Homemade Washi Tape

I love washi tape!! I'm starting to collect quite a few rolls of my own. They are so pretty and fun to use for craft projects, letters, and gifts. One day I saw this tutorial at Just Something I Made Blog for handmade paper tape and I was so excited!!!

So here is my tutorial version of washi\paper tape...

• Collect a variety of vintage old spools. These ones were actually from my Grandmother's sewing box. But you can find them at thrift store and probably ebay. Or else you can just use an empty ones you have on hand. 
• I bought a box of 3M Positionable Mounting Adhesive from Amazon. It is about $46 a box, so it's not cheap. Luckily, I had some Amazon credit so that was a big help. But you get a ton of it and you can use it for other project too. This stuff is super sticky so watch where you put your fingers!
• Find scrapbook paper or any decorative paper you like. I had a ton of scrapbook paper that I loved with pretty patterns, So I cut it into long strips with a paper cutter. 

• Once you have the strips you want to use, roll out your adhesive tape. Carefully lay the strips onto the sticky side of the tape and lay the strips end to end. 

• Once you have your strips laid out, use the smoothing tool that comes with the tape. Smooth it down completely because this will really help the adhesive backing to stick to your paper. (This is especially important for when you are rolling it up on the spool.) 
• Since there will be breaks in the tape from where your paper strips meet. You could use contact paper and cover your strips. I did not do this step, but it is a suggestion if you would like a more cohesive paper tape. 
• Take an X-Acto cutter and a ruler and slowly cut out the strips you want to use for your tape. (Remember to us a cutting mat underneath). You will be cutting all the way through to the other side of the tape. You will want the protective backing on the back of your tape, so don't pull that off. 

• Cut a small bit of the protective backing off the tape, so you can stick it to your spool.
• SLOWLY!!! Roll your tape onto your spool. If you notice the white backing starting to bubble or pucker, just smooth it out as best you can as you roll it. (When you go to use the tape you end up pulling it off and throwing it away anyway, but keep it as smooth as possible on your spool)
• When you get to the end, I secured mine with some Scotch Magic Tape, but in the other tutorial she used a wire to hold the tape on the spool.

And there you have it, your very own collection of handmade paper tape!! Very easy and the possibilities are endless!! 

Linked up at these rad places:

It's Overflowing, Five Days...5 Ways, Tatertots and Jello, House of Hepworths, The 36th Avenue, Crafty, Scrappy, Happy, The Shabby Nest, My Romantic Home, Finding Fabulous, Bubbly Nature Creations, Tip Junkie