Welcome to our What is Wednesday!
We endeavour to post a new what is every week. But we need your help! Let us know what you would like to know more about ….
This week we are going to give you a brief history of Washi Tape and its many uses.
Basically Washi Tape originally comes from Japan and is made from rice paper. It is now manufactured in any different colours and patterns.
Here is the description from wikipedia:
Washi (和紙?) is a style of paper that was first made in Japan. Washi is commonly made using fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub (Edgeworthia chrysantha), or thepaper mulberry, but also can be made using bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat. Washi comes from wa meaning Japanese and shi meaning paper, and the term is used to describe paper made by hand in the traditional manner.[1]
Washi is generally tougher than ordinary paper made from wood pulp, and is used in many traditional arts. Origami, Shodo, and Ukiyo-e were all produced using washi. Washi was also used to make various everyday goods like clothes, household goods, and toys as well as vestments and ritual objects for Shinto priests and statues of Buddha. It was even used to makewreaths that were given to winners in the 1998 Winter Paralympics. Several kinds of washi, referred to collectively as Japanese tissue, are used in the conservation and mending of books. Washi has also found a new form, as a tape, usually combined with acrylic glue. It is similar to masking tape in that it is removable from most surfaces.
So, what do we use it for?
As well as using washi tape on layouts, creating borders and bits of interest on your page there is plenty more inspiration to be found on Pinterest! Here are some images from there: (original websites are watermarked on the photos 🙂 )
We have a large variety of washi tape available in store and over 50 designs in our webstore. {here}