Washi Tape Fun

(Washi Week 2017 is a blog series by Halley, my 13yo daughter.) Hello there! Welcome to day three of washi week, and today's topic, washi tape fun!  I apologize that this is a day late a storm knocked out our internet:( There are so many fun things to do with washi tape. It doesn't have to serve a purpose. As long as it's cute, it is worth making!

These are American Girl doll-sized folders and textbooks. The washi tape not only holds them together, but it makes them cuter, too!

A better view of the insides...

For Operation Christmas Child last year we made play scenes out of Altoid tins. The washi tape just made the outside cuter. You can read more about them HERE.

Here are some scrap-booked picture frames that only need a little strip of washi tape make them look cute. Tapes with phrases on them are my favorite to use for things like this. (See more frames HERE.)

The star box below was taken from my mom and washi taped with a set of washi tape I had bought.

As you can see, my sisters ruined it by drawing all over the top of it.

There are so many different thing to do with washi tape, these are just a few. So here is a list of some more ideas I have tried:

• Washi tape popsicle stick bracelets
• Washi tape covered staplers
• Washi tape on pencil sharpeners
• Hanging things (walls, lockers, etc.)
• Sealing notes
• Covering books

There are plenty more, but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

If you want to pin it for later...

Thanks for reading my post, I hope you liked it. Be sure to stay tuned for tomorrow and if you haven't already, please read the previous posts from this week. You can find them all HERE:

Washi Tape School Supplies

Hello! It's me again. I'm back for day two of Washi Week, and today's topic is school supplies! So, whether it's pencils, notebooks, binder clips, scissors, or just a strip along a binder, it's bound to be cute with washi tape on it. (If you haven't read yesterday's, you can click HERE to read it.)

Here are some of the pencils I made. They look cute, don't they?! All I did was use a strip (or a few depending on the width of the tape and the pencil) and cut it to the length needed. As you can see, I didn't really do a good job at that. Also, when sharpening, an electric sharpener is what I recommend using.

Here is another shot of the pencils...

Here are some journals my mother made for a local MOPS meeting craft. She bought a scrapbook paper pad to use on the covers and she made little cut-outs and stamps to customize it. I like how the washi tape really stands out on the and the little sayings are really perfect for this.

This picture gives you a good look at the back of the notebooks.

To do the notebook activity, mom decided to mark her scissors so she wouldn't get them confused with other people's scissors. Even something so simple as this helps keep a classroom organized.

Even a small amount of washi tape can make regular binder clips a cute classroom accessory. I just used one strip and wrapped it along the top. Smaller prints will work better, that way you get to see more of it. The middle clip has a big floral print, you can only see like half of the the tape's pattern.

Thanks again for reading one of my posts. More creative crafts are on the way for the rest of Washi Week, so stay tuned!

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(If you haven't read yesterday's, you can click HERE to read it.)

Washi Tape Cards

Hi! I'm Halley, and I'm here for Washi Week. Since I know many people have absolutely no idea what washi tape is, let me explain: washi tape is decorative paper tape that comes in SO many different sizes and prints, and you can do just about anything with it. I am basically the expert of washi tape in the family. I can't tell you how much I love this stuff. I may or may not have an obsession :) My parents (mostly my dad) say I have a real problem. I started with only 2 rolls from last Easter, and now I have  A LOT! I counted 79 this morning but I know I am missing at least 15. Anyway, I am super excited to tell you about my best Washi creations, and we're going to start the week off with my favorite... CARDS! The thing I love about making cards is there is so many things you can do with them and so many occasions you can make them for! Christmas, birthdays, weddings, thank you cards, or even just random cards to give to friends (those are my favorite!). Just like my amazing mom, I love Pinterest!!! Many of my cards are Pinterest-inspired.

With this card the sparkly card stock background gives a "happy" look to it, perfect for a birthday card.

I love this card! It was made for my sister who was going to be starting kindergarten, and she needed to get pumped up about it. What better way then using a card!?! All I did was cut a paper bag to size and glued it on. Then, using thin washi tape, I ripped off pieces to look like pencils then drew the tips So simple, yet so cute!

This card was my first, but I don't like it because I can't decide which way to hold it!

A lot of times when I buy my washi tape, they come in matching sets of two or three. Below are some of the tapes I matched together and and used on the cards. Some of them don't have their "caption boxes" yet, but usually if it's a taped background, I use a solid colored circle to surround the caption box, and if it's a solid background I include one of the tapes on the card to surround it.

And Some More Cards...

I made these cards just recently using cards that I bought and, some metallic washi tape to really set them off.

If the card isn't cute enough already you can add something simple and adorable to spice things up. All you have to do is border the envelope with one of the washi tapes used on the card. You can even add a strip on the front of the envelope to add a little extra cuteness to it. It just makes people more excited to get it in the mail!

Thanks so much for reading my post. I hope you liked it! Be sure to stay tuned for the rest of Washi Week!

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Washi Week 2017

My 13yo LOVES LOVES LOOOOOOVES washi tape! She has quite the collection! It comes in so many cute colors and designs! A lot of people have never even heard of washi tape and they don't know what to do with it. Well, she uses it quite a bit, so I thought we could dedicate an entire week on the blog to washi tape crafts. I am letting her do some guest posting to keep her busy help me out. Every day this week she will have a post about washi tape, so prepare to be inspired!!!

UPDATE: You can see each post by clicking on the images below!

 

Stuffed Bunny Ear Transplant

Summer vacation is rough!!! I (laughably) thought it might be easier this year because I actually downsized from being with 20 kids all day to just 5. Hahahahaha! Dealing with 5 of my own kids is entirely different. They aren't used to being with each other all day so they need to reestablish the pecking order. It is taking longer than usual with the hormones raging in this house these days (oh, just a sample of what is to come, I know!) Now we have a heat wave and my car is in the garage. It has been quite the week! So, if you are wondering where I have been, I am probably hiding- locked in my bedroom and curled up in the fetal position with a bag of chocolate chips.

OK. Not really.

I have ice cream.

Every now and then I get ambitious/drink extra coffee and try do something fun. Last week we went on our planned shopping excursion, but it took until 2pm or so to get them to clean their rooms so we could leave. Our first stop was the thrift store for a very specific purpose- bunny ears. The kids are waking up right now so I am going to let my 9yo do a little guest posting and tell you about it!

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I have a stuffed bunny named Twinkle Toes. It is a Beanie Boo that has the same birthday as me. My aunts' dog chewed off my bunnies' ears. They don't make these bunnies anymore so we couldn't get a new one. My mom and I decided to go to the thrift store to find new ears. I found the perfect bunny. It's ears were backwards! We all went home and mom washed the bunny. A few days later, my mom seam ripped what was left of the ears on Twinkle Toes. She also cut the ears off of the 2nd bunny. She sewed the ears on Twinkle Toes. We even added a pink flower! AGAIN, MOM SAVES THE DAY!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for posting for me today, Lydia! I am happy that I could fix your bunny for you!

Field Trip Bag

The past few weeks have been pretty much a blur. Between sports, work, gardening, farming, etc. we seem to be crazy busy all of the time! I am pretty much in survival mode. When that happens, the first things to go are sewing and blogging. I have some things I plan on sharing with you, but I rarely fire up the old laptop or pause long enough to gather my thoughts. This is the season we are in right now and it is exhausting. About a month ago my oldest daughter went on her class field trip. At 9pm the night before the trip, she came to me with fabric she picked out and wanted to make a drawstring bag to use the next day. I am crazy; so we did.

A month later I got to benefit from that late night sewing. Last week I went on THREE field trips! (I am still tired!) Of course my daughter let me borrow her bag and it was pretty handy.

I found a tutorial HERE that we roughly followed. I used fusible fleece and it is a bit thick, so next time I will stick to interfacing. We also added pockets inside to hold deodorant, etc. when she uses it for gym class. The drawstrings are made from some extra clothesline that was in our basement. I would also make the loops a bit wider and shorter next time.

I may not blog again until school is out for the year, but I am still here and I have a lot to blog about whenever I am able to make time to write.