Washi tape anyone?

Week 7: Getting ready for Christmas

Are you in love with Washi tape?
Not heard of this hip Japanese tape?
Where have you been hiding?

Washi tape (I keep wanting to call it wasabi tape) is a Japanese twist on masking tape. Made from 'washi' rice paper, it has the ability to be removed easily and is handy for many things in the artsy fartsy world I try to inhabit. It is often to be seen as a torn strip attaching a polaroid photo to a random piece of wall - not only is it useful for sticking but also wrapping, decorating and writing on. See here for the delightful story of how it came out into the creative world in 2006! (It takes a minute to download, but it's worth the wait.)

Today I felt 'inspired' to start on a few gift tag ideas for the Christmas pressies. No, I haven't actually bought any yet - hence no wrapped presents in the photos -- but I rarely do things in the right order.
Guess what my colour theme is this year! Inspired by my eldest, whose love of the colour knows no bounds, I fished out card, wasabi washi tape and a few rubber stamps.

You just need a few ingredients to cook up your own unique tags to use on gifts for any occasion.

• card - I used natural white card I had lying around
• my two favourite rubber stamps, bought in Santa Fe and Hobby Lobby
• red/white twine, which now seems to be called bakers twine
• bits of origami paper
• 4 of my treasured rolls of washi tape
• glue, hole punch, pearl buttons and red felt

The washi tape adds a subtle accent on some tags, on others it is the only decoration - with just enough space between to write "Merry Christmas."

The subtle shading of the tape makes it fit well with most styles, and I love the way it is easy to peel off and restick as I misjudged the edge of the card several times.

Can you spot the baker's twine stuck onto the card to accent the red washi tape? Optional but adds a twist of twine.

The idea of felt gift tags appealed to me too - but I quickly realised how difficult it would be to write a message on the felt. Instead I sewed 3 sides of the felt rectangle to make an envelope of sorts -- which can hold a 'secret' card inside. Whether you choose to fold some colourful paper  or print on card -- the felt pouch will make a reusable gift tag pocket for next year too! By sewing a loop at the top I plan to thread the loop onto the string/ribbon that will tie the present up.

Have I got you interested in wasabi tape yet?

If you live in Japan, things are very easy, with many stockists to get a roll from.

The rest of us can shop at Amazon or Etsy, where there are several sellers.

A great selection is to be found at an interesting online store Papernation and dear old John Lewis, in the UK, even has some nice designs. 

Have fun making your gift tags now, so the last minute present wrapping will be much less stressful!

Lots more creative people at Kirsty's today if you have time to drop by her Creative Space.