Metro Parent / March 2010 / Duct Tape Flowers

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Duct Tape Flowers

Craft a 'fresh' bouquet of funky daises out of durable duct tape

Ready for the flowers to bloom? Get in the spring spirit by making duct tape flowers. They're inspired by a few ideas in Stick It! 99 DIY Duct Tape Projects by T.L. Bonaddio. Best of all, they're fun, funky and always stay fresh! Read on to learn how to make a few "crazy daisies" (pictured above: the white flower with teal in the foreground, and the purple-and-teal in the back).

A quick word to the wise: Duct tape can be tricky, sticky stuff. You'll likely "wreck" a few pieces. Don't get discouraged! Simply wad it up, toss it, and try again. Or, if you discover a method that works better, go with it. We suggest this project for the elementary-and-older set.

Materials

• Duct tape: green for stem; any color for petals (white, teal, purple, pink, red, etc.)
• Something round for the center (ours are a pair of cheap yellow earrings; or try buttons, coins, etc.)
• Wire (18-guage electrical – i.e., something sturdy-yet-bendable)
• Wire cutter
• Sharp scissors

Instructions

A. Stem

1. Cut a length of electrical wire (about 6-8 inches) with the wire cutter.
2. Measure and cut a length of green duct tape the same length as the wire.
3. Position the tape with the sticky-side up. Then, with scissors, carefully trim a half-inch horizontally off the long edge of the tape. (Set this strip aside for later.)
4. Place the wire horizontally along the top edge of the tape. Carefully roll the wire, down pressing along the way, until it's completely covered by the tape.

B. Petal base

1. Cut a 2-inch strip of green tape, so it's roughly square. From each corner, make one diagonal cut halfway to the center. (Note: Be careful not to cut all the way to the center, or you won't have a "base" surface.)
2. Place the middle of the green square on the top of the stem, sticky-side down. Wrap the "cut" corners around the stem. (Note: Don't worry if the "base" is lumpy and uneven. That's fine! You just need a bit of surface area to stick the petals onto.)

C. Petals

1. Cut a small length of tape (2-3 inches is plenty). Place the sticky-side up. Then, from the top edge, fold the upper left- and right-hand corners in toward each other, and press down, so they're slated toward each other. (Your tape should now look like a little house, with a small point on the top.)
2. Repeating the same action, fold the left and right slanted edges in towards each other. (Your tape should now look like a teepee.)
3. From the bottom of the teepee, make two cuts (approximately a half-inch), angled up to the left and right. Don't make your cuts exactly from the middle, though: Be sure to leave a 1/4-inch squared edge at the bottom, to give the petal some "sticking" surface area. (Your tape should now look like a long diamond.)
4. Repeat until you've made eight petals.
5. Stick each petal, sticky-side down, onto the petal base. Arrange them in a "compass pattern": Place the first four in "north," "south," "east" and "west" positions; then place the next four on top of them ("northeast," "southeast," "southwest" and "northwest").

D. Center

Take your round object and affix it to the center of the flower with a small, rolled piece of duct tape. If using post earrings, simply wedge the post into the center. (Note: You can also cut out a round piece of duct tape. Just make sure it's big enough to cover the area where the petals connect.)

E. Final touches

1. Take the leftover strip of green duct tape (from the stem) and wrap it around the base of the petals, to secure them to the stem.
2. For an extra touch, create a leaf or two. Just follow steps 1-3 for the petals, only using green duct tape. Affix the leaves anywhere you'd like on the stem.