DE-CLUTTER: Mine’s the adorable one.
Today we have a quick and easy way to personalize your phone chargers. At my house, we literally have 8-10 of them floating around in various states of disrepair. One nice thing about Apple phone chargers are the simple basic shape of the plug. All you need to do is cut out a rectangle 3 3/4″ x 1 1/8″ of Designer Duct Tape and wrap it around the plug. Voila! Super easy, and satisfying. What else is easy to personalize with Designer Duct Tape? Send us pics of your ideas to funstuff@designerducttape.com!
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BACK ON THE BOARD: Sidelined with Maggie
We want to send our best vibes and well-wishes to Maggie who is undergoing surgery today. She’s an avid snowboarder who injured her hip several times while ripping it up and now has to have surgery to repair it. She hated the idea of limping around on boring old unfashionable crutches and decided to uplevel hers with some Purple Polka Dot Designer Duct Tape. She’ll certainly be ‘hip’ with these!
Check out her awesome crutches. We think she did a stellar job!
Hopefully she’ll send some pics of herself shredding next season and we’ll update this post. 
Get well soon Maggie!
HOW TO: Throw a Circus Party fit for a clown
It’s birthday time again!
Last year’s theme: skateboarding. This year: the Big Top. And big it was….Charlie recently turned Lucky 7!
After attending circus school and hurling himself off of a trapeze platform, this little clown and his friends ventured back home, greeted with Platypus Designer Duct Tape crafts + lots of other treats.
Inspired by an image in the book “Every Day Counts” from Ikea, I pre-planned various tablescapes using goodies from lots of fabulous online sites and retailers.
Oriental Trading Company was my first stop for affordable circus-themed merchandise such as top hats, clown noses, DIY name tags, treat bag supplies, character bottle labels, striped cupcake collars + more.
And then the juggling balls started rolling….
Given Charlie’s fascination with Platypus, it was only befitting to include it in this party decor. (Some would say he is actually a Master Crafter…). So, my friend Kristin and I crafted like crazy both the night before and morning of the party….Nothing like Platypus People waiting until the last minute to decorate….And while no small undertaking, the DIY was easy to do. That’s the beauty of making stuff with Platypus tape – it’s quick party chic! And integrates with all sorts of entertaining + decorating motifs. High and low.
Without futher adieu, here are a few pics from Trapeze Arts in Oakland of Charlie climbing gigantic heights in order to fly….
Now let’s get this party started, shall we?
SET THE STAGE: PATIO TABLESCAPE
Totally sets the mood! And the kids loved having individual snacks
How To:
- Box of super cute “Ticket” invitation by Bella Ink from at Paper Source. Even has glitter! White prop box also from Paper Source (had there been time, would have covered it with Platypus) + yellow “star” punched lantern from Ikea. The lime acrylic tray is from Pottery Barn. They no longer sell it, but West Elm does.
- Retro peanut bags from Sweet Shop Lulu. I’m a nostalgic kinda girl so I love mixing past + present within decor. Somehow it just works. Digging these.
- Watering can glass vase spray painted in Krylon’s Short Cuts hobby/craft paint in Red Pepper. Use multi-colored plastic Pinwheels for a whimsical take on a flower arrangement. All from JoAnn. (Blue dotted bowl was part of a nesting set from Target, years ago.)
- Popcorn cones made out of Platypus Designer Duct Tape in Sour Apple Linen. The sun shone through the cones and created a circus-esque striped pattern – how fun is that?!! Acrylic cone holder from Sweet Shop Lulu. Other cute cones ideas: ice cream, nuts, candies or fresh fruit. Totally worth the $45 investment.
- Green dotted bowl full of clementines. Happy polka dotted tray from Ikea with grapes and carrots placed in charming little yellow dotted candy cups from Sweet Shop Lulu.
- Hand painted herb pot by Charlie made when he was 4. Sniff-sniff. Our babies grow up so quickly….
Tips:
- Easily make popcorn cones by cutting approx. 6.5 inch square template out of parchment paper; repeat “x” times depending on the number of cones you need; cover one side of each square with tape pattern of choice; fold into triangle to create the cone shape; seal edge with narrow strip of tape.
- Buy bulk bags of popcorn + peanuts in shell at Costco. We bought enough to feed a whole family of elephants!
- If you make cones to hold ice cream, scoop scoops onto a cookie sheet + freeze them. They won’t melt as quickly during serving. How super is it that so many of Rob’s patterns mix + match for these cool treats: Picnic Gingham, Platy Orange Linen, Pool Chevron, Pink Polka Dot, Purple Polka Dot, Summer Grass. The matte finish on his designs looks so much more sophisticated as compared to the other shiny tapes on the market. They suit parties of all kinds, for “kids” of all ages.
PULL OUT ALL STOPS: KITCHEN TABLETOP
This scene is just awesome, I think. Some fun Platypus ideas here.
GRRRRRR-eat!
How To:
- Jumbo animals parade down the center. Find at Amazon from Learning Resources (and now they march across Charlie’s playroom bookshelves).
- Red dotted fabric from JoAnn turns into festive tablecloth hacked using a mere pair of scissors.
- Small plastic milk bottles from Sweet Shop Lulu gussied up with fun character labels. The kiddos giggled. (We also put them on beer bottles so the grown ups could enjoy too!)
- Darling retro paper stripey straws in circus hues from Sweet Shop Lulu.
- Rectangular red plates from Sweet Shop Lulu sit atop placemats made with Denim and Real Leopard Platypus Designer Duct Tapes.
- And…seriously, how cute is the yellow striped paper napkin folded like a clown bow tie?! Held together with Denim napkin ring. Awesome.
Tips:
- For the placemats, use posterboard and cover with tape of choice to make a piece “fabric.” Then, add a contrasting border in your desired width + fold for clean edge. Our placemats were on the petite side to fit a smaller table. Buy plates first.
- For the napkin ring, you just need to fold a small piece of duct tape in half. Then seal with a tiny piece of tape. Slip around the pre-folded accordion pleated paper napkin. Easy peasy!
HEY, WHY NOT BEAUTIFY A BAR TRAY?
Serving drinks was never more fun!
How To:
- Assorted long balloons from Diddams are tied into bundles + added to plexi wine glasses from Pottery Barn. (Similar ones here.) So easy! Thanks to Brit Morin over at Brit.co for this stylish touch to stemware. Tutorial here. Total cleverness. I could see decking out in college colors (like Carolina Blue + white) for sports-minded parties/tailgates as well as all holiday themes.
- Red dotted napkins from Sweet Shop Lulu. Tray from Pottery Barn (again, try West Elm). And look at that itty bitty rhinosceros atop the napkin stack…such a cute on-theme surprise touch, I think.
- Glossy black elephant candleholders bought on sale at Target for $15 each with block candles from Ikea (elephants are totally lucky, by the way). Buy online here.
- Another hacked tablecloth. This one was made out of bicycle + unicycle screen printed jute from JoAnn, cut into 3 sections + layered on top of each other. I was so excited to stumble upon this fabric. One of my favorite ideas + I plan to throw lots of dinner parties with it!
- Red + white striped cupcake collars from Oriental Trading and Star cupcake toppers from Sweet Shop Lulu (these would be super cute made out of Platypus…) on a multi-polka dotted cake platter from Anthropologie, bought a few years back.
- Ruffled yellow stackable cake platters + candy dish called “Flirt” from Potluck Pottery. Note the M&M’s color palette is very circus-friendly.
- Homemade chocolate chip cookies on tidbit plates from CB2.
- Ikea “star” punched lanterns + candy dishes too.
- 7 colorful Birthday balloons from Diddams party store, a regional chain here in the Bay Area.
FINAL TOUCH: TREAT BAGS
And finally, the treat bags. The real reason that every kid wants to attend a birthday party….
How To:
- Adorable bags from Party City filled with circus-themed miscellanea from there and Oriental Trading. Two of my favorite inclusions were animal shaped crayons + plush animal bookmarks.
- Handmade gift tags out of Sour Apple Linen Platypus Designer Duct Tape hung with matching ribbon from JoAnn.
Tips:
- Purchase a craft hang tag from Paper Source as template. Cover piece of card stock with tape. Then cut out tags + add hole punch.
- Then add personalized sticker. I find all my rubber stamps such as this one, ink pads, embossing powder, embossing tool and circle labels at Paper Source. Possibilities are endless + this gift tag idea can be applied for any holiday or occasion.
Well, that’s it folks. Hope you enjoyed the show. See you next year!
Because we’ll be here.
Laughing, crafting + celebrating.
Lissa
BRIGHTEN UP: Spring is here! Let’s make some vases.
Spring is in the air here in North Carolina! The flowers are starting to bloom and people are shedding their jackets, donning yard clothes, beautifying their lawns and homes. It feels electric! Or maybe that’s just the bees buzzing.
You may have noticed the Designer Duct Tape® covered vases on our home page scrolling by from time to time.
We made those vases for our trade show booth, and we get so many compliments about them that we decided to do a post about it. It’s a fun and simple project.
For this project we wanted to do something fun and happy that felt bright and fresh for Spring. It could be used as a shelf (of course) or even a centerpiece. The vases are great outdoors too and could be used for picnics or parties.
For this project we covered a 24″ hidden bracket shelf from Lowe’s with our Summer Grass Designer Duct Tape. IKEA shelving is also great for this. Try to choose shelving with squared or simply angled edges so the tape is easy to put down.
Next we purchased 2″ plumbing pipe at Lowes (about $3 gets you a two foot length that we cut into these three sections) and 3 pipe caps.
In this photo you can see the full length 2′ pipe and one of the 3 pipes we cut down to size with a saw.
Next, we used a cap that can be found on the same aisle in plumbing supplies. If you glue this cap on with pipe glue, the vase will be waterproof!
Then you simply cover the top and sides with duct tape and trim. We used our Purple Polka and Pink Polka, but you can use any of them. Voila! Inexpensive durable vase!
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BUZZ: HGTV Magazine + NBC Today Show
We’re thrilled to have been featured in the January/February 2013 HGTV Magazine! Please go pick one up and see some great home decor ideas and uplifts using Platypus Designer Duct Tape.
Also, you can see a segment that we were prominently featured in on NBC’s The Today Show! We couldn’t be happier to start the new year off like this. Natalie Morales certainly has good taste and looks very stylish sporting a Blue Paisley Designer Duct Tape cast!
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Music Mondays: Getting Happy with GROUPLOVE
Today the weather here in North Carolina is changing from a gorgeous unseasonably warm weekend into a gray, chilly, damp week. It’s not motivational Monday weather. I walked into my office this morning (which is in the middle of a renovation) and stuff was piled and discarded everywhere. No flat service was visible. My coffee alone wasn’t going to do it, so I cranked up Grouplove on my computer and immediately my whole mood changed–I was knocking stuff out on the left and kicking it on the right. So in the spirit of what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, I decided to take a break and share one of my new favorite bands with you.
Grouplove formed in 2009, and released their debut album, Never Trust A Happy Song, in September 2011. They’re a relatively new band that has already had a number one song on the indy charts. They’ve had fantastic support from their label (Atlantic/Canvasback) and also have been featured in an iPod commercial which I’m sure didn’t suck for publicity. The drummer’s dad was a guitarist for Yes (another awesome band from the 70′s).
Inhabiting a happy place between the Pixies and Arcade Fire they are a hook-heavy, high-talent band that really sounds like they’re playing for the sheer joy of it. In fact, it’s that overwhelming sense of elation I get listening to them that keeps me coming back for more of the same thing over and over again. I can’t wait for their follow up album.
If you listen on Spotify, they also recorded a few of their songs for a live Spotify Session that’s here.
Never Trust A Happy Song is a great album to exercise/run too also which I’ve done a few times (with the exception of Slow, which is a bit slow for me. Ha.)
Go get your happy on!
Rob J.
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Spruce up the holidays!
Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone!
For our final post before Christmas we thought we’d share a few of the ways we’re using Designer Duct Tape to liven up our homes this year. We used our Picnic Gingham duct tape to cover this box, creating a gift box that can be used again year after year by each recipient. It fits well with our ideology of upcycling and upleveling. The box itself becomes a gift! The seamless nature of Platypus Designer Duct Tape really makes this project work.
Another way to uplevel a gift is to use standard paper tags (such as these from Paper Source) covered in our tape. Here we used a paper tag with our Candy Cane Designer Duct Tape then used pinking shears to create a zig-zag edge which made it more lively and fun.
We also used the Candy Cane tape to cover our chandelier posts. These are removable sleeves and can be taken off easily.
Lastly, we used our Picnic Gingham to create these very cute flags on our Gingerbread Castle.
We hope these simple crafts help you to find uses for Designer Duct Tape in your own home. Merry Christmas to you all! Ho Ho Ho!
read more →QUICKFIX: Upcycled Holiday Waste Basket
Today we have a quick and easy project that saved us from throwing away a scraped up ugly old waste basket. We covered it in our Picnic Gingham and for the sake of the season, added a little Christmas tree flare using our Summer Grass and Leather Designer Duct Tapes. The tree can be easily removed after the holidays. In fact, this could be a very cute basket for holding kindling or logs near the fireplace on Christmas!
HOLY BAT-O-RANG: Meet Charlie, Super-crafter.
It is my pleasure to introduce you to Charlie, one of our biggest fans. He is an incredibly creative boy, with a penchant for designing super-duper stuff.
We encourage each of you to submit your own projects showcasing Designer Duct Tape. Who knows, you just might attain super-hero status yourself. Send us your ideas to funstuff@designerducttape.com.
Hold on a second, I’m sitting on my cape and it’s making it tough to type….
How To Make a Bat-O-Rang out of Designe Duct Tape
read more →HOLIDAY HAPPINESS: Gingertape Houses
I’ve been looking forward to sharing this project as it is another brainchild of Platypus Person Louise Jordan, aka my mom. As I’ve mentioned before, she’s an amazing crafter and a very good designer in her own right. As the holidays approached we discussed what we could do with tape that would be both fun, not too difficult, and cute. We’d both been to Michael’s recently and seen a variety of papier-mâché boxes and a little house that were all begging for a Designer Duct Tape upfit. Louise/mom had the idea of using the houses as gingerbread houses. She also noted that the roofs came off which made them contenders for teacher’s gifts. Sounded like a perfect plan!
The houses were fairly easy to do, but the dormers required a bit of finagling to get right. These gingertape houses are yet another example of a project where our stylish, seamless designs look tasteful and appropriate.
To make it even easier for you (if you decide to accept this mission), we’ve included the exact dimensions for those pieces here as a Platypus Gingertape House Template.
How stinking cute are they?! Nice work (again) mom! These are the same houses that were featured on Pizzazzerie.com yesterday. For the next few days, you can still enter a contest there to win 8 free rolls of Platypus! Thanks to Courtney + Pizzazzerie! It’s a wonderful site and you should check it out if you’re not familiar with it.
Happy holidays to you all!
Rob
PS…Mad props to my mom for thinking of using a mirror as a frozen lake! Now all we need is a little ice skater. Anyone?
