Father's Day Craft: Duct Tape Decoupage Wallet

It's been used to hold bumpers on vehicles, to wrap faulty pipes, to seal broken book bindings, and sometimes it's even been used as a material to make prom dresses. It comes in standard gray or black, as well as an array of solid colors and some flashy patterns like leopard print or plaid. In a pinch, it'll remove lint from your clothes, patch a hole in your tent or to give your strapless bra some extra support. It's duct tape, of course.

This wallet was my first foray into the world of duct tape crafts, but I think it might be the first of many. I decided to try making a duct tape wallet for my grandpa for Father's Day. I also have recently seen some sleek decoupage crafts, so I had the idea to try to combine the two projects.

Using several Youtube tutorials (this one is particularly helpful), I soon had this:

which folded up nicely into this.

The wallet I chose to make is a bi-fold with two side-opening pockets, shown above. I also added another credit card pocket on the left side.

For the decoupage portion, I printed some old photos of my grandparents and my dad in black and white and then arranged them on the wallet. Mod Podge is a decoupage glue that is available at many craft stores and is simple to use. I painted several coats over the pictures on the wallet.

When it dried, it was still tacky. With any other craft, this might not have been an issue, but a wallet will have to be folded so two of its surfaces touch each other--the tackiness made the surfaces stick to one another. So I added a layer of sealant over that didn't cover the shine of the Mod Podge, but eliminated the stickiness.

I will admit I don't really know how practical this craft will end up being. Will it be durable? Is it even something cool enough for an awesome grandpa like mine to carry? We will have to wait and see.