One of the reasons crafters often start off in one craft and branch out to others is the sheer versatility of crafting materials.
Although crafters usually branch out for a love of crafting, their love of crafting can easily spill over thanks to the different ways certain crafting materials can be used.
For example, washi tape is a common crafting material for those who do paper crafting such as scrapbooking, sticker planning, and journaling. But did you know washi tape can also be used for picture frames, party décor, and even coasters?
So, what are the best uses for washi tape? As we noted above, washi tape is great for paper crafting, but it can also be used to create page markers, decorate picture frames, personalize stationary, make decorative coasters, and even decorate your furniture and walls.
The possibilities are endless with washi tape. In this article, we’ll explore the world of uses that washi tape has to offer.
How To Use Washi Tape
For those who have never used washi tape before, it’s key to know that the decorative pattern is more important than the adhesive qualities. Washi tape is still tape, and yes, it will stick. However, it has a very low amount of adhesion.
This is because washi tape is made specifically for decoration. The goal of washi tape is to provide a fun pattern or color to add to your crafts.
This doesn’t mean that washi tape doesn’t stick at all. It still holds to paper, so you can trust it to stay where you put it. If you want to use it to tape down the corners of a photo in a scrapbook, it will still work for this purpose.
However, it doesn’t have enough adhesive quality to hold something up on a wall unless you use the tape around the entire border of the photo or poster.
Washi tape is thin, so when you’re pulling a length of it from the roll to use, you can choose to either rip it at the edge or cut it cleanly with scissors.
Many people do it both ways. Some people enjoy the rough edges of ripped washi tape because it adds character to their crafts. Others enjoy the sharp, clean lines of washi tape that’s been cut with scissors.
Cutting it with scissors also gives you the opportunity to cut the ends in a fun way, such as to a triangular point or with two triangular points and a “V” in the middle, like the end of a ribbon.
For more tips and tricks, take a look at this video from Ann Le on YouTube.
What Is Washi Tape Used For?
Washi tape is used for a wide variety of crafts. The main reason washi tape lends itself well to a variety of crafts is the variety in the tape patterns themselves.
You can find washi tape with patterns of nature, space, gold foil, floral, solid colors, glitter, or even muted, antique, minimalist style. You can also find very thin washi tape for tiny borders.
If you have a preference for color, pattern, or width, there will surely be a set of washi tape rolls out there for you. All you have to do is choose a craft to use them with!
1. Paper Crafts
Paper crafts are the number one use for washi tape. From planners to journals, scrapbooks to junk journals, or even bullet journals and regular notebooks, washi tape has a place.
Let’s start with planners. Some crafters participate in sticker planning, which refers to using stickers to plan your weeks, days, or months in a planner.
Those that do sticker planning often use washi tape. It can be used as a border around the day or week boxes, or as a place to write a quick to-do item or meeting.
Washi tape is also popular in scrapbooks because it can be a decorative accent and it can be useful by holding a photo or event ticket in place.
Scrapbooks are all about taking memories and preserving them in a fun, decorative album. Washi tape can help to add style to the scrapbook, as well as hold mementos in place.
It can be used in the same way for junk journals, which are similar to scrapbooks but a little less organized. Scrapbooks are mainly used for photos, while junk journals can be used for tons of ephemera regardless of sentiment. To read more about junk journals, check out our article here.
Because washi tape has such a low adhesion, it’s easy to remove from paper without leaving a mess or ripping the paper. This makes it the ideal candidate for temporary uses too.
With bullet journals, for example, some people enjoy creating their own lines but running a highlighter or pen across the dots. These lines can be done cleanly with the help of washi tape.
Those who use bullet journals sometimes use washi tape on the long edges of each page to guide the end of their lines and make them uniform. Finally, washi tape is used to turn a boring composition notebook into something fun and creative.
Not only can washi tape be used to decorate the front and back covers, but it can be used along the binding to give each notebook its own flair and help you differentiate between them on your shelves.
2. Furniture Decoration
Washi tape also makes a great material for interior decorating.
Since it’s low in adhesion, it can be applied to furniture pieces with little worry of how it might come off in the end. This makes it perfect for those who like to change up the look of their environment on a regular basis.
It can be applied to lamp shades, table tops, and even corkboards or white boards that hang on the wall.
When you get tired of that pattern, or if you just put the washi tape on but don’t like the look of it, you can easily peel it off and try something different with minimal to no damage done to your furniture.
3. Wallpaper
While we’re on the subject of interior decorating, washi tape also does a great job on walls. Again, thanks to its low adhesion, it’s safe to use on walls without fear of it ripping the paint when you take it down.
Many people use washi tape do to decorative accent walls and even make artistic murals out of washi tape. This could be a fun and easy way to decorate your office at work without fear of damaging the walls when you leave the company.
4. Page Markers
Though washi tape may have only light adhesive qualities, it’s still plenty to stick two pieces together. This is a great way to mark pages in a book or notebook!
Simply pull a small piece of washi tape, cut or rip it from the roll, then attach the very end to one side of your page. Fold it over, making sure to leave plenty of the tape sticking to itself above the page, then secure it by pressing the other end to the other side of the page.
Though washi tape may be seen as more decorative than functional, this can set your books apart and help you keep track of specific pages or sections in a book with ease while maintaining your personal style and flair.
5. Picture Frames
Another great way to use washi tape to decorate is by adding it to picture frames! Those on a budget are all too familiar with the plain black or white picture frames you can get at the dollar store.
They’re boring to look at, but nicer frames are too expensive. If you’re already a crafter with washi tape on hand, this could be a great project for you! Take some of your favorite washi tape and add it around your picture frame.
You could use it to cover the entire frame border, or you could make a pattern. You can run diagonal stripes along the frame or cut out circles from your washi tape to make a polka dot pattern.
You can even use washi tape as the picture frame. Instead of putting the picture inside of a frame, simply hang it on the wall by securing it around each of the 4 edges with washi tape.
It’s a fun way to add pictures to your wall that you can mix, match, relocate, and decorate however you want!
6. Stationary
Crafters often tend to be creative people, and with the territory of being creative comes a desire to express yourself in any way possible. Even in things as mundane as letter stationary, envelopes, or greeting cards!
To add your own style to your stationary, try using washi tape. You can decorate your paper for letter writing with washi tape, add it as a cute border around the edges of your envelopes, or even use it to make fun designs on greeting cards.
7. Labels
Though washi tape is used often for sticking or decorating, it’s also able to be written on. If you’re looking for a way to make labels that look fun and bright, then use washi tape!
You can cut clean strips of washi tape, attach them to the object you want to label, then write on the tape with a permanent marker.
Using a label maker is always fun, but you’re limited by the types of label tape available for your brand of label maker. With washi tape, you can have labels in any style, color, pattern, or theme you want!
8. Decorative Gift Wrapping
Just as you can add washi tape to any other paper, you can even add it to gift wrapping! Gift wrapping is often fun and decorative in and of itself, but there are also rolls of gift wrap that are quite plain or simple.
You can elevate your gift wrapping by adding washi tape! Not only can you use the washi tape to secure the gift wrap around the present, but you can then use it to add a pattern or stylish accent to the wrapping.
9. Watercolor Painting Border
We mentioned earlier that washi tape is sometimes used in bullet journals to allow someone to create sharp lines before removing the tape.
This same principle applies to watercolor painting. Sometimes with watercolor painting, the artist wants to maintain a clean white border around the piece.
Washi tape can help you achieve that border. Place it carefully on your watercolor paper, making sure that the border distance is what you want. Then, you can get painting!
Once you’re done with your painting and the watercolors have dried, you can remove the washi tape. You should be left with clean edges around your painting and a nice white border around the art piece.
10. Party Décor
Party décor is often personalized per party. There are color schemes, themes, or name customizations that play a factor in the decorations for a party. Washi tape can help you achieve the themed party of your dreams!
No matter what theme, you can find washi tape that complements it. Even if the washi tape is just plain colors, it can be used as accents to add that extra little touch to your party.
The possibilities are limitless too. You can use washi tape to make little flags for cupcakes or serving trays by folding it on itself around a toothpick.
You could also wrap a length of washi tape around mason jars or cups to provide differentiation. This would be helpful for larger parties when you want people to be able to easily identify their own plastic cup among a sea of them.
You can also use it to create straw tabs. This would be done the same way as the flags, except you’re folding it on itself around a straw instead of a toothpick.
Doing the same thing around a piece of string or twine can help you create a miniature banner, too!
11. Planter Decoration
Just as you can wrap washi tape around a cup or mason jar to create a party decoration, you can wrap it around a small planter to add a little flair to your plants.
This is usually best done with small planters and on planters that will be kept indoors. If you wrap washi tape around outdoor planters, the rain will cause it to deteriorate.
But you can use it on indoor planters, like for succulents or cacti, to give them an extra decorative accent.
12. Coasters
One popular gift craft is to create photo coasters out of family pictures to give to people. If you’re short on pictures or want to do something more colorful, you can use washi tape instead!
Simply run strips of washi tape on top of a ceramic tile and seal it with mod podge and acrylic sealer spray. You can create coasters of all colors, themes, and patterns. Your options are only as limited as your washi tape collection!
13. Magnets
Another household item you can personalize with washi tape is magnets.
For this project, you’ll need to buy a roll of magnet tape. Rather than sticking the adhesive part of the magnet tape to another object, you’ll use that side and place your washi tape on top.
Then, you have a cute and decorative magnet strip to use on your whiteboard or refrigerator!
You can even cut the magnet tape to look “ripped” at the edges, so when you place your washi tape, it looks like you have a piece of washi tape on your fridge instead of a magnet.
Up Next: Types Of Craft Tape – And What To Use Them For
