Guest post: create affordable washi tape art with Hannah Cox of the Crafternoon Club

Today I'm pleased to be passing you into the capable and creative hands of Hannah Cox, pictured below, founder of excellently inventive hybrid, the Crafternoon Club (where cabaret meets craft – what else?).

Hannah, who has a prestigious Mollie Makes Handmade Awards trophy under her belt – or, rather under her (hand-sewn) apron – is sharing an affordable interiors trick to spruce up walls for next to nothing. (And it's perfect for needle-phobic craft weaklings like me.) Over to you Hannah...



I’m absolutely delighted to have been asked to create a guest blog for You Home Is Lovely. I’m a huge fan of finding simple ways to update my home and add a crafty DIY twist wherever I can so I decided to share this easy wall art tutorial to add a pop of colour to your home with my favourite material of the moment – washi tape.

Washi tape is really easy to use so if this is your first foray into the world of crafts and DIY this is a great place to begin, why not invite some friends round and make a proper Crafternoon of it!

The great thing about this DIY is that you can alter the colours, look and feel to work with your own home and you don’t even have to be able to thread a needle to complete your own piece of wall art. Actually you barely need to be able to use scissors. You just need to pick colours and then get creative.

You will need

• Artist canvas – I’ve used 20cm x 20cm canvasses but you could easily go bigger. These canvasses can be bought from Amazon or Rymans.
• Washi tape – go bright and go bold. eBay is a fantastic place to source mountains of washi tape in every colour of the rainbow and every pattern imaginable.

Step one: choose Choose your colours – some would say this is the hardest part.  Think about the other colours in your room and whether you want complimentary shades or a contrasting pop of colour.  Today I’m making one monochrome piece, the beginnings of which you can see above) and one that is all about the neon.

Step two: design and stick Although washi tape is low tack – which means it’s very easy to peel off once it’s stuck in place – you don’t want to do this too much in case you lose the crisp edge of the tape. Think about your design. You can create straight bold lines across your canvas, cut your tape into pieces to create smaller shapes or even layer your tape onto grease-proof paper to cut out a larger solid shape such as circles or letters.

For my monochrome piece I have gone for strong straight lines running vertically and horizontally across the canvas and weaving around each other (under and over) as they go. For subtle, added visual interest I increased the gap between the lines each time.

For my neon piece I wanted to create the effect of sunburst light – although the final effect could equally be lazers and lights at a festival.  I worked with one colour from each corner and lay rows of tape spreading out like light beams. I also gave these lines a woven effect, which with the slightly thinner tape made some lovely midway colours.

Step three: neaten and tuck Any tape pieces that go over the edge of your canvas should be tucked around to the back so you hide the ends.  It’s also worth trimming any tape edges on the top of the canvas to make sure the lines are neat and strong. 

Step four: hang and admire Get your beautiful new artwork up on your wall and admire your work – go on, pour yourself a glass of wine and turn it into a fancy private view of the latest addition to your collection.



My new washi tape creations are hung alongside a beautiful stitching illustration I was given as a nice-to-meet-you gift and my button bird – another tutorial you can find on my blog for your next afternoon of makery.

Crafternoon Cabaret Club is a monthly saturday afternoon of craft and cabaret, which takes place at the Hospital Club in central London. 

For more information visit www.crafternooncabaretclub.com
Twitter @CrafternoonClub Facebook.com/CrafternoonCabaretClub