Friday, March 19, 2010

Decorating Easter Eggs - Japanese Washi Tape

This afternoon, Smarty Pants and I sat down to decorate some Easter Eggs-- I know it's early, they're ceramic... no rotten eggs will be had.  I wanted a project that an almost 4 year old would be able to enjoy and also something pretty that could nicely adorn our dining room table for Easter Brunch.

I've been seeing a lot of mention of Washi Tape, but wasn't sure what I would do with it.  That is, until I saw the latest issue of Family Circle.

What is Japanese Washi Tape?  Well, in a nutshell, it's beautiful masking tape.  It has all the good qualities of masking tape-- easy to remove and reposition (if necessary), easy to rub out the little bubbles, sticky, but not too sticky.  However, it looks nothing like dull, brown masking tape-- It comes in beautiful colors and patterns, has a tissue paper-like transparency, and also comes in a variety of widths.

Here's a peek at a few of our creations~

washi tape - looks good enough to eat
I ♥ Japanese packaging!
  
The Egg

My 3-year old's first creation


Smarty Pants had a great time and made some beautiful eggs.  It's a great project for the 3+ crowd because, aside from maybe dropping an egg, there really is no way for this project to go wrong (the tape doesn't stick well to hair or furniture-- Gee, I wonder how I know this?) .  I simply told Smarty Pants to "cover the white", and I think his eggs are the most vibrant and beautiful.  But I do have to warn you... Washi tape is addictive.  I had no idea how much fun I would have.  I'm still thinking of new egg designs. And I'm also starting to think of ways to jazz up some clear vases and white dishware, and maybe incorporating washi into gift wrapping... Uh oh, a Washi-intervention may be in order.

Supplies:  ceramic eggs from oriental trading company;  washi tape from downtown fabrics; also on amazon.



Linked to:

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Favorite Things Friday @ A Few of My Favorite Things
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Made it Monday @ The Persimmon Perch