DIY washi tape notebook

I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that I love washi tape. I've used it for a variety of projects, including photo displays, creating paintings and word art, just plain decorating my walls, and even for manicure inspiration. today I'm going to show you another ridiculously easy DIY project - how to cover your notebook with washi tape.

start by selecting your tapes. I'm realizing now that my colors look a lot like Christmas... in real life the greens are more minty and the pink is less red and more pink. or maybe I should use this notebook to get a head start on making my Christmas lists?

anyway. you'll also need a blank notebook. I used white since some of my tapes were a bit transparent, but another solid color would work well. you could also use a notebook that already has art on it and come up with something really interesting.

start by cutting a straight edge on your tape, then run your first color along the top edge. if it's not straight, just pull the tape up and reposition. cut a little excess tape and fold per to the inside cover of the notebook. add your second tape, your third tape, and so on.

I decided to keep things simple with just horizontal stripes, but you could go vertical or diagonal, or even weave or cut sections of the tape to create a pattern.

I initially added a vertical strip along the wire to reinforce it, and then removed it because I decided I liked the look better without. that's one of the great things about working with washi tape... removability!

this project was really easy and I'm tempted to cover all my notebooks and planners now. this would be a great way to personalize your notebooks for school, or make a cute journal to give a friend. washi tapes come in so many colors and patterns now, the possibilities are endless.

linking up with Nicole for treat yo self Thursday

neon washi tape wall

I have a bright and fun home project to share with you today: my new neon washi tape wall.

I found this neon multi-pack of mt washi tape on sale at my local bookstore [I love you, Asia!] and knew it was just the crazy pop of color my dining room needed. mt masking tape is by far the best brand that I've tried, but there are plenty to choose from. I opted for a multi-pack because I knew I would spend an hour trying to come up with the perfect combination by buying individual colors and patterns.

I've been fighting with blogger/google to try getting the colors to show up right... but they really are neon!

as you can see, we have a chalkboard wall at the far end which sucks out all the light from the room. not that this room gets much light to start with. my walls needed a little bit of something, and when you're living in on-campus housing with walls made of concrete... the easy thing to do is washi tape them.

the process of putting up the wall was pretty simple. I took a ruler and made marks every 10cm along the left + right edges, and down the center of the wall. this wall is not exactly flat, so I just eyeballed adjustments as I felt were needed. the hooks and little birdhouse keyholder were already attached to the wall, so I just cut the tape and continued on the other side. the lightswitch was pretty icky... that got covered in another washi tape.

I'm linking up with Melyssa for the creative collective today. the challenge this week was to bring a Pinterest project to life - and so I have to admit the idea for a washi striped wall came from this blog [via Pinterest.] I also found several other washi tape wall ideas that I'm planning to do in the near future, so keep your eyes open!

DIY dots wall hanging + photo backdrop

I'd love to tell you that this project was easy... but I completely went about it the wrong way so it actually took me a lot of time. I used the wrong materials but hopefully you can learn form my mistakes and have an easier go at making your own version!

I've been wanting to make some kind of art to hang behind our bed ever since we had the wall repainted [after the leaky cieling incident, if you remember.] this week's prompt to Melyssa's creative collective was an "anything goes" art project. I wanted to use up materials I had on hand, so all in all this project only cost me 5 NT [about 16 cents.] and that's just because I used actual coins in the project.

the paper circles I had cut out for another project that never happened - just old paper shopping bags that didn't make it to the recycling bin. I painted them first, in turquoise and mint, then realized they were curling terribly. SO. I took some thicker board that I had on hand and taped strips to the back to reinforce the circles. [this is what took up so much of my time... and tape. I would recommend making your circles out of something sturdy to begin with!]

an hour later... I decided how I wanted to lay them out. I hung the top row first, hung strings from them weighted with 1 NT coins to hold them straight, measured then used tiny bits of washi tape to mark where I would hang the rest of the circles. I used the little markers to anchor the tape and just pressed the circles on, and reinforced them again when I was done.

hopefully I didn't scare you off from attempting this project... I ended up covered in tape bits and tangled in thread and still think it was worth it! so it took me a long time, but I'm really happy with how it turned out. I think it makes a great piece of wall art and I'm excited to use it as a backdrop for taking photos. you could totally make one for your next party, using whatever colors you like [or change up the shapes - but I'm partial to the dots.]

and don't forget to see what everyone else created for this week's project!

DIY wall art: painted washi tape words

I have a thing for paint projects that involve tape. [probably because I can't freehand a straight line to save my life.] so when I saw that the first creative collective project involved making an art piece of your 2014 motto, I knew exactly what I was going to attempt.

if you remember, my 2014 motto is actually challenge accepted. but I decided that the best way to tackle this particular challenge was to simplify things. so... I gave in to the hustle.

I didn't have any blank canvas on hand, so I cut off a spare cardboard chunk. I started with a coat of silver poster paint. this paint has been hanging out in my office unused for way too long, and I figured it was about time to break it out.

once the silver was completely dry, I taped off my word and a border to go around it. I knew the tape would be great for straight edges but not so much the curves. so I made my "font" a little angular and intentionally funky. painter's tape would also work instead of washi tape here.

I painted a coat of emerald around the tape, let it dry and peeled it off. [yes, it's really that easy to make wall art.]

it's a little rough around the edges, literally. I think you would have better results with canvas, but I'm still happy with how it turned out. and of course it all comes back to my motto... I challenged myself to use materials I had on hand and I made it work.

plus, I really love how the silver + emerald work with my chevron wall.

I'm so excited to be linking up with Melyssa for this creative collective project, and to find new ways to exercise my creativity this year! I hope you'll join us.

DIY photo wall display // 52 weeks project

back in 2011 I completed my first 52 weeks project: one photo a week, for one whole year.

I knew I wanted to work on another photo project after we moved to Taiwan, but I wanted to give myself some time to get settled before starting. my 2011 project was self portraits, and this time I settled on a new challenge: instant film. just before New Year's [regular, not Chinese] I purchased an instax mini instant camera. since then I've been snapping at least one photo per week.

the first five weeks were easy... the excitement of a new project, traveling to Thailand and the Philippines and being surrounded by beautiful beaches. I actually brought a whole extra roll of film which I shot in Thailand.

then we came home. and it rained. and I struggled a little to find things to shoot and at one point considered giving up and only using the instax for "fun things". but I didn't quit. yesterday I shot week #14. which means I am already 1/4 though the year! and I decided it was about time to share. so I slapped up my weekly shots on my chalkboard wall with some washi tape to show them off.

  1// Guan Gong at the statue garden
  2// our backyard
  3// ferris wheel in Bangkok
  4// Railay beach
  5// Husband and I in Boracay
  6// rice paddy outside the Kalibo airport
  7// spring arrives in Taiwan
  8// a walk in the park
  9// mini temple gazebo at the lake
10// my chevron wall
11// gouache ampersand artwork
12// earth hour in Hong Kong
13// big bowl of produce from the market
14// Lady in the grass

I really love the chalkboard / washi tape display. but usually I use my chalkboard for other things, so I have been keeping my project photos up on a different wall. I wanted a way to display my instax photos that was easily re-arrangeable and that could be added to as I took more.

all it took was twine, tiny clothespins, and 3M hooks.

since I've used up this much space already [only 1/4 through the year] I've been thinking of adding another display similar to this elsewhere in our home. I could dedicate the wall in the office to the photos from my project, and mix the other instax shots with prints from my holga, regular 3 x 5s, and maybe some instagrams.

working with film has definitely been a challenge for me. I've grown so used to the world of digital photography that I don't always stop and think before I shoot. but using the instant photos for my project has helped me to be more thoughtful with what I shoot, and to be more accepting of the imperfections.

for your monday entertainment

here is a list of 7 random thoughts and ramblings to entertain you on this monday...

what, you were expecting more beach pictures?

1. I painted a chevron wall in my office this weekend. and because all the paint is in Chinese and I opted for the large $5 can over the small $12 can I accidentally used not interior paint. but hey, it was $5. and I really love the way it turned out, even if the paint is kinda shiny. Husband likes it too... he suggests we paint a wall like this in our house someday and get an animal mount. he's picturing a moose, but I'm having visions of this. for now... this wall is just going to stay chevron. and become my new taking-photos-in-front-of spot. I'm not going to do a true DIY post on it because a: I followed a mixture of this tutorial and this tutorial and b: I was a bad blogger and didn't document it all step by step. but you know... sometimes what's bad for the blog is good for life.

2. last fall after the scooter crash, my yoga instructor gave me a bottle of traditional chinese medicinal oil to rub on my bad knee. I stopped using it when I realized it contained turpentine oil [and was taking off my nailpolish] probably not at a harmful level, but still. in the course of painting the chevron wall this weekend, I ended up with paint all over my hands [and a little on my feet.] the first indication I had that this was not your typical latex interior paint was the fact that I could. not. wash it off. thankfully I remembered the little bottle of oil, and it worked like a charm to remove the paint.

3. I've always had this constant inner dialogue with myself and life just makes more sense when I give it an outlet onto paper or a keyboard. I've had some form of blog for nearly 12 years [anyone remember livejournal?] and I kept paper journals before and in between. when I was in college I had a secret spot on campus where I used to go and write. I'd pour my heart out and then tear up the pages and throw them away when I left for class. in fact, most of what I've written in my life has ended up in a landfill, electronic or otherwise. I pitched all my childhood journals, and deactivated more blogs that I remember.

anyway, I've been thinking of maybe writing something a little more permanent. a book maybe.

4. since coming back from vacation, wine has been my drink of choice. there's a whole lot of debate over whether grain liquor is gluten-free or not, but my go-to mixer liquor [vodka] has started giving me splitting headaches. scotch is still safe for me, thank you, but I'm starting to think it's because we drink the good stuff made from single or blended malt. most tequilas are safe, but seems excessive when everyone else is having a beer. and so: wine. [thank you Costco for carrying a few decent bottles under 200NT.]

5. I took an unintentional internet hiatus this weekend. I didn't even turn my computer on friday or saturday. I'm not as attached/obsessed/addicted to checking social media as I used to be [no more smartphone] but gosh it feels good to disconnect. sometimes I really don't like facebook. and often wish I could deactivate it again. sadly, it's my main and sometimes only method of contacting a lot of people. so... it stays.

6. I've been having a lot of deja vu lately. things that I've dreamed coming true. does that happen to anyone else? I'll walk into a store, or look at something, or hear someone say something and just get that warm dizzy I've-experienced-this-moment-before feeling. the strangest part is that most of these moments I dreamed before I moved to Taiwan. I clearly remember dreaming them and thinking "when on earth would I be in a place like that?" I don't think this means I'm psychic or anything, but sometimes it's freaky. although sometimes it's awesome... two years ago I dreamed one of my coworkers had a son [she was looking into adoption at the time and I didn't know it], and I just found out she's due to have a baby boy in a few weeks!

7. it still astounds me how completely unexpected Taiwan is. I thought I was prepared to move here, but the longer I am here the more I realize I didn't have a clue. I packed 2 year's worth of chapstick... they sell my brand up the street. I assumed I could find things here like plain tank tops and tees... not that fit my curves. I've found gluten free pasta and flour mix in 4 different stores, and diet coke in only one. butter is everywhere but we can't track down a food processor. I had no idea how westernized this place would be, and I'm continually surprised by what we find [or don't find] here. there are some disappointments... but usually it's a pleasant surprise - I don't have to buy a new razor after all, yes we can make a gluten free pie for pi day, root beer floats are a short walk away.

DIY jewelry display wall

I'm kindof sentimental about my jewelry. every necklace I own has a special significance to me. in some way they are all connected to a loved one, a personal moment, a meaningful event or place. these are not the kinds of things I want to keep hidden in a drawer where they get all tangled up together or worse, forgotten.

so I set out to create a jewelry display. I don't have a dresser or large bedside table, so I knew if would have to be something on the wall. if you scour Pinterest you can find dozens of ideas, but I had one major obstacle: all of my walls are cement.

let's talk about cement walls for a minute. in Taiwan, that's what we have. in our entire house. [I guess tile in the bath + kitchen, but that's just as bad.] putting a nail or screw in the wall involves power tools. and a lot of dust. instead, I have been using 3M command hooks. they are manufactured in Taiwan, so just about every store carries a huge selection. 3M hooks have saved my life. I used them to hang up my belts in my closet, my bags in the bedroom, our towels in the bathroom, our helmets in the entry, hot pads in the kitchen... you get the point. and when I found clear hooks with clear stickings? I knew it was the answer to my jewelry problem.

this little nook in our bedroom was the perfect size for the display. I measured the space and used my bed to lay out all the necklaces in the arrangement I wanted, and matched each up with the appropriate size hook[s]. the different sizes are for bearing different weights, but for this project it was more about what size of chain will fit. then I moved everything to stick on the wall. the best part is you can easily remove a hook and replace it with a clean sticky if you aren't accurate in placing it on the wall. and no ugly nail holes. [this would be perfect for renters]

since the hooks are clear, I decided to use a few strips of washi tape to add a little color + structure to the display. there was also a hideous light switch right in the middle of the area I wanted to use... washi tape to the rescue again!

I love this display wall. every time I walk into my room I see it and smile. organized things make me happy! it's also been helping me wear a little more variety with my jewelry, now that it's all out there to see when I'm putting together an outfit. kindof like an interactive wall art installation.

maybe it's the spring cleaning bug, but I can't stop thinking of what else I can organize and/or cover in washi tape... any ideas?

DIY yarn pompom ornaments

with only 3 days until Christmas, I figured I better post this tutorial. in early November I stumbled across a trove of artificial trees at our local hardware store. I lucked out that the tiniest tree was only $8 US and I happened to have some spare cash from subbing that week. the decorations they had for sale were... not to my taste, shall we say? so I decided to stick with the thrifty theme and make my own ornaments. 

the idea for yarn pompoms came from this tiny pompom curtain tutorial [it's in French.]

I wasn't entirely confident that I would be successful. so, I picked yarn colors I felt I could use for other projects [what projects exactly I have no idea.] I also didn't want to have the obvious red and green color scheme. Husband likes to have a tree that doesn't look too... planned. and I of course want to plan everything down the position of the last branch.

I started by making a pompom on a fork, like in the tutorial above and elsewhere on the internet. I was frustrated because it seemed too small and it was difficult to slide the yarn off the fork. so I dug around in my kitchen drawer and realized that my potato masher would be just the right size I wanted. you just have to be sure to wrap around an even number of... prongs? loops? squiggles? whatever they are... so you can slide the bundle off at the end.

1. wrap the yarn into a bundle around your potato masher [or fork] a good 30 to 40 times.
2. tie some yarn loosely around to hold the bundle together and slip off the masher.
3. tighten the yarn as much as you can and knot securely. tie the ends off to make a look to hang.
4. cut the loops around the bundle to open up your pompom. trim if needed.

and that's that. you have a yarn pompom, with a convenient loop to use it as an ornament! I repeated the process using different yarn color combinations to make an army of little pompoms for my tree. if you use only one color at a time, just wrap it twice as much so the pom pom is still full and fluffy.

we have also added a few other interesting ornaments to our tree, including dinosaurs and a lion... but that's another story. [which does not involve a potato masher.]

easy canvas wall art project

a few weeks ago I made this canvas and I've been meaning to share it with you... this DIY project is one of the easiest ways to make wall art. all you need is a canvas, a sponge brush, some tape [masking or washi works best], and of course acrylic paint in your choice of colors.

seriously, that's it. tape on your design, paint the spaces any color or mix of colors you like, wait for it to dry and peel off the tape. easiest. project. ever.

you can do different variations on this project... when I was in Jersey I made a set of 3 smaller canvases all in the same color, and lined up the tape patterns so it was like a puzzle. you could also paint the canvas a solid color before taping, and then your lines would show through that color.

up close you can see the lines aren't perfect from the tape. I used washi tape because that's what I had on hand, but masking tape or painters tape [heck, even scotch tape] will work. the washi tape curled up a little between coats of paint and that's how my lines got fuzzy... but it doesn't really bother me.

go forth and craft, my friends!

DIY wall art: basic bunting

basic bunting. also known as: the easiest wall art project ever. it took me 5 minutes to make and hang, and I already had all the materials on hand. and it's so cute!

[please disregard that weird little pink bunny on our tv stand. he came free with a pack of duracell batteries and I completely did not see him in these photos until I started writing this post. so he stays.]

I've been a little slow to decorate our apartment here in Taiwan, but the living room walls have really been bugging me. they're just so big, and white, and blank. I bought some canvases but haven't made the commitment to painting them yet. I wanted to do something that was fall-ish but not overly so, since it still feels a bit like summer out. I also wanted to keep if neutral, since our living room furniture is pretty bright.

this project was so simple to make. hang a length of twine on the wall. cut out triangles from brown kraft paper [or use colored paper if you like] and attach to the twine. you can glue the paper on, or just use little clips or pins. I had these mini clothespins on hand and I think they go right with the neutral color scheme.

and that's it! I thought of painting the triangles or adding letters to spell something, but for now I like it plain. something very simple that brings in just a touch of whimsy and fun. and it makes me smile every time I look at the wall.

speaking of the wall, I'm going to give away a big secret here. my wall actually does not look like the above photo. I did a little photoshop to make it look better, but I'm going to be honest with you.

the wall really looks like this. one of the joys of living in a school-owned apartment overseas? cement walls, fun wires and light switches in random places. [on the plus side, the nails I hung the bunting on were already in the wall.] I think that's another reason why I've been slow to decorate...but at least the bunting is a start!