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xoRichela

LIVING MI VIDA LOCA Teen Gift Guide

Woohoo! I love it when me, my books, or my various "stuff" make it onto a holiday gift guide or must-have list. And my book DUCT TAPE BAGS is happily included in the teen gift guide for the blog LIVING MI VIDA LOCA. Check it out here. 

Thanks to Pattie Cordova of LIVING MI VIDA LOCA.

3 Different Uses for Duct Tape Leaves

I recently made these duct tape leaves for a demo at my favorite art supply shop A.I. Friedman . I used stencils for a maple, oak, and elm tree leaf from A-Z Coloring (they are free). After making a duct tape fabric (see my quick You Tube video on how to make a duct tape fabric), I traced these stencils onto the fabric and cut the leaves out.

What's great about duct tape leaves is that they are re-usable and easy to store. You can write on them with marker or ball point pen. To remove the writing, simply wipe them down with a little oil on a paper towel or cotton rag. Store them in a resealable zip lock bag when not in use.

Here are 3 ways to use these leaves during the holiday season.


Table Centerpiece: What I'm Thankful For

What are we thankful for this year?

I filled a small glass bowl with dried lentils and popcorn kernels. Because I live in the suburbs, there are dried branches practically everywhere I look. So I grabbed 3 of them, trimmed them down, and placed them in the glass bowl. I wrapped a little tape around the base of the branches to give it some extra support.

The bowl with the branches will sit in the middle of the dinner table. On Thanksgiving, I'll ask every family member to write down what they are thankful for on each leaf, and then hang the leaves on the branches. And as we eat our Thanksgiving dinner, we can see what everyone is thankful for. Here is a little preview of what it will look like:




Place Cards


I usually have plain white plates and solid color napkins for my dinner settings. My friend once asked me why, especially since the rest of my house is so colorful. (I am not shy about color!) My explanation: I like to treat every meal like a work of art, with its mix of colors and shapes, so having patterns or colors on the plates is really not my thing. As a result, my dinner table can look a little ho-hum.

Using a duct tape leaf as a place card can add that bit of color that the table (when the food is not yet served) needs. You can re-used them by simply wiping off the names with a little oil on a paper towel.





Holiday or Occasion Banner

Attach the leaves to ribbon or twine and voila! You just made a banner. Make some duct tape letter stickers to personalize it.  (You can get instructions on how to make duct tape stickers from a tutorial I did for the blog A Fancy Girl Must.)

Pixel Wall Art

So I recently went "Old School" and made the Pac Man video game character Blinky for my studio wall. Below is a tutorial on how I actually made Blinky. You can also use these instructions for any kind of Minecraft inspired art or other pixel/video game characters from the 80s. This is great for a game room or kid's bedroom.

PIXEL WALL ART
Materials: red, black, and white duct tape, parchment paper
Tools:  graph paper, colored pens or markers, ruler, scissors, carpenter's level, pencil














1. Draw Blinky on the graph paper by filling in the squares. In general, Blinky is 14 squares wide and 13 squares tall. Try to follow the drawing in the photo, but feel free to make one of your own design.














2. Count how many red, black, and white squares are in your drawing. The number of squares in the photo are 109 red, 8 black, and 24 white.
3. Cut 109 strips of red duct tape, 8 strips of black duct tape, and 24 strips of white duct tape that are each 2" long. Place them on parchment paper.

4. Pick a spot on the wall where you will place your stickers. It should be at least 30" wide and 20" high. Mark the center of this area with a pencil.

5. Using the carpenter's level and ruler, draw a straight line horizontally across and a second straight line vertically through the center of the wall area.


















6. Use the graph paper drawing as a guide to map out the position of each colored duct tape strip. Starting with the middle row, placing the strips on the wall and align the top edges of each strip with the drawn horizontal line.

















7. Place the rest of the colored strips on the wall. 

Duct Tape Masks on Sundaes & FlipFlops

I recently shared my duct tape mask project with Sundaes & Flip Flops. You can even download a mask template! Check it out by clicking here. 

Talking with Chandra Sparks Splond

Recently I've had the pleasure of talking to author, speaker, and blogger Chandra Sparks Splond about being crafty, the endless possibilities of duct tape, and following your heart. You can read the interview here.

Thanks, Chandra!

Chatting with Sweety High

Last month I was interviewed by the fine folks at Sweety High. 
I reveal what my favorite tape is, the most extravagant thing I ever made with tape, and my favorite duct tape project. Click here to read it.

Fearless Fabulous...Me!

Last Monday I had the absolute pleasure of talking to Melanie Young on her radio show "Fearless Fabulous You." Listen here:



Here is the write-up from the iHeart.com:
Fearless Fabulous You! October 10, 2016Dr. Katherine Crew, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, works with breast cancer patients and women at high-risk for breast cancer. She discusses her research to improve early detection and offer less invasive treatments. Indie craft artist, Richela Fabian Morgan, author of popular crafting books including "Tape It & Make It"and "Duct Tape Bags," shares tips on how to channel your creativity and pursue a craft you love. This show is broadcast live on Monday's at 4PM ET on W4WN Radio – The Women 4 Women Network (www.w4wn.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (http://www.talk4radio.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (http://www.talk4media.com/). Air date October 10, 2016Link: http://www.iheart.com/show/209-Fearless-Fabulous-You/?episode_id=27773331

The Matrix! (an excerpt from my latest book)

Duct tape bags have always been my passion. Now I have the chance to show everyone why!
My new book DUCT TAPE BAGS has a lot of great designs (if, e-hem, I say so myself). This particular one, called The Matrix, is an easy clutch that doesn't scream "I'M MADE OF DUCT TAPE!!" And that's the whole point of my book.
Yes, I do other things with the sticky stuff. But for now, I'm all about duct tape bags.