Okay so I was sitting on my sofa the other night looking at the artwork on my wall thinking about my frames and how I'd love to do something with them. I'm not in the painting mood. And then I thought about decoupaging the frames. No, not feeling that idea either. Then I thought about Japanese tape and the whole obsession with it lately and how I could easily use it on my frames because it is creative and commitment-free. As I looked at the rolls I realized their width is nearly the same as the frames, so I grabbed a few frames, placed them on my table, and got started this morning with a 5 minute DIY project that I'd love to share, minus detailed instructions because it's quite straight forward. It involves tape, a pair of scissors, and a frame. :)

The best part is, you can change them as often as you'd like because the tape leaves zero tackiness behind, it is super easy to remove, and you can use it over and over again. I imagine this being a hit with students, in work spaces at home, and for teenagers in addition to those of us who are just a bit kooky and enjoy being creative at home with our art supplies. It also does not lift the paint from the frame. It's the perfect tape for this project so if you try this ONLY use the masking kind made with Japanese washi paper since anything else may be a problem. Also use frames they are nearly the exact width of the tape (3/4"), mine are all from IKEA. You can use the tape on the natural wood frames but since some of it is semi transparent it seems to work best on those painted white.

Fun idea, right? Of course, you can glue lace, ribbon and everything else to them instead but I wanted to do something extremely easy and inexpensive to my frames and this was the quickest solution I could find. Plus, I mean seriously, there are so many cool things to do with this Japanese tape that I couldn't resist thinking of something new.

Tip: Select tape in colors and patterns that enhance the artwork or photos inside, for instance the grid pattern above really brings out the lines and colors of this Mississippi riverboat print by Jennifer Davis.

Here's where you can find the tape I've used: Ginko Papers, Origamisan, MissMacau, washimatta, lovepetitzakkajapan, felt cafe, Pretty Tape, and the HeyDay Shop to name just a few!

Additional DIY Tip: You can use it on your shelves at home, just tape around the edging and there you have it - fun!

Have fun! (images: holly becker for decor8)