How to Make your Own Homemade Washi Tape

Here are some instructions to make your own washi tape.  Disclaimer:  This is not my original idea and there are lots of videos on You Tube or online that offer other options of creating your own.  

Check out a  fabulous site with great instructions:   Balzer Designs, recommended to me by a NLWM member.  The difference in methods is she uses a Xyron to apply her adhesive and she uses deli paper.  I love my Xyron, but I like using medical tape.  Both methods have their advantages.  I can make just a small bit to use immediately.

  

A sample of my homemade washi tape in the lower right-hand corner of the card pictured above.

  

 I am posting these instructions for my peeps in the National Letter Writing Group that Lindsay Ostrom started.  Check out her blog! 

The washi tape in the above photo is from Michaels.  It is seriously cute with the typewriters.  I could not resist.  It is also nice to have the option of make my own.  I feel the same way about rubber stamps.  I like doing my own drawings but there are some wonderful stamps out there. Plus rubber stamps give a totally different effect.   So I do a combination of my own drawing and stamps.  Depends on mood and time restraints.  You can also make your own stamps too.

 

For materials you can get all at the dollar store plus what art supplies you have on hand....I know you already have paints, rubber stamps and wonderful supplies so I won't go over that.  Of course, if this inspires you to go on a shopping spree and get more small stamps, by all means what are you waiting for?  The smaller stamps are GREAT for this project.  Here are some of mine:

 

 

You will need wax paper and medical tape - you can get at Dollar store. 

 You can get the transparent (pictured on the left below) and also the "paper" medical tape (pictured on the right below).  I like the transparent tape because it has small raised "bumps" and I like the extra texture it gives.  The transparent tape is also great to add wording to a piece.  For the transparent tape it is best to use Copic pens, but you can use water colors if you are patient.  If you use acrylic, there is no point in having transparent tape.  I like the paper tape too because it takes the stamps and paints very well.

  

You tape down the tape to the wax paper in manageable strips and then decorate away. First you add color, then stamps.  See, that easy!  Be sure and check out Balzer Designs too!  There are a lot of fun videos on You Tube also. 

I made these samples VERY FAST.  I just spread the wax paper out on my dining table then adhered the medical tape strips to it.  I painted some with water colors and used Copic markers on the others.  They were dry by the time I got out of the shower, so I was able to stamp them and take a photo for the blog!  That easy. 

 

EXPERIMENT.  Try other methods and materials.

Below is a sample of writing on the tape "Listen to Your Art".

 

 

 

I got this slack  hanger at Ross.  It is wonderful to store ribbons, duct tape or washi tape.  I love re-purposing things!  This comes in handy if you have more than one work station or you want to go to a friend's house to play!  You can just pick it up and take it with you!  I store the tapes and ribbon I use the most on it and I have other backup tape storage too.   I suppose you could get a lot of hangers. If you see a slack hanger where the top hook swivels, GET THAT ONE.  Easier to hang up unless you are using a closet of course.

 

   I like the portability.  As pictured below you can see how easily the arm swivels out for quick access.

 

Another re-purposed item pictured below.  This is a magnetic picture frame holder that I got for 50 cents.  I use it to put my rubber stamps on it as shown below.  It costs a lot less than the acrylic squares they sell for that purpose and works just as well.  I supposed I could get a metal tray to store it on.  (That black square is just the magnetic showing through).

Well, there you have it.  As I mentioned, there are plenty of blogs and You Tube videos on the subject.  Have fun.

 

Below is the view from my studio earlier this evening.  It was a lot more impressive than this photo but this is the best I could do with my phone.

 BY THE WAY....I HAVE A CONTEST GOING ON UNTIL THE END OF APRIL, 2013.  POST A COMMENT ON MY BLOG TO BE ENTERED TO WIN A BOOKMARK!!

 

Book Spine Poem

Tucson Pima Library is celebrating April as National Poetry Month with posting submissions of "book spine" poetry on their Facebook page.  It is not too late to submit if you want to try it, it's fun.  Here is my submission that they posted today!  Two of the books I used are by local Tucson authors!

  Stealing the Dog's Prozac (which was my inspiration) by Charlotte Lowe and In All the Rooms in the Yellow House by Nancy Mairs.

Follow Me On Pinterest!

FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST

 

Well, I have been sprucing up my blog a bit and I am working on making my own light box to take better photographs of my work!  I am trying to get all the social media connected.  You can now follow me on Pinterest or Facebook.  Let me know what you think of the changes by commenting on my BLOG and you may be the lucky winner of a bookmark!

Day Comic Book bookmarks - DAY 110 Making a Book Mark a Day

Bookman's on Grant Road in Tucson along with the Girl Scouts went "green" with seeded bookmarks that you can plant!  They let us decorate our own.

Here is Madison in her Cat in the Hat  "Keep Calm and Read On" in front of Bookman's fishy window. 

 Here is Madison holding up her seed bookmark with Tamara, a Girl Scout leader.

Do you know how hard it is to find a woman Super Hero?  With the help of Bookman's employee we are going to turn these comic books into bookmarks!

Here are our finished bookmarks!  Lots of fun!  Thanks Bookmans!  Thanks Dustin.

 

BOOKMANS is a FUN place to hang around!  They even let you bring your dog!  I didn't get the names but they did give me permission to post their photos.

WHAAT? SHAAZAM! You are wondering how I went from bookmark 98 to bookmark 110?  I was just waiting to see if you were paying attention!!

April is National Letter Writing Month

This is the envelope I addressed to my pen pal:

 

...and below is the ROCK I mailed to our fearless leader/organizer of this group of letter-writing bloggers (over 100 strong).  You can read more about this whole project on Lindsay's blog.

 

 

I haven't posted any of myrecent bookmarks, but I have been making them and I have also been doing some small canvas art pieces featuring the same "Art Gurlz" from my bookmarks. 

Plus, I taught a mini mini work shop....all of which I will be blogging about soon.  I have said this before, I am so glad I chose making a bookmark daily rather than blogging daily!!!!

My studio is a shambles I have so much going on.....There are layers and layers of stuff on my drafting table.....not a surface left bare.  Because of that, I decided that my beloved yet HUGE roll top desk will get to still live with me.  It is rather LARGE for my current space. and I was planning to sell it finally.....but all those little drawers and all the space.....well I just have to turn it into another art station!  Plus, I want to update it a bit....I plan to decoupage some great stuff on it.  I will post that ongoing project too. 

Oh and I have another contest giveaway coming up......so stay tuned!  I am still here.....