DIY washi tape notebook

I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that I love washi tape. I've used it for a variety of projects, including photo displays, creating paintings and word art, just plain decorating my walls, and even for manicure inspiration. today I'm going to show you another ridiculously easy DIY project - how to cover your notebook with washi tape.

start by selecting your tapes. I'm realizing now that my colors look a lot like Christmas... in real life the greens are more minty and the pink is less red and more pink. or maybe I should use this notebook to get a head start on making my Christmas lists?

anyway. you'll also need a blank notebook. I used white since some of my tapes were a bit transparent, but another solid color would work well. you could also use a notebook that already has art on it and come up with something really interesting.

start by cutting a straight edge on your tape, then run your first color along the top edge. if it's not straight, just pull the tape up and reposition. cut a little excess tape and fold per to the inside cover of the notebook. add your second tape, your third tape, and so on.

I decided to keep things simple with just horizontal stripes, but you could go vertical or diagonal, or even weave or cut sections of the tape to create a pattern.

I initially added a vertical strip along the wire to reinforce it, and then removed it because I decided I liked the look better without. that's one of the great things about working with washi tape... removability!

this project was really easy and I'm tempted to cover all my notebooks and planners now. this would be a great way to personalize your notebooks for school, or make a cute journal to give a friend. washi tapes come in so many colors and patterns now, the possibilities are endless.

linking up with Nicole for treat yo self Thursday

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neon washi tape wall

I have a bright and fun home project to share with you today: my new neon washi tape wall.

I found this neon multi-pack of mt washi tape on sale at my local bookstore [I love you, Asia!] and knew it was just the crazy pop of color my dining room needed. mt masking tape is by far the best brand that I've tried, but there are plenty to choose from. I opted for a multi-pack because I knew I would spend an hour trying to come up with the perfect combination by buying individual colors and patterns.

I've been fighting with blogger/google to try getting the colors to show up right... but they really are neon!

as you can see, we have a chalkboard wall at the far end which sucks out all the light from the room. not that this room gets much light to start with. my walls needed a little bit of something, and when you're living in on-campus housing with walls made of concrete... the easy thing to do is washi tape them.

the process of putting up the wall was pretty simple. I took a ruler and made marks every 10cm along the left + right edges, and down the center of the wall. this wall is not exactly flat, so I just eyeballed adjustments as I felt were needed. the hooks and little birdhouse keyholder were already attached to the wall, so I just cut the tape and continued on the other side. the lightswitch was pretty icky... that got covered in another washi tape.

I'm linking up with Melyssa for the creative collective today. the challenge this week was to bring a Pinterest project to life - and so I have to admit the idea for a washi striped wall came from this blog [via Pinterest.] I also found several other washi tape wall ideas that I'm planning to do in the near future, so keep your eyes open!

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DIY dots wall hanging + photo backdrop

I'd love to tell you that this project was easy... but I completely went about it the wrong way so it actually took me a lot of time. I used the wrong materials but hopefully you can learn form my mistakes and have an easier go at making your own version!

I've been wanting to make some kind of art to hang behind our bed ever since we had the wall repainted [after the leaky cieling incident, if you remember.] this week's prompt to Melyssa's creative collective was an "anything goes" art project. I wanted to use up materials I had on hand, so all in all this project only cost me 5 NT [about 16 cents.] and that's just because I used actual coins in the project.

the paper circles I had cut out for another project that never happened - just old paper shopping bags that didn't make it to the recycling bin. I painted them first, in turquoise and mint, then realized they were curling terribly. SO. I took some thicker board that I had on hand and taped strips to the back to reinforce the circles. [this is what took up so much of my time... and tape. I would recommend making your circles out of something sturdy to begin with!]

an hour later... I decided how I wanted to lay them out. I hung the top row first, hung strings from them weighted with 1 NT coins to hold them straight, measured then used tiny bits of washi tape to mark where I would hang the rest of the circles. I used the little markers to anchor the tape and just pressed the circles on, and reinforced them again when I was done.

hopefully I didn't scare you off from attempting this project... I ended up covered in tape bits and tangled in thread and still think it was worth it! so it took me a long time, but I'm really happy with how it turned out. I think it makes a great piece of wall art and I'm excited to use it as a backdrop for taking photos. you could totally make one for your next party, using whatever colors you like [or change up the shapes - but I'm partial to the dots.]

and don't forget to see what everyone else created for this week's project!

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DIY wall art: painted washi tape words

I have a thing for paint projects that involve tape. [probably because I can't freehand a straight line to save my life.] so when I saw that the first creative collective project involved making an art piece of your 2014 motto, I knew exactly what I was going to attempt.

if you remember, my 2014 motto is actually challenge accepted. but I decided that the best way to tackle this particular challenge was to simplify things. so... I gave in to the hustle.

I didn't have any blank canvas on hand, so I cut off a spare cardboard chunk. I started with a coat of silver poster paint. this paint has been hanging out in my office unused for way too long, and I figured it was about time to break it out.

once the silver was completely dry, I taped off my word and a border to go around it. I knew the tape would be great for straight edges but not so much the curves. so I made my "font" a little angular and intentionally funky. painter's tape would also work instead of washi tape here.

I painted a coat of emerald around the tape, let it dry and peeled it off. [yes, it's really that easy to make wall art.]

it's a little rough around the edges, literally. I think you would have better results with canvas, but I'm still happy with how it turned out. and of course it all comes back to my motto... I challenged myself to use materials I had on hand and I made it work.

plus, I really love how the silver + emerald work with my chevron wall.

I'm so excited to be linking up with Melyssa for this creative collective project, and to find new ways to exercise my creativity this year! I hope you'll join us.

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