What is decorative tape and how is it used?

Needlework as a hobby has existed since the 15th-16th centuries. For the same scrapbooking, a huge number of different materials are used, even postcards, fragments of paper memorabilia, tickets or posters, checks, etc. But, most likely, the most popular material in needlework is decorative tape.

The decorative tape, familiar to everyone, originates in Japan. The term Washi comes from Japanese paper. This decorative tape first appeared in Japan and was produced by the Kamoi Kakoshi masking tape company. In 2006, she began to expand her range, and over time, there has been a variety of scotch tape designs.

Decorative tape is an inexpensive, simple and versatile material that has conquered the world of needlework in recent years. It is a masking tape that is distinguished by its strength and flexibility. It is available in a wide variety of sizes, textures, patterns and colors. Another great feature is that the material tears easily and can be used on many surfaces without leaving a sticky residue, making it especially unique for both home decor and a variety of crafts and handicrafts.

This product is so versatile that there are hundreds of ways to use decorative tape in your daily life. With limitless possibilities, the DIY world has risen to a new level.This tape is very durable and flexible, and comes in a variety of colors, patterns and widths.

Decorative tape is commonly used for various art projects or for gift wrapping. It is bright, colorful and will always look beautiful, no matter what the idea is. You can find adhesive tape, for example, in a wide variety of designs, including dark and light or bright colors, for decorating gifts or “big” ideas.

You can also find many sets of scotch tapes - these are mainly produced with one design theme. It can be balloons, flowers, geometric patterns, letters or numbers, ice cream cones or soccer balls, stripes, animals. They come in different widths: sometimes you can find narrow decorative ribbons - these will always look beautiful and decorate things almost imperceptibly.

But there are also wide ribbons - they are used for the following topics:

• travel, countries;
• plants;
• food;
• animals;
• Christmas, New Year, birthday and other holidays;
• music;
• illustration;
• vintage;
• cartoons, etc.

Colors can be as follows:

• plain;
• different color combinations;
• bright, neon;
• gold, silver, shiny;
• rainbow;
• classic black, white, gray;
• pastel shades, etc.

Patterns include:

• strips;
• lines;
• points;
• cage;
• stars or hearts;
• flags;
• wood grain and other textures;
• mosaics or abstractions.

Designs can be bold and complex, light and simple, abstract, bright, whimsical, funny, romantic. Another interesting find is the styles used in decorative tape design. Styles can be very different: Japanese, Chinese, French, English and many others.

Perhaps, many had the idea that such a tape can be made at home. Thanks to this, there is an excellent opportunity to create a decorative tape suitable for a specific craft, gift, etc. There is more than one way to create a homemade tape. The first method is the most popular and simplest way to create a ribbon from paper or napkins.

For him you will need:

• scissors;
• double sided tape;
• baking paper;
• any paper with patterns or drawings can also be replaced with beautiful napkins;
• cardboard tube (optional).

Let's consider the sequence of actions.

1. First you need to stick the double-sided tape on the food grade paper for baking.
2. Place paper / drawings / napkins on the other adhesive side of the tape.
3. Cut off all unnecessary.
4. In the absence of a cardboard tube, the finished decorative tape can simply be carefully wrapped in a roll and secured with a paper clip so that it does not unwind. If there is still a cardboard tube, then it should be cut to the width of the tape itself. Glue double-sided tape on a small area so that the tape does not unwind from the inside. Next, wrap the tape around the cardboard tube and secure with a paper clip or tie it with a small rope.

The double-sided tape will easily peel off the baking paper. Thus, you will get an excellent individual decorative tape.

But there is also a second way. To make a roll of beautiful decorative tape, you can collect old leftovers from wrapping / gift paper. It can be very different and thanks to this there is a huge selection of patterns and patterns.

To create you need the following tools and materials:

• double sided tape;
• scissors;
• gift paper (if you plan to create many different crafts, you should buy new paper for a larger volume of the resulting tape).

Next, you need to follow the sequence of actions.

1. Unfold the wrapping paper and secure it around the edges to prevent it from curling.
2. Stick the double-sided tape with one adhesive side on the paper (you should be careful and glue the tape on the side where there are no patterns).
3. Trim excess paper.
4. Here you can also choose one of the two options, as in the first method.

The third option for creating a decorative ribbon is a longer one. But a possible advantage would be to create a tape without double-sided tape.

For crafts you will need:

• scissors;
• transparent tape;
• ready-made paper with patterns or plain paper in order to draw patterns yourself;
• colour pencils;
• baking paper (optional).

The algorithm of actions should be considered in more detail.

1. For those who use ready-made paper for this method, the first two steps should be skipped. If it was decided to create drawings on your own, you need to mark the lines of the desired width on paper (on average, this is one centimeter).
2. Further, these lines need to be filled with color: here it is a matter of imagination and ideas.
3. Cut out the finished paper strips.
4. Next, the transparent tape must be peeled off to the required length (you can stick it on the table, but it is important that it is clean).
5. Spread the strips with patterns upwards on the back of the tape.
6. Place a second layer of clear tape on top of the paper.
7. Trim off excess tape. Ready!

After that, the homemade decorative tape is ready to use.

Many arts and crafts enthusiasts use these ribbons for projects that include decorating the desktop, wrapping the ends of artificial flowers to make them more attractive, decorating walls or switches, tape covering vases or flower pots, and decorating such items. as book holders, paintings, frames, etc.

Such tape can always be used in scrapbooking, decorating notebook pages or fixing different pictures on the pages. It can also be used to fix photos on walls or in notebooks - the tape will not leave any marks on the photo, and it can be easily removed or re-pasted.

The most common ideas for using decorative tape should be considered in more detail.

• Decorative ribbon Is a great way to quickly decorate your notebook or diary pages. It can be used to tie color themes together on the sides of pages and overlay them to create a very simple collage effect. You can also trim the tape for a neat edge, or tear it for a nice sharp-edged look. With just one strip of ribbon, it's really easy to add beautiful vibrant color to your notebook pages.

• Use decorative tape as bookmarks for books or all the same notebook. If the tape is wide and has many images, you can use them as stickers by simply cutting out the designs you want.

• Personalize your stationery - you can easily and gracefully decorate pens and pencils with decorative tape just by wrapping them with tape.

Fantasies have no boundaries, and the scope of the material is wide - there are a great many ideas for using decorative tape.