Duck Tape Flowers

Little K has been making all kinds of things from Duck Tape - but until recently - we never attempted making FLOWERS because they looked too complicated.

Nothing worse than getting frustrated with a project because it's more difficult than you imagined.  

We finally decided to attempt one.  

Much to our surprise - they are NOT as difficult to make as you might think.  

After learning a few tricks (and after a few practices) you can make one in under 15 minutes.
 

All you need is a variety of Duck Tape, pen, cutting mat and a utility knife.

Start by wrapping the body of the pen with a thin strip of Tape.  Only go as far as the cap - they fit pretty tightly and won't fit over the duck tape.

 

Here comes the Magic Trick....use a utility knife and cutting mat - instead of scissors - to cut the Duck Tape.

Pure genius.  Can I tell you how much time I've spend trying to de-gunk the scissors after trying to cut through that sticky tape.

The tape easily releases from the cutting mat - and the knife slices through the tape like butter.

Cut the tape into 2" sections.  Since the tape is approximately 2" wide - you will end up with 2' squares.

For this flower you will need:

10 squares for the center

14 squares for the outer petals

4 squares for the outer leaves

Next fold over one side of the square.

Then fold the other side of the square so you end up with a pointed top with exposed sticky tape at the bottom.

I found it's easiest to make all the "petals" at once, before you begin to attach them to the pen.

As you can see - it's not important that all the "petals" be perfect, neat or all the same.  The key is to be sure there is enough sticky at the bottom. 
 

Start attaching the petals around the stem of the pen.
 

I like to add the petals, one after the other, going around the pen clockwise. 
 

I find this method makes it easier to space them evenly.

Once all the petals have been added - it will be a bit messy underneath.
 

 The solution is to add 4 more leaf "petals" - same color as the pen stem - to cover up the messy bits.
 

 One final step was to add some Bling to the centers.
 

 And now we have a collection of bright Duck Tape Flower (pens) sitting by the kitchen phone.  I will never again need to go searching for a pen when the phone rings.

This project was also shared recently at The Pink Elephant.