How to Use Washi Tape in Cards and Layouts

Run washi tape down all four edges of a 12 by 12 inch sheet of cardstock. Gwen lets it wrap around the edge to the back, which gives a cleaner finish than stopping flush. Trim off any excess. Then cut a second sheet a quarter inch smaller on every side and lay it on top, so a thin washi frame shows all the way around. Wide tape makes this easier.

Cut a scrap of cardstock a little bigger than your photo for the mat. Apply washi tape along all four sides. With thinner tape, Gwen lines it up with the edge of the paper instead of wrapping it around. Use the same tape you framed the page with. Repeating one tape in two places ties the layout together and uses up most of a roll.

Lay a stripe of washi on the far left edge of your page and another on the far right. Measure in about three and a half inches from one side and add a third stripe. Use a t-square ruler so every line is straight. Fill the gap between the stripes with a strip of patterned paper, and balance the other side with a thinner strip. Any widths you like will work.

Stick washi tape onto scrap cardstock, then punch it like any paper. Gwen uses a tab punch to make a pile of small tabs to tuck behind photos and paper layers. Wide tape fills the punch best. With standard width tape, punch it straight and leave a thin white strip at the bottom. It looks like it was meant to be there.

When you build a cluster of paper layers, add a strip of washi to one or two of them. Gwen runs a ticket print tape down the left edge of a plain card so it anchors the cluster. On the next layer she runs a different design horizontally. Mix and match directions and prints. All of these ideas can be combined on one page.

Cut your photo mat to size. Lay a short piece of washi across each of the four corners at an angle, then fold the ends around to the back. The easiest way to line them up is to start right in the corner of the mat, with the edge of the tape sitting exactly in that corner. They look like old fashioned photo corners and cost nothing.

Cut a strip of cardstock as wide as a journaling card and fold it in half. Seal the two open sides with washi tape. The first strip shows; tuck the second one under the journaling card so it barely does. Gwen wished she had cut a small notch at the top first. Do it before you seal the bottom, so a tag slides in and out easily.

Lay strips of washi side by side on scrap card to make an area big enough for your die. Line up the pattern as well as you can so the seams disappear. Run it through the die machine. Gwen cuts two flowers in different sizes and stacks them for a layered embellishment. If a piece sticks in the die, tap the die on your desk and it usually drops out.

Cut plain white cardstock to fit your card base. Lay strips of washi across it, lining up the design so it reads like patterned paper. Geometric prints work well. Trim the excess with scissors. Gwen then die cuts a scallop circle window from the panel. You get two looks from one panel: the window for one card and the circle for another.

Washi makes a handy mask for ink. Lay a strip across your card, then blend distress ink over the edge with a mini ink cube or a blending tool. Peel the tape away and you have a crisp line. Because washi is low tack and repositionable, you can move it around a large page, and it holds stencils in place too.