Washi Tape Decorated Gift Tubes

Toilet paper tubes: we all have them. Here is a fun way to use them to give someone a small gift! This craft is super simple and - possibly excluding the gift – I bet you already own everything needed to pull it together. Off we go!

Supplies for Washi Decorated Gift Tubes

Toilet paper tubes

Washi tapes

Scissors

Small gift (see notes below)

Tissue paper

Curling ribbon

Supplies for Washi Tape Decorated Gift Tubes

A Note on Choosing Gifts

Obviously, this is not the perfect wrapping solution for ALL gifts. What are some great examples of gifts that work well for this craft? Keychains, dainty necklaces, all manner of writing instruments (pens, markers, colored pencils, etc.), a handwritten note or poem, magnets, toy race cars, certain sizes of Tsum Tsums, pins/buttons – and these are just a few ideas!

Decorating the Toilet Paper Tube with Washi Tape

Once you have selected your desired washi tape combination, how you choose to decorate the tube is up to you. My advice: straight or diagonal lines are going to be the first and second easiest options. Can you wrap the washi tape around the tube to alternate patterns horizontally? Of course you can! Do I recommend that? Absolutely not! Wrapping washi tape around anything is way more difficult than it sounds. Getting your ends to match up and keeping things straight can turn this simple gift craft into a major headache. So you do you, but I went with straight lines.

Toilet Paper Tube Ready to be Decorated with Washi Tape

When applying your tape, leave a generous inch or so of over hang at each end. You’ll fold these ends into the tube, and the length will help keep it secure. If you leave just a smidge of tape to fold over, you might find it continually wants to curl back up and will not stay adhered to the inside of the tube.

Leave Plenty of Over Hang with your Washi Tape Strips

Keeping working your way around the tube until the entire outside is decorated with washi tape.

Fully Decorated Washi Tape Gift Tube

Wrapping the Gift

For my initial run, I took a single sheet of tissue paper and folded it in half horizontally so it was about 1.5x as wide as my toilet paper tube. I placed my gift (an Eiffel tower keychain) centered on one edge of the tissue paper, then rolled it up securely.

Prepping to Wrap Your Small Gift

Wrapped Small Gift

Next, I inserted my gift into the decorated toilet paper tube and tied off each side with curling ribbon.

First Finished Washi Tape Decorated Gift Tube

It was totally adorable, but a little “loose” in the toilet paper tube.

I tried a second time using by and large the same steps. When it came time to wrap the gift in the tissue, I did the single-sheet wrap more loosely than I had rolled the first one. This still was not quite the size I needed, so I wrapped that in a second sheet of folded tissue paper. This one fit the tube much better, as you can see in the photo below.

Two Decorated Washi Tape Gift Tubes

Lesson learned: if your small gift is actually quite small, make sure to use ample tissue to wrap it so the tissue/gift portion fits snugly in the washi tape decorated toilet paper tube.

Alternate plan: if giving several small gifts that could all fit in the same toilet paper tube (pens, for example) layer them into the tissue as you roll it. This way, you gift recipient will discover each item one at a time, extending the gift-opening experience!

Beautiful, Upcycled Washi Tape Gift Packaging

And that is all! In the course of just a few minutes you have beautiful packaging for those special, smaller gifts. This could also be great for party favors!

Beautiful Washi Tape Decorated Gift Packaging