Holiday Presents Duct Tape Style!

Holiday time has arrived, and I have had to give presents away to friends. For one gift, I purchased a roll of duct tape (moustache printed with bonus length!).  I think duct tape is quite a useful present and can be used in a variety of situations.

The holidays are also a time of supreme eating of chocolates and sweets, so I added an assortment of Lindor truffles into the back of the roll of duct tape.  Duct tape now comes without plastic covering the entire roll, probably to save plastic and consequently, the environment, so there was a perfect place for the chocolates.

I wrapped the present up with tissue paper and put it in a holiday bag.  Personally, I would love to get a present like this!

Updated Pencil Case

My pencil case was starting to fall apart, so I decided to fix it up, tearing it apart until just the base was left.  I patched up any ripped areas and discarded the pouch and places to put the pens.  I purchased white duct tape and changed the color scheme from orange and black to white and black.

White pocket

To create the strips of duct tape that holds each pen in, I use the previous strips as a model and copied the spacing in between each spot for the pens.

I attached each strip onto the pencil case.

The inside of the case, where I store my pencils, eraser, scissors, and lead, stayed the same as before.

With pens inserted!

I really like the new color scheme of black and white; it looks very clean and modern to me.

Tape Figures

I found these tape figures in a building.  Maybe I will make duct tape figurines next!

From a different angle 

Sheepish Bloom Drop

Airwhaler, using one of the flowers she crocheted, participated in the Sheepish Bloom Drop group yarn bomb.  She tied a note to the flower and attached it to the fence on a softball field.  The flower remained up for about two weeks, but when we went walked by it yesterday, it was gone.  Only the string that had attached it to the fence was left.

Airwhaler: Double Knitting

Along with crocheting, Airwhaler can also knit, and she does so occasionally.  She decided to learn how to double knit, but was surprised at how difficult it was.  According to her, "It's awful.  It looks really cool but is kind of miserable to make because each row takes twice the normal time.  But it's still fun in a horribly sick way."

So for anyone wanting to double knit, Airwhaler has warned you.

Salamander Duct Tape Sticker

I decided to make a duct tape sticker because my friend wanted to have a salamander on her folder.  I can not draw very well, so I decided to create a sticker for her in the shape of a salamander.  She had also mentioned liking red salamanders, and I had some red duct tape left over from the summer.

Duct tape stickers are generally easy to make, and in addition to duct tape, I needed some clear package tape to use as the backing from which the sticker is peeled off.  It is hard to see in the picture below, but I taped two pieces of package tape horizontally on a regular sheet of paper, with one below the other and the two pieces overlapping in the middle.

To create the sticker, I cut a piece of duct tape that fit on the package tape surface I created.

On the back of the piece of paper, I sketched the outline of a salamander.  I made sure the entire salamander was drawn on top of the piece of duct tape that was on the other side.

I cut out the salamander.

The only problem with the sticker was that it was difficult to separate from the backing I made.  The next time I make one, I will be sure to include a lip from which I can peel off the sticker.  It took me at least five minutes to separate the duct tape from the package tape.  It might also be easier to use wax paper as the backing instead of package tape.

On the folder

To finish, I drew an eye on the salamander using a permanent marker.  The sticker looks pretty cool, and I might decorate my own folders with duct tape stickers!

Airwhaler: Granny Bunting and Scarf

Following instructions from Attic24, Airwhaler crocheted a few granny bunting triangles.  She made six in total with varying designs and color schemes and sent all of them to England for Yarndale.

Airwhaler also made this scarf with knitting needles.  She did not follow any sort of pattern; the ends are simply sewed together to form a möbius strip.

Airwhaler: Crochet Flowers

Airwhaler recently got a book called 100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet from a friend, and she has been making flowers nonstop!  She plans to connect all of the flowers she made into one long chain.  Believe it or not, she has over 40 flowers already made!  She only sent me a sampling of her collection, and I cannot wait to see her entire stock of crocheted and knitted flowers.

Chrysanthemum 

Rebecca Ward: Installation

I have been looking around for an artist who works with duct tape and in general, any kind of tape.  I happened to come across Rebecca Ward, an artist who lives and works in Brooklyn, NY and makes the most amazing tape installations I have ever seen.  While I am not sure if she uses duct tape, vinyl tape, or some other type of adhesive, her installations are awesome to look at.

I have included some photos that I found on her Behance, a website that contains photos of her collections.  Her page can be found here.

The two photos immediately below are from a collection called "the bed you lie in", and here is the link.

tape10

The next two photos are from "tape3."

rip and pull

thickly sliced

Seventeen is Sharp

More pictures can be found on Behance and her personal website.

I am allowed to share these photos I found online.

What Do You Want to See?

So far, I have been making my projects based on what I want to make and ideas I come up with, but I am very intrigued with what you want me to make.  I will be using this post to take any requests you might have for me, so comment away with suggestions, ideas, and wishes!  I will try my best to make everything you ask for, but it will be contingent upon the materials, time, and plausibility.

Kitty on a door!...with 4 mice

Thank you for your input!

Multi-Pocket Folder

I needed a folder that had many pockets so I could store all the papers from all my subjects in one place.  I found one of these multi-pocket folder at Staples, but it cost more than what I wanted to pay for it.  Instead, I came home and made my own from package tape and brown paper bags.

I first made the outside folder that has two pockets and an extra-wide spine to hold the other pockets.  On the spine, I drew lines that indicated the location where I would attach each sheet.  They were evenly spaced out.  The front cover is 24 cm by 29 cm with a 4 cm spine in the middle and 10 cm tall pockets.

I made the outside folder a little larger so I could fold over the edges and make then even stronger to resist wear and tear.  To finish, I taped the edges with package tape.

Folded edges along the top and the sides, before tape

Each sheet that I attached on the inside had two pockets, one on the front and one on the back.  To create the folder, I cut a piece of brown paper bag 80 cm by 40 cm and folded it vertically three times, once in half, and two times 11 cm from the bottom to create the pockets.  I taped the edges again and taped it to the outside folder with the extended spine.

A finished folder

Attached

I made three more of these folders that attached on in the inside.

Two more folders

To attach the second, third, and fourth folder, I taped them, as I did with the first one.  However, I also made sure the piece of tape in between two folders secured the back of the previous folder and the front of the current folder.

One tape shared in between two folders

 After attaching the fourth folder, I was done!

Finished!

My multi-pocket folder has 10 pockets in total, and it took 5 brown paper bags and more than 3 hours to complete.  I can't wait to use it in school!

Best Duct Tape Dresses 2013

For those who don't know, Duck Brand sponsors the Stuck at Prom scholarship contest every year, giving each winner $5,000.  Every year, hundreds of high school students create a dress and/or tuxedo to wear at their school prom.  Most of the designs are really cool and innovative, as can be seen in the gallery on their website.  The winners and runner-ups this year were all great, but I have chosen my favorite designs out of the 168 that were submitted.

My list is in no particular order.  My selections may or may not be a winner or runner-up; I chose them solely on my opinion.

The first design I stumbled upon that I like is the one by Jessica and Christofer.  Their dress and tuxedo really stick out from the rest, due to the use of a simple white color.  It looks really clean cut, and the raindrops add a nice touch.

Jessica and Christofer

I really like the dress Miranda made because of the layered flames and how nice it looks with the black shawl she has on.  I also enjoy the edges of the flames, with the transition of colors form red to yellow.

Miranda

Rachael and Paul's dress and tuxedo really stand out from the other entries because of their old-fashioned theme.  The light pink color is a nice break from the darker hues, such as black, dark blue, and purple, the other entrants use.  The fan also adds to the theme.

Rachael and Paul

I really enjoy the tuxedo in Valerie and Michael's entry.  Not many tuxes are a light brown color, but this tuxedo goes really well with the white and pink dress.  The light brown is a nice color and is not obnoxious like some of the other colors I have seen with duct tape tuxedos.

Valerie and Michael

Once again, I like Wanchen's dress because it is different than the more complex, elaborate dresses of the other entries.  From far away, it actually looks like a real dress, and its simplicity draws me in.  I also like the pairing of the dress with the red shawl.

Wanchen

What is most impressive about Josh and Liz's dress is the transition of colors on the dress and the vest of the tuxedo.  The speckled pattern where two colors meet is a really neat design, and the tuxedo is cleverly designed to match the dress.

Josh and Liz

Duct tape dresses certainly look impressive, and I wonder if I should embark on making one.  Which designs do you like?  Did I omit any entries that I should have included?