Washi Wednesday - Christmas Tree Decoration

Week 2 of Washi Wednesday brings us another holiday craft of my own creation! I started off with the vision of making a washi tape ornament, but after playing with it for a bit I came up with something a little more unique. With just two pieces of cardstock and about 20 minutes, I made this lovely little Christmas tree for my shelf. Here are the supplies you'll need to make one for yourself:

• 2 Pieces of 5x7 Cardstock - The size isn't so important, as you can make these in all sizes, just make sure it is a strong paper, since it will need to hold it's own weight upright.
• Red and Green Washi Tapes
• Scissors

Instructions after the jump...

8 Nights of Chanukah - 4 Simple DIY Party Favors

For some reason, people who are unfamiliar with Chanukah seem to think that it's one big holiday with eight nights of socks. Socks for you, socks for me, socks for mom and dad...I've never once gotten socks for Chanukah, and if I did, they were at least festive or particularly fun socks. (Or those fuzzy kind...OK, I have gotten some socks for Chanukah, but it's not like we're tossing out packs of Hanes here.) 

So, if you're having guests over to celebrate Chanukah, Jewish or no, why not send them home with one of these cute favors?

Embroidered Dreidel Game Pouches

The Purl Bee

Your guests will certainly be impressed with these monogrammed, embroidered dreidel pouches. This tutorial from the Purl Bee certainly makes it easy to make something custom and special for each guest. Monogram the initials of your guests, stitch some cute little patterns and fill with a dreidel, gelt, and a rule sheet, and you're good to go!

 

Bundle of Candles

Judaism.com

 What could be more simple than wrapping up a bundle of candles? It is a lovely sentiment, and with some unique candles and an interesting piece of string, you've made a cost effective favor with lovely presentation.

 Chanukah Cootie Catchers

Designs By Tenisha

 Even more simple, just customize and order these cootie catcher designs, print and fold, and you have a fun game for the kids! If you wanted to, you could also incorporate the folding as a party craft, then each person makes his or her own favor. The designer will customize a .pdf file for you to include the Chanukah wishes of your choosing, so get to fortune telling!

 Washi Tape Matchbooks

Creative Jewish Mom

With only matchboxes, silver contact paper, and a few rolls of washi tape, you can make an otherwise boring matchbox look festive and holiday ready. I wouldn't go so far as to tape each individual match though - my guess is that was done for the picture. You could use traditional Chanukah blues, or  you could be creative and use colors that are completely unexpected. You could also combine this with the bundles of candles above if you wanted to make an even larger favor for your guests.

Washi Wednesday: Chanukah Card

 

Welcome to the inaugural Washi Wednesday post! Washi Wednesday is our new weekly feature focusing on our favorite, versatile little craft supply, washi tape. 

Each week will include a washi craft tutorial, either of my design or linked from another blog, and a featured washi shop where you can stock up on these addictive treats. So, here is the first tutorial:

Washi Tape Chanukah Card

In my blogosphere travels, I've noticed there is a big shortage on fun Chanukah crafts that are not DIY menorahs for children. So, for you this week, a DIY menorah for adults! (Or children. Let's be honest, this craft is not so complicated.) With a few rolls of washi tape and about ten minutes, you can make a lovely Chanukah card for a friend or family member. Let's take a look at the supplies you'll need:

• 1 Blank sheet of white cardstock, folded in half horizontally - My paper was 6x8 folded in half, but any size you like will work fine, as long as there is room for 9 strips of washi going across the bottom.
• Washi tapes of your choosing, all in the same width - Make sure you have the color or colors you'll want to use for flames, but beyond that you could have 1-9 different candle colors. I used five.
• Scissors
• Writing Utensil

Instructions: 

Using the top photo as a guide, use strips of tape to create a menorah. Whatever order of patterns you choose is fine, but you might like to choose coordinating colors as I have. I ripped each piece to give it a more rugged edge look, but you can certainly cut it straight across if you like.

When you reach the bottom of the card, cut each piece of tape even with the card so that there is no excess on the other side. Be certain that your shamash (center candle) is taller than all of the other candles, and that the candles on either side decrease slightly in size so that there is enough room for the flames. 

To make the flames, take the color of your choosing and cut little trapezoids - or triangles, or whatever random shape you like. I didn't mean for all of mine to end up looking similar, it just happened that way and I liked it. This project is pretty free form, so however your flames end up looking, it's important that you like it.

Write your festive Chanukah message inside, and there you have it! A simple washi tape Chanukah Card, full of handmade goodness.

Featured Washi Shop

All of the washi tapes seen in this project (except for the green one, which is from World Market) came from KitChenKitChenFun on Etsy. This shop sells individual rolls of washi tape for around $3, and sets of 3-5 rolls for $8-$10, with reasonable shipping, especially if you are buying a bunch. They also have wonderful sales from time to time, where you could get fun tapes at a discount. These washi tapes ship from China, so they take about 7-10 business days to arrive, but when you get them, it's worth it!

 

 Don't forget to follow my Wishi Washi board on Pinterest for fun washi finds and crafts every day!

 

Washi Tape Delivery

I might have a washi tape problem. And Etsy is one of the best places to find lots of great patterns and colors. So I ordered a few, or 11, from a shop called KitChenKitChenFUN in China, and so began my waiting period. Each day I would eagerly check the mail, hoping to find a fresh bounty of washi tape, and each day I would be disappointed. But today, today was a special day. I guess the Universe felt guilty for not letting me win the Powerball last night. (I could have bought SO MUCH washi tape...) Anyway, it came in this cute package with lovely Chinese bird stamps all the way from Hong Kong. I like the duckie one the best.

I also liked the lovely Chinese label on the back. No idea what it says, (apart from the English) but it's much more interesting than regular everyday USA mail.

And there they were, in all their neatly packaged glory:

I love a good neat package. I also love un-packaging. If I make it to the car without unwrapping something I've just bought, it's a miracle.  So, here is the haul:

I'm so excited to use all of these. The second one down on the left is yellow and black caution tape...that one is one of my new favorites. Stay tuned to check them all out in next week's Project Life post. And, for links to great washi tapes and washi projects, check out my Wishi Washi pinterest board. AH EXCITEMENT!