Handmade Rainbow Washi Tape Card Tutorial

Sending handmade cards is a simple way to show someone you care. This rainbow washi tape card is easy to make and turns out so pretty.

I’m Keri from One Mama’s Daily Drama. If you’ve seen many of the crafts I’ve shared here on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry or my own blog, you might have noticed that I love color! These handmade rainbow washi tape cards that I’m sharing today are the perfect example of that, and they’re a great way to put a little cheer in someone’s mailbox.

handmade washi tape card in 3 designs with rainbow colored stripes

When I was 9, I had a penpal through school. She lived in England, which seemed like a completely different world to me in Texas. Mostly she wrote about being a 9-year-old, and sometimes she drew a picture or put in a photo or stickers. I looked forward to her letter every few weeks, knowing that it would be the most exciting thing in the mailbox.

Even as an adult, I love finding personal mail hiding in among the bills and junk. Sure, connecting with my friends and family by texting is easier, but getting a card in the mail still feels special.

If you’re looking for a fun way to stay connected with friends and family, sending handmade cards is fun and easy for kids and adults. You can start with this simple tutorial for washi tape cards. If you’ve never worked with washi tape before, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Washi tape is light and delicate, like paper. It tears easily by hand and can be removed and re-stuck somewhere a few times. It’s very forgiving if you’re the kind of person who likes to rearrange a few times to make sure something is perfect. And it looks pretty cute whether you get it “perfect” or not!

How to Make a washi tape card

My washi tape stash is pretty big, but most of it is patterned. I ordered this set from Amazon just for this project. I got a lot of tape for what I spent and will be able to use these for a lot more crafts too.

What you need:

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Craft Tools Needed:

Supplies Needed:

stack of supplies including paper, washi tape, scissors, a ruler, a pencil, and a double-sided adhesive runner

Instructions:

1. Cut the handmade card outside and inside pieces.

Decide the size for your card and cut a piece of card stock for the outside and inside. They can be the same size or the outside one can be bigger. For this one, the brown Kraft paper is slightly larger than the white card stock.

I used a ruler to crease the edges really smoothly.

a hand holds a pencil and traces white paper against kraft brown paper

2. Draw the cutout shapes on the outside card.

Using a pencil, lightly draw the design you want for the cutout section on the outside piece. Make sure the lines are not too close to the edge or to each other. I drew 3 hearts for this card.

Simple designs work best if you’re using scissors, but more detailed shapes could be cut with an x-acto knife. You could even cut out a design on your Cricut/Silhouette if you have one.

a hand draws three hearts on kraft paper

3. Cut out the card shapes.

Carefully bend the paper and make a cut with the scissors, then cut out the shapes.

scissors cut into a bent piece of craft paper

three hearts cut out of kraft paper show the white paper beneath

4. Mark the designs on the inside card.

Now you need to know where to stick the washi tape. Lightly trace the shape onto the white inside paper. You don’t want it to show through the tape, but you need a guide. You can erase the pencil marks as you apply the tape if you prefer.

a pencil marks where the hearts match up on the white paper

5. Apply the washi tape.

Decide which tape colors you’ll use and make sure you have enough to cover the cutout section.

13 rolls of washi tape in solid colors line up to create a rainbow

Using your lines as a guide, start layering the washi tape onto the white inside card. You can pull up the washi tape and move it quite a few times if you need to.

three strips of washi tape in shades of pink are stuck to white card stock

13 strips of washi tape are stuck to white card stock to cover the hearts

6. Attach the two handmade card pieces.

Once you’re happy with the washi tape card design, use the double-sided adhesive runner to attach the two card pieces. I just run lines around the outside edges and add a few in the middle.

a hand pulls the adhesive roller across the edge of the card

Alternatively, you can use glue to attach the two sections, but because glue is wet, I’ve noticed that it tends to warp the paper just a bit.

When your card is complete, you can write a message inside and send it to someone special.

a left hand holding a pen writes inside the white pages of a card

the finished washi tape card shows three heart cutouts with rainbow colors behind

Handmade Card Variations

There are tons of ways to personalize your washi tape card by changing up the shapes, colors, and paper. Use more color or less. Cut your paper to different sizes or shapes. Or make your card flat instead of folded.

Cutout letter card

For this card, I drew a box and then the block outline of the letters to say “Hi.” It’s important for the letters to attach to the rest of the card at the top and bottom. Then just cut out the background behind the letters.

a card with "Hi" cutout of the front piece shows rainbow washi tape behind the lettering

To add more color, I folded washi tape over the edges of the card too.

closeup of a white card with blue washi tape hanging over the edge

Mini washi tape card

Of course, you can make handmade cards in any size. I made this one small, about 3 inches square, and only cut out the black paper for the front of the card.

I picked washi tape colors in the same family to create an ombre effect.

a black card with a peace sign cut out shows blue ombre washi tape behind

Washi tape envelope

I added some washi tape to the envelope for the white card. If you’re sending it through the mail, write the address directly on the envelope (not on the tape, even though that would be cute) just in case it comes off on its trip through the post office.