Washi tape is the easiest way to make your journal or planner look beautiful without any artistic skill. You don’t need to draw, paint, or letter — just tear, stick, and admire. The semi-translucent Japanese paper, the clean tearability, and the forgiving repositionability make washi tape the most beginner-friendly decorating tool in the stationery world.
We’ve been using washi tape in our planners and journals for years, and these are the ten techniques we use most often. Each one takes less than a minute and transforms a plain page into something you’ll enjoy looking at.
1. Page Borders
Difficulty: Effortless | Time: 10 seconds
The simplest washi tape technique: run a strip along the top, bottom, or side edge of your page. Instant visual structure. Use a single color for clean minimalism, or layer two complementary tapes for more visual interest.
Pro tip: Place the tape so it wraps around the page edge by 2-3mm. This creates a visible tab when the notebook is closed, doubling as a section marker.
Best tape: MT solid colors — clean, precise edges that look intentional rather than crafty.
2. Header Backgrounds
Difficulty: Easy | Time: 20 seconds
Apply a strip of washi tape horizontally across the page, then write your header text on top of it. The tape creates a colored background that makes headers pop without any drawing or lettering skill. Works beautifully for date headers, section titles, and category labels.
Pro tip: Use pastel or light-colored tape so your text remains legible. Zebra Mildliner colors pair perfectly with washi tape headers.
Best tape: MT pastel series or any light, solid color.
3. Page Tabs
Difficulty: Easy | Time: 15 seconds
Cut a short piece of washi tape (about 3cm), fold it over the edge of a page so it sticks to both sides, and you’ve created a custom page tab. Assign colors to categories (blue for work, green for personal, red for important) and build a color-coded tab system that lets you find any section instantly.
Pro tip: Trim the exposed tab end at an angle or in a pointed shape for a cleaner look.
Best tape: MT slim (3mm) for subtle tabs, standard 15mm for visible tabs.
4. Photo and Ticket Mounting
Difficulty: Easy | Time: 30 seconds
Instead of glue (permanent, messy) or tape (ugly), use short strips of washi tape to mount photos, ticket stubs, postcards, and other memorabilia in your journal. Place strips at the corners like photo corners, or run a strip along one edge. The washi tape is decorative enough to be visible and strong enough to hold most paper items.
Pro tip: Angle the corner strips at 45° for a classic photo-corner look. Use patterned tape that complements the item you’re mounting.
Best tape: Bande die-cut stickers for decorative mounting, MT patterns for corner strips.
Check Bande Stickers on Amazon
5. Divider Lines
Difficulty: Effortless | Time: 5 seconds
Separate sections on a page with a horizontal strip of washi tape instead of drawing a line. This is faster, more colorful, and more forgiving than hand-drawn dividers. Use thin tape (6-7mm or MT slim 3mm) for subtle separation, or standard 15mm tape for bold division.
Pro tip: Tear the tape rather than cutting it for organic, slightly irregular edges that add character.
Best tape: MT slim for subtle dividers, standard MT for bold dividers.
6. Color-Coded Schedule Blocks
Difficulty: Easy | Time: 1 minute
In a weekly or daily spread, apply small strips of washi tape to mark time blocks for different activities. Blue tape for meetings, green for exercise, pink for personal time. The visual color-coding makes your schedule scannable at a glance.
Pro tip: Use semi-transparent washi tape so you can write event details on top of the colored block.
Best tape: MT pastel colors — transparent enough to write on.
7. Decorative Frames
Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 2 minutes
Create a rectangular frame on your page using four strips of washi tape. Use this frame to highlight important text, create a feature box for quotes or goals, or simply add visual structure to a page. You can make the frame as large or small as you want.
Pro tip: Use two different but complementary tapes — one for horizontal strips, one for vertical — for a more interesting frame. Overlap the corners for a polished look.
Best tape: MT patterns or any two complementary colors.
8. Mood and Habit Tracker Accents
Difficulty: Easy | Time: 30 seconds per entry
In habit trackers, use small squares of washi tape to mark completed days instead of (or in addition to) checkmarks. Each color can represent a mood, an achievement level, or simply add visual interest to an otherwise monotonous grid. At the end of the month, your tracker becomes a colorful mosaic.
Pro tip: Pre-cut small squares of tape and keep them on a piece of parchment paper for quick daily application.
Best tape: MT solid colors in 3-5 coordinated shades.
9. Envelope and Pocket Creation
Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 3 minutes
Create a pocket on a journal page by folding a piece of paper or kraft paper into an envelope shape and securing the edges with washi tape. Use these pockets to store loose items — receipts, small notes, business cards, or seeds from a garden. The washi tape serves as both adhesive and decoration.
Pro tip: Use kraft paper for a rustic look or patterned origami paper for something more decorative. Secure all open edges with tape to prevent items from falling out.
Best tape: MT patterns for decorative edges, MT solid for clean edges.
10. Layered Collage Background
Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 5 minutes
Apply multiple overlapping strips of different washi tapes across a full page or section to create a textured, colorful background. Then write or draw on top. The layered tape creates depth and visual interest that would take significant artistic skill to achieve with paint or markers.
Pro tip: Choose 3-4 tapes in the same color family (e.g., different shades of blue and green) for a cohesive look. Vary the angle of each strip — horizontal, diagonal, vertical — for more visual energy.
Best tape: A mix of MT solids and patterns in coordinating colors.
Essential Washi Tape for Journal Decoration
If you’re starting from scratch, here’s what we recommend:
Starter Kit (~$26)
- MT Basic Set (10 rolls) — $18.00 — Solid colors for borders, headers, tabs, and dividers
- Bande Flower Sticker Roll — $7.50 — Die-cut floral stickers for instant decoration
Expanded Kit (~$45)
- Everything above, plus:
- MT Slim Set — $4.50 — Ultra-narrow tape for subtle detail work
- MT Pattern (2 rolls of choice) — ~$7.00 each — Patterned tape for collage and frames
Tips for Working with Washi Tape
Tear, don’t cut. Washi tape is designed to be torn by hand. The slightly irregular edge adds character and looks more natural than a precision cut. For straight edges when needed, tear against a ruler.
Work on a clean surface. Dust and oils reduce adhesion. If tape won’t stick, make sure the page surface is clean and dry.
Layer with confidence. Washi tape is semi-transparent, so layers create interesting visual effects. Don’t be afraid to overlap different tapes.
Start simple. Begin with one or two techniques (borders and headers are the easiest) and add complexity as you develop your style. You don’t need to use all ten techniques on every page.
Save scraps. Short pieces left on a roll are perfect for tabs, small accents, and corner details. Don’t throw away those last few centimeters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will washi tape damage my journal pages?
No. Washi tape is repositionable and removes cleanly from most paper within the first few weeks of application. After several weeks, the bond strengthens and becomes more permanent, but it still won’t tear most papers when removed carefully.
Can I write on washi tape?
Yes. Ballpoint pens, gel pens, and markers all write on washi tape’s semi-porous surface. Use light-colored tape for best legibility. Ink may take slightly longer to dry on tape than on paper.
How much washi tape do I actually need?
Start with the MT Basic Set (10 rolls). Each roll contains 10 meters of tape, which lasts months of regular journal use. You’ll discover which colors you reach for most often and can buy replacements individually.
Does washi tape work in all notebooks?
Yes. Washi tape adheres to all standard notebook papers — Tomoe River, Midori MD, Kokuyo Campus, Leuchtturm1917, Moleskine, and copy paper. Adhesion is slightly stronger on smooth papers and slightly weaker on textured papers, but it works on everything.
Final Thoughts
Washi tape transforms journal and planner pages with zero artistic skill, minimal effort, and instant results. Whether you’re adding a simple border to today’s entry or creating an elaborate collage spread, washi tape gives you creative power that’s accessible, forgiving, and genuinely fun.
Start with borders and headers — the two simplest techniques — and build from there. Within a week, you’ll develop your own style and discover combinations that feel uniquely yours.
For more washi tape recommendations, see our Best Washi Tape Brands from Japan guide. For journal setup help, check out our How to Start Bullet Journaling guide.