#1 Introduction

Washi tape, or, as it is called in Japan, masking tape, is an adhesive. It is usually made out of natural fibers and is easily removable, can be ripped by hand and doesn’t leave marks on walls or even on regular paper. If you have ever been on the study / bullet journal side of the internet, you will most likely have seen a variety of different coloured, pattered or even shaped tapes. The term washi tape is a misnomer, as washi is a traditional type of paper from Japan, and has little to do with the tapes, although washi tape did originate in Japan and uses a lot of traditional washi patterns.

The company that invented colourful washi tape is called Kamoi Kakoshi, and they are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. Their brand MT Masking Tape can be found all over the world.  With 46 basic, 80 MT ex, 30 MT fab, 43 slim tapes, as well as an additional 36 new tapes in the 2018 Spring and Summer collection, excluding all of the Halloween / Christmas tapes, old seasons and MT artist series tapes, the amount of tapes MT offers incredibly diverse and exciting. I’ll be using a bunch of different MT tapes to show you 6 simple ways to use washi tape. So without further ado, here’s 6 washi tape tutorials.

#2 Bookmarks

Starting off with a very simple craft, all you need is a roll of washi tape, some sturdy paper a hole punch and some scissors. To start, simply stick the tape to the paper in the desired length cut it out. I would recommend using a wider tape, as the standard 15mm tapes are a bit too thin. After you have cut out your bookmark, you can decorate it some more by using a hole punch to cut out a circle from one end and tying a ribbon or some more masking tape through.

Tapes used:
mt x Morris & Co – Lily Border 20mm from the 2018 mt x artists series.
ex – bamboo ruler 20mm For the “ribbons”:
ex – goldfish from the 2017 fall series
mt slim – twist cord c [red and blue]

I got this idea from the @mtmaskingtape instagram account!

#3 Pens

As somebody with a lot of pens, I’m usually the person who ends up lending everybody something. This used to not be a problem, as I had muji pens from Japan that nobody else had, but now almost all of my teachers have the exact same pens. So I needed a way to mark my own pens, and of course, I immediately thought of using some washi tape.

Tapes used: mt WAMON 4 – 2018 Spring & Summer collection

#4 Book Tabs

To be totally honest, I do not know what these are called, I’m just gonna say tabs. If you’ve ever seen my bookstagram page, you will know that I like marking my favourite passages, and instead of creating dog ears or using a pen, I use washi tape, as it doesn’t harm the book as much. If your book has very thin paper it can still leave traces though. I prefer washi tape over regular tabs though because you can have the colours match those of the book cover, leading to a more ‘aesthetic’ shelf (not that anybody sees the spines).

Tapes used: mt x Lisa Larson – Sketch face 2017 – Spring & Sommer Collection
mt deco series – stripe red

#5 Phone Charger

I must admit I am on my phone a lot, so I often take my charger with me to school. Similar to how I loose my pens because they all look the same, phone chargers, especially iphone chargers, look identical, so I need a way to identify mine.

You can do the same to your phone / phone case, since it seems like most phones are plain black nowadays. I really like the combination I used here, the black and white tapes with the little bit of bright yellow and orange from the mt slim.

#6 Decorate

Now that we have had some practical uses of washi tape, my last bit of advice is to just decorate anything and everything. Make school / work fun. Personally, I feel more motivated to study math if my notes look like the photo below. Washi tape is available in so many different colours and patterns, get creative. There are so many different bullet journaling videos on Youtube, go find some!

Tapes used:
On pens: mt WAMON 4 – 2018 Spring & Summer collection
On  notebook: mt slim deco series – deco f
the mt ex – watercolor flowers
mt ex – mini flower botanical art
mt ex – goldfish from the 2017 fall series

#6 Wrap-Up

And that’s all I have for you today. I hope you enjoyed this post and would like more posts about stationery / more washi tape tutorials! Do leave a comment down below.

If you want to check out some of mt’s tapes, here is their 2018 catalogue.

If you don’t already, do follow me on Instagram, I’ve been very active there lately.

Until next time,
Yona