Wildflower Lesson #14: Washi Tape Layers
Updated: 5 days ago
Not everything has to match to belong.
There is something rather lovely about a journal page made from little pieces.
A strip of faded pink.
A tiny botanical pattern.
Something striped.
Something old-looking.
A piece you bought because you loved it and have been saving for far too long.
On their own, they may not seem particularly significant. They might not even look as though they belong together.
And then you begin to layer them.
One piece overlaps another.
A torn edge disappears beneath a flower.
A colour you weren't sure about suddenly becomes the thing that brings the whole page together.
Before long, those separate little pieces have become something entirely their own.
And perhaps there is a quiet lesson for us in that.
We can spend so much time trying to make life fit neatly together.
Trying to decide which parts of ourselves belong and which should be hidden away. Which seasons were worthwhile.
Which choices made sense.
Which pieces we'd rather leave out of the story.
But life isn't really like a perfectly coordinated page.
It's layered.
And sometimes the beauty is found not in making everything match, but in allowing all those different pieces to belong.
Welcome to Wildflower Lesson #14 — Washi Tape Layers.
A Simple Way to Begin
Washi tape is one of those wonderfully forgiving creative supplies.
You don't need any special skills to use it.
You don't need to measure anything.
And you certainly don't need to know what your finished page is going to look like before you begin.
You can tear it, overlap it, lift it, move it, cover part of it up or add another piece on top.
That's exactly why I love it.
If you're staring at a blank journal page wondering where to start, a small strip of washi tape can be enough.
Then perhaps another.
And another.
Before you've had time to worry about whether you're doing it properly, you've already begun.
What You'll Need
Keep this one simple.
Gather your journal or a piece of paper, a few rolls of washi tape that appeal to you, and scissors if you'd rather cut your tape than tear it.
You might also like to have a few paper scraps, old book pages, botanical images, photographs, pressed flowers or other pieces of ephemera nearby.
But you don't need them.
A journal and a couple of rolls of washi are more than enough.
How to Create Washi Tape Layers
1. Choose a few tapes. Pick two or three that catch your eye. Try not to spend too long deciding whether they go together. Part of this lesson is discovering what happens when you let unexpected colours and patterns meet.
2. Tear some pieces.Create different lengths and shapes. Let some edges be uneven. You can cut them neatly if that's what feels good to you, but there's something beautiful about those imperfect torn edges.
3. Begin layering. Place your first piece somewhere on the page, then overlap it with another. Try placing some horizontally and others vertically or at a slight angle.
There isn't a correct arrangement.
Just notice what happens as one layer meets the next.
4. Add something personal.Tuck in a scrap of paper, a botanical image, a handwritten word, an old book fragment or perhaps another tiny piece of tape.
You might even write directly over some of your washi.
5. Step back and notice.Before automatically adding more, pause.
Does the page need another layer?
Or is it enough?
Learning when to stop is part of creating too. You don't need to fill every little space.
Leave somewhere for the page to breathe.
Ways to Use Washi Tape in Your Journal
Once you start playing with washi tape, you'll discover all sorts of ways to use it.
Layer it beneath photographs and journal cards.
Use it to anchor pieces of ephemera.
Make borders or little page tabs.
Decorate tags.
Add a strip to an envelope or pocket.
Use it to attach a pressed botanical.
Create a tiny cluster in the corner of an otherwise simple page.
And on the days when you don't feel particularly creative?
Tear off three pieces and put them somewhere on the page.
That's enough.
You don't always need a project.
Sometimes creativity begins with one tiny action.
The Beauty of Layers
While you're creating, notice what happens where your pieces overlap.
One pattern changes another.
A strong colour becomes softer.
Something that seemed out of place suddenly makes sense once another layer arrives.
And isn't that a little like us?
We're made from layers too.
The things we've experienced.
The places we've lived.
People we've loved.
Things we've lost.
Things we've learnt.
Old dreams, new beginnings, quiet seasons, brave moments, ordinary Tuesdays and versions of ourselves we thought we'd left behind.
Not every layer looks the same.
Not every layer was chosen.
And not every part of our story needs to be perfectly understood before it is allowed to belong.
Perhaps we can let our journals remind us of that.
You don't have to make every piece of your life match. Sometimes beauty appears when you simply let the layers belong.
Soul Inquiry
When you've finished creating, stay with your page for another few minutes.
You don't have to answer every question.
Choose the one that catches somewhere inside you and let your pen wander.
What parts of my life feel beautifully layered right now?
Where am I trying too hard to make everything fit or make sense?
What part of myself could I allow to belong without changing it first?
Which layers of my story have quietly shaped the person I am today?
What could I leave unfinished, imperfect or spacious?
There are no right answers here.
Soul Inquiry isn't about finding the perfect response. It's about becoming curious enough to listen.
Your Wildflower Journey
LEARN — Explore the simple technique of layering washi tape.
CREATE — Tear, overlap and arrange your pieces without worrying about perfect placement.
COLLECT — Add Wildflower Lesson #14 to your Wildflower Lesson Library.
REFLECT — Spend a little time with the Soul Inquiry prompts and notice what your creative process brings to the surface.
SHARE — If you'd like to, share your page or create alongside someone else.
BLOOM — Take the lesson beyond the journal and notice where you might allow more of your own layers to simply belong.
This week, gather a handful of washi tapes and open your journal.
Give yourself fifteen pressure-free minutes.
Tear.
Layer.
Overlap.
Play.
Don't decide what the finished page should look like. Simply choose the next piece because something about it appeals to you.
Let colours meet that you wouldn't normally put together.
Let an edge be crooked.
Leave some empty space.
And somewhere amongst your layers, you might like to write:
All of these pieces belong.
Then put your pen down and notice your page.
Not because you've made something perfect.
But because for fifteen minutes, you gave yourself permission to create without needing to know exactly where it was going.
And perhaps that's something we can carry beyond our journals too.
We are all collections of experiences, memories, contradictions, hopes, beginnings and endings.
Some layers are bright and obvious.
Others are almost hidden beneath everything that came afterwards.
But together, they make a life that could never have been created from one perfect, matching piece.
So open your journal.
Use the washi you've been saving.
Let things overlap.
Let them be imperfect.
Let them belong.
And see what grows from there.
Visit the Wildflower Lesson Library to explore Wildflower Lesson #14 and continue your journey through 150 simple, soulful creative techniques.
A little space to bloom
You don't need to be an artist.
You don't need hours of free time.
And you certainly don't need to have everything figured out.
Sometimes, all you need is 15 minutes, a little curiosity and permission to begin.
Your FREE Wildflower Starter Kit is a gentle invitation to slow down, reconnect with yourself and discover the joy of creating simply for you.
Download Your Free Wildflower Starter Kit
Your next chapter might begin with just 15 minutes.
Create from your heart. Inquire with your soul. Bloom wildly.
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