Sunday, August 10, 2014

Tutorials: Washi Tape Roses

"All Scratched Up" is this week's theme over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog.  Not that I'm one of those pessimistic "glass half empty" people, but the second I heard "scratched," I couldn't help but think of roses and how they've left their mark on me more than once when I've helped my mom prune her gorgeous rose garden! 

I decided to make some non-scratch-hazard Washi tape roses to adorn this tag with its Tim Holtz sentiment.  


There are lots of tutorials out there on how to make Washi tape flowers, but some of them were more labor-intensive than I was wanting to go.  So here's how I made my roses:

Start with a flower die, such as the Sizzix 3D flower die.  I used simple white office supply paper (like the kind you'd put into a typewriter--if anyone knows what typewriters are anymore ;) and cut it big enough to cover the die cut shapes.


Next, I got out my Washi stash and started covering the white paper with strips of Washi tape.  You can even use holiday Washi because the pattern won't show up enough to distinguish shapes.  I just went with colors I liked.  Because my flowers will be dimensional, I covered both the front and the back of these white pieces of paper with the Washi tape.


Note!  If you layer Washi strips on top of each other, you may need to add some additional adhesive because Washi doesn't stick to itself very well.  When I rolled my flowers into their flower shapes, I noticed that the overlapping Washi was peeling up a bit.  It sticks to paper just fine, but next time I'll use glue to stick down any overlapping Washi strips.

A great way to cover a lot of ground quickly is to use Washi that comes in thick rolls, like the fat Washi strips from Hazel and Ruby, or the fabulous big sheets of Shape Tape from Lifestyle Crafts. 

Once your area is covered, run these through your die cutting machine.  If you don't have a flower die, you could also just cut them out in the shape of a circular curly-cue.


Roll your flower into its 3D shape.  I've found that a quilling tool works great for this.  If you don't have a quilling tool, you can also use a bamboo skewer or a screwdriver to help turn your shape into a spiral.


Glue the flower down in the middle using your medium of choice.  I used good old hot glue on these.


Are Washi roses harder to make than just using patterned paper?  Yes, but I love the random patterns and colors you get from the varied strips of Washi tape.  Totally worth it, in my opinion!

And remember how I cut out the die shape?  I saved the leftover paper from that cut
(the negative space around the flower) and re-used it as a scalloped frame on my tag.


Washi tape roses are fun because no two ever come out the same.  They're also a great way to use up all sorts of random Washi you may have lying around. 
The rest of my tag is made from cardstock, which I inked and used stencils on.  I also added some other Washi here and there for good measure.  I heat embossed the Tim Holtz sentiment and added yard and fibers to the tag to finish it off.

Here are some of the supplies I used for my project that you can find at Simon Says Stamp:



I'm excited to see what you come up with for this week's "scratched" theme!  Be sure to upload your creations to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win the $50 gift voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store!
http://www.simonsaysstamp.com/