28 In Tutorials

DIY Washi Tape

Hello everyone! I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday!

I just want to share with you that it will be my first time guest blogging on Monday! I will be writing a post on The Crafty Side of Sarcasm, and I hope to see you there!

Now onto the topic of today: Washi Tape! If you don’t know what washi tape is, it is basically a decorative masking tape that started in Japan. I’ve seen them made both of paper and fabric. You can use it to decorate whatever you want, put it on a card, embellish a wrapped gift, anything! Pinterest is full out ideas on how to use washi tape. I’ve seen really cute ideas such as covering clothespin with washi tape, wrapping a mason jar with washi tape and wrapping tea lights.  Now that washi tape is getting a more popular, I’ve seen them carried at big box stores, but in limited variations. In addition, washi tape can be pretty expensive for the small amount of tape you get. So for today’s tutorial, I’m going to show you how to make your own “washi tape”. It won’t be exactly like washi tape because those are usually printed directly onto the paper tape, but you can use it the same way!

You’ll need:

Decorative paper or fabric (great time to use any long pieces of scrap paper you have)
Double-sided tape
Parchment or wax paper
Scissors

WashiHeader

First, I’ve seen tutorials on how to make washi tape with double-sided tape that has a backing on it. If you have that kind of double-sided tape, great! All you need to do is apply the tape to the back of the washi paper, trim the paper to the size of the tape and leave the backing on until you’re ready to use it.

However, the only double-sided tape I could find was the Scotch double-sided tape, which doesn’t have a backing. It just comes out of a roll like regular tape. If this is the only double-sided tape you can find, or if you have a Scotch ATG, here is what I did:

1. Cut your piece of paper or fabric into a long strip. The width is up to you.

2. Cut a long strip of parchment or wax paper that is at least double the width of your paper strip.

3. Now pull out some of the double-sided tape and apply it to the parchment/wax paper. It will not want to stick, so just place it on the parchment/wax paper, fold the parchment/wax length-wise. So now that tape is sandwiched between parchment paper, slide your finger back and forth along the parchment paper, pressing firmly. The tape will stick to one side of the parchment paper if you press firmly enough. Now you have a backing on your tape!

4. Apply the strip of paper/fabric on top of the tape and trim down. You can chain several strips of paper and parchment to create a long strip of washi tape.

5. Roll your new washi tape up and use a paper clip or a small piece of regular tape to secure it until you’re ready to use it.

Washi

It is really simple to do, but a bit difficult to describe. I also tried to take pictures as I was working, but it was impossible to get a shot of the tape on parchment paper! I hope you understand my tutorial. If not, please feel free to leave me a comment and I will answer any questions!

What will you do with your new washi tape?

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28 Comments

  • Reply
    Kate
    March 11, 2015 at 6:04 pm

    Great idea! I have a new-found love for Washi recently. I definitely will have to give this a try!
    Thanks for linking up to the Wake Up Wednesday link party!
    Hope to see you next week!
    Kate | TheOrganizedDream.com

    • Reply
      Ash
      March 11, 2015 at 8:32 pm

      Thanks for stopping by, Kate!

  • Reply
    Amberjane
    March 12, 2015 at 3:36 am

    What a clever idea – Thanks for linking up to Pin Worthy Wednesday, I have pinned your post to the Pin Worthy Wednesday Pinterest Board.

    • Reply
      Ash
      March 12, 2015 at 9:45 am

      Thanks so much for stopping by!

  • Reply
    Jenna @ A Savory Feast
    March 12, 2015 at 6:19 am

    Who would have thought you could make your own washi tape? I have pinned several washi tape projects, but I have never bought any so I didn’t realize it was pricey. This is a great way to save money! Thanks for sharing it with Hump Day Happenings.

    • Reply
      Ash
      March 12, 2015 at 9:49 am

      Thank you for stopping by Jenna! Buying washi tape is dangerous because you can never just decide on just one and end up buying a ton! 😀

  • Reply
    Alyssa @ Piece of Home
    March 12, 2015 at 7:55 am

    Very cute! This is a great way to use scrap paper too! Thanks for the tutorial!

    • Reply
      Ash
      March 12, 2015 at 9:57 am

      Thank you Alyssa!

  • Reply
    Ashleigh
    March 12, 2015 at 11:44 am

    Thank you for sharing! Please come link up and share this over at http://www.wrightsimply.com/2015/03/oh-my-heartsie-girls-wordless-wednesday.html
    Have a wonderful weekend ahead!! xx Ashleigh @SimplyWright

    • Reply
      Ash
      March 12, 2015 at 11:49 am

      Thanks for stopping by, Ashleigh! I shared my link!

  • Reply
    Elizabeth
    March 12, 2015 at 12:26 pm

    Of course, so simple! Thanks for sharing.

    • Reply
      Ash
      March 12, 2015 at 4:04 pm

      Thanks for stopping by, Elizabeth!

  • Reply
    Julie
    March 12, 2015 at 5:08 pm

    I love Japanese crafts. How great is this tape.
    Julie
    Thank you for linking up with #wordlesswednesday
    co-host – http://www.julieinthemaking.com/

    • Reply
      Ash
      March 12, 2015 at 7:06 pm

      Thank you for hosting!

  • Reply
    Pam@over50feeling40
    March 13, 2015 at 6:08 am

    This was new to me! Thanks for sharing with the Thursday Blog Hop…another great creative idea.

    • Reply
      Ash
      March 13, 2015 at 8:51 am

      Thank you Pam!

  • Reply
    creativejewishmom/sara
    March 16, 2015 at 1:20 am

    Great to see you on craft schooling Sunday, been wanting to do this too, even with fabric! I had to chuckle that you couldn’t easily find any double sided tape with a peel off backing living in the land of plenty, while I can buy it at my ilttle art supply store here in Northern Israel! A good lesson to me, since I’m always feeling like I’m lacking in the art supplies department……though truthfully I really have almost everything I need, well at least until I try to put a bigger dent in my art supplies stash!

    • Reply
      Ash
      March 16, 2015 at 11:08 am

      Thanks Sara! Heh, I know! It was so weird not being able to find something like that easily, especially at the big-box craft stores!

  • Reply
    Anna
    March 17, 2015 at 11:43 pm

    What a good idea for using up scraps of paper, also great if you can’t find the exact tape for your project!

    • Reply
      Ash
      March 18, 2015 at 11:13 am

      Thank you Anna!

  • Reply
    Anne Marie
    March 18, 2015 at 5:58 am

    This is fantastic!! I have quite the obsession with washi and would love to try making my own like this. Thanks so much for the inspiration 🙂

    • Reply
      Ash
      March 18, 2015 at 11:16 am

      Thanks so much Anne Marie!

  • Reply
    Diana Rambles
    March 18, 2015 at 2:01 pm

    Great idea!!

    • Reply
      Ash
      March 18, 2015 at 2:09 pm

      Thanks Diana!

  • Reply
    Joanne T Ferguson
    March 19, 2015 at 5:47 pm

    G’day Congrats on being featured and hope to see you on Saturday!
    Cheers! Joanne

    • Reply
      Ash
      March 19, 2015 at 5:54 pm

      Thanks so much Joanne!

  • Reply
    Monica Maynard
    February 29, 2016 at 7:05 am

    OMG! I have been wanting to jump into the Washi tape thing! You clever girl, I would have never thought of this! Love IT!

  • Reply
    Suzan
    October 7, 2017 at 3:34 pm

    I don’t know if this will work but there is a product called hem tape. It is double sided tape and has a paper backing you peel off when ready to use. Maybe that is what you saw other people use. ???

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