isamu noguchi & washi tape – outgoing mail…
Sometimes, I’m a little late to the table for things. Maybe it’s the latest trend towards the color orange (always hard for me to embrace) or perhaps a general proclivity towards Ugg boots (sorry – I’ll never get it…) About some things, I’m left in the dark. By the time it hits the sale aisle at Target, I’m discovering “it” for the first time.
does heaven look like this?…
And so: I had been hearing the talk for months – maybe even the last year or so. I shrugged my shoulders with a “what’s the big deal?” glance in the general direction of soon-to-be-mentioned-object (the next sentence, I swear), but felt that ultimately, the oft-mentioned-by-my-friends item was too “scrap-tastic”, too “crafty”, too fussy.
I should have listened to my friends. (sorry ’bout that guys…)
…or maybe more like this!
Within the last two weeks, my relationship with washi tape has changed (shopping with friend Secret Agent 001 was crucial). Once upon a time, I was non-plussed; now, I find myself cruising Etsy in the wee hours of the morning looking for the best tape suppliers. As of late I’ve been using this wunderkind of tape non-stop, to jazz up envelopes, postcards, and outgoing mail. One of the thrills for me is that — unlike paints or inks — I don’t have to wait for anything to dry! Simply stick-n-move on! Presto: there’s pattern! Texture! Color!
Each roll of snappy polka dots or neon stripes sends me into fits.
what I like to call a “washi-lope”; plaid tape by MT of Japan, circular numbers by Cavellini & Co. …
Now that I’ve developed this new habit, how to store it? An easy fix, dear readers! :
top: vinyl pencil case (yes, those are rabbits!). bottom: metal pencil tin.
Pencil tins and soft cases from your local dollar store do just the trick. Round cylindrical pencil cases are the perfect size for rolls of tape, believe it or not. If soft storage isn’t your thing, head over to Cathe Holden’s “Just Something I Made” blog, where she ingeniously turns an old cigar box into a tape organizer/dispenser.
Next up (on Monday): some of my favorite tips, tricks, and things to make with washi tape – and a RLD video to boot! But for now, I leave you to propose and suggest some of your favorite online resources for this mail art miracle – where do you shop for your washi?
I’ll start off:
MT brand wide washi tape with postage stamp design
IMO, the BEST etsey store for washi (buy four rolls, get one free! AND OMG they have airmail stripe washi!!!)
Kelly Kilmer has a pretty groovy write up on the differences between tapes, as well as some of her fave shopping spots
Here comes the weekend — make & send, postal people, make & SEND!
–JH
