The Essential Duck Tape® Gift Book Tutorial

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

Duck Tape® comp books are a great first project for Duck Tape® crafts, but this one, with it's multiple bookmarks and wonderful Christmas look also serves a purpose. You can keep track of the sizes, color preferences, character preferences and all those other things that make gift shopping so much easier. They take about an hour to make start to finish.

If you're like me, with teenagers who seem to have all sorts of interests that are hard to track, having a list handy makes it a lot easier.

You can also use this technique with other Duck Tape® tapes for other things! I recommend the Retro Owls tape when it comes out. Because really? Winning Duck® Brand's MyDesign contest is STILL just that exciting to me. Become a fan on the Duck Tape® Facebook page (I am!) to find out about all the exciting tapes, projects and contests. If you scroll down a bit on the Facebook page you'll see my Retro Owls! 

So, what do you need for your own DuckTape® notebook? 

Duck Tape®! Check out all those great Christmas colors and prints. The silver and gold didn't photograph well, but they are a true metallic silver and gold.

You will also need: A comp book, sticky backed hook and loop squares, ribbon, non-stick scissors. The Duck Tape® and comp book are necessary, the rest is optional. The hook and loop squares are used for the tab that holds it closed, the ribbons are used for bookmarks. You will need some sort of scissors. I really recommend non-stick Teflon coated or titanium scissors for serious Duck Tape® crafting. They make life a lot easier, but if you don't mind cleaning every so often, standard scissors will work. Another quick tip: If you have long hair, tie it up so it doesn't get into your work.

Start by making a sheet to use as an inside pocket if you want one. Sheets are easy. On a non-stick surface (I use old hotel room service trays) put a piece of tape sticky side up, lay another piece sticky side down offset from the bottom piece so there is a sticky overlap. Turn over, repeat.

Fold the bottom overlap edge over to seal the bottom, and when the pocket is as deep as you want, make the last piece a decorative piece of tape, and fold the overlap over to seal the top edge. It's okay if the pieces aren't perfectly the same size and the side edges are messy. Those will be trimmed off. (I didn't get a picture at this point, but used the polka dot tape as the top trim)

Now to start the notebook. like base coating, if you're using tape that has a light background, you'll want to put down a base of white Duck Tape®. My choices for the decorative tape were the adorable reindeer and the polka dots. Two strips of white base tape, then 3 little sections of the decorative tapes. 

Then start taping the rest of the cover. I started with the vertical framing using green tape. The tape is wrapped around to the inside cover.

When it's time to do the horizontal tape, it's also time for the ribbons. Hold the ribbon to the spine of the notebook, and then wrap it to the inside, figuring out about how long you want it to hang out of the bottom. Cut the ribbon pieces you'll need. I used 5 ribbons. Hold the ribbon in place on the spine, and tape over it.

Give the ribbons a light tug. Mine were securely anchored, but if they aren't, just split another small piece of tape in half lengthwise, and tape over the ribbons again. 

Finish taping the outside except the spine. The inside isn't very pretty at this point.

To fix that, you'll be cutting pieces of tape just a bit shorter then the inside of the notebook and start from the edges, taping towards the middle. You'll also add the in the pocket if you made one at this point.

The tab is an easy piece. It's like making the pocket above, except it's one tape width wide with the other side in the border color, then cut another small piece to go over the end after you trim the ends evenly. Make the tab about 4 inches long.

Remove a square of the loop side of the hook and loop squares from the backing and stick it to the back side of the tab. Then remove a square of the hook side, and carefully, without touching the sticky part too much, stick it sticky side up to the other square.

Now you'll put the hook and loop and Duck Tape® tab on the front of the notebook, placed about in the center on the open edge of the notebook, rub firmly to bond the hook and loop tape into place, and wrap the rest of the tab to the back of the notebook. Use more tape to tape that in place on the back.

If you used ribbons that matched like I did, you can add Duck Tape® tabs to the ribbons to help keep it straight which ribbon is which. 

You can use the decorative tapes in so many ways. My daughter wants to use the peppermint stripe on an empty Quik container to make herself a Christmas purse, you can also use it on gift tags, or even in place of gift tags. When I wrap presents, I don't use tags except for "from" labels for family. I use different colors of paper instead. Duck Tape® could be used the same way. Pick different tapes for different people and don't tell anyone which tape is theirs until Christmas morning!