while browsing the urban outfitters website for inspiration, i came across a completely useless, but very cute, unicorn tape dispenser. i immediately started thinking of how i could make my own unicorn tape dispenser using the laser cutter at school.

as track season ended and i finished taking AP tests and SAT Subject Tests and the ACT, i found myself with a lot more creativity time. the benefits of taking 4 AP classes during the year is that once the tests are over, there is more free time available in each class to explore other parts of the subject that didn’t appear on the test. in chemistry, i was able to explore the chem behind naturally dyeing fabric, which was fascinating. in bio, we did an interesting lab with C. elegans. and in computer science A, we got to spend time on adobe illustrator and in the woodshop. i already spend a lot of time (mostly at tutorial, which is like study hall) in the woodshop with R, and we’ve used the laser cutter quite a bit this year. naturally, i loved having the extra time in that space, and i ended up mass-producing a mini army of these unicorns.

i drew the shapes in procreate, and traced the shapes in adobe illustrator. with the help of R, i added 1/8″ rectangular slits into the pieces so they could connect together, and then proportionally sized the body and the rest of the pieces to fit through standard washi tape.

i then printed the design out onto 1/8″ wood. it took a few tries to get all the proportions perfect, and not have any misprints, but i eventually found the sizing and fit i liked. i glued the head and front leg piece to the body so the unicorn was sturdier, leaving the back leg free so that the washi tape could come off and on.

as a tape dispenser, this design is not very functional. the wood is very light, so there isn’t enough weight to keep the dispenser upright when pulling out the tape. additionally, the rectangular shape of the body does not allow the round washi tape to roll smoothly across it without some resistance. i like to think of this as a rather cute tape holder and display instead. it is quite easy to put tape on and off this unicorn.

my friend M and my bio teacher both had the idea to turn the unicorn into a pegasus as well with the addition of wings. all i had to do was draw some wings in procreate, bring the design into illustrator, scale to size, and then add a slit to the wings and the body.

i ended up making 12 unicorn pegasi for my teacher’s daughter’s birthday party. other people loved the design, not as a tape dispenser, but just as a cute wooden animal to display, and i ended up cutting many many more unicorns and unipegasi to give to everyone. along with helping R cut some really cute wooden earrings for her own craft business, the class periods in those last three weeks of school went by so quickly! i’m so grateful for the resources available at my school and for the support of my friends!!