Expressing Yourself with Tape

BlogTapeScotch® Brand Tape has a new kind of tape rolling off the reel. (I could not help myself, I had to say that). It’s meant, I think, to be a competitor to washi tape–the Japanese-made tape that uses thin but tough washi paper and sticky tape.

A package of three rolls of tape was sent to me to try out, and I was thrilled. I’m a fan of Scotch Tape, and this was the same smooth-finish tape  as the frosted tape, but in rich color. I was smiling. Until I opened it. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The tape comes in several colors, in packs of three. You can use them in tape dispensers. The impression I got from the commercial is that it is tough, durable, opaque and strong.

My journal is a Strathmore Mixed Media Journal, with a black cover.

BlogJrnlThis seems like a nice canvas for bright tape, so I got started. First I put on a green piece of tape, top to bottom, then added a turquoise. So far so good.

blog.coverBut when i tried to remove a piece of the patterned tape, it tore off the roll unevenly. I carefully found a piece where it was whole, and tried again. Another piece sheared off to the edge. In the end, I cut triangles off the pieces because I hate wasting the nice pattern.

blogifcThe inside cover was much harder. The tape is not opaque. You can see the black through the tape. If you overlap the tape, you can see that part. The tape is re-positionable which means that it does not stick permanently. If you are decorating, this is not mixed media, it’s mixed messages.

While some of the patterned pieces stayed whole, it was only through very careful manipulation. Most of the pieces tore off at angles.

I was disappointed. Perhaps the tape I had was defective. But as long as the patterned tape doesn’t work as well as the solid colors, as long as the colors aren’t opaque and don’t stay permanently in place, I’m not going to use it.

Disclosure: I received the tape for free from Amazon Vine program. I write reviews for the products.

–Quinn McDonald likes the idea of decorating a plain journal. She just wished she could get a tape that works well and easily.