Friday, October 12, 2012

Washi Tape Craft Ideas

For those of you who don't already know Korean or Japanese Washi Tape is all the rage in arts & crafts, mail art and scrapbooking circles these days.  For years it was very difficult and expensive to acquire.  The colors and styles were very limited.  Finally I've secured a direct resource for the tape and it is now available to purchase in my etsy shop!  Starting today I'm selling a variety of fabric based washi tape rolls.  This tape is made of fabric and looks and feels like cotton ribbon.  Today I just listed a rainbow of polka dotted shades and over the weekend I will list a variety of fun and fresh floral patterns.  I still have nearly 30 different patterns to list so please keep checking back for new items.  I hope to have everything up by Monday.

Washi tape is an extremely versatile adhesive.  It's very similar to masking tape but lighter and more flexible [forgiving].  If at first you apply it incorrectly, it's easy to correct and reapply without damaging whatever surface you're working on.  It's especially fun to work with because it looks so cute!

Here are a few ideas of what you can do with washi tape:


Don't just wrap your presents with it.  Wrap it all around your presents!  Criss-cross it and cut it with pendant edges.  Embellish your own handmade paper ribbons and bows with it.  Add a colorful splash to your gift tags.  Use it to seal envelopes and embellish your own stationery.  The possibilities are endless! 




In the future I will be carrying many more patterns, colors and styles of washi tape so stay tuned and thanks for looking!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Upcycled Crochet Votive Candle Holders

 
I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I even though I started and finished this project months ago, I've been so busy that only now have I forced myself to blog about it.  Inspired by Creative Carmelina, I wanted to try my hand at creating my own upcycled crochet holders.  As there's never any shortage of glass jars in our house from all of the pickled food that we eat, I thought it would be a great idea to crochet some votive candle holders with them.
 

 
You can really use any sort of container you might otherwise recycle or dispose of.
 
 
You can also use any sort of yarn although I used vintage doily yarn since I have so much of it sitting around crying out to be used.  I also really like the effect of the doily yarn.  When the candle is glowing, it looks like lace.
 
 
Here's a shot of the holders nearly finished with some zucchini bread I baked.  This is our living room where a lot of crocheting is commenced.
 
 
 
I thought I might be going a little overboard crocheting the tops of the holders but in the end, that extra little bit of detail really brings the whole set together.
 
 
Of course, you can use the holders to hold more than just candles.  They're quite portable and stackable too.
 
 
So next time you're about to toss that empty glass jar into the recycling bin, just think of something more than you can create with it!