Clutter Confessions (& a new way to organize washi tape)

One of the great things about cleaning out your clutter zones is discovering things you didn't remember you had - and finding new uses for them!  As I mentioned last week, I am in full spring cleaning mode and this weekend I finally tackled the two, very scary, storage rooms in our basement.  These are the unfinished rooms in the underground area of the basement.  My crafting areas are in the walkout section.

I have a bad tendency to put things in the storage rooms and forget about them.  When we returned from living overseas for eight years there were a lot of "miscellaneous" boxes that were delivered from our US storage.  After a few quick peeks when we were unpacking, I figured if we hadn't missed whatever was in them for eight years, we probably could get along without those items.  It's embarrassing to admit that there are still a few of these boxes lurking in the dark corners.  I am working my way toward them...

This plastic (faux crystal) cracker tray was one of my "finds" while clearing out one area full of miscellaneous serving pieces.  I am not sure when I got this - it might have been from my husband's grandmother.  I realized that it looked like just the right size and shape to hold some of my rolls of washi tape.

Washi tape is versatile, pretty and inexpensive and it is easy to quickly acquire a large collection.  While is seems like this tape is everywhere now, a few years ago you could only find it from a few online sources or in a specialty shop.  Back in 2010, I found it in Japan Town in San Francisco and wrote about it HERE.

The cracker tray is just the right size for most of my rolls of washi tape.  These are the rolls of the mt tape brand which was developed by the Kamoi Kakoshi company which has been making industrial masking tape from washi paper since 1923.  You can read some interesting history about the company and the development of the decorative tape HERE.   When I checked to see if you could buy this tape on Amazon I found 933 results for mt washi tape.  Many other companies are now offering washi tape - if the rolls are about 2 inches in diameter they will fit perfectly in the cracker tray.

I could fit 13 rolls of tape in the cracker tray (a lucky baker's dozen!).  This leaves a bit of room to make them easier to lift out of the tray.

I like crystal but it isn't the most practical thing for a craftroom.  It is surprising to see how realistic the plastic tray looks.  It adds a bit of elegance to the table!  If you are a washi tape maniac and have hundreds of rolls of tape, you could just set out the ones you are using for your current project in a tray like this.

So...you may be wondering where you would find such a tray if you don't happen to have a storage room crammed full of surprises.  You might find this sort of thing in a church rummage sale or a garage sale.  I think they are fairly common serving pieces.  If you really like the way this looks and functions - I found an online source for a cracker tray that appears to be the exact same design.

image from partyplasticsplus.com

Party Plastic Plus has a huge variety of serving items and their products are made in the USA.  You can click HERE to go to the page with this tray.  The price is $1.99 if you order less than 24 (how much washi tape do you have?).  The shipping for just one or two trays might be prohibitive but if you ordered with a friend or two you could reduce the shipping cost per item.  (I have never ordered from this company - I just found it through a search online).  You could also try a local party store or dollar store to see if these trays are available.

While we are on the subject of washi tape here are a couple of resources for you.  One is the fabulous blog post by Melstampz with a roundup of over 100 washi tape related blog posts - lots of reading and ideas.

Monica Bradford's Washi Tape Wahoo! webinar replay is another great source of washi tape information and inspiration.  You can find out more about the class and purchase it HERE.

In just a couple of days it will be May.  I am looking forward to the  LOAD 513 (Layout a Day) challenge.  It will be great to get back to making some scrapbook pages.  It will be amazing to have 31 pages done by the end of the month!  The group may be full by now but if you were thinking about joining, you can click HERE to go to the registration page - you may still be able to join the fun.

Do you have any spaces that need de-cluttering?  I highly recommend it as a way to get ready to move forward with new projects.  Once you clear out some of the old and useless (to you) things in your space you will have room for new things to enter your life and inspire you. 

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