DIY Washi Tape Picture Frames

One of the things I’ve recently promised to do for my home is to buy — and hang — more original art. Most of the art we own are store-bought reproductions, and while they make my eyes happy, I’d really love to support more artists who are doing what they love.

I am fortunate enough to be friends with some amazing artists, one of whom is a longtime reader of Green Your Decor, Lynn Colwell. She does amazing work, and throughout the past year, I’ve collected quite a few of her original pieces. They make my heart happy. So when Walmart challenged me to share a home project, I knew I wanted to find a unique, inexpensive way to display them. Because quality frames can be pricey.

Lynn’s work is full of color and soul, and I wanted my display option to reflect that. I considered using scrapbook paper to create frames, but I decided to go with a more versatile material: Washi tape.

You’ll Need:

• Art to mount
• Thick art paper larger than your art
• Painter’s tape
• Washi tape in complementary colors & patterns
• Level
• Ruler

This is the wall in my office that desperately needed some color and interest.

Lynn’s creates her art on 9×12 paper. I didn’t want to put the washi tape directly on the art, so I had to find a buffer. I bought a pad of 11×15 watercolor paper to use as inexpensive mats. It was just under $10 in Walmart’s craft section.

I first hung blank sheets of paper with painter’s tape just to get a general idea of where I wanted everything.

The photo above does not reflect final placement. After I took it, I used my handy level to make sure they were all straight and equidistant.

Next, I mounted each piece to the center of my “mat” paper. I used long loops of painter’s tape to do the mounting because I know I’ll be able to remove it later with little to no damage to the back of the art.

I used a ruler to make sure they were each centered. For me, that meant each piece had to be an inch from each side, and an inch and a half from the top and bottom.

With each piece mounted, I decided the order in which I wanted to hang them, and which tape to use for each one. Walmart has Duck brand washi tape in a wide variety of colors and patterns at around $2 per roll.

Now, for the fun part. Based on my measurements and markings, I hung each piece with a single loop of painter’s tape on the back of the mat paper. The washi tape would hold the edges in place, but the painter’s tape held them up in the meantime.

I chose two styles of “frame”, thanks to Design Sponge.

For the first, I used washi tape on all four edges of the mat paper. Next, I added four strips that were 2 inches shorter at each corner, like the image on the left:

Finally, I connected the shorter pieces with four diagonal pieces of tape. The slight overlap is perfect. If you want more overlap, make the pieces of tape 3 inches short of the edges instead of 2.

For the second style, I created boxes at each corner. I was less precise about the measuring, but I’m still happy with the result. Put a piece of tape along each edge of the artwork, but make it about 2″ inches too long on each end, as seen in the left side image:

Finally, close the boxes with shorter pieces of tape. Et voila!

So what is the final result of all these colors and frame styles in one space? In a word, amazing!

I am absolutely in love with the result, and I truly wish I’d done it sooner. There are quotes on each piece that I love:

Lynn, your work will now inspire me daily in exactly the place where I need it most. Thank you!

You can find prints and products featuring Lynn’s work in her Pixels shop. And if you are looking for more original artwork, check out my friend addyeB’s work. She is absolutely amazing, and I’m saving up for one of her originals.

So what about you?

Would you hang artwork with washi tape frames? Whose original artwork do you love? Feel free to share links in the comments below!

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Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and effort in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links have been used.