Question of the Day >> What is it about sticking things that makes it so enjoyable????? Anyone????? Is it the nostalgic link to childhood activity do you think?? Or is it the simple pleasure of indulging in a speedy spot of creativity?? I just love to stick things, like reeeeeeally love it. So satisfying, so absorbing, it makes me so happy! Remember my Decopatch craze? I sincerely hope you are reading this and nodding with recognition, please tell me you get the sticky thing?!
I bloomin' love stickers, I've had a love affair with them since being a child. Having my own brood has allowed me to indulge in this pleasure by actively encouraging my offspring to engage in all manner of stickerating activity over the years. We have a mahoosive tin of stickers as well as a large pile of sticker books here in the Attic. Oh, and then I discovered washi tape.......lordy, that was a momentous day indeed. For those who don't know what washi tape is, it's a thin, decorative paper tape (a bit like a thin masking tape) from Japan. It comes in a variety of widths from super skinny 4mm to super wide 30mm, and the variety of colours and patterns would stretch to the moon and back probably. I've never really known what exactly to do with it, although there is a tonne of washi inspiration in Pinterest if you want to hurl yourself down that particular rabbit hole. I just like to have it to hand, you know, in case I need a quick sticky fix.
My washi stash (above) is modest, in that it sits happily in a small plastic tub and doesn't require multiple drawers or complex shelving to contain it. But oh, I do love it so. I bought some very pretty rolls a while ago from Kate at The Homemakery, she has a rather drool-worthy section full of sticky things on her gorgeous website.
More recently, I've discovered that washi tape goes hand in hand with using a Life Planner, and no respectable Planner Girl is without a stash of this pretty sticky stuff. It's an easy way to add a band of pretty colour and pattern to planner pages, and has added a lot of stickerating pleasure to my Sunday evening planning sessions.
There are a tonne of Etsy sellers who peddle washi tape and stickers, there are oodles of them all over the world. If you go to Etsy and search for 'washi tape', you get 56,076 results. Seriously. I love to support small businesses and although Etsy is a global market place, I do especially like to buy from UK sellers if I can. Today I want to share a good'n' with you, a lovely lady called Dominika who is based near me in Yorkshire. Her shop CwlCrafts boasts an amazing array of stickers and tapes.....oh it is rather heavenly to stroll through those virtual shelves of sticky products! I came across Cwlcrafts by pure chance and was so delighted by the designs which appealed to my colour-loving soul. I went for a standard 15mm width (Domnika currently has 170 designs in this width, haha, I know!!) After a delicious amount of browsing, I chose the six tapes shown above. Aren't they just a bit lovely?! If washi tape and cute stickers are your thing, I can highly recommend this shop - it's worth keep an eye on her Instagram too {@cwlcrafts} for discount codes and news of new products.
Since I started using my Erin Condren Life Planner almost a year ago now, my passion for stickers has definitely moved up a notch. I try hard not to go completely bananas with it (not easy) but every so often I do allow myself a weeny splurge. I get all my functional planner stickers from EllieBethDesigns (a lovely UK seller and my Planner Guru) as I LOVE the colours that Rachel uses and she has everything I need to keep my week on track. But my creative heart does love a bit of pretty-pretty and I can't resist adding colour and pattern to my planner pages.
I fell in love with these floral banners from CartaPrintea (I'm having a major crush on all things folk-floral at the moment), and it tickles me that they come all the way from Poland! How cool that we have such a magnificent global market place to shop in, Etsy really is amazing.
These ones are a bit closer to home, from UK Etsy seller Dream Big and Plan. More flowers and bunting to decorate my pages, I am very predictable I know.
Rachel at EllieBethDesigns is still my favourite sticker-provider though, she does seem to have a knack of reading my mind and designing stickers that tap into my Personal Sticker Wanties. The above stickers were part of her new Summer collection released earlier this month, and made me ooooooohhhhhh with pleasure when I first saw them. They are perfect for celebrating my forthcoming holiday jaunts (nothing exotic, the usual UK seaside stuff for us again this year).
My Life Planner delivers me a huge amount of pleasure these days, it's become a wonderful hobby (yay for sticking hobbies!!) as well as giving me a super friendly online community to be a part of. But aside from the love of sticking stuff and creating pretty pages, I'm finding the habit of planning my days is becoming a very useful thing indeed. My health continues to be a bit up and down (still got some brain fog going on, and shocking lack of memory), so aside from enjoying my planner, I actually really need it.
I know from reading your comments and messages on social media that a good many of you have been inspired by my planning story and have taken the leap to find your own planner heaven - I'm so happy for you all!! The brand new Erin Condren Life Planners launch next week, on Wednesday 1st June, which is an exciting day for planner addicts all over the world. The 18 month planners will run from July 2016 to December 2017, if you are thinking of going for it.
Also on 1st June, EllieBethDesigns will be holding a big one day sale to celebrate Erin Condren Launch Day, I've marked it in my planner already of course.
Right my lovelies - I'm stepping away from my computer now and picking up the hook for a bit - I've started a new blanket and am completely in love already. More of that soon. Please do pop back tomorrow though, I'm going to show you more of the teeny mice and their flowery bower - squeeeeeeek!!!!
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ps, just in case there is any doubt, this is not a sponsored post.
They are all absolutely wonderful! And the washi tapes - wow!I do not own one yet, but I am definitely thinking of it. I am not a great fan of planning my life (it brings too much stress and anxiety to me) but I found that I put stickers on postcards and letters that I send and I absolutely love it. Your blog is a great splash of colour in my life and I am very thankful for it.
Posted by: Silly Little Sheep | May 30, 2016 at 10:13 PM
For sure I am crazy in love with Erin Condren planners...I am excited looking forward to have a new one...I already ordered stickers to be sure to have enought and a great choice.
Thank you for letting us discover this wonderful world of planning.
Rose, xx
Posted by: Rose | May 29, 2016 at 12:20 PM
I love using washi in my Bullet Journal! So fun and an easy way to be creative and add color! Can't wait for the new journals to come out in June.
Posted by: Sierra | May 27, 2016 at 05:39 PM
Your yarn pegs are a hit. I just noticed them for sale at getknitted.com
Posted by: Angela-Southern USA | May 26, 2016 at 03:59 PM
Sandra's comment above really touched me, I hadn't thought of a planner like that and may well acquire the habit for just a year so we can all look back at it and remember the ordinary and routine bits of life as well as the bigger things.
Posted by: Rachel | May 26, 2016 at 02:10 PM
Reading your posts with the planner is the one and only time I wish I had an active social life! Oh so colourful, oh so Lucy!
Posted by: Edwina | May 26, 2016 at 09:19 AM
Oh I love Washi tape too.. I saw some that you have that I would love to have.. the multi-colored zigzags and the pennant one. So fun! Have a super weekend coming up. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
Posted by: Teresa Kasner | May 26, 2016 at 03:16 AM
After having to frog an entire square for a project because I used the wrong damn hook... sticky stuff ON the hook, so now I know which one is the big one! I love the sticky stuff.
Posted by: Maudy | May 26, 2016 at 02:20 AM
I am a little confused.. Is your planner small enough to take in a handbag or tote so that if you were out and needed to schedule an appointment you could do it ? It appears large in the pictures and maybe just an art thing and not useful for really scheduling and planning. As I said I am a little confused by the planner. Maybe if I saw one it would all "click".
Posted by: Charlotte | May 26, 2016 at 02:03 AM
Ever since I read your post on decorating your planner, I have been sticker crazy !! I ordered a heap from the US (before I realised I could get some decent ones in Australia !!!) and had them shipped to my daughter so she could send them all at once to me and I only had to pay one lot of international postage.
I am having so much fun with them in my diary - thank you for the introduction !!!
Posted by: Me | May 26, 2016 at 12:07 AM
Oh Lucy, you do find so many things to make us all drool. We didn't have sticky things as a child, but my grandchildren have loved stickers and such. I do have some washi tape I've used for a couple of years, but love your ideas and planning. I do keep a "sort of" planner and making it pretty would mean I'd actually do it for each day. Thanks for all your inspiration and wondering what hooky marvel is coming next. Take care.
Posted by: Susan Smith | May 25, 2016 at 10:50 PM
My Grandma kept a planner for just one year when I was 10. Since she passed away years later, that planner has been one of my greatest treasures.
Posted by: sandra | May 25, 2016 at 09:58 PM
Washi table is a fabulous thing isn't it. I love the organisational stickers as well, any incentive to organise and any excuse for a new notebook. CJ xx
Posted by: CJ | May 25, 2016 at 06:59 PM
Lucy, you're inspiring me to get a planner!
Posted by: Lonormi Manuel | May 25, 2016 at 06:23 PM
So Lucy just a "product" question you say it is paper in the same family as masking tape, does that mean you could write on it? Don;t see much washi tape here in South Africa but have not been looking...
Posted by: Joy | May 25, 2016 at 06:01 PM
My written planning (on rare occasions) consists of a few scribbles on scraps of old binder paper or freebee notepads left on my doorstep by solicitors. Mostly these are shopping lists or lists of things to take when I'm traveling. However, I do love stickers as well, and have a collection for sealing snail-mailed greeting cards. An envelope just doesn't seem complete without a sticker or two. Yours are lovely.
Posted by: Kimmy | May 25, 2016 at 05:57 PM
Second best is ribbon in all colours and textures and forms, you can't sticker it but you can make lovely bows, put it on clothing, packages etc. And use it to pimp up crochet. If I take up washi tape my sons will move out, they hardly survive my ribbon addiction.
Posted by: tinke | May 25, 2016 at 05:00 PM
You spread rainbows as you go Lucy, that's what we love about you! Another beautiful color fix hobby. Look forward to hearing about the mice. x
Posted by: Angela-Southern USA | May 25, 2016 at 03:07 PM
Sticker and washi tape heaven! There is something so appealing about creating with pretty sticky things. Really looking forward to the mice tomorrow.
Posted by: Anne | May 25, 2016 at 02:55 PM
Our budget won't thank you for this post but I do! The wash tape is divine. I've resisted until now but the bunting and village tape will have to be mine, soon! No idea what to do with it but I think it will come to me if I just have some to look at. I'm really tempted by your planner it looks like such a cheerful way to plan one's life and stay on track.
Posted by: Jill | May 25, 2016 at 02:42 PM
It's your fault! After seeing your previous post about your Life Planner I had to get one. Stationery envy. Got MI e from UK-based Pirongs. Spending a fortune on stickers, washing tape, etc. OK, I confess I already did spend lots on stationery. 😁
Posted by: Michele | May 25, 2016 at 02:16 PM
I love washi tape too! And have to.lomit myself to buying two rolls a minth max otherwise we wouldn't eat! Lava Lamp designs on Etsy has some lovely designs too i've found. Some really unusual ones xx
Posted by: Charlotte McCormack | May 25, 2016 at 01:20 PM
What an apt post as I have just this week bought a diary to try out this planning malarkey lol. And I got some fantastic stickers this morning from a fabby etsy seller called the Geeky Planner I can highly recommend her! She also has a Facebook groups. I am now watching YouTube videos like a crack head and my.list of must haves is growing. Washi tape is first on that list ☺
Amanda xx
Posted by: Amanda Wallace | May 25, 2016 at 01:18 PM
I love sticky things to , think that's why I also love my paper crafting as much as my crochet . Only problem is storing all my crafts lol
Posted by: Nicky | May 25, 2016 at 01:09 PM
Though not a compulsive sticker myself, my grandchildren love them. Complete tantrum meltdown yesterday when great nephew lost a sticker!!!!
Posted by: Carol | May 25, 2016 at 01:06 PM