Washi Tape Picnic

I’ve been intrigued by washi tape for quite some time now after first seeing it on Pinterest. I’ve been wanting to add some of the Japanese paper tape to my crafting arsenal for quite some time now. But I finally pulled the trigger when I read about the Washi Tape Linky party being hosted by fabulous Uncommon Designs, live.laugh.rowe and Chasing Sunshine.

I love a challenge.

I bought two packets of paper tape in red and blue from Target — and after playing with it some, I can’t wait to buy more.

I’m sure that washi tape will find its way into my cardmaking and papercrafting, but for this challenge, I wanted to  design something in the home decor category. Coming up with an idea was something of a challenge, so I decided a field trip to Anthropologie was in order.

While there, I spotted these adorable acrylic gingham teaspoons. Cute, but so not worth the $6 per spoon price!

I started wondering whether I could make a knockoff with washi tape.

And the answer is yes — sort of.

I played around with wrapping clear plastic spoons — Maypole style — with wash tape. Turns out, it was harder to wrap the spoons when I thought, particularly the bowl of the spoon. It turned out all lumpy-bumpy, and then there’s the issue of using the spoons. (Had this worked, I was planned to seal the tape with Mod Podge or spray acrylic.

Ugly, failed attempt to wrap spoons with washi tape

After attempting the spiral wrapping technique a half-dozen times, I switched gears and decided to adhere a stripe of tape down the length of my plastic utensils, front and back. I was much happier with those results.

I think the washi tape adds a colorful pop to plain Jane plastic utensils. And I started thinking that these tape-wrapped utensils would be perfect for a picnic.

Washi Tape Utensils from AttaGirlSays.com

To complete my picnic theme, I decided to decorate a dollar store watering can to be used as a utensil caddy. Then, I decided to make some disposable picnic coasters, using washi tape and a weaving technique.

The first time I did this, I stuck 5 strips of washi tape , each about 5 inches long, down on my desk. I cut five additional strips and started weaving them over-under the first five strips. This is the same technique we used for making placemats in Girl Scouts.

When I’d woven my square, I carefully peeled my tape up off my desk and adhered it to a piece of card stock. Then, I cut the card stock down into a square, using the tape as my guide. I used my pinking shears on the edges to add more homespun character.

Peeling the tape off of my desk proved more challenging than I anticipated, so I got smart when I made my second coaster. I stuck the tape to a piece of leftover vinyl backing. But wax paper would work, too. This is so much smarter and easier; the tape peels right off without threat of tearing.

These coasters and utensils are super easy to make. You can whip out a couple of coasters in 5 minutes, and it shouldn’t take you much longer to tape off the handles of your forks, knives and spoons.

I personally think these would look adorable paired with Uncommon Designs’ simple washi tape place cards.

Photo via Uncommon Designs

This is such an easy way to elevate a ho-hum picnic into a fabulous and fashionable affair.

I am so excited to continue crafting with washi tape. I want to make some more durable coasters, like A Pumpkin & A Princess did.

Photo via A Pumpkin & A Princess

And I’d love to make these bird house key hooks by Torie Jayne.

Photo via Torie Jayne

If you’re looking for more Washi inspiration, check out the washi series at My Sister’s Suitcase. Lots of great ideas.