Friday Featured Artist: Braided Paper Tape Border by Karen A.

Hello :) Today I am sharing a person who was a previous featured artist and who has another FABULOUS technique to share. I must say I haven't seen this technique done yet, so when I got the tutorial, I was intrigued! Our artist's name is Karen and you can read more about her here.  She did a punched poinsettia tutorial which is really cool! You can check out that post here. Check out her online store which specializes in monthly subscription kits at: http://www.totalpapercrafts.co.uk/.  Also don't forget to check out her blog Total Paper Crafts for even more fabulous inspiration -- there is some great stuff there like video tutorials. On to her fabulous post!

Braided Paper Tape Border Tutorial

Adhesive paper tapes are a relatively new product on the market and it can be difficult thinking of new ways to use them.  My Mum had taught me a braiding technique using two colours of ribbon and I decided to try using the paper tapes to see how it would look – the end result was gorgeous and textural, perfect for borders on cards and scrapbook layouts.  I have to admit that the steps look harder than they actually are but once you get going it is curiously addictive!

You will need two colours of adhesive paper tape (we’ll call them a and b) and a pair of scissors

 

Begin by folding a length of each tape in half and sticking it to itself to create a paper ribbon.  Don’t use too long a piece of tape to begin with as it can get tangled and unwieldy.

Fold a loop in the end of tape a and tie the other tape b around it to secure it.  These tapes are stronger than you might think so you can tie quite firmly.

 

Fold a simple loop in the long end of tape b 

Pass tape b through the loop in tape a

Tighten loop a by pulling on the long free end, stop when the loop is held snugly.

Fold a loop in the long end of tape a

Pass tape a through the loop of tape b

Tighten the loop in tape b by pulling on the free end as before.  Continue in this way, alternating between a and b until you come to the end of one of the tapes.

Add additional length to your tapes by simply attaching a new piece of tape overlapping the folded end onto the new tape.  Then fold the new tape in half as before, securing the end inside the fold.

To finish the braid first pass the unfolded end of one tape through a loop and pull through.

To continue finishing off, pass the second tape end through the same loop and pull through tightly.

The finished effect
It will take a few repeats of passing the loops before you start to see the final effect which resembles braiding.  Make sure that you create each of the loops the same way each time, changing how you fold them changes the pattern of the braid.

The braid on a scrapbook page
I used the braided tapes as an undulating border on this double page design for a Total Papercrafts kit.  It adds gorgeous chunky texture to the page while being lightweight and flexible.  It works beautifully with ribbons but you may need a little more patience as they tend to slip as you work!  I hope that you give this a try and let us know how you get on!

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Thank you again Karen for such a great post!! :)