5 Adorable Ways to Decorate With Washi Tape

Crafts with washi tapes are all the rage today. These adorable, tiny decorative tapes had come a long way from their creation back in 2006. At its core, it is a Japanese masking tape with various colors, patterns, and designs. It was used as a fun little decoration in notebooks, planners, school projects, journals, etc. In recent years, however, the interest in washi tape grew. Social media channels such as Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook have helped catapult these cute designer tapes into the limelight. Hobbyists and craft enthusiasts have started creating and sharing washi tape ideas and crafts, instantly turning these tapes into a must-have arts and crafts tool. 

Rainbow Dreams Washi Tape Bundle

A Brief History of Washi Tapes

What exactly is a washi tape, and how did it become popular? In 2006, a Japanese company (Kamoi Kakoshi Co. Ltd.) received an email from a small group of women. This group had used the firm’s industrial masking tape to develop and design their book. The email stated that the women would like to visit their company before using these tapes in their next book. At first, the women didn’t receive any reply from the company. So they took matters into their own hands and sent another book filled with gorgeous and colorful pages designed with the company’s masking tapes. Finally, they were allowed to take a tour of the facility. 

According to The Tattoo Project, the company later received “a second book filled with a lot more stunning pages from 17 different artists, all employing their masking tape to develop a thing of beauty.” The women then requested Kamoi Kakoshi to produce more masking tape colors, and the company didn’t hesitate. They started working on creating a variety of vibrant colors and cute designs. The rest, as they say, is history. 

What Can You Do With Washi Tapes?

There is so much that you can do with these fun little tapes. And when we say “so much,” we mean it. It’s not just great for sticking things (as its original purpose); it can be used to decorate, design, refurbish, upcycle, recycle, and even improvise. From simple ones such as personalizing notebook and book covers to more creative crafts such as DIY boxes and home decor, you can do so many things with just a few tapes.

Easy and Adorable Crafts With Washi Tapes and Washi Tape Ideas That You Can Try At Home!

 Are you looking for fun and easy ways to decorate, design, or upcycle things around your home without breaking the bank? Try crafts with washi tapes! You don’t need to spend too much on redecorating or designing your home. It only takes a few of these tapes to transform a space from ho-hum to wow! You don’t need to be artsy or creative too. Simply grab your fave tapes and try these five quick, easy, and adorable washi tape ideas! 

Round Art Washi Tape

1. Decorate plain or old notebooks, planners, and journals.

This is probably the easiest and simplest washi tape craft that you can try. Not only is it fun and easy, but it’s also cost-efficient. With this craft, you get to save time, money, and effort. No need to buy a new notebook or journal every few months or so. If your old notebook or journal still has a few blank pages, don’t throw them away. Simply remove the old pages and decorate the cover with your chosen washi tape. You can do the same thing for notebooks, planners, or journals with plain and boring covers. Spruce it up by covering it with one or two tapes! Don’t limit yourself to just one tape - you can use 2, 3, or more! Let your creativity flow!  

Altenew Washi Tapes

2. Personalize your water bottle or cup.

Do you have a favorite water bottle, cup, or mug? Is it too simple and humdrum? Time to add a splash of color to it! Imagine seeing a stunning galaxy design, vibrant rainbow colors, or eye-catching hand-painted florals on your cup. Your morning cup of joe (or tea!) just got better! Covering your drinking bottle with these colorful tapes could also help you drink more water, especially if you cover it with pretty tapes LIKE THESE.

Wild Flora Wide Washi Tape

3. Revamp your furniture.

If your furniture is starting to look a bit drab and unwelcoming, it’s time for some refurbishing! Yes, you can always paint them with a fresh new color. But with wide washi tape sets, your furniture can go from zero to 100 instantly!

Crafts with washi tape are great because you can easily remove or reposition these tapes. Since it is a low tack adhesive, it sticks well enough to a surface but doesn’t stick permanently. It won’t damage the surface even if you remove or reposition it a few times. So you don’t need to worry about your precious furniture or appliance getting ruined. The advent of super wide tapes LIKE THIS ONE makes it so much easier to decorate a single piece of furniture, just like in the photo below. Wow your friends by sprucing up your drawers, cabinets, cupboards, chairs, and tables using nothing but a few gorgeous tapes.   

4. Create your own gift boxes or gift bags.

If you are looking for super easy washi tape ideas, this is it! Creating a gift box or a gift bag using these tapes is a fantastic and adorable way to customize your gifts. Instead of buying overpriced gift wrappers and gift boxes, you can grab an old shoebox (or any old box you have lying around the house), cover it with your fave cute tapes, and voila!

Painted Fantasy Wide Washi Tape

You can also turn an old box into something useful like a trinket holder or desk organizer. Stick some decorative tapes onto it to add some pizazz to it. The photo above shows a clever face mask box decorated with Altenew washi tape sets, created by one of our creative customers. How adorable is that?  

Teal Shadow Wide Washi Tape

5. Customize your phone case.

What is one thing that you always have with you? Your mobile phone! If your phone’s case is starting to look plain, dull, or too “mainstream,” you can zhuzh it up with some of these handy little tapes! If you go on Pinterest and look for crafts with washi tapes, you’ll probably find many mobile phones, laptops, iPads, and other gadgets covered in these tapes. As mentioned earlier, you don’t need to worry about these tapes ruining your gadget’s surface or leaving some residue behind. If it does, you can easily clean it up with a wet wipe or cloth and water. 

Other adorable things to decorate with these cute tapes are phone or laptop chargers! Wouldn’t it be so cool to easily recognize your charger right away in a sea of mobile phone chargers? That way you won’t lose it, and you can find it easily.

Watercolor Nebula Wide Washi Tape

Thanks to social media platforms like Pinterest and Instagram, there is no shortage of inspiration for crafts with washi tapes. The good news is, refurbishing your furniture, appliances, gadgets, or living space won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Washi tape bundles and sets are more affordable than other mediums such as wall decals, paint, or wallpaper. That is part of the reason that these adorable little tapes are trendy must-haves that is a staple in every crafter’s collection.