To create decorative tape, the material is selected depending on what the multi-colored tape will be used for. This can be: lace or lace fabric, colored cardboard (thin sheet), strips of fabric, sheets of a bright glossy magazine, wrapping, corrugated paper, printouts, etc.

The following points are taken into account:

If lace is used, it is better immediately to be the same width as the duct tape.
It is better to take cotton fabric, it is less tousled on the sides.
All fabric materials are well smoothed, paper materials should not have wrinkles.
It is desirable to print the drawing on a laser printer, it fixes the paint better on office paper.
If foil is used, then non-food, it is very thin.

There are several alternatives to making colored tape:

Using water. You will need: colored glossy sheets, ordinary scotch tape (OS), warm water. Preparation: stick the transparent material on the sheets, cut the strips along the contour, put them in warm water for an hour, separate the paper layer, leave the strips to dry, the decorative strip is ready.

To prevent air from forming between the strip of paper and the adhesive base, leveling is carried out with a plastic card, a ruler.

Without the use of water. You will need: a colored base, you can buy stickers, OS, scissors. Preparation: the paper strip should be narrower than the width of the OS, it is glued in the middle and smoothed. This creates a beautiful decorative tape.
With double-sided adhesive strip. You will need: double-sided tape (DS), any base (tape, corrugated paper, newspaper, packing tape, etc.), scissors. Preparation: DS is glued to the prepared cut-out base, the excess is cut off.

If you have to cut off the DS, and not the base, then it is recommended to lubricate the scissors with cream. Then the adhesive base of the tape will not stick to the scissors.

Making scotch tape for scrapbooking

Decorative stripes are great helpers in the design of scrapbooking. But to create a beautiful cover, you need not only colored stripes, but also sticky shapes.

So, making jewelry for scrapbooking in the shape of a heart. To make it you will need:

Wide OS and DS (maximum width).
Narrow colored ribbons or paper stripes.
Scissors.

Manufacturing process:

A square is cut from a wide regular glue strip.
Strips of paper or tape are glued diagonally starting from the top corner. Each strip is smoothed as much as possible.
After filling the entire square, a heart-shaped shape is cut out.
From the side of the paper base, the DS is glued and the excess is cut off.
The figure for decorating scrapbooking is ready.

Foamed DS is used to add volume to the figure.

In this way, various figurines are made. Sticky letters and words also look beautiful.

Ideas for using decorative tape

Scotch tape is used not only for creativity or scrapbooking decoration. Colored scotch tape is also widely used for decoration.

Interesting ideas for using colored duct tape:

Decorated pencils and pens will delight your little one.
Various stationery (hole punch, ruler, pointer, pencil case, etc.) will take on a bright, pleasant look.
Workplace decoration: table lamp, monitor, keyboard, computer mouse, mouse pad, speakers.
An old discreet phone will become bright, reincarnated.
Child's work desk. Multi-colored self-adhesive figures, letters, stripes will add interest to your place.
If stains appear on the wallpaper, and the repairs are not carried out yet, then the DS will help out in this situation. Guests will love this idea.
Doorways are outdated or tired of the same type, a bright decorative decoration will come to the rescue.
Stripes of plastic blinds decorated with decorative tape will look more impressive.
Old cabinets, shelves, drawers will also be transformed.
Creation of a waiting calendar. This type of calendar develops the child's interest in the upcoming event. Each pocket has its own shade, thus it looks impressive.
The flower pots will brighten and brighten the room.
Create beautiful photo frames.
Any bottle of cosmetics, replaceable unit, soap dispenser, decorated with a ribbon will add comfort to the bathroom.
Decoration of packing boxes, envelopes, postcards.
Separation of pages of a notebook, notebook, diary, magazine.
Creation of coasters for a cup, plate.
Disposable tableware is often taken for a picnic. If you decorate it brightly in advance, it will add surprise and pleasant moments to the company.

There are a lot of examples for the use of such material, and each contains individuality and beauty.

What is needed to make decorative tape

The following materials will be required:

glossy magazines;
regular tape (choose the width depending on what size you want to get the decorative tape);
warm water;
plastic card or regular ruler.

How to easily make decorative tape yourself

When everything you need is ready, you can start the creative process.

Cut strips out of a glossy magazine to match the width of the tape. The paper base can be made a little wider, as it can be trimmed later.
Attach all of the cut paper strips to the duct tape. Trim the edges by trimming off any excess around the edges.
To avoid any bumps, iron the adhesive tape with a card or ruler, expelling the trapped air. Remember how in childhood you smoothed the foil from a chocolate bar with a fingernail. The principle of operation is the same.
Next, dip the strip in warm water and leave for about an hour. The water should not be hot.
When paper rolls appear on the tape, you can pull the craft out of the water. Peel off the paper layer. You can use a sponge or do it by hand.
Stick the tape to any clean surface where it can be easily removed.
Leave to dry.

Here's how to make decorative tape quickly and easily. This method is suitable for older children, as it requires patience and accuracy.

How to make scotch tape at home without using water

But there is an easier way to make decorative tape. Water was needed last time, and the technology was more professional than amateur. This time, you only need colored clippings or purchased stickers, as well as wide transparent duct tape and scissors.

So, instructions on how to make decorative tape without water:

Take a colored clipping: it should be narrower than the width of the transparent base.
Stick it on the tape, with the colored side facing the adhesive backing.
Iron it well so that there are no bumps.
Cut off the clear tape.
Thus, we got a colored sticker, framed with transparent tape.

Even small children, using this method, will learn how to make decorative tape on their own and decorate a notebook, personal diary or something else. In children's art, such a beautiful adhesive element is simply necessary.

What is double-sided tape, how is it made?

Double-sided tape is a universal fastening material. Unlike ordinary adhesive tape, such a product has both sides working, which significantly expands the scope of its use in everyday life. This tape is used for minor repairs. With its help, decorative elements (paintings, mirrors, applications) are attached to walls, furniture and other surfaces. Also, duct tape is often used in scrapbooking and other types of handicrafts, etc.

How and from what is the adhesive tape made so that it performs the fastening functions assigned to it? There are 2 types of ready-made double-sided adhesive tape: baseless and backed. In the first case, the glue strip is closed on both sides with wax paper. In the second, an adhesive layer is applied to a base made of fabric, paper or polyethylene foam. Obviously, making such an adhesive tape yourself is not at all difficult, there would be suitable blanks at hand.

How to make double-sided tape from ordinary one with your own hands?

To make double-sided adhesive tape on your own, you just need to find ordinary scotch tape at home and follow the instructions step by step. To make homemade double-sided tape you will need:

Prepare the necessary materials and tools in advance (wider adhesive tape and sharp office scissors), as well as a place to work. The selected table should be large enough, and most importantly, perfectly flat, clean and dry.
Cut a strip of tape to the desired length. Glue it to the edge of the work surface with an overlap of 1 cm.
Glue the free hanging edge of the tape to the one fixed on the table so that a twist is formed.

The result is a piece of scotch tape 2 times narrower than the original one, but sticky on both sides (which is what was required). However, is the resulting fastener as good as its industrial counterpart? What happens if both tapes are used under equal conditions (on the same surfaces, without primers, etc.)?

Pros and cons of homemade double-sided tape

If you compare homemade tape with the one that you can buy at a stationery or hardware store, it turns out that each of them has its own merits.

When talking about the pros of homemade duct tape, there are:

Cheapness. Good double-sided tape is quite expensive. Comparable in price with an ordinary stationery, it usually does not work well without primers, which have to be purchased, which is by no means economical.
Availability. Double-sided tape is not the most popular product, so it may not be available in small stationery or hardware stores. At the same time, ordinary adhesive tape can be found in any supermarket or stall with printed products at a bus stop.
The ability to set the width of the fastener at the manufacturing stage. When using ready-made double-sided tape for small decor, you often have to carefully cut the tape to the shape of the part, at the risk of ruining it. There is no such problem with homemade fasteners. You can initially make the tape as narrow as required.

It is impossible not to talk about the shortcomings of homemade fastening material. So, among the disadvantages of self-made adhesive tape are the following:

Low load-bearing capacity. Ordinary scotch tape (both clerical and construction tape) is not designed to hold heavy objects. It is not surprising that the double-sided tape made from it is not suitable for fastening massive things. In rare cases, the use of high-quality expensive primers helps to correct the situation, but often they also turn out to be ineffective.
Accuracy requirements. Self-made tape is not the most technologically difficult process, but it also requires sleight of hand from the performer. Approaching this matter anyhow, you can get only a mountain of irrevocably damaged material, and not a universal fastening tool.
Inconvenience in use and impossibility of storage. Ready-made scotch tape is sold in rolls. Thanks to this, the fasteners are convenient to use, you just need to unwind and cut off the required amount of tape, and remove the excess. Homemade tape cannot be stocked. Trying to roll such fasteners into a roll for ease of use and storage, you can only spoil it, making it unusable for further use.
Lack of additional features. Unlike industrial adhesive tape, which is moisture resistant, immune to temperature extremes and useful insulating properties, the homemade product serves only as a fastener.

What is better – purchased or self-made material? In the vast majority of cases, a clear advantage remains with an industrial product, but when it is impossible to purchase a finished tape for some reason, a homemade one will serve as a completely worthy replacement for it.

Making decorative tape with water

The easiest way to make decorative tape at home is with water. The following materials are required for manufacturing:

one-sided tape;
glossy magazines or glossy paper;
plastic ruler;
container with warm water.

Manufacturing steps:

Strips of the required width are cut from the magazine or glossy sheets. The strips can be made slightly wider than the tape, and the protruding edges can be trimmed.
Paper strips are glued to the adhesive tape. The excess needs to be cut off.
When sticking the paper, bubbles may form on the surface – air has got between the sticky side and the paper. You can remove them by ironing the strip with a plastic ruler or your fingernail if the tape is narrow.
Colored stripes are dipped into a container with warm water and left for an hour. The water should not be hot.
After the rolls of paper have formed on the surface, they take it out. The paper layer is peeled off manually or with a sponge.
Once dry, the tape is ready to use.

Dry Patterned Scotch Tape

The second method of making decorative tape at home does not require the use of water. To obtain a pattern, you can use not only paper, but also fabric, lace.

Manufacturing steps:

A colored cut is made of paper or fabric. It can be rectangular or curly. The main requirement is that the width of the strip should be less than the width of the adhesive tape.
The patterned decoration is glued with the colored side to the sticky part. Rub it with a ruler or other hard object to get rid of air bubbles. To make the fabric material look neat, it is ironed in advance with an iron.
Cut off the transparent tape so that there is no closed sticky material around the edges. The result is an adhesive colored sticker that can be easily glued to a photo frame, to a notebook or to a craft using the scrapbooking technique.
The dry method of making a patterned strip is much easier than using water. Children are happy to make decorations for their crafts and personal diaries and notebooks themselves, they need adult guidance only at first.

Double-sided adhesive tape for decoration

Another extremely simple method of making an adhesive decorative strip involves the use of double-sided tape. Almost any material is suitable as a pattern base: colored paper (glossy, matte or velvety), wrapping or wrapping paper, foil, lace, fabric, corrugated paper.

On one sticky side, a paper or fabric base is glued with a pattern up. The other sticky side remains intact until the tape needs to be glued in place. Before use, the protective layer is removed and the image is glued to the upper side. You can see how products with an adhesive strip look in the photo below.

Materials for work

To make decorative tape with your own hands, you need a simple set of tools: double-sided adhesive tape of the desired width and scissors.

The following can be used as a decorative layer:

lace of small width (better synthetic);
printout on ordinary office paper;
sheets of colored thin cardboard;
wrapping paper;
long strips of fabric (it is better to take cotton with a polka dot pattern, a cage or a strip, such material will bloom less along the edge and will not spoil the look of the finished adhesive tape);
napkin with a pattern (decoupage or ordinary);
foil for creativity (food is not suitable, since it is too thin and non-plastic).

How to make decorative tape?

The work process consists of five steps, which must be repeated for each desired decorative layer:

Prepare the material for the decorative layer. The fabric and lace need to be ironed. If there are wrinkles on the wrapping paper, it is best to iron them as well. Separate the two lower layers from the napkin, leaving only the one on which the drawing is applied.
Unwind the required amount of tape.
Apply decorative material to the adhesive side and smooth it gently.
Cut to the desired length.
Repeat the steps as many times as necessary.

When making decorative tape from foil and wrapping paper, it is better to apply the adhesive side of the tape to the material itself, and not vice versa. This will help prevent wrinkles and air bubbles.

It is better to make prints for decorative tape on a laser printer. Such patterns will be more resistant and will not spread if water gets on the tape. To give this tape endurance, you can cover the decorative layer with a finishing glue. It is also advisable to do with a napkin and thin cardboard tape.

The special finishing glue is replaced with ordinary transparent office tape, which is glued over the decorative tape.

Second manufacturing method

There is another way to make decorative tape. To create a more artistic and beautiful duct tape, you will need:

white napkin;
stamps for creativity with small patterns;
holder for stamps (if necessary);
stamp pad of any color (preferably archived quality);
sponge or very soft brush;
pencil glue;
adhesive double-sided tape;
decoupage or any finishing glue (optional).

On a napkin, you need to stamp the drawing with an ink pad and let it dry. Separate the lower layers from the napkin before use. Glue the patterned layer to the desired surface using pencil glue. For greater durability, the drawing can be covered with a layer of finishing glue.

As in the first method, you can glue the top layer of a napkin with a pattern to double-sided tape and cover it with decoupage glue for strength.

How and where to store homemade scotch tape?

Now that you know how to make decorative tape, it is important to know how to store it properly. The main task is to keep the adhesive tape sticky, so you should protect it from direct sunlight. In addition to bright light, scotch tape is afraid of heat from the battery and other heating devices. With prolonged exposure to temperature, it can simply “melt”.

It is more correct to store the finished adhesive tape in a folder file or by twisting it into a roll and securing the tip with a paper clip. Then it should be put into the closet. It can also be stored in a dedicated duct tape dispenser available from office supply stores. This device has another plus – it is equipped with a special cutting edge, which will simplify the work with adhesive tape.

Clean shoes and clothes

If you don't have a sticky roller for clothes and shoes at hand, you can replace it with regular tape. Adhesive tape will collect dust, hair and other small dirt from suede, drape, knitwear and other fabrics in a matter of seconds

Fasten the tie

If the bottom of the tie sticks out from under the top all the time, secure it with double-sided tape. Place a few small pieces of duct tape on the wrong side of the tie and secure the thin edge.

Draw “arrows”

Use scotch tape or masking tape to create crisp, straight lines on your eyelid. Apply a few small sections to the skin – so that you get a kind of stencil of the chosen shape and length. Fill an empty surface with eyeliner, wait a few minutes for the product to dry, and then remove the tape.

Make a stencil

Scotch tape is an irreplaceable thing in home art. By creating a stencil with duct tape, you can apply patterns of any shape and size to the surface. Be sure: the drawing will turn out to be clear, because the tape adheres tightly to the surface, excluding the ingress of paint under it.

Transfer drawing

To transfer the pattern from paper to glass surface, you first need to cut out the part of the pattern with which you will be working and seal it with transparent tape.

Make sure that there are no air bubbles under the adhesive tape, otherwise the pattern may not be clear.

Now place the workpiece in a container of water for 5-10 minutes. When the paper is wet, peel it off the tape. You need to remove it completely – the appearance of the final drawing depends on it. As a result, you should have a sticker made of adhesive tape with the pattern transferred to its surface. Use it to decorate glass containers or tiles.

Flower pots

For decorating with tape, plastic, tin or glazed ceramic flower pots are suitable. It is better not to use unglazed ceramics. It has a porous surface and the adhesive layer will not adhere securely.

Since flowerpots come in contact with water, choose a type of tape that is moisture resistant. Such as MaskingTape, Scotch Washi, KMMT-ST3-G. Before decorating, rinse the flowerpots with soapy water to remove any possible grease. Then dry well. Multi-colored lines can be combined vertically, horizontally, diagonally, overlapping.

Candlestick

Candlesticks can be made from any glass or tin cans. Since candlesticks can get hot, choose heat-resistant adhesive tape. The following brands are not suitable for candlesticks: MT CASA BASIC, Action, fabric ST-015.

To prevent the candlesticks from getting too hot and the glue layer from melting, put an insulating layer on 2/3 of the volume before installing the candle. For him, sea sand is suitable.

If you pour in ground coffee or flavored salt, then when heated, there will be an aroma candle effect.

Frames for photos

To transform photo frames, any kind of decorative tape is suitable: paper, fabric, plastic or foil. The frame must first be wiped with alcohol to remove dirt. This will allow the finish to be better fixed. Bend the clamps and remove the glass.

If the width of the trim allows, you can paste over the frames in a baguette. If there is not enough width, overlap the strip on the front side. For a secure fit on the back, attach regular adhesive tape to the baguette. This will lock the edges and keep them from moving away from the base.

Tin boxes

This craft tape is suitable not only for storing little things (hairpins, pins, buttons). Or it can be a gift wrapping for tea, sea cosmetic salt, homemade cookies.

Any tin containers are suitable for elegant boxes: from coffee, sweets, tea. If you plan to use food trays, use a moisture resistant tape (MaskingTape, Scotch Washi, KMMT-ST3-G). After decorating the outer surface, wrap the edge of the box or jar around the entire perimeter with a continuous strip. So the craft will have a finished and neat look.

Hot stand

It can be made from paper and tape. Cut out a workpiece of the desired shape from thick paper or corrugated cardboard. Glue together in several layers. The thickness should be 4-5 mm. Place the workpiece under the press until completely dry. So it does not deform.

Cover with decorative stripes on both sides. To give rigidity and moisture resistance, varnish in 2 layers. To make the stand look more interesting, and when heated, the mug smells like coffee, you can decorate it with coffee beans. To do this: cover one side of the stand with double-sided tape. Fix the halves of the coffee beans on it.

Clean your keyboard

Annoyed by nasty crumbs under the keys that can't be pulled out? Scotch tape will help you. Fold the adhesive tape, sticky side out, and slide over the thin gaps between the keys and the keyboard case. The debris will stick and the keyboard will be clean.

Clean your clothes

Sticky cleaning rollers run out at the most inopportune moment. But there is a wide tape, which is no worse.

Collect broken glass

If you accidentally (or on purpose) break a plate or glass, small crumbs will remain on the floor or on the table. Tape them up so they won't hurt your heels.

Draw arrows

How many tricks have been invented to draw straight arrows, ranging from using a spoon to special stencils. Keep it simple. Stick the tape on the eyelid and calmly fill in the eyeliner from the edge of the eyelid to the tape. Then remove the tape. You will have arrows with perfectly straight edges.

Make a pattern on your nails

Adhesive tape stencil can be used not only on eyelids, but also on nails to create patterns of varying complexity.

Collect the mercury

When a mercury thermometer breaks, the mercury scatters across the floor in hundreds of tiny beads. And all of them must be carefully collected for disposal so as not to breathe poisonous vapors. Scotch tape does this job well.

Wrap your laces

If the laces are frayed at the ends or the fasteners have fallen off, wrap them with duct tape. This will make the laces look neater and easier to lace up.

Cover up the blisters

A temporary measure that will save your feet in new shoes, if there is no plaster at hand, but there is scotch tape. Just protect the areas that the shoes chafe with.

Remove traces of glue

You removed the sticker from the item, but the glue remains. Take the scotch tape, press it with the sticky surface to the glue and tear it off sharply. The glue will stick to the tape.