Don't Try This At Home!

It’s time to decorate the pumpkins, as all the fun, ghouly trick or treaters will soon come-a-knocking. Wondering how you should exhibit your pumpkin patch? How about using rubber bands to create a fun and unique pumpkin display. You might be thinking: “Rubber band my pumpkin? Are you serious?”

Yes, quite.

Rubber band pumpkins make interesting table and door decorations. Give it a try and you’ll see why. An easy and mess free way to decorate...simply stretch bands around your pumpkins, creating a web. For interesting variations, paint your pumpkin and use different colored bands for different effects. Color combos like orange and white or black and white will help you make some eerie, dramatic scenes. For even more spooky fun, try putting a bunch of single color bands around the stem of one of your pumpkins. People will soon see your house is no average ghouly detour!

Before you gather up the kids and head out to that magical, little Halloween haunt, tell us how rubber bands have helped you. We’d like to thank Darla, the winner of our latest blog post. She receives a prize pack and t-shirt.

Thank you for participating in our “Stretch the Limits of Alliance Rubber Bands” contest. Remember to comment below!

“Got that Rubberband/Up on his toes/And then he wriggled it up/All around his nose,” ~Lyrics from The Rubber Band Man

I was just listening to a couple of songs that feature the word “rubber band.”  There are several with interesting behind the music tales.

Consider “The Rubber Band Man” by The Spinners.

Probably one of the most mentioned in radio, the song was written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed. It was intended to make Bell’s son, who was getting teased, feel better about his self-image. According to online sources, the song spent three weeks at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It was also a top-20 hit in the UK Singles Chart.

Along with massive airplay, the song has a rather famous TV and film history. It was featured in the film “Stripes,” on the TV show Martin and Gina, and in an OfficeMax television commercial. Wonder Woman even sang it on the Muppet Show.

In 2004, T.I. from Trap Muzik recorded a version of the “Rubber Band Man.” In his video, he uses rubber bands to hold big wads of money together that won’t fit into a normal pocket. In an online interview, he said, “The song’s title is a reference to his habit of wearing rubber bands around his wrist….”

T.I. is not the only one to do this, either.  Jenny of Arkansas sent us this week’s highlighted picture. “I use rubber bands at the office all day long. I just can’t function without them. I keep a bunch ready for use on my right wrist,” she said. “I often go home and out with my BRACELETS. They have become my jewelry and they look great, too. They come in a wide variety of sizes and colors.”

She continued, “I am digging my new orange ones! Everyone that knows me knows I always have at least one band on.”

Whether they are on a wrist or a stack of cash, these "bands on the run" bring a lot of entertainment into our world---custom made for folks just like us.

Share your comments about rubber bands. We’d like to thank Mike P., the winner of our latest blog post. He receives a prize pack and t-shirt.

Thank you for being here and participating in our “Stretch the Limits of Alliance Rubber Bands” contest!!  Remember to comment below!

For those of you with a print subscription, this Sunday, when you step outside to grab the paper at your front door, you’ll see it.

“It” of course is a rubber band.

Regardless if the news is stinky or the award winning, hard-core journalism kind; let’s face it, nothing in the world holds a newspaper together better. That’s why the newspaper industry uses massive quantities of them each year.

In an effort to keep them either rolled up or folded together for home delivery, you’ll see an interesting array of rubber bands on newspapers across the country.

While rubber band use is as unlimited as the imagination, newspapers have most likely generated the most use, if not, the greatest use, for them.

Even so, we’d like to know, how do you use your rubber bands? Share your comments on our blog.

We’d like to thank Shirley Y, the winner of our August 22nd blog comment contest. Shirley will receive a prize pack and free Bandology T-shirt.

Thank you so much for subscribing to and participating in our “Stretch the Limits of Alliance Rubber Bands” contest!!  Remember to comment below!

Photograph: Michelle Hitt