DIY Washi Tape

After testing my tapes for acid levels, I decided to make my own tape. These are obviously not original washi but these work just the same. They can be torn and used. They are semi-transparent just like washi. These are very thin as well.

I got two products to make them.

1) I got the Miracle tapes from Viva Las Vegas Store. Do check them out! They have a value pack of Miracle Tape in various sizes. That's what I got. It is double sided. It is acid free. They are good for variety of uses not just to make washi tape. I am very happy with the quality. I am sure to get more when my stock runs thin, which btw is really going to take some major washi making spree as each tape is 55yards long!! The price is very reasonable compared to other brands out there.

2) The other thing I got is the Lineco Acid-free tissue paper from Amazon. These are the kind which go behind art work in galleries. I got the white of course. Good quality. Of course, you can use tissue tape from dollar store or any other place, but then the whole point of making it acid-free is lost! You get a whole lot for 14$ on amazon. It will last you a long time.

Process

I stamped, colored, water colored and ended up with so many designs! I looked through my stamps and found some very nice ones! I made a quick photo tutorial for you to see!

Here are the results!

I had made one more batch of washi tapes before these ones, I thought I had taken a picture of them! I used them up on my project life pages.

 It is fun to stamp and make your own washi tape. I am loving the process! Hope you liked what I made. Come back and visit me later if you want to see them on my project life pages.

Thanks for visiting me today!

Washi Tape: Acid Free or Not

I recently got a lot of washi tapes from ebay and another place. They are absolutely pretty and soooo cute! I love the ease of using them. Just stick them on and the layouts look so cool.

I usually test everything new which goes on my layouts. So I started using the Washi tape on my Project life pages, then I remembered I had not tested them! They did say there were acid free and meant for scrapbooking projects. I used my ph tester pen and here are the results. You can see the pen marks on the paper are blue and the pen marks on the tape is yellow. To understand that better....

American Crafters Ph Tester Pen

Criteria for Test

Yellow/Colorless =Bad

Blue/Lavendar=Good

The top ones are all from a particular brand, from Japan. The bottom ones are from Ebay, shipped from China. I no longer feel comfortable using the tapes on my layouts. I am not able to decide if it would be ok to use on my project life journaling cards. I don't know what it is going to do to my pages. I am pretty upset because the tapes are so pretty!! The manufacturer claims they are acid free, but I don't think they are. The test results prove that! I got the pen from Amazon. 

I don't think all crafters think on the same lines. Some don't care, Some do. I do want my scrapbook pages to last. I don't want to see them in a bad shape after 5 years. I have heard of pages getting ruined in a matter of 5-6 years because of using non-acid free stuff causing bleeding on pages, yellowing , fading etc...

I am not happy about the result. I loved the look just like the rest of the crafting community. I might just use it on cards for now...till I hear more from the manufacturer. This is just my personal opinion on these tapes.