DIY: Washi Tape Wrapping Paper

Guest DIY by Marisa of Omiyage







I don't know about you, but I'm always on the hunt for new washi tape projects. While these colourful tapes are definitely multi-taskers, one of my favourite ways to use them has always been for wrapping. Here's a fun (and easy!) way to make your own custom wrapping paper and a few clever ways to stretch the life of your washi tape!


Materials needed:
• washi tape in your choice of colours & patterns
• white printer paper
• colour printer with copy / scan functions



Using the washi tape, create a design of your choice all over a piece of printer paper. I made 4 different designs - classic washi strips, stripes, houses and starbursts.

Using the colour copy function of your printer, make as many copies of your design as you would like. It's also a great idea to scan and save your design - this way you can always print out more wrapping paper as you need it!


One of the best qualities of washi tape is that it is removable, replaceable and reusable. You will find that once you make one design, you can (carefully) peel the tape off the paper and reuse it make another design. My washi strips were reused to make the houses, and the stripes became starbursts. But be warned that each time you stick, unstick and restick it, the washi tape will lose a little of its stickiness.



Once you've created your wrapping paper, why not reuse the tape strips? Grab some blank shipping tags and get crafty making up pretty tags to match your paper.





Of course, unless you go wild with tag making, you'll still have strips left over. Use these strips to seal up your packages as you wrap!

Finish your parcel off with some pretty twine or ribbon and one of the tags.

Ta-da! One-of-a-kind washi wrapping paper and matching tags!


Have you seen any fantastic washi tape tutorials or inspiration lately? 
....................................................


Lover of all things crafty, clever and charming, Marisa runs Omiyage.ca - a webshop full of cute stationery, crafty goodness, pretty packaging supplies and, of course, rolls and rolls of gorgeous washi tape! Connect with her on Twitter, join the Omiyage facebook page, or visit Omiyage Blogs for more DIY projects, crafty inspiration and lots more!

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DIY: Washi Tape Wrapping Paper

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Star Book Tutorial by roughdrAftbooks

Guest tutorial by e. bond of roughdraftbooks



image 01
We are thrilled today to bring you a cool star book bookbinding tutorial by roughdrAftbooks.  roughdrAftbooks is a sweet little one woman book studio in the heart of philadelphia specializing in hand-made book forms that turn into journals, notepads and one-of-a-kind wonders perfect for documenting your life.  Check her out online at Poppytalk Handmade HERE or on Etsy HERE. roughdrAftbooks will be holding a live bookmaking workshop at Anthropologie in Philadelphia (part of a city-wide event called Design Philadelphia. See info and site here).  Here's the tutorial! (Thanks e.)!


This star book form is a great structure to use in many ways. I have used this form as a holiday ornament, sun catchers, gift tags for presents and even wedding favors. You can use all kinds of great materials to make your form special.

Materials Needed:
5 pieces of paper, any size as long as it is perfectly square
2 pieces of decorated paper 1.5 inches larger than the size of your boards (to cover your boards)
2 boards (mat board thickness) cut exactly half the size of the paper you are using + ¼ inch
For instance if your paper is a 6 x 6 inch square, then you should cut 2 boards that are 3 ¼ inch.
glue stick, bone folder, scissors, cutting board and a piece of ribbon or something to use to keep book closed or to hang it from



CONTINUE READING...

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Star Book Tutorial by roughdrAftbooks

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A Quick + Fun Erase Marker Board DIY

Rikkianne of You Sentimental Idiot sent over a link to a quick DIY she stumbled across on Pinterest.
through Jill Ruth.

It's using old frames, a piece of burlap, and a dry erase marker to create a faux embroidery look.  Rikkianne thought it was super cute and decided to try it.  While she was working on it, her little one came over and wanted to make the design.  Her daughter, Mia often gets in on the DIY's she tells us.  It's incredibly easy and makes good use of old picture frames. And what's fun is, you can have a new design anytime you wish! Just erase and draw again!










Her daughter came home after school, picked up one of her Maira Kalman books and drew this.

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A Quick + Fun Erase Marker Board DIY

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Floating Cabinets Are Done....

Thank God Friday is finally here - aren't you glad?? Today's post is about a DIY project we worked on in our home. Check it out....

So after my master closet was done, we decided it was time to tackle the dining room area. The wall across from the table looked TERRIBLY lonely & sparse. I'd been on a SERIOUS & frustrating hunt for a sideboard & came up with nothing every time! Well, I won't lie, I found a few, but they were well OVER my budget! 


After seeing this post on Apartment Therapy, I thought it would be a great idea for our space! So, we tried IKEA!


CABINETS: 


Ikea Akurum cabinets 36" wide x 24" high with white high gloss Abstrakt doors.


We placed them 8" off the floor. The IKEA rail system needed at least 3 stud screws with 3 toggle bolts in addition. Total dimensions are 12' x 24"H x 13"D.  We also had end caps but decided not to install them because the ends were close enough to the walls.








 


PULLS:


I decided that instead of using standard IKEA pulls or knobs .... I was going to try something different.  Something that would give it less of an IKEA look & more of a high-end feel. I found the perfect pulls while reading Erika's kitchen renovation post. She's got such great style that I didn't even question it & purchased them via myknobs.com.  I bought 8 brushed brass pulls for a total of $61.  So, what do you think?? 








TOP PIECE:


As some of you know, these cabinets have annoying & visible screws at the top - so we had to figure out a way to cover them... They're ugly. We went to a local lumber yard & bought a 13 foot x 14" piece of poplar with no visible knots & had it milled. Cost of the wood - $28. The depth had too much overhang so my guy VERY carefully trimmed the back with a circular saw to give us a 1/8" overhang.








FOR THE WOOD STAIN:


We used a mixture of Jacobean and Ebony Minwax stain (in all, we only used 2 small cans) to give it a brown-black finish. Remember to sand it before and between all coats. A third/final coat we used an Antique Walnut Minwax Polyshade (thin layer of polyurethane) to give it a protective finish. The top is glued and screwed (remember to use ones that won't pierce the top) to the cabinets.








BEFORE:





AFTER:


 


MY COMMENTS:


My guy was amazing- he managed to build the entire thing & make it look flawless. 


One ISSUE.... The entire piece stretches about 12 feet long. Soooo guess what!!?? I'm at a LOSS for what kind of accessories to put on top?!? All I have is books & a vase, but I'm open to suggestions. Any ideas?!?!?!? Pls help!




-images by jen ramos

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Floating Cabinets Are Done....

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Before & After Kitchen Renovation

Welcome back! It's Monday & it's back to work! Today.....one of my readers, Meaghan Taylor sent over her amazing Kitchen renovation. 


She described the before pictures by saying, "it looked like a crack den." Ha! Well, I'm not going to disagree with her on that but let's just say the after pics are amazing! 


As many of you know I L-O-V-E a white kitchen & this one was done so nicely...... from the white subway tiles to the black counter tops! I can hardly believe it's the same place....can you?? Let Meaghan know what you think of her reno!!









BEFORE



 AFTER
 









BEFORE







Here's what Meaghan had to say about the renovation project:


We purchased this home in September of 2009 and planned to first concentrate on:
 
- Removing all the 1970s wallpaper (on unprimed walls!) and painting
- Removing the popcorn ceilings and re-plastering
- Removing the carpet and replacing with hardwood
 
We also planned to paint the kitchen walls and cabinets to spruce things up a bit while we saved up for a new kitchen (WITHOUT carpet!)  Unfortunately, we were so tired after 10+ rooms that by the time we got to the kitchen (we were planning a wedding at the same time!), that never happened.  
 
FINALLY (2 years later), we can say that we are DONE!  Let's decorate (ideas welcome!)
 
 



-images by Meaghan Taylor

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Before & After Kitchen Renovation

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DIY Idea: Mushroom Spore Printing {b.a.h.}

The latest issue of bookhou's mini online magazine, bookhou at home launched today - have you seen?  Loving Margie Oomen's mushroom spore printing DIY idea. No paint is needed, the mushrooms themselves release these off-white spores.  I love how they look against the kraft paper. See more in issue 4 of bookhou at home!

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DIY Idea: Mushroom Spore Printing {b.a.h.}

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My Master Closet is Done....

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful...remember that commercial with Kelly LeBrock? - Well, don't hate me because my closet has gotten BIGGER! Ha! Ok, so it's done...& I finally feel like I have a place for everything!  It feels amazing to be this organized, know what I mean? 


I think I would FREAK OUT everyday if my closet wasn't neat & organized!! Creating extra shelving IS DEFINITELY a great way to keep things in place & organized...I can't say it enough. 


For this side of my closet, I decided to add some leopard print wallpaper that I purchased online via Interior Mall. 


I like that it adds to that boutique look that I was going for & also adds some depth to this wall. Having so many clutches- I needed a specific place to display them.  We figured that building little cubbies made sense and it would feel like I was shopping for clutches, which I love!  






I also saved a section to the right hand side of this wall for longer hanging items. The boards were all purchased at Home Depot and stained to match the rest of the closet which gives it a consistent feel. The bottom half of the closet is reserved for my clothes hamper and maybe a pair of boots. 


It's an UGLY hamper, so I may end up buying another one that's more aesthetically pleasing & still functional!





BEFORE




AFTER











Oddly enough in this month's Lonny Mag - there's a closet with a wallpaper background...! See it here.






BIG Thanks to my guy for all the work he did....he's awesome! 







Update below: People kept asking me where my clothes are. Here's a pic of the left side of my closet where most of my hanging items & other items are in drawers....this side is made up of IKEA cabinets.








So, tell me...what do you think?  I'd love to hear your thoughts & questions...











-images by jen ramos

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DIY—Rolling Crate Footstool

Sue from Twig & Vine (part of Ilo Collective - participants in our market this month) created a fun little DIY on her blog recently transforming a Borden’s milk crate into a unique rustic coffee table/footstool. She was nice enough to share it with us here this week.  She also used her Aunt Emma's cutting board to create a lid for the crate which now holds a cache of books and magazines and resides near two cozy chairs in the corner of her kitchen.  Check out her DIY here and more from her shop here:


shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ilocollective
website: http://www.129twigandvine.com
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Henhouse-fibers-and-ilo-collective/145757775488227...
poppytalk handmade: table 60 

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DIY—Rolling Crate Footstool

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Ikea Hack: Two-Toned Lights

chatelaine.com - photo credit: roberto caruso
Loving this super-easy project idea from the September issue of Chatelaine magazine.  Customize an Ikea LERAN wicker lampshade by spray painting it two-toned.  Click here for the how-to.

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Ikea Hack: Two-Toned Lights

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Memo Pops! A Summer Project

The folks at Present and Correct sent over another one of their fun little DIYs to share today, and we're always game for their clever, cute and original  projects.  This time it's a summer themed stationery project. Memo-pops! Easy, graphic, fun. A super fun craft if the kids are bored or you fancy making a fun gift yourself.  If you haven't already be sure to check out Present and Correct's new blog here - it's a must-read!


CONTINUE READING...

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Memo Pops! A Summer Project

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Mini DIY Round-Up

T-shirt latch hook rug tutorial by Xoelle (via Curbly).


Japanese washi-tape magnets by Twirling Betty via Craftzine.



 DIY Dixie Cup Garland via Hey Gorgeous

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Mini DIY Round-Up

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Make a Typecase into a Coffee Table

The talented Meg Allen Cole has a fun (think Flashdance) DIY video on how to make a coffee table out of an old typecase over at craftzine today. Click here to see her post.

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Make a Typecase into a Coffee Table

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Mini DIY Round-Up

Song Lyric Wall Art by A Beautiful Mess



 16 Printable Party Invitations from HGTV via How About Orange



 
How-Tuesday at Etsy:  Arrow Sandals

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Mini DIY Round-Up

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