Duct Tape Outdoor Pillow

I've gotten to where I make most of my decorator items around my house because, to go out and buy them, I always end up spending more money. When I make curtains, rugs, throws, wall hangings, and place mats, I not only save money but I get to have exactly what I want, rather than to settle for what's available. That's especially true when I browse certain stores for outdoor and garden-type things. Waterproof pillows, for example, are not cheap. But when you make them yourself, they're definitely waterproof, as well as inexpensive, and attractive.

Many people think of duct tape as that wide, gray tape used for some repairs on cars or around the house. But nowadays, duct tape comes in a variety of colors. Choose purple, green, black, or another shade - or combine colors - to make new outdoor pillows for loungers.

Use a zipper-lock freezer bag for the pillow and you'll have it made in no time. Just use a coffee stirrer or straw and blow up the pillow. Zip the bag nearly all the way shut, insert the straw, then blow to inflate it. Remove the straw and quickly zip the bag shut the remainder of the way.

Tear long pieces of duct tape and lay them out on a table. Place them so that their sticky sides are facing up. Lay the first piece of tape, then position the second piece so that it slightly overlaps the first piece. Continue in this manner until you have a sheet of tape that is large enough to cover one side of the pillow, with a few inches to spare on each side.

Make two of the tape sheets then lay the blown-up bag on one of them. Cover it with the second sheet. Stick the edges together, all the way around the pillow, then cut all the way around it to even the edges.

Another way to make the pillow is to apply the tape right to the bag. After blowing up the bag, begin laying strips of tape on it, and overlap them as you go along. after adding enough tape to cover one whole side of the pillow, turn it over and do the same to the other side.

You can make all sorts of different color and pattern combinations by using various colors of the tape, and placing them strategically on the tape sheet arrangement. And, while you're cutting and laying the tape strips, you can cut assorted shapes, like a set of four triangles, or various colors of squares.

I've made lots of these pillows in my life. We take them with us to the beach, toss them around on the floor for the grand kids to watch movies, and even carry some in the car as we travel.