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

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.

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?