to form a petal.
*Continue folding duct tape triangles and attaching them to the protrusion until you have a flower large enough for your liking.
*Optional: wrap duct tape around the ring band.  If you do want to cover the ring band in duct tape, make sure to get ring bands that are at least a size too large for you because when you wrap the duct tape around the ring it will become a much tighter fit.

Duct Tape Covered Letters

Materials:
*Foam board
*Letter templates
*X-acto knife
*Pencil
*Duct tape in various colors/patterns (can use patterned paper in place of duct tape if you don't have duct tape in numerous colors/patterns)
*Scissors

Directions:
*Trace letter templates onto the foam board.
*Using your X-acto knife, cut out the letters.
*Cut out a strip of duct tape and place the duct tape strip over one of the letters.  Trim excess duct tape, leaving some to wrap around the edges, if desired.
*Repeat until the letters are covered in duct tape
*If you are using patterned paper in place of duct tape, trace letter templates onto the patterned paper, cut out the paper letters, and glue to the foam board.

Bonus: Duct Tape Decorated Box

Use your leftover duct tape scraps to decorate a box.  Cut the excess duct tape into small pieces and arrange on a jewelry box.



Stylish Rain Boot Repair

Do your rain boots have a hole in them?  Here is a fashionable way to patch them up.  Even if they do not have a hole, this craft can be a great way to personalize your boots.

Materials:
*Duct tape of varying colors
*Scissors

Directions:
*Select a design for your rain boots 
*Once you have a design in mind, determine your base color.  Since the sky would make up a lot of my springy scene, I selected blue for my base color
*Using the base color, tape over the entirety of the surface that you want to cover.  Make sure that the tape is well secured in the spots where there is a hole you are trying to cover up
*Cut out shapes from the duct tape and apply on top of the base color in your chosen pattern

Bonus:
*Apply scraps of duct tape left over from cutting out the patterns to a notebook cover to give it a funky new look.  Depending on the sizes of the leftover pieces of duct tape, you may want to cut the pieces into smaller sized pieces before applying to the cover