Floating Duct Tape Water Lily

Materials:

Duck brand Duct Tape: white, yellow, green
cutting blade
cutting surface
scissors
needle-nose pliers
26-gauge floral wire
22-gauge floral wire
glass bowl
water

Steps:

1. For the petals: Roll out white Duct Tape on a cutting board. Cut the following: 18 3-inch strips (for largest petals), 12 2-inch strips (for medium-size petals), and 12 1-inch strips (for the smallest petals).

2. For the leaves: Roll out green Duct Tape on a cutting board. Cut 12 4-inch strips.

3. Divide all of your strips into two groups of equal quantities. Each group will have nine 2-inch white strips, six 2-inch white strips, six 1-inch white strips and six 4-inch green strips. Set aside one of these two groups for later use.

5. Using your needle-nose pliers, curve the wire into a petal/leaf shape (figure B). Hint: To save time and create similar shapes, group the wires together by size and bend several at once.

6. Cut pieces of the 22-gauge wire for the central line of the petals and leaves. Your pieces should be long enough to slightly hang out of your duct tape strips. Cut the following: six 5-inch pieces for the leaves, nine 4-inch pieces for the largest petals, six 3-inch pieces for the middle-sized petals, and six 2-inch pieces for the smallest petals.

7. Attach the 26-gauge petal outline lengthwise on the first group of tape (on the sticky side) and place the central wire in the middle, with excess wire sticking out at the bottom. This is the "skeleton" and support for the leaves and petals (figure C).

8. Completely cover the entire wire outline and sticky side of the duct tape with the second corresponding set of pieces of duct tape you set aside, sticky side down (figure D).

9. Cut out the petal shape, following the wire outline. Leave a little bit of tape along the outer edge so the wire doesn't show (figure E).

10. Cut an 8-inch strip of yellow duct tape and place it horizontally on the cutting board. Cut 15 small 3-inch pieces of 26-gauge wire. Place the pieces of wire vertically (along the long edge of the tape), at every 1/4 inch on the sticky side. The wire should hit about halfway up the tape, with excess hanging out around the bottom (figure F).

11. Fold over the tape that doesn't have wire on it, to the section that does. This will cover the wire. At the top of this strip, make small cuts about every 1/8 inch lengthwise--be sure not to cut all the way through (figure G).

12. Roll the yellow strip and twist the wires together. This is your stamen (figure H). Fan out the top using your thumb.

13. To create the lily, arrange the smallest petals around the yellow stamen and twist the wires together. Repeat with the medium-size petals next (figure I).

14. Follow with the larger size petals, and finally the outer leaves (figure J).

15. Pull back the petals and arrange around the stamen.

16. Fill your glass bowl with water, add your lily and enjoy.