Got Tape? Problem Solved.

• This is my first non-how-to video on this blog! I mentioned in the post below that I decided to move to Anchorage, hopped on a ferry 16 hours later, and landed in Whittier, AK 2 days after that. We took the Alaska Marine Highway, and it was loads of fun! We saw a ton of whales, (humpback, killer, pilot) many porposises (Dahl’s and other wise) as well as too many birds to list (kittiwakes, herring, puffins, eagles, DUCKS…) and even a couple of otters!

  I didn’t forget about you, though, beloved Ducko’s. Tape was on my mind the whole time! Here is our adventure as it pertains to tape. Enjoy, people who enjoy boats, Alaska, or DUCT TAPE!

Basic Half-Strip Checkers Board

This is really part one of the “Place Mat” post, but the techniques shown are applicable to many projects! This video will also be posted under the “Confusi-o” tab at the top of the page.

Place Mat

So here’s what’s so great about these place mats. Not only are they good looking, but they are very useful for people who experience autism or kids who are visual learners to achieve success in setting the table. Plus, the reverse side works as a drawing board, using wet erase markers for kids to practice their numbers, letters, and drawings. The best part? Once you’re done, just rinse off in the sink, dry, and it’s good as new!

Obviously, there are many different variations to do on this mat. I chose this one because it only used 3 colors, not including clear, and it looked good with my decor. It took a lot of tape to do the checkers, though. To do a set of 4 mats, it takes 120 yards of white (or 6 Duck Tape 20 yard rolls), 80 yards of red (or 4 Duck Tape 20 yard rolls), a little bit of gray, and some clear. On the other hand, if you did stripes or a solid color, you can plan on about 1 roll (20 yards) per mat, front and back. So, if you mixed and matched colors, it would take 4 rolls total to do 4 mats. You can see how checkers really add…both in design and cost!

Enjoy, Duck-os, and if you decide to make some mats, please post your pictures on the facebook wall!