Duct-tape rose pen

The traditional bunch of red roses is essentially useless. But a duct tape rose pen - that, my friend, is both a romantic and a practical present.

What you need

Duct tape in two contrasting colours
Scissors
A pen

What to do

1. To make your first petal, cut a square piece of duct tape from the roll. Fold the top left corner past the centre of the square, making a triangle, then fold the top right corner towards the middle, leaving a strip of the sticky side of the tape at the bottom.

2. Make about 25 petals - it's easier to do them all at once rather than as you go along.

3. Wrap the first petal around the top of the pen, then add three more petals this way, making sure they are positioned evenly.

4. Before you wrap the fifth petal around the pen, make a small snip in the bottom of it and use this to make a pleat in the tape. Stick the petal to the top of the pen, as before. Continue to make this type of pleat in each petal before you wrap them.

5. To make a stem, wrap a piece of duct tape in a contrasting colour around the pen, just under the bloom. If you fancy giving your rose a leaf or two, take a long piece of duct tape and fold the right-hand edge to the bottom, making a triangle. Then, keep folding the triangle over on itself until you have about 2cm of duct tape left - use this bit to stick it to the pen.