Friends With Washi Tape and Other Good Things.

 Today I have decided that I am the luckiest person in the world. "Why?' you might ask. Well, it just so happens that my friend Shar owns a beautiful flower shop and has started stocking washi tape. Not only that, but it's the most reasonably priced and most gorgeous(esest) in town!!!

 So yes, I am pretty happy at the moment.

 I always pop in to see her on Friday which is my town day. When you live in the country you need a town day. I even find myself putting on my better clothes for it - this includes wearing shoes rather than my much loved slippers.

 I thought I would show some other snippets from her shop. This photo makes me fall in love with blue again.

 And this one, pink and green. It is such a fresh combination. I stopped and stared here for quite a while. So lucky that Shar has known me for a few years now.

So there you go, a bit of colour for Friday. Tune in tomorrow for my new library books...

Lots of love,
Kate xxooxx.

A Peek Behind the Door.

We have a new bed. After 12 years of lots of sleep our old friend was starting to feel like a hammock. Not good.

I feel like a princess (hopefully Jonno doesn't feel quite the same way).

Perhaps our room is a bit feminine at the moment, but don't you worry... I will add some kind of skullishness or swords or something for Jonno at some stage. Maybe a manly (but crocheted) stag trophy or something?

And ummm, maybe I am starting to take the washi tape obsession too far. There are just so many things that you can stick to the wall with it. These birds just flew through the window and I happened to have some tape in my hand. No more flying for you chappies.

 Even bunting can be attached with a bit of fanciness. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, life as an adult is great because you get to put sticky tape on your walls and no one gets cross!

Lots of love,

Kate xxooxx.

How to Washi Tape a Foxy Wall Sticker.

 I have been wanting to wallpaper my bedroom for quite some time but have been extremely lacking in motivation and perhaps most importantly, skill. I was browsing pinterest the other day and came across some great inspiration from here and here. I had a play around and then came up with this method. I hope you like it.

 Cut out your template (I folded an A4 piece of paper in half to make sure it was symmetrical) and blue tack it to the wall.

 Snip enough washi tape to have a slight overlap at either end of the head.

 Overlap the next piece of tape to make a reasonably tidy corner.

 Tape around the whole head cutting and measuring as you go.

 Cut two pieces of tape for the snout bringing them up on an angle roughly to where the snout ends.

 Finish off the snout (I wish I could stop writing the word snout) by using tape to bridge the cheek to the snout (there it is again), creating two triangles.

Cut 4 pieces of tape of the same length for the ears, using them to make two triangles, one on either side of the head (you know how ears are).

 Well, hello Mr. Fox!

 And Mr. Bear.

 For other shapes I found it really useful to google origami patterns and take the shapes from there.

I found it much easier even if I wasn't taping around the shape, to stick it up on the wall as a reference.

Have lots of fun and please tell me if you make any amazing washi tape wall shapes/animals.... My next challenges are paper crane and paper plane outlines. Wahoo, life is for the living (and playing with sticky tape)

Lots of love,

Kate xxooxx.

Washi Tape and Baby Rabbits.

 Sooo, today's project.... attaching little legs to little beds for the maternity ward.

Any excuse to use washi tape.
Lots of love,
Kate xxooxx.

p.s. Thank you so much for your books suggestions - I love them and don't be shy to keep the coming....

Colour Inspiration @ Paper Plane....

 Today I went on a little pilgrimage to The Mount (Mount Maunganui), a very cool area in Tauranga, and is a cityish peninsula flanked by the most beautiful beaches imaginable and then capped off by a tiny mountain that seems to stick up out of the middle of the sea.

 My destination was a new shop that has just started up called Paper Plane. We do have some good shops in Tauranga, please don't get me wrong... it's just that there aren't many places that excite me to the tips of my toes and make me want to well, make and do. 

 And Paper Plane did this for me - wahoo. It made me feel happy to have eyes just so I could eat up all the amazing colours that lash their very good goods.

 For heaven's sake - look at the use of neons in this fabric - ridiculously perfect.

 And as for these swans - what a good birthday present idea for anybody wondering what to get for me. Both of them please. They were quite high up on the wall (possibly to stop people like me from licking them) which is why the photo is on such a funny angle. 

I had better add right now that I am in no way, shape or form being sponsored or bribed for this rave. It's just nice on days like this though, to have a blog so you can justify taking photos of gorgeous things in a shop without being labelled too much of a stalker. I wouldn't do this in a lingerie shop.

 Cooolooouuuuurrrrr..... that was written in a zombie voice by the way.

 Gaaahhhhh.

 These lights were amazing. I would really love a ginormous christmas tree to thread them all through. That would be my version of paradise. Could you imagine.

 And.... the perfect knitting bag! One that almost wouldn't look out of place if you took it fishing and sometimes that exactly the kind of flexibility that I am after.

 And concretey milk bottley bottles. I really liked these and loved how the soft grey bounced about with the dusty pinks and blues in the prints behind them.

And this photo... well this is one of me taken by Krista who is the brains behind it all (with her partner). I couldn't resist this print by Evie Kemp. Krista took the photo as she thought that I was wearing the exact clothes the cockatoo would wear if it could wear clothes. I decided to take it as high praise.

Anyhoo - that was my day, out and about in town. 

Tomorrow I am going to gather up all of my books that I am reading and take a photo for a new book post.

Until then lots of love,

Kate xxooxx.

p.s. I am too tired to proof read for spelling and grammar mistakes so pleeez fawgiv mea.

Washi Tape Wooden Jewellery - a Tutorial

 Okay - first of all, the hexagon and cloud came from Spotlight - however, you can google Kasiercraft Wooden Flourishes and purchase them online in your own country - washi tape can be found by the truckload on etsy.com - have a good look around as there is such a wonderful selection.

Secondly, hole drilling - Jonno drilled mine for me but said that you could get a hand drill inexpensively from a hardware store. Good advice methinks.

So, drill your holes first - I am joining this hexagon up with two others so I have three holes in this one.

Grab your first roll of washi tape and apply a strip to your shape.

 Cut to fit so that there is about 1-2mm overlap.

 Fold around the edge making sure that it doesn't jut over the other side.

 Line up your next washi tape pattern so that it sits snugly next to the first. Repeat as with the first piece of tape.

 Continue with different patterns until the shape is covered.

 Then using a pin, gently prick the tape covering the hole until you can smooth the washi tape back to the edges of the hole.

 Et voila!

 The cloud shape is a little different. Cut enough tape so that the front and back can be covered with the same strip.

 Bring it around to the back.

 And snip once both sides are covered.

 Trim the excess tape until there is 1-2mm left, following the shape of your cloud. Snip into the v so that it folds neatly around the curves.

 At the point where the straight edge and curved edge meet, cut the tape so that first one side can be tucked under and then the other side over.

 Like that! 

 Paint with Mod Podge (or similar) to seal the washi tape and then allow to dry.

 Paint the edges carefully with acrylic paint. I like doing this after I have sealed the washi tape as then any splodges or streaks wipe off easily.

 Attach your jewellery findings and thread and start posing for photos.

Here are my three hexagons all joined up together. Note where the holes are drilled if you are after a similar effect.

I hope this tutorial made sense, please leave any questions in the comments below and I will answer them in the same section.

Lots and lots of love,

Kate xxooxx.