Japanese Washi Masking Tape

Items decorated with Washi tape.

OH-OH!  I feel a new collection coming on… but masking tape?  Do I really need to collect masking tape?  Have you seen this tape?  It is actually Japanese Washi paper made into adhesive masking tape.  It’s gorgeous and brilliant!

Washi paper masking tape (6 rolls) in a special box! How could I resist?

I found some that I had to have on Etsy at Felt Cafe.  I didn’t realize that it would be shipped from Japan.  I got a 6 roll set in a lovely decorated box.

The washi tapes come in solids all across the rainbow, traditional Japanese washi patterns, plaids and more.

Gorgeous striped Washi masking tape.

I can hear someone out there thinking: this woman has gone mad!  Nope.  It is actually a craft supply.  There are people out there that are figuring out uses for this tape this very minute.

So far I’ve seen pendants made with this tape, cool bottles and packages decorated with this tape and I’m sure there is much more to come.

The interesting thing about this tape is that some of it is semi-transparent.  There are also metallics and they’re gorgeous.

Old Vintage Book Washi tape!

There is even text printed tape and collaged tape, too.

I can see custom decorating the solid color tapes with paint, rubber stamping, and actual collage. That would be cool.

I can also see using this tape in altered books, making new handbound books, jewelry, and collage.  Like I said: OH-OH! I feel a new collection coming on!  I don’t know what the Japanese are doing with it but I can’t wait to see.

Collage Washi tape.

Because this is a paper based tape you can write on it easily. It won’t smear or run like on the regular masking tape.  However, it does come with writing on it and collaged text like that at right.

These are pendants made out of the Washi masking tape. Aren't they cool?

I found these Washi tape pendants at:

http://craftapalooza.typepad.com/crafted/2009/09/washi-masking-tape-pendants.html

I love the variety and it gives me quite a few ideas.  Who knew that a simple thing like masking tape could be improved on?  It is indeed an amazing world.

Stray Thoughts

Have you ever looked at the color between the striations in a Labradorite stone?  There is a quiet coral color there on the blue chatoyant ones…  OKAAAAAY – there are some words to look up if you don’t them.  OH! and FRENCH, too!  Chatoyant, it is French.   It means like the back of a cat’s eye, the way it reflects when light hits it.  Some stones do that, too.  Opals are a universal reference for this property.  Moonstone and Labradorite are the same except that Moonstone is white and flashes blue, Labradorite can flash yellow (reminiscent of an oil slick) or blue, a beautiful electric blue.   That’s my favorite though I own both types.

I just figured out that this color that I’ve been trying to pull out of some pieces that I’ve just made is the color between the striations in blue flashing Labradorite.   It’s sorta pink, but not pink.

I just bought a luscious ring from Down to the Wire (www.downtothewire.etsy.com) made by Chuck Domitrovich and that color is in there.   I love it. I mean the ring and that color.

My New Work is Coming Along

If you’ve been following this blog at all you know that I am frantically trying to pull it all together for a show in Switzerland and a second gallery that has asked to carry my work, (but I dropped off what little I had at a first gallery).  The upshot of all that is I have new work  and I will have more new work as time goes on.  I’m very excited about the new pieces and what I have cooking in the near future for when I return from Europe, (now that I finally found my passport!).

New paper cloth collage lady pin

The piece pictured here is a complete mixed medium work.  The body and face are paper & cloth collage with added sequins and glass seed beads.  There is polymer clay for the backing.  I’m very excited about these new pieces – I have 5 more that I’m working on right now.

I also have some new work that is focused around liquid polymer veneers that I’m *really* jazzed about.  Some of them have the veneers covered in resin, some don’t. I am also talking with a metalsmith for some signature bezels so I can make some polymer/sterling combination pieces.

Polymer and PMC bird pin.

Lastly, I saw the galley for the new book that I am one of the co-authors for.  I can’t tell you the title yet but it will be available before the Tucson Gem Show in February for sure.  It’s in the final correction phase which will be finished this week.  The book is beautiful.  There are a lot of projects using seed beads, wire and collaborative pieces.  Kathryn St. Martin and I each wrote PMC projects and Kathryn made a piece using a piece of one of my liquid polymer veneers that’s in the gallery portion of the book.

Creative Queens Like Susan Zacher

Creative Queen Puzzle Pin

At the Polymer Clay and Mixed Media Retreat there were many demos.  Susan Zacher put together a make and take and brought everything that we needed to do it. She  supplied 200 puzzle pieces that she painted  with Lumiere paints in different colors (she wanted to be sure there would be enough for everyone!).  She brought stamp inks, glitter glues, charms, buttons,  vintage pictures of movie stars and sayings – everything, absolutely everything we needed to create pins or pendants or ornaments. 

  Susan patiently helped each person as they appeared at the table, showing them all of the things she brought for us  to work with.  These are the pix of the pins that I made, thanks to Susan Zacher.  This was a lot of fun!!

Puzzle Pins Meredith Made.

 

The pin on the left in this picture now says ‘I’ll create my life  dammit’ on it.   Marie popped out that it “needs to say dammit!  I’ll ask Meta to calligraph that for you!” and so Meta did.  It’s vampy and hilarious, a bit comic book-esque or Lichtenstein-ish.  It makes me laugh out loud and I’m so glad to have been part of this project.  Thank you Susan Zacher!  It was a pleasure and we do love you.  How could we not? Your nature is amazingly generous and fun!!    xxooo

Puget Sound Bead Festival, July 10-12

Etched metal disc bracelet by Meredith Arnold

Only 3 seats left!!
Metal Etching Made Easy, July 11 from 7-10 p.m.

Puget Sound Bead Festival will be in Tacoma, WA. Here it is May and there only 3 seats left in my class to make an etched metal bracelet. I’ve taught my Metal Etching Made Easy program all over the U.S. for the last 3 years or so and this will be the first time I’ve taught this in my own home state so I’m happy that people are interested in it. I can guarantee that everyone will be wildly successful in this class and I will also provide information on Sherri and Dan Haab’s new etching process, the E3 Etching machine. Sherri is also teaching her class on the E3 process at this event.

Silk Bead necklace by Meredith Arnold, 2005

 

Silk bead on a necklace with hand braided cord by Meredith Arnold

  I’m also teaching my Silk Beads program (they’ve titled it Fantastic Fabric Beads).  It’s amazing how many people go totally nuts when I wear my silk bead necklaces and bracelets.    The best part is that in a class  everyone’s look different!   I’ve taught this program from Seattle to Miami, even Philadelphia and every set of beads that I have seen made all have a unique signature.  There isn’t a better way to experience color and pattern play then with this process because of  painting the silk and layering.  Then to top it all off with bead embroidery, sequins or simple wire wrapping makes them exquisite.

    I will be selling my silk jewelry among other things in:

June 1-6 :  Polymer Clay Collaborative Mixed Media Retreat, W. Virginia at Sheperdstown University

July 9-11:   Puget Sound Bead Festival

Aug. 20-23:   BeadFest Phildadelphia

Sept. 19-20:  Edmonds Studio Tour at Sue Robertson’s studio,  Joyful Art, Edmonds, WA

Nov. 5-8:   Bubikon, Switzerland (outside of Zurich) at the KunstHandwerker show in the Knights Hospitalier castle.

  I’m also experimenting with felting wool to make jewelry and one of a kind purses for these upcoming events.  As usual, all my pieces often combine different materials so expect the unexpected!  I have been designing a bracelet that is felted nests each holding a bead made from polymer clay.  It’s part of my bird series in a roundabout way.  I hope to have pictures soon.