Happiness is making your own duct tape hair accessories! I am very crafty and love making things that girls will love with Duck Tape. I've made totes, wallets, wristlets and hair bows out of duck tape and they always turn out well.
When I was thinking of the perfect craft to make with my cousins' 3 fourteen-year-old daughters, I knew that I wanted to use Duck Tape. Remember the duck tape wristlets we made last year?
You see, every year over Easter vacation in Florida, I get to spend an evening crafting with the girls. They are enthusiastic, eager to learn and highly complimentary. What's not to love? I wish I could craft with them all the time, but they live on the other side of Michigan. Luckily we all spend Easter vacation together in Florida and we make the most of our time together.
When I was considering what kind of accessory we should make together, I came across this headband with bow video (produced by the duck tape brand) on YouTube. The instructions are simple and the results are darling. My aunt (their grandmother) came along on my field trip to the craft store and bought "denim" Duck Tape (shown above), a roll of "argyle" Duck Tape, adhesive Velcro dots (to make the headband a perfect fit) and my favorite new craft item, non-stick scissors! They cut through Duck Tape like a breeze and greatly increase the likelihood of happy crafters.
Each of the girls made a perfect denim headband with a matching bow. If only the 1920's could see them now. They posed for group shots modeling their headbands and my heart swelled to twice its size. They were so happy with the headbands and were so pleased with themselves.
Once they had mastered making a classic bow, they started making little bows with patterned Duck Tape and taping them onto bobby pins with a narrow strip of duck tape (below). I can imagine these tween girls on the tennis court/track team/volleyball court wearing Duck Tape hair bows that match their team colors. I love it!
The fun was just beginning when they realized that they could stack a smaller bow on top of a larger one. They taped the two bows together and then attached them (with a band of duck tape!) to a pony tail holder. It made the very popular "messy bun on top of head" hairstyle look a little more pulled together. So cute!
The girls kept thanking me for teaching them how to make these Duck Tape hair accessories. It was me who should be thanking them (and Duck Tape brand!), I've never had so much fun.
"Do you think you could do a craft with the girls?" That kind of question is music to my ears. I said "yes" before she got to the end of the sentence.
When I planned our trip to Florida for Easter vacation, part of my motivation was to be able to spend time with two of my cousins and their families. We rarely get to see each other in Michigan, but since our parents are near each other in Florida, we vacation in the same area. When they told me the dates of their school break, it was easy to sync our trip with theirs.
We had cookouts together, spent time at the pool and even bumped into each other at TJ Maxx. Throughout the week, six girls (age 12-16) and I talked about crafting - materials, colors and when we would have time to make something.
As a seasoned crafter, I considered their age, skill set and wish list to come up with a no-sew, no-fail project. I've worked with duct tape for years making my Delight Totes and I knew that if I used the Duck Brand Duck Tape sheets and rolls, a rotary cutter, self-healing mat and some sticky velcro (for the closure), we could make simple but stylish wristlets in no time.
While I helped each girl make her wristlet, the others patiently strung beads onto wire to make butterfly/flower hair charms to attach to bobby pins. By the end of the night, each girl had two treasures: a hair ornament and a super cute purse. We spent 2 hours working together and, for me, it was the highlight of the trip! Ahhh...to have a bunch of girls who want to learn how to make things. Love it!
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