Who here loves washi tape? It’s an absolute stationery staple for me and I love using it for sewing and bullet journaling. I wrote a blog post last year with lots of creative ways to use Nikki’s Halloween and Autumn washi tape, and this week I’ll be experimenting with some quick ways to jazz up your home decor for Spring! 

I’m very fickle when it comes to favourite colours and mine has changed from red to blue to purple, back to red, to pink then rust and mustard over the last few years! I decorated my office space and craft room in 2020 and wisely opted for white walls and furniture so that I could update the accessories in line with my current colour obsession. It was definitely a wise decision but even with a colourful rug, lamp and chair, it still feels a little bare. Enter: WASHI TAPE! 

Warm rays washi tape

As the accent colours in my office are a mix of rust, mustard and pink, this warm rays washi tape was a natural choice. It brings together all of my accent colours, with a little bit of extra sparkle. 

Decorate your desk with washi tape

I started small by adding it along the edge of my IKEA Hemnes desk, which was amazingly, the perfect size for washi tape! It also conveniently covers up the tiny dents where I’ve tried to shove scissors back into the drawer without looking. I can’t believe how transformative this was for such a quick and easy project. I’m not mad about how well it matches my June bullet journal theme either! 

Warm rays washi tape | Archer & Olive Journal | Soft Corduroy pencil case

...or a drawer!

Next up, I decorated the drawer on my little desk-side unit to match. Yep, it’s a bedside table. I spent absolutely ages trying to find a bookcase that was small enough to fit in this gap to hold my craft books and journals. I was about ready to give up, when I realised that a bedside table would be the perfect size, and had the added bonus of an extra drawer!

This would be a really cheap, quick and easy way to bring a few pieces of mis-matched furniture together and make a room look more cohesive. I was originally hoping to match up all the of the suns/rays but it wouldn’t have been possible without trimming the tape on each row, but I quite like this random mismatched look as it gives a sort of mosaic finish.

Warm rays washi tape

Washi Tape Gallery Wall

I really wanted to create a postcard gallery wall but as I was short of space wall space, I went for a little noticeboard area on my IKEA Hemnes sideboard. I displayed a selection of my favourite postcards and instant photos with pink grid washi tape and golden dots washi tape, to complement the pink and gold tones of the warm rays washi tape. Big thank you to Nikki who printed some of my favourite photos of my beloved kitty Luna, who recently passed away. I’ve wanted somewhere to display cards, photos and postcards for ages, and I love how quickly and easily this could be updated!

Pink grid washi tape | Golden dots washi tape

Postcards by: Liz Harry | Wren & Wilson| Holly Booth | Isle of Man ABC | Rifle Paper Co | Niconeco Zakkaya

Washi Tape Removable Wall Art

I’ve seen lots of adorable confetti/sprinkle-inspired décor on Pinterest and created a mini version on the other door of my sideboard. Full disclosure: I put them on while filming a reel, and I think the spacing could be a little more even so I’ll probably re-arrange them! Thankfully, Nikki’s Supply Store’s washi can be easily removed and re-positioned without leaving any residue or losing any of its stickiness. This would be such a cute look for a baker’s kitchen or a kid’s bedroom. 

Pink grid washi tape | Orange gingham washi tape | Custard Cream cushion

Colourise Cupboard Shelves with Washi Tape

Having covered pretty much every available external surface in my office, I moved into the inside of my cupboards. As with my desk, the shelf of my IKEA Hemnes bureau was the perfect width for washi tape! It’s a little hard to see as this cupboard is pretty chocka with craft and packing supplies but I also added washi to the edges of the shelves on this mini bamboo paper organiser. They were rough and unfinished and I’ve scraped my hands and arms on them on numerous occasions so this was both a practical solution as well as a cute one! You could also use this method to colour-code shelves and differentiate between different types of paper/card etc.

Pastel arcs washi tape | Mini folding crate

Decorating Glass Jars and Picture Frames with Washi Tape

Finally, I moved onto some smaller items in my office. I received this beautiful bunch of coloured dried flowers from a friend recently and thought the glass jar they came with could do with some jazzing up. I picked out a few colours from the bouquet that matched washi tapes in my collection and I just love how it looks! This could be a great way to make a collection of random glass jars look more cohesive, and could be used be used for wedding centre pieces or party favours.

Orange gingham washi tape | Pink grid washi tape | Lilac gingham washi tape | Mint grid washi tape

As the bouquet sits next to this framed lino cut, I added co-ordinating washi around the edge of the picture frame for an additional pop of colour. I’ve seen some great versions of this on Pinterest with a few different colours of washi tape on one frame, but I decided to keep it simple to complement the glass jar. The lino cut was made by my friend Ellie, who’ll be selling her work soon!

Bonus Decor Idea: Washi Tape Art!

Washi tape can also be used to create really striking and unusual art by using it to “colour” an area on an illustration. I was inspired by @jericaplans to give it a go in my bullet journal last month, and I’ll definitely be creating some fun washi tape art for my office once I’ve decided what to draw. Apparently I’m as indecisive as I am fickle!

Archer & Olive Journal | Orange gingham washi tape

Once you’ve got your outline, cover the area in washi tape, then GENTLY cut around the area you want filled with a craft knife, and peel the excess away! Nikki also coincidentally used this method for her May 2022 cover page, so you can see the method in more detail in her Plan With Me YouTube video!

Hopefully that’s given you a little inspiration but of course, the possibilities really are endless! We’d love to see how you use your washi tape, especially if you’ve been inspired by any of the ideas in this blog post or my previous washi tape blog post. Please tag @nikkissupplystore on Instagram, where you can find heaps more journaling and stationery inspiration. You can also follow me, @joy.margot, for more craft content.