Every now and then I get in to a scrapbook supply obsession. Currently, it is Washi Tape. It has kind of evolved – first it was ribbon, but that can be difficult to stick to pages. (There is a nice product out there that is an adhesive “line” which actually works great for ribbon, but I didn’t have this until more recently) Then in 2009 I was importing decorative tapes on Etsy… and now I’m on a Washi Tape kick.
I keep getting asked – what is washi tape? And my answer is “it’s… tape” It’s kind of like masking tape but it’s got all sorts of fantastic and wonderful designs on it, or it can be a solid color. Just way nicer than masking tape. It is made of paper, but it isn’t delicate. I’ve read that some washi tapes are actually stronger than duct tape! In my research I came across that Washi is Wa – meaning Japanese and Shi – meaning paper. Makes sense.
Recently I dropped about $50 on tape on Etsy… I try to only buy tapes that I know I will get some use out of – so look for it in my Disney scrapbook pages, One Direction pages (Office Depot is actually selling sets of One Direction Washi Tape in the stores!) and Recycled Percussion – just to name a few that I have ideas for in my head with the tapes that I recently bought. It looks like the craft stores are starting to carry more and more washi tape as well, but I have found I can find the best tape for my ideas online (for now. Michael’s was a bust when I went last week.)
Most washi tapes are also acid-free which means they are safe for scrapbooks. I’m really not sure how to know for sure though, so I’ll have to be careful if using any directly on a photo but for borders and stripes, they work great! (Some of my Christmas show scrapbook pages featured some holiday themed washi tape I had gotten a while back.)
I am trying to get back in to scrapbooking as well as blogging a bit more about my crafting… so this was my first attempt at that – hopefully I can come up with more topics and stick with it 🙂
and here’s a sneak peek at a future Washi Tape post – hmm washi tape and library pockets. What will I come up with?