Washi Tape Collection

Hello there!
I have been obsessed with washi tapes since 2013 and have collected quite a number of them. I had to stop buying because they aren’t cheap when bought locally! I use the tapes from time to time for little projects here and there, but they are making a comeback now that I am journaling. And whatdoyouknow? I bought more! I’ll talk about that a little later.

Let’s step back for a bit. Here’s my haul from years ago. I bought a big chunk of these from Instagram sellers, some from the local bookstore and some were given to me.  I would usually buy 2 rolls of the same design if I really liked them!

A month ago, I was looking for metallic washi tapes and I was swallowed into a black hole that is Aliexpress!  This took forever to write because I was waiting for the new washi tapes to be delivered. And they’re finally here!

I bought from 2 different sellers and I am going to break down the positive and the negative sides of each purchase.

DIY Washi Tape Store

• PROMO: Choose 30 from 145 designs for $30.66; signup discount $2.60; New total $28.06
• The tapes were shrink wrapped individually and bubble wrapped by 10s
• The seller responds to queries promptly
• Free shipping
• They sent me 1 free washi tape
• Processing and shipping is fast
• I sent about 32 design options in case the others I chose were not available. Out of 30 tapes, I got 2 designs that I didn’t choose at all. Odds are not bad.  I could have just chosen more “alternative” designs.
• Overall experience: Very good, quality is as expected

Lifestyle Fun Store

• 20 different sized washi tapes + pens for $17.45; store discount $1 + signup discount $1.40; New Total $15.05
• Wide variety of products and design
• The seller responds to queries
• Free shipping + discount coupon
• Processing and shipping took longer, but still within parameters
• Tapes were either boxed (individually or in sets) and/or shrink wrapped
• Pens are all working
• I got all the designs I ordered
• Quality issues: Set of 5 (5 leftmost in photo) are not regular washi tapes. They are more like peel off stickers in tape form. These I don’t mind that much.
• Quality issues: The next tapes from the set of 5 (square boxes design), they were more sticky than usual washi tapes are.  When you peel off the tape, glue residues are left on the surface – if that makes sense.  I opened a dispute/ refund request for that and will update you when it’s resolved.
• Overall experience: Still good despite of minor issues

Total price paid for 51 pieces of washi and pens: $43.11. That’s quite a steal! One roll costs roughly about $0.80. Locally, one roll costs $1.50 at minimum! There’s really a big difference especially if you’re buying in bulk.  You may want to try out different stores because the quality varies.  And look out for store sales, discounts and coupons!

Currently, I am storing them in aluminium tin cans that I already have.   I’ve arranged them by color so it’s looks neater and will make finding one easier.

I also made swatch sheets so I can look at the designs without having to pull out the boxes everytime. I keep these swatches in a plastic insert I made for my bullet journal.

Here are some uses for washi tapes for your bullet journal:
1. As page borders
2. Indexing a page /  making tabs on the side
3. Separating sections on a page
4. Taping down photos, notes, tickets, etc.
5. As headers
6. Substitute to writing dates, days of the week, or month
7. Blocking off dates (vacation, meetings, training, etc.)
8. As bullet points or check lists
9. Creating banners
10. Covering up mistakes

I’ve also made a couple of projects years ago, unrelated to bullet journaling:
• All Washi-ed Up
• Washi Magnets

I’m sure you can come up with more uses for them!  Until next time. Bye!