Hello from sunny Queensland!  I've recently been bitten by the Washi Bug (no settle down Mum this has nothing to do with laundry!) and have started collecting a few rolls.  First thing that struck me though, is that I was going to pretty much need one of every colour if I was going to be able to use it in my very colourful and usually never-the-same-colours-twice projects.  Dilemma - because in March (I hope) we will be moving into our new house, where while I will have my own craft studio - woohoo.  BUT it's right near the front door and you will be able to see everything in it - so it will need to be neat!  This means I don't have room for walls of washi, baskets, piles or racks - I literally won't have the room to acquire the sheer number of rolls I might want.  So time to get creative - why not make some of my own washi tape, just enough for one or two projects, coloured as I like?  I thought I'd start simple and create some pretty pink and purple watercolour washi.

You Will Need

Products from Lindy's Stamp Gang

• Magicals: Tea Pot Purple, Witch's Potion Purple and Hottie Patottie Hot Pink 
• Embossing Powder: Poppin' Pink

Other Products:

• BoBunny Gold Glitter Paste
• X-Press It Double Sided Adhesive Sheet (you could substitute double sided tape or even foam tape)
• Precision scissors
• Waterbrush
• Assorted Washi Tape (glitter and printed)
• Metal Stencil - Dreamweaver - Damask
• Scraping tool or palette knife
• Acrylic block or nonporous flat surface
• Stamps
• Versamark Watermark Ink Pad and Memories Black Dye Ink Pad

How To

Begin by cutting some 120gsm paper (this is a little thicker than normal copy paper which is 80gsm so you can add more paint to it, without the paper buckling or pilling) into washi sized strips - I cut mine a little bigger than I wanted the final product in case of any little mishaps.  Then cut your double sided sheets into strips the exact size you want your finished washi - mine are about 15mm wide.

Make small pools of water (I squeezed 5 drops from a water brush to create each pool) mix a small amount of Magicals powder into each pool, one colour per pool.  I chose coordinating colours in pinks and purples -Tea Pot Purple, Witch's Potion Purple and Hottie Patottie Hot Pink (you could use Poppin' Pink if you don't have this colour).

Use your waterbrush to pick up colour and flick this onto an acrylic block, add a little of each colour.  More drops will give you better coverage of the white, fewer drops will result in more pattern and individual unmixed colours.  Be careful - a little will go a LONG way.

Stamp the colour on the block onto your paper strips, keep stamping until the paper is coloured to your satisfaction, or until you run out of colour.  If you run of of colour, reapply using the same process and continue.  You may choose to leave a few strips just like this - they look so pretty!

If you would like a little more drama to your washi, then while still wet, flick a few drops of more concentrated magicals colour onto the coloured paper.  This will result in more distinct and sparkly spots over the surface.

Remove one side of the protective backing from your double sided adhesive sheet and adhere this to the back of the coloured paper - use very sharp scissors to trim off any excess.

You can then use your custom watercolour washi any way you want!  I added glitter paste to some of my strips to create some coordinating (but more sparkly) pieces and paired this with some traditional store bought washi tape to create a fun and unique card.  

I also created a stamped custom embellishment using some of the Lindy's Stamp Gang Poppin' Pink Embossing Powder, went perfectly with the Hottie Patottie Pink Magicals.

A few stamps, a little layering and you have a finished card.

This was so quick, fun and simple I have a feeling I'll be making a lot more of my own custom washi, there are a rainbow of colours just waiting to be used!  
Hmm perhaps rainbow watercolour washi should be next! 

Watch this being made below...