*Before & After* Happy Tape Updates

(my happy tape)

Ella's room is a bright place.  Before she was born, I tried to pull together fun things we already had and re-purpose them in her room.  I knew it was a place that she and I would both be spending a chunk of time in, so I wanted to make sure it appealed to us both.  We recently switched rooms (so that she would be warmer at night) and the decorating bug has bitten again!  Now that Ella is older, however, I do not have the luxury of being able to work on something uninterrupted for any amount of time.  Today while Ella entertained herself (for about 15 minutes), I tackled two easy projects that bring more touches of color into her space and a satisfying sense of accomplishment into my day (hey - it's the little things!)  Here's what I did, so you can try it too...

Supplies Needed: 

- Japanese washi (masking) tape (I use Happy Tape, but you could also try This or This)

- Your imagination

If you have 5 minutes...

Have an active little one and not much time?  Go for something smaller with an easy square or rectangle shape.  I decided to spruce up Ella's wipe box.  We refill it with wipes as needed and look at the boring white box every day.

(boring white container)

I chose three colors with a plaid-inspired design.  You don't have to make the back or bottom fancy (unless your object is seen from multiple sides, of course!)  I change a countless number of diapers, this happy shot of color just made it a bit more fun (for me, at least!)

 

If you have 10-15 minutes...

If you'd like a bit more time, I encourage to strip your little one down and hand 'em a spoon and a cup of applesauce or yogurt - trust me, your kiddo will be busy for awhile!  Now you can tackle something bigger or with a more challenging shape.  Circles are not necessarily hard, you just have to pay attention to make sure your lines are not all over the place and that the tape is smoothed down as well as possible.  I chose to attend to Ella's lamp - plain white, slightly tilted, and with a stain (don't ask, because I don't know!)

(the sad flower clip did little to spruce up this lamp)

This time I used four colors - two dark and two light.  You may want to use more or less than I did, I have a tendency to go overboard, so I focused on pulling back and not overloading the shade with color.  If you do vertical stripes, make sure you connect them on the inside of the shade as well, since it is also visible.  The final look, especially when turned on, is rather Burberry-esque (fun!)

What will you tackle with this fun tape?  Please share, if you do!!

**This would also be a great way to let your older child add a bit of their own design aesthetic into their living spaces, without any mess to speak of!**