If you have a small collection of washi tape and keep wondering what to actually do with it beyond the odd strip on a journal page, this video is for you. I show ten different projects — charms, bookmarks, pockets, belly bands, die cuts, and more — all made primarily with washi tape. Most of the ideas also work with scrapbook paper, so even if washi tape isn't your thing, you'll still find plenty here to try.
What we cover
Ten complete washi tape project ideas, from decorative journal charms and writing board backing pages through to hinging techniques, laminated bookmarks, sewn pockets, and die-cut shapes. The video shows finished examples of each, walks through how they're made, and honestly flags which ones are worth the effort and which are a bit fiddly.
What you'll learn
How to make a washi tape charm for your journal spine, including:
- Winding washi tape around a tag shape, adding an eyelet and a claw clasp or chain so the charm hangs from a tassel or closure
- A flat laminated version — washi tape on cardstock, laminated, with a bulb pin — for tucking into pockets or hanging off a journal closure
How to make a washi tape writing board — a backing page you slip under a journal spread so embellishments don't get in the way of writing. Cover a piece of paper in washi tape strips in a repeating pattern, flip it and repeat the pattern on the back, then laminate. The laminator seals everything flat and keeps the tape from lifting with repeated use.
How to make laminated washi tape bookmarks, including:
- Straight-edged bookmarks on cardstock with washi tape front and back
- Torn-edge bookmarks — ripping the tape lengthwise gives an uneven, organic edge that looks particularly nice with inked edges
- Tag-shaped bookmarks with ribbon through an eyelet at the top
Using washi tape as a journal cover treatment — applying two strips of washi tape (top and bottom of the cover) and then laying a piece of tea-dyed or patterned paper over the middle, so the washi tape reads as a full background without covering the whole surface with tape.
Hinging pages with washi tape, including:
- Joining two directional pages together so they fold as a single leaf and bind neatly into a journal
- Hinging an oversized or found page (a greeting card, a coloring book page) into an existing journal by taping it to the edge of a signature page
- Building a full gatefold journal where washi tape replaces conventional binding entirely
Making washi tape paper clips, including:
- The simple fold-over method: lay washi tape across the top of a paperclip, fold it in on itself, trim any sticky edges — clean and reliable
- Layering two or three narrow washi tape strips, or backing washi tape with tea-dyed paper first, before folding onto the clip
- The ribbon-style method (threading washi tape stuck to itself through the clip like ribbon) — it works but is genuinely fiddly; Natasa's honest verdict is that she won't be doing that version again
How to make washi tape pockets on a journal page, including:
- Flat front pockets from two or three coordinating washi tapes, sewn around the perimeter (or glued, if you're not sewing)
- Corner pockets cut from a washi-tape-covered strip of paper
- A floating pocket — a washi-tape panel sewn onto a piece of cardstock that can be moved around the journal
How to make a washi tape belly band — glue washi tape onto a strip of plain paper, trim to fit the journal page, and glue the top and bottom edges down to create a tuck spot. Particularly good on book pages that can't be written on anyway; it gives them a purpose and adds pockets of writing space via tucked-in pages or envelopes.
Using washi tape as a collage element — tearing small pieces and layering them into a collage, letting strips run off the page edge, or using wide washi tape with a strong graphic (a map print, a music motif) as an anchor element rather than cutting it into a straight strip.
How to make washi tape die cuts and shapes, including:
- Pressing washi tape onto cardstock and running it through a die-cut machine to produce tags, flowers, circles, keys, and other shapes
- Cutting shapes by hand — a heart, a tag with clipped corners — when no die-cut machine is available
- Covering journaling cards that don't fit a color scheme by laying washi tape over them before cutting
Tips & gotchas
No laminator? Secure your washi tape with a glue stick before use — washi tape on its own will start to peel off with handling. For a writing board especially, skipping the glue step means the tape lifts after a few uses. Use cardstock rather than copy paper for the writing board if you're going without a laminator, so the board stays rigid enough to actually write against.
For washi tape pockets that won't be laminated, either sew around each piece or add a line of glue along the edges before pressing the tape down. The sewing gives a cleaner finish and adds a decorative element too — a zigzag stitch reads differently from a straight stitch and both look intentional.
The ribbon-style paper clip (washi tape stuck to itself, threaded through the clip like ribbon) is doable, but it's fiddly and the results are inconsistent. The fold-over method — tape across the clip, folded in on itself — is faster, more reliable, and looks just as good. If any sticky edge shows after folding, just trim it off.
When using washi tape stuck to itself for any project, work slowly and handle the folded piece gently while it's still fresh — the bond is good once it's sat for a moment, but it can tear if you tug it too early.
One thing worth knowing from years of use: good-quality washi tape, stuck directly to cardstock without glue, holds surprisingly well over time. Some hearts in this video were made years ago without any adhesive backing, and the tape hasn't shifted. That said, anything that will get handled repeatedly — bookmarks, writing boards, paper clips — is worth laminating or gluing for peace of mind.
Use the same two or three tapes across your charm, your bookmark, your belly band, and your pocket pages, and the whole journal reads as a considered piece of work even though the individual projects are quick to make. That kind of easy visual consistency is one of the best arguments for working from a small, coordinated bundle rather than pulling from a huge mixed collection.
