Actually, I did have someone ask me what washi tape is! If you are a beginner crafter or card maker, you might not know about this wonderful embellishment!

It’s a paper tape (not masking tape or duct tape) made from natural fibers from Japanese trees. You can just tear off pieces with your fingers. And it is re-position-able, which makes it so easy to use.

There are a couple tricks to using washi tape. It helps to get a rolls that coordinate together because the mix of patterns will help you make cute cards. It often goes with a whimsical stamp for kind of a casual look. But that’s not to say you can’t use it for intricate, elegant patterns too. You can also place a strip on a piece of wax paper and then use a punch or die to cut out a shape.

If you like a straight edge rather than the torn effect, use an old gift card as your little straight edge cutter.  It works like a charm!

Washi helps you make a cute card very quickly. Here I used three patterns from the Party Animal washi set. I used Emerald Envy ink and Crushed Curry cardstock for a bit of pop…and the card was done!

Oh and I punched out a tiny heart using one of the washi tape patterns to make lips for my frog. I just put a piece of washi on a piece of wax paper. Then I used a tiny heart punch and peeled it off the wax paper. Instant heart-shaped washi!

I also love to put washi tape on my envelopes.

Isn’t she adorable and kissable with those puckered lips?

Here’s a close up of this cute set of washi – only $8.00 for 5 rolls! Colors are Crumb Cake, Crushed Curry, Emerald Envy, Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango. Five yards on each roll.

Do you sometimes wonder how to pick colors to put together on your card design? I was trying to figure out what color would look pretty with these dragonflies I punched out from some hand-painted paper my sister sent me.  They are these beautiful shades of green. So I pulled out my color wheel to help me decide.

The color wheel is divided into 12 colors. Yellow, red, and blue will be the primary colors. Green, orange, and violet are the secondary colors. Each secondary color is a complement to one of the primary colors. To make it simple, the complement will be the color on the opposite side of the wheel. Green complements red (Merry Christmas!). Violet complements yellow (Happy Mardi Gras!). Orange complements blue (Happy umm…Parrot Day?).

I decided to go with three colors in a row and put the dragonflies on a daffodil yellow paper.

Do you just love those dragonflies??? The thinlit is called Detailed Dragonflies and you can read the details (lol) about it here.

Here are some tips about the color wheel.

• Opposite colors on the wheel will bring out a vibrancy that isn’t present when the color is used alone (the colors will pop).
• Three colors in a row will look harmonious together.
• Two or three adjacent colors with one opposite color will pop.

Playing along with Freshly Made Sketches design #275. If you haven’t tried a design sketch challenge, you should give theirs a try, especially if you are new to stamping. Having a design idea takes away the frozen feeling that comes when you stare a piece of blank cardstock!

Here’s the challenge for this week:

And my interpretation of the sketch:

Inside the card, a second penguin joins the one who peeks out through the circle…

To make it easier for new stampers to copy this design, I punched out the penguins to show how I could place them in the right place without having to worry about STAMPING them in the right place.

The stamp set is Snow Place and the matching framelit is called Snow Friends.  This set is not just for Christmas!  Penguins are adorable all year long! Inside I used the sentiment from Mixed Drinks (keeping with the ‘time’ theme started on the front). My color palette is Pacific Point, Basic Black, and Whisper White. Pacific Point just seems to make the penguins pop!

The Layering Circles framelits are so well worth the investment. I love how I could make that thin ring to go on the outside of my cut circle.