After randomly turning up some decorative edge stickers in a dig through my craft supplies, I decided to try out trimming washi tape with them to see if I could achieve a fun edge. Read on to learn how it went!
Decorative Edged Washi Tape Supplies
Washi tape (of your choice)
Paper and/or cardstock (pros/cons are below)
Decorative edge scissors (I used scalloped, but whatever you have on hand)
Regular scissors
Paper cutter (optional)
A place to apply your finished washi tape (journal, card, etc. )
Creating Fun Washi Tape Effects with Decorative Edged Scissors
I tried several techniques to get a fun edge on my washi tape; the results were varied. All in all it IS possible to trim your washi tape with these specialty scissors, but read on to learn from my misadventures so that your attempts are more successful!
You all know me, so the first thing I had to do was swatch my washi tape combinations to make sure I would not be going to all this extra decorative effort in vain. My starting washi was the cactus and floral wide washi tape, which is seriously so dang wide. I never use it because it is huge! I figured that was a perfect candidate to be decoratively trimmed down. I picked another washi tape that was slightly wider than average to accompany it, partly because I had plenty of room to trim and partly because I liked the way they looked together. Once I had selected my washi tapes and coordinating markers, I got to the real work.
First up I just tried cutting the washi tape all by itself, just unrolling it and cutting as I went. That 100% did NOT work. Not at all. I do not even have a picture for you, that is how bad it went. Just do not do it.
So next up I did two test swatches of each washi tape: one on regular paper and one on cardstock. I wanted to see which behaved better and, by trying it with both washi tapes, I could be relatively sure the results would be true across most washi tapes.
I trimmed down each swatch on both long edges. Next, I tested each tape to see how well it peeled off from the paper and cardstock.
It turns out the results were the exact same for both: the tape came away easily but did curl up onto itself. This made it tricky – but not impossible – to lay the tape out for its intended use. I would have expected the cardstock to be the clear winner, but it truly was a tie.
Now I used my paper cutter to trim pieces of regular paper to (just longer than) the lengths I needed to use in my journal. I laid out the washi tape on those, then trimmed to add the decorative edge.
When I peeled back these longer strips of tape from the paper, a couple of the scallops clung to the base paper, resulting in having one or two loose scallops over the course of the entire project. Not a huge deal to me, in the long run, but next time I might try again with cardstock and see if I have the same trouble.
The Finished Result of Trimming Washi Tape with Decorative Edge Scissors
Overall, this technique created a really interesting looking spread with just a little additional effort. If you (or your kids, lets be honest) have any decorative edge scissors lying around you should totally give this a shot! Then tag me in your Instagram pics (@WashiTapeWarrior) because I love to share the fun!
