Washi Wonder

I love washi tape. It's cute, versatile, and inexpensive. I usually buy mine through Etsy (here and here), but you can also pick it up at Michael's (or any other art/craft store) in the scrapbook section.

Washi tape is basically thin patterned masking tape. It's less adhesive than regular masking tape, which makes it perfect for taping prints into frames or any project where you don't want to damage the item you're taping or want to remove the tape shortly after applying it. I think its main purpose is probably for scrapbooking and other crafts - but I'm not big on "crafts". (Not to be confused with DIY, with which I'm totally down.)

Which brings me to today's project - I have all this washi tape that I wasn't using, except to wrap the occasional gift. While at my computer, I was playing around with my favourite one - black and white stripes - and ended up covering one of my desk handles with tape. This is a desk for which I have big plans, but plans that must wait until it's (relatively) consistently pleasant outside so that I can cart it out and sand/stain/paint/replace hardware. In the meantime, I found that I really liked the look of the striped pulls - so I covered the rest of the handles, resulting in a quick, easy, and inexpensive update that should last until I'm able to fully revamp the desk.

Before

After

This got me thinking about other potential uses for washi tape. A quick search of Pinterest turned up all kinds of projects, like on staircases (there must be a sealant on top of that because washi tape is NOT that durable) and wrapped around lamp cords (looks cool but not entirely sure it's safe...).  Here are a few smaller scale (and likely safer) projects:

Washi tape magnets! I bought this roll of magnet tape at Michael's for $1.99, which made 16 1.5'-2" magnets. I just cut a strip of magnet, peeled off the paper, attached a piece of washi tape, and trimmed the excess tape. Ta da!

Washi tape drink stirrers! I made these by folding a piece of tape over the end of a wood skewer (cut to size) and cutting the ends into a pennant shape. You could also attach these to toothpicks and use them as decorations for cupcakes and the like. Easy and cute addition to a party.

Another party idea would be to use a washi tape that coordinated with the party colours and attach it around the rim of a glass - although, it would probably be best to put it a little lower than I did, so people don't have to put their mouths on the tape. I used nice crystal glasses - but the great thing about washi tape is that it isn't super adhesive, so it peels off easily when you're done without leaving sticky residue.  You could also do this to jazz up plastic cups for a party, as seen here.

I'm sure there are a million other creative projects out there. Do you use washi tape for anything unusual?