How to make simple duct tape earrings for Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  You can whip up these simple duct tape earrings to show your support.  You can also use this technique to make other awareness earrings using the appropriate color duct tape. 

I’ve used a pink camo duct tape to make mine for Breast Cancer Awareness, but you can alternately use a solid color pink for the same effect.

Materials:

Pink camp duct tape

Self-healing cutting mat

X-acto or craft knife

Ruler

Headpins

Small pink heart beads

Pink size E seed beads

Medium silver bead

Fish hook ear wires

Needle-nosed pliers

Hot Glue gun and hot glue sticks

Instructions:

1.     Cut two pieces of duct tape 1” x 4” using the cutting mat, ruler, and craft knife.

2.     Fold the duct tape in half together.  Repeat for the second piece of duct tape.  Now fold the duct tape into ribbon shape and use the glue gun to attach so it stays together.

3.     Next, thread onto a 2 ½” head pin in this order:  Seed bead, pink heart, silver bead.  Now poke through the top of the ribbon.  Add another seed bead.

4.     Then, using the needle-nosed pliers, bend the top of the head pin to the right.  Next, add the fishhook ear wire making sure it faces in the correct direction, and bend the wire closed. 

How to make an easy refillable travel duct tape wipe pack

Flushable wipes have come a long way.  Many are safe for septic and sewer systems. And if you are concerned one can always use a trash can.  They usually come in packs of 40 but some stores sell small packs of 10 for travel. These travel packs of 10 are a little pricey when you consider how much a larger pack sells for. So I figured why not make a refillable travel duct tape wipe pack? 

Public toilets and porta potties at sporting events are often out of paper and unclean.  All you need to make this refillable travel duct tape wipe pack is some duct tape, a Ziploc sandwich bag, and the plastic top opener that comes on soft packs of flushable wipes. 

Materials:

Duct tape in your choice of color or print

Recycled plastic top opener

Scissors

X-acto or craft knife

Ziploc bag

Cutting mat

Piece of corrugated cardboard

Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

Ruler

1.  Cut off the plastic top opener from a used pack of a soft pack of flushable wipes and remove the entire plastic wrapper.

2.  Next, cut the bottom of a Ziploc quart sized storage bag to the size that will fit the wipes.  Don’t worry about it; you will be covering it with duct tape.

3.  Now working on a cutting mat, place a strip of duct tape across the bottom about an inch or so overlapping the bottom.

4.  Continue adding strips of duct tape across the bag until you have covered the entire side and reach the top (zipper) edge.  Now turn over and fold the sides and bottom edges to the opposite side. 

5.  Repeat step 3 and 4 or the second side.  Cover the entire back with duct tape.  Now cut a piece of corrugated cardboard the size to fit inside the bag.  Unzip and insert the cardboard. 

6.  Use a glue gun to attach the plastic opener to one side, center of the pack.  Make sure you only add hot glue to the edges around so that the opener will still open. 

7.  Open the opener and cut out the center duct tape area.

8.  Open the zipper area and fill with wipes. Take your refillable duct tape wipe pack with you wherever you go and fill it back as needed.

How to make fun pencil pouch from duct tape

It’s almost July and pretty soon it will be time to purchase school supplies.  You can personalize a fun pencil pouch from a plastic zipper storage bag and some duct tape.

There are literally hundreds of different color duct tapes available.  So there is a personalized design for every taste and color preference. And duct tape is very sturdy. You can even punch holes in the bag to add to a binder. 

This fun pencil pouch is fun to make for kids.  So you will never  be at a loss when they come to you saying they are bored.

Materials:

One gallon sized slider style storage bag

Duct tape in desired print or color

Plastic cutting mat-- optional (helps with cutting the duct tape)

Ruler, marker, scissors

Three-hole punch or regular hole punch

1.     Measure and cut 3 inches off the bottom edge of the storage bag.  Discard the cut off piece.

2.     Measure and cut 5 pieces of duct tape to 10 ½” each.

Cutting duct tape is easy to measure on a plastic cutting mat

3.     Starting at the upper edge attach a 10 ½” piece of duct tape over the plastic of the bag and across. Press to adhere.  Repeat with three more pieces of duct tape overlapping just a bit where the edges meet to cover the bag. Overlap the bottom edge of the final piece and press to the opposite side.

4.     Turn over to cover the other side.  Cut 4 pieces of duct tape to 12” each.  Start as you did on the first side except fold the extra length on each side (about ½” on each side) to the back. (Already covered side)  

5.     When you have completely covered the bag, you will need to reinforce the sides and bottom edge.  To do this cut 2 pieces of duct tape 7 ¾” each.  Press half the tape on one side covering any uneven edges and turn the excess to the opposite side.  Repeat on the other end.  For the bottom, cut another piece of duct tape 10 ½” and attach part to one side and fold the rest to the other side. (Bottom reinforced)

6.     Use a three-hole punch to make holes for the loose-leaf binder along the bottom edge.  If you do not have a three-hole punch, use a piece of loose-leaf paper to trace where the holes should be and punch with a regular hole punch.

Come back and visit each week for more Quick craft tutorials, recipes and more from Make it easy crafts!

Quick and easy Christmas crafts to make

Christmas crafts are so much fun.  It’s a super way to get the whole family involved. And kids just love crafting so it’s also a wonderful way to spend some quality time with them. I have some ornaments that I’ve hung on my tree for many, many years.  And every time I look at them I remember the fun we had making them.  And memories are what make Christmastime so special. 

Love, charity, giving, worshipping, sharing, food, family and lastly crafting are all things I associate with this wonderful season.  This season sit down with your loved ones and have a craft night.  You will be making memories that last a lifetime!

These quick and easy Christmas crafts have step-by-step tutorials:

Wine cork horse ornament

K-Cup snowman ornament

Wine Cork Reindeer

Christmas duct tape coasters