DIY - How to make washitape at home

This is a tutorial on how you can make washitape* at home! It's easy, fun and pretty inexpensive. Anyone can do it, I promise!

Washitape has been gaining popularity recently and if you're at all interested in crafting, scrapbooking, snailmailing or any other paper-related activity, you've most likely heard of it. I, too, really like working with it and have accumulated a few (dozen) rolls of it. This is pretty clear if you look at my Snailmail posts on this blog...

The tricky thing about the tape is that it can be pretty expensive.There's a bazillion different prints, but picking only one can be tough. Pick a couple and you're all of a sudden racking up quite the bill. On top of that, despite those bazillion prints, sometimes I have this awesome paper that I wish was tape because I have this project that could totally use it... I can't be alone with these thoughts!

So, I wanted to share how I make my own tape at home!

You'll need:

- Double-sided tape

- Scissors

- Paper of your own choosing (almost anything works; magazines, wrapping paper, etc. etc.)

I'm using vintage paper; I picked a music sheet, a map and a page from an old dictionary.

Pick the parts of the pattern you want on your tape and start sticking the tape on the opposite side. Run your finger over the tape to make sure it sticks properly.

If you're using thin paper, like the dictionary page I used, you can place the sheet against a window to see exactly where to place the tape. I wanted the illustration of the shell to show on my tape.

On some materials the placement doesn't really matter, like on the map. It'll look cool, no matter which part is showing. You can just stick several pieces of tape on it and they'll look really fun once they're finished.

Once you've laid down the tape, start cutting the strips out. Cut the lengths first and then trim the ends if needed.

Woohoo! You're done! Off to crafting!

You can use this for most projects you'd use regular washi tape. I find there's two major differences though, 1) the DIY version is not repositionable (unless you use repositionable double-sided tape, which apparently exists. I Googled it.) and 2) this is harder to tear, so you might want to cut it instead of tearing it to size.

*) Please note that I use the term "washi tape" loosely. Technically washi tape is made from Japanese Washi paper. So, I guess the more accurate term is paper tape. I'm using the term "washi tape", since that is the common term used to refer to this type of a crafting material.

P.S. Learn from my mistakes: If you use a dictionary page like I did, actually check which word you're using, don't just slap the tape on any word...

Vintage paper awesomeness - discount code for -20%

- Scroll down for 20% off discount code -

Some of my long-time followers might remember that I have a second shop focusing on craft supplies. I've always been drawn to vintage paper and stationery, and if you combine that with my pack-rat type qualities, you can imagine how much stuff accumulates.

I don't usually buy things to resell, only to use myself. That of course backfires when I don't have time to use the majority of things I find.

Since moving to Toronto in December I had to give up quite a bit of storage space. I have great plans for new products, especially for the holiday season* so I need to clear some space. I've added some vintage paper, some stickers and other paper goodies in the shop at significantly reduced prices. And as a reader of this blog, you'll get an additional 20% off on all the items**!

CLICK HERE for the shop!

Use the code: blogbuddy20 to apply the discount to your offer.

No minimum order, valid while supplies last or until end of August.

*) I'm not saying it's practically Christmas, but I need to start now to get things done in time.

**)The discount only applies to Brinner Supplies shop! (Not my regular shop)

Monday Mail

First, let me welcome our new-comers to this blog! Welcome, welcome! How are you doing? Did you find your way here through the David's Tea Facebook page?

My brochures into gift tags post got some love from the company and they featured the tutorial on Facebook. I have to say, it's pretty exciting!

Even though it was a busy week, I've upped my outgoing mail a bit. Here's four things that went out:

Outgoing

The first one is a very airmail-y, travel-y one going to my favorite librarian! If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen a peek of this one!

 I've been looking for that airmail striped washitape for a long while, but only recently I found it from The Paper Place here in Toronto. I used some of my special vintage stamps and added some of the vintage stamp stickers too. The envelope is made from an old map.

Next up we have a green and blue envelope heading to a place to leave-your-wallet-in, California. The envelope is made using the envelope template tutorial and lined with washitape like in this tutorial.

(See, I really make tutorials for things I use all the time!)

Another green patterned one, this time with some yellow accents.

And finally another airmail letter. I tried to write the address all fancy with a nib and ink, but the paper was not having any of that! So, not quite so fancy lettering on this one...

Happy Monday everyone! What do you have planned for the week?

Repurpose - Brochures and Magazines to gift tags

Magazines, brochures and other printed materials accumulate so easily. Sometimes you come across visually beautiful things you want to keep, but after a while they take up so much space... I've been making a point to use those materials up and making gift tags is one of the easiest ways to put those pretty papers to good use. This tutorial works with practically any paper you might have lying around at home, magazines, catalogs, gift wrap, etc...

I've made gift tags myself for a very long time. After a while you figure out the best way to do them and realize how fun and versatile this little project is. Again, this is super simple, easy to do and doesn't need complicated materials or tools to make. This is also a good project to do ahead of time, just to have a few tags in stock in case you need one for a quick present.

I recently bought some of the new flavors from the Carnival Collection from David's Tea. I know a few tea enthusiasts who I thought would appreciate something different, so I wanted to send them a small bag of the tea. The tea menu got a new look for the summer and I used the brochure to make some cute tags to attach to the tea as I sent it out.

To make the tags you'll need

- Scissors
- Hole punch (I have a handheld one, but the regular offic-y one works just as well)
- Glue
- Paper/cardstock *
- Brochures/Magazines/Wrapping paper/etc

*) Choose the paper/cardboard depending on the thickness of your material. Cardboard for magazine, paper for sturdier brochures. Use household packaging for the cardboard, I find cereal boxes awesome for this purpose!

I started by cutting out the parts of the brochure I liked. I chose some of the larger illustrations as well as the details of the specific tea I bought. Don't toss the rest of the material yet, you can use some of it for decoration! Check the materials again to see if there are any other interesting things to use: small pictures, text, etc.

Cut the material in the shapes you want. I had some gift tags already, so I used them as a template to make the more traditional tag shapes. I really don't see why they would need to be actual tag shapes though, if you don't have any at hand, squares and rectangles work just as well. I cut various different shapes out of the brochure. If you have paper punches, those are really handy, but not at all necessary.

If you have a nicely shaped tag you like, make a template out of it for future use. You can follow the envelope tutorial for help to make the template.

Glue the paper or cardstock on the back of the tags for writing surface. I only put white paper behind the large ones I used for writing, the small ones have no paper on the back.

Punch holes in the tags.

I really like the layered look, so I combined several different shapes and sizes. This is especially effective if you cut out basic shapes like squares or rectangles.

To add a little extra, I packed the tea in a small paper bag. I had a few extra bags, so I cut one up to add the little banner shape in the pile-o-tags as well. And, let's not forget confetti! Punch a bunch of holes into the remaining material to make coordinating confetti! Stuff that shit everywhere!!!*

*) Unless the recipient has cats or toddlers. In that case don't be a dick and just leave the confetti out. Same goes for glitter by the way.

So, what do you think of these repurpose posts so far? Useful or not? I'm also thinking of posting variations of these tutorials later, just to show what you can do once you know the basics.

Any requests for future tutorials?

Monday mail

Oooh! It's a day off today! How awesome is that? Don't ask me why we get today off, I don't know. Civic holiday? Well, it's a day off, that's what counts.

Last week was a slower week for mail, but busy in other ways. I apparently only sent one letter. I'm pretty sure I sent out something else too, but I don't seem to have a photo. So, it's possible I'm imagining things or forgot to take a photo.

Outgoing

As said, only one documented letter going out this week. It's something else though... I started collaging and this is what came out in the end. I continued what I started last week and it was so much fun! I'm definitely going to keep doing this!

The front it the crazier one, but I added some fun stuff on the back too! 

I've been wanting to get more into making collages, but somehow I just haven't been able to get it going. I've tried a few separate times, but every time I feel like it's more stressful than fun. The results have not been interesting either. I guess this is the perfect medium for me for now. An envelope is small enough and you can make a huge impact quickly. I also feel it's easier when making it for someone else than myself. 

Have you done collaging? What inspires you? Oh, and can I see photos?

Mail Love - a letter from a hotel

I was recently in Montreal and stayed at the Marriott Château Champlain hotel downtown. I was traveling light, so I only brought with me a pared down craft kit. I also wanted to try out making something with the limited supplies available, just to see what I can come up with.

I scoured the room for things I could use* and this is what I found:

Montreal guide book, a hotel notepad, some brochures and paper coasters.

Many hotels still provide paper and a few envelopes, so those are often available as well. I wanted to be creative and was genuinely curious what I could come up with without resorting to the hotel stationery.

The letter part was pretty straightforward, I just wrote the letter on the pad. I flipped through the guide book and found a few pages I liked. I folded one to make the band around the letter.

I used a folded map from a brochure to make the envelope. (There are a few ways I've used smaller pieces of paper to make envelopes in a pinch. I can write a tutorial if anyone's interested)


The page I chose for the band around the letter was just long enough to barely touch on the other side, so I had to improvise a bit. I folded a paper coaster and glued it on the back of the decorative band.

The back of the envelope is secured with a bit of the tape I brought with me.

I tried a few different things for the address label. The coasters had a plastic coating on one side, so I wasn't sure the glue would stick on it. I also tried to find a page from the guide book to use, but in the end I felt i might as well go with the simplest solution. I ended up ripping a sheet from the notepad and using that for the address. At least that would be securely glued on the envelope.

Here's the final look at the envelope:


Pretty simple DIY letter, but it's genuinely made from what I had at hand. It was actually pretty fun! This definitely started a whole train of thought on what kind of other things I could make. I think I'll try them out soon...

I challenge you to try it out, just try using simple things you have at home like flyers or ads you get in the mail. Please let me know if you try it out. I'd love to see what you come up with!

*) Remember, don't be a dick. Just use things that are legitimately there for your use or would be tossed after you leave. Brochures and disposable paper products such paper coasters or cardboard packaging are ok, anything in the hotel binder is probably not. Use your best judgement.

Repurpose - Button envelopes

I recently went shopping for some new clothes. Not my favorite pastime, but I desperately needed some new summer gear. I found a few things I needed and as I got home, I removed some of the tags. A pair of shorts I bought had one of those little pouches for the extra button.

I really liked the shape and size of it, so I wanted to make some for later use. You cant have too many tiny envelopes, right?

I took the envelope apart from the seams and modified it a little bit. Basically I just thought the flap to close the envelope was unnecessarily long, so I just cut off a little bit. If you do something like this, just make sure to check that the flap still covers the opening.

Once you're happy with the shape, use THIS tutorial to make a template.

If you like to save the buttons in the envelopes they come in, you can just glue it back together afterwards. These are usually very sturdy.

Repurpose - the Stationery McGyver

I repurpose a lot of items at home. I am very much aware of the environmental impact things like excessive packaging has and I recycle and... you know... all that. It's important, but thats not what this post is about!

I love the challenge of reusing something old. Rescuing items that are falling apart and turning them into something new. I mean, I run an online store based on that thought! I do that at home as often as possible and use the same principles while I travel. Even though recycling and reducing waste is important, the challenge is equally important to me. And, let's be honest now, when I get an idea, I need to work on it *right now.* So, I will use whatever materials I have at hand.

I do also like the idea that being creative doesn't require a huge budget. Don't get me wrong, I am more that happy to spend money on good quality stationery, go a little nuts about pens and don't get me started about what happens to me in bookstores... This doesn't mean that you *need* a lot of money to make things. Some basic supplies from the dollarstore (or the equivalent from your country) can get you pretty far.

Reusing things is almost a second nature to me, so I wanted to start sharing some of the things I do. A lot of the things I make right now are snailmail-related, just because I have limited time on my hands nowadays. I have many projects planned that have nothing to do with mail, those are coming as soon as i have time to finish them.

Photos on this post are of the vintage stamp sticker packs sold in my online shop! Click HERE to see them!

While I work on some upcoming projects, please share with us:

What's the repurpose project or trick you're the most proud of?

Mail Love - Letter from the beach

I live just up the street from the beach (yes, Toronto has them) and finally managed to go enjoy it a few weeks ago. We've been walking on the boardwalk numerous times and I've even gone jogging along the beach, but we've never really just gone to spend a leisurely afternoon there. We had a picnic by the beach a few weeks ago on Canada day and it was awesome. Will definitely do that again soon!

In that one afternoon I managed, besides eating a picnic lunch and strolling on the beach a bit, write one letter. I don't usually show the insides of the letters much, but this was a fun little collection of beachy things, so I figured I'd share it.



Once I got home with my letter, I made an envelope out of appropriately patterned paper (see the tutorial HERE for how to make envelopes). I also wanted to add a little extra flair, so I made a teeny tiny string of flags to tie the letter with. It's very easy to make, but if you want a tutorial, let me know. I'll be happy to write one!

The beach here is mainly sand, but has some nice smooth rocks as well. I wanted to find a few nice pieces of sea glass to add to the letter, but it was practically nonexistent, I only found one tiny piece. I did find some tiny round rocks though.

I didn't want to send a few rocks (and that one scrawny sea glass) just by themselves, so I made a little souvenir out of them. I went through my stacks of maps and found a small one of Toronto. I cut it to size, marked where the beach is and sealed it all into a little plastic sleeve. Finally, I tied the whole lot together with the string of flags.

It turned out quite nice, so I'll certainly use this for inspiration for future mail.

Out of curiosity, what's the most random thing you've either sent or received in the mail?

DIY - Bright confetti mail

I really love transparent and see-through mail. I've sent some before, you can see examples HERE, HERE and HERE, and I felt it was time for more.

This time I sent out a few birthday cards and some crazy-colorful beginning of summer mail. I found some hot pink flamingo cocktail sticks, so those naturally had to be included in the mail. I made envelopes out of the most colorful and summery paper I had.

For detailed instructions how to make envelopes check out THIS tutorial.

I wanted the theme to continue on the inside as well, so I used different kinds of colorful cards. I also cut out flowers and other pictures from the leftover paper, as well as used a paper punch to cut out tiny shapes from a neon paper.

I finally packed the envelopes in a plastic sleeve. If you don't have any, you can also make see-through envelopes using THIS tutorial.

This was a very simple project, but so much fun. I think the confetti really adds something special!

DIY - How to make awesome envelopes

I have several fun projects I want to share with you guys and I want to start with a tutorial for something I use all the time; DIY envelopes!

I make envelopes on weekly basis, some for my own use and some for my shop. They're super fun to make and I have to admit I sometimes make them just because I found a cool piece of paper...

There's probably a ton of different ways to make envelopes at home, but I prefer to use a template*. I have at least 10 different ones I've made for myself and will, for sure, keep making more. I am very particular about what kind of envelopes I like, so when I see a shape and type of an envelope I like, I make it into a template.

So, to get started, find an envelope (or a few) that you like**.

You'll need:

for the template
- envelopes
- scissors
- pen or a pencil
- cardboard (any sturdy material will work, I use a lot of cereal boxes) size depends on how large of an envelope you are making

for the envelopes
- paper (I'm using scrapbooking paper for this tutorial, but anything you like works; wrapping paper, book pages, etc)
- glue

First, take part your envelope by opening it from the glued edges. Do not cut it, just pull the glued sections apart. Don't worry if the envelope rips a bit, this is exactly why we're making a sturdy template, not using the original envelope. If the envelope that you're using does not come apart easily or if you're using one made from a very delicate material, you can always soak the glue***.

Once you have the envelope opened, trace the outline carefully on to your cardboard. If your envelope is badly ripped, made of very delicate material or you're not comfortable in your tracing abilities, then glue the envelope directly on your cardboard.

Cut out your template.

You now have a template to start your envelope-making with!

To make an envelope with you brand-spanking-new template is super easy (and really fun, be aware that you'll make a ton).

Start by selecting a paper. (So much fun!) Experimenting with different types will give you very different and cool results. Try small patterns vs. large images or gift wrapping paper for different effects.


Trace the template outline on to your paper. Depending on the paper you choose and your own preference, you can either trace on the 'wrong' side of the paper or on the pattern side.  Think about the direction of your pattern as well. You don't want someones face upside down on the front of the envelope (or maybe you do, that could be kind fun too). Experimenting is the key again, but if you're trying this out for the first time, I recommend tracing the shape on the side of the paper you want to be the outside of the envelope. That way you have more control what will be displayed on the front.

Cut out your envelope shape and fold the sides. Most envelopes are constructed the same way: first the side flaps and then the bottom one. Fold all sides before gluing just to make sure it looks the way you wanted.

Glue the flaps. Usually the bottom flap onto the side ones, but depending on the shape you might need to glue the side flaps together first (see the photo on the left).

Apply some pressure to make sure they stick together firmly. If I'm not using the envelope immediately, I like to press the envelopes. Just put them inside or under a heavy book until the glue sets****.

There's so many things you can do with the templates. Check the transparent envelope tutorial HERE or the coloring book envelope tutorial HERE

I'd love to see the envelopes you make. Please share if you make some!


Footnotes:
* if you don't want to make one, you can buy ready made templates at very reasonable prices. For example: check Paper Pastries Shop for one HERE

** If you don't have any unused ones at home, check mail that you received (yes, even bills). There are also plenty of free printables online.

*** To soak, just immerse the envelope in a little bit of water. As soon as the glue comes apart, take the envelope out of the water and on to some newspaper (or kitchen/paper towel) to dry. Once dry, continue with the rest of the steps.

**** Just don't use a book you still plan on reading. I have a heavy book that's slightly damaged I use to press my envelopes in. This way any spilled glue doesn't ruin your favorite book.