I’ve collected handmade washi cards made in Japan over the years, and I noticed that most of the cards made used what I coined the straight ‘line’ technique.  Washi in it of itself is so beautiful –  the simple, straight lines (when cutting paper) compliment the detailed, silkscreened designs.  Washi rectangles,  squares of various sizes are layered or laid out on the card, and accented with mizuhiki cords to add dimension. Here’s some tips that helped me put together my own cards….

1. Choose your favorite washi paper. One decorative, and one to use as background paper (i.e. gold, silver, patterned monotones);

2. Use cardstock that matches colors from the washi paper;

3. Accent with mizuhiki cords, peel off stickers to add dimension.

Since pictures are worth a thousand words, here’s some samples of cards I made using washi and cardstock.Basically I cut rectangles and angled or layered the washi in various ways.  The straight edge of the paper makes the card simple.  And… I made these three cards with on 8 1/2 x 11″ washi paper.  Here’s some more sample using the “Japanese lines” technique…

Basically Basically I cut rectangles and angled or layered the washi in various ways.  The straight edge of the paper makes the card simple.   More samples to follow….hope you like this new but simple technique!