Duck Tape® Light Up BowTie and Suspenders

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Duck Brand® for IZEA Worldwide. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you are anything like us, you have probably been invited to your fair share of Ugly Christmas Sweater parties this holiday season – we have one just about every weekend in December. Which is a lot of fun…but I don’t want to wear the same sweater to every party! That’s when the creative side of me gets to come out and play.

Enter Duck® brand duct tape…

Duck Tape® is a staple in our house. We use it year round for all sorts of things. You know the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding where the father thinks a cleaning agent cures every illness? That is kind of the way my family is with Duck Tape®. I always have at least 7 rolls on hand in a variety of colors or patterns. The kids grab it for every fix it need (because clearly tape fixes everything in a kid’s mind – ha!). I use it all of the time for God knows what. Even the neighbors will come over to borrow Duck Tape® when needed. There is nothing quite like it’s quality on the market – and all of the pretty colors! How can I resist? It serves so many purposes for this crafty gal and I guess as I write this post I am starting to realize that maybe I have a problem…lol, but admitting it is the first step and I think its a good problem to have.

When it comes to Christmas, I am the first to stock up on red, white & green Duck Tape® specifically. I use it everywhere in my decorating! Form helping me hide wires, to compressing extension cords, to keeping ribbon in place on pillars outside…even to that silly elf. A week ago my husband and I had just finished decorating our house for Christmas when he turned to me and said, “Am I getting a new Ugly Christmas Sweater, or wearing the same ones from last year?”. I may or may not have still had the Duck Tape® in my hand when the lightbulb went off. Ding ding ding! I could use Duck Tape® to help us with our Christmas party flair.

Duck Tape® Light Up BowTie and Suspenders

An alternative to the Ugly Christmas Sweater

How to make Duck Tape® Suspenders

MATERIALS NEEDED:

7″ of 1″ wide elastic
(3) 1″ Suspender clips
(2) 1″ Suspender Ratchet Adjusters
(2) small circles of fake leather or heavy duty fabric
Duck Tape®
Scissors

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut (2) strips of 40″ long Duck Tape® and place them on a surface that they can be peeled back up from, like the floor or wall. If desired, decorate with strips of alternative colored Duck Tape®.
Once finished decorating, peel the Duck Tape® off the floor and place face down.
Carefully fold the Duck Tape® in half, matching one long side up with the other. Smooth out the Duck Tape® as you fold, working out any wrinkles or air bubbles you may get the best you can.
Cut off any excess Duck Tape® from the outside edge. You should now have two nice long 40″ strips of Duck Tape® with no sticky sides showing.
Slip the smooth side of the suspender ratchet adjusters over one side of the Duck Tape®, leaving a 10″ tail of Duck Tape®.
Slip the suspender clip on the 10″ tail, making sure the right side of the suspender clip is facing the same direction as the right side of the suspender ratchet adjuster.
Bring the 10″ tail up and through the top of the opposite side of the suspender ratchet adjuster, creating a loop with the tail. Push about 1″ of the suspender through the ratchet adjuster’s back side, and fold in place. Use Duck Tape® to secure.
Repeat for other suspender.
Slip the last suspender clip on the bottom of the 7″ elastic strip, folding the elastic up 1″. Pin elastic in place and sew. (If you cannot sew, a small safety pin will work for one night of fun, but is obviously not the best choice for longevity.)
Place the elastic and the 2 suspenders on top of (1) leather circle. Make sure they are all facing the same direction, right side up, with the unfinished edges all meeting in the middle. Use a small piece of Duck Tape® to secure together in the middle.
Place alternate piece of leather on top, sandwiching the unfinished ends together in the middle. Sew around the edges of the leather to secure. (If you cannot sew, you may use fabric glue for this step, but it is not recommended as the elastic might pull out with heavy use.)

And you are finished!

*Creative idea: Wrap a battery operated string of lights around the suspenders for extra holiday cheer!

How to make Duck Tape® Light Up BowTie

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Duck Tape® in your favorite colors!
Battery operated string of lights
Scissors

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut (2) 16″ strips of Duck Tape®. Overlap one strip 1/8″ over the other and place them on a surface that they can be peeled back up from, like the floor or wall. If desired, decorate with strips of alternative colored Duck Tape®.
Once finished decorating, peel the Duck Tape® off the floor and place face down. Cut (2) more strips of 16″ Duck Tape® and cover the sticky back with them.
Cut around the edges to make a nice, clean rectangle of Duck Tape® ‘fabric’.
Tape a string of battery operated lights to the wrong side of your Duck Tape® rectangle, making sure the bulbs are on the outer edges. Leave the excess string that connects to the battery pack hanging loose.
Bring the outer edges of the Duck Tape® together, so that the decorated side is on the outside. Use a piece of tape to secure in place by overlapping the edges 1/2″ and securing.
With the overlapped edge in the middle, pinch middle in place with your fingers, and use a piece of Duck Tape® to wrap around and secure. (You may want to create a nice folded pleat in the middle when pinching.)
Cut a 20″ piece of Duck Tape® and fold in half lengthwise, matching up the long outer edge. Smooth our any wrinkles or air bubbles while folding. Trim outer edge to ensure no sticky edges. This will be your neckband.
Using a piece of Duck Tape®, tape the center of your neckband to the back of your bowtie.
Slip the battery pack inside the middle of one side of your bow, and tuck cord in as necessary. You can secure around the back of your neck with Duck Tape®, or sew on a piece of velcro if desired to the back edges of your neckband.

And you are done!

*Creative idea: Make a Duck Tape® light up bowtie using their gold and silver glitter tape collection for New Years Eve!