Easy Duct Tape Roses

Hello lovely little Otherbeasts! I wanted to share with you one of my favorite crafts:
Duct Tape Roses!

Approximate make time: 10 minutes per rose.
(It took me longer to write this blog than to make one rose.)

What you'll need:
- Scissors (Safety for Kids)
- Straws
- Green Duct Tape
- Duct Tape (Any Color)

To Begin:
Take out a straw and lay it on a flat working surface. Either measure with a ruler or eyeball the length of the straw and cut off a piece of green duct tape slightly longer than the straw. 

Turn the duct tape sticky side up and place straw on edge of duct tape lengthwise.

Start rolling the straw, pressing against the tape, until the straw is wrapped in the duct tape. You'll wind up with a green "stem." Set the stem aside, we'll come back to that shortly.

Now choose any color of tape you prefer for your flowers; it could be pink, yellow, purple, blue, tye-dyed, camo, or anything your heart desires. I will be using yellow duct tape for this blog. Tear or cut off sections approximately 2" to 2.5" long. 

Depending on how many petals you would like on your roses you can choose any number of strips; I usually use a minimum of 12 individual 2" strips. You can use more if you like.

Start by turning your petal duct tape tape side up and folding one corner into the center like so:

Follow up with folding the opposite corner in as well, forming a triangle with a strip of sticky side exposed. It won't matter if they're perfectly even and lined up, but if you're a perfectionist like me, it can't hurt. Just try to get them as close as possible.

Continue to do this for the next 11 petals and you'll wind up with 12 petals total.

Next take each petal and round out the triangles by scalloping the edges with scissors. If you want a flashier, more fierce looking flower then leave the petals uncut.

Now take your first petal and begin rolling it onto one of the ends of the stem. I always roll my first petal at an angle in order to cover up the tip of the straw.

Next take each petal and place it on top of the first, making sure to put in little creases and darts where the sticky strip is in order to create waves in the petals.

Don't worry about the bottom of the petals where they meet the straw just yet, we'll fix that once the bloom is formed.

Tray alternating starting points for the petals so they lay in an overlapping pattern. Continue for all petals and you'll start seeing this:

Continue for all the petals until you are satisfied with how your flower looks.

If you want more petals, then add more! I used 14 for this rose and for symmetry.

Next take your green duct tape and cut a strip approximately 2" long. Cut little triangles out of one side to make rosehips.

Take this piece and wrap it around the bottom of the bloom halfway between the petals and the straw.

Continue to wrap around until completing a circle, it's okay if two strips are necessary.

If you would like to add leaves to your stem then just repeat the petal process with the green duct tape, but varying the shape you cut out to resemble that of a leaf.

Now attach to stem about 3/4 to 1/2 down the length of the stem.

You can use as many as you like.

Viola and congratulations! You've just made your first duct tape rose!

Make as many as you want, heck make a dozen and stick 'em in a vase: Perma-Flowers!

Try making them your own and experimenting with the shape of the petals to yield a daisy or anything you like!

Maybe use regular grey duct tape and make "metal" roses!

You are only limited by your imagination.

Super cheap, super simple, and super fun! Great craft idea for kiddos or for the creative genius in all of us. Guys: Give your girl flowers that will never die!
Have fun my lovely Otherbeasts!


Until Next Time,
<3 Shade