Sunday 1 March 2015

Mad for Washi



During a recent visit to Manchester, I overheard a sales assistant tell a gentleman that he could probably find what he wanted at Fred Aldous. That's an art supplies shop. At this point my ears pricked up and I went, 'Oooooooooooooo,' in my head. There aren't many art supply shops near me. Hobbycraft is OK but it often doesn't have the things that I'm after. I was on a mission, you see, to find Washi tape.


Washi Tape is a Japanese masking tape made from natural fibres. They usually come in rolls of either 5 or 10 metres. The tape is semi-transparent and is very colourful with cute designs. It holds very well but it is easy to peel off and re-bonds well too. And it is used to just about decorate anything and everything you can think of.

So out comes the smart phone and Google Maps sat nav app (how did I ever get around before these great inventions?! #slowlyemergingfromthedarkages). Five minutes later, down and around the block, a small sign with a paint palette can be seen sticking out the side. That must be it.

The first floor is pretty big and spaced out nicely. Starting at the nearest row, I walk up and down the aisles and see a lot of cute items that would make great gifts. Not looking hopeful though but then I turn the last corner. Well, jaw dropped, hands went up and I must have made such a squeal of delight because the shopper knelt down next to me looks up and then promptly makes a bee line for the other end of the aisle. Sorry!

There, in one place, was the largest selection of Washi tape that I had come across. So many colours and designs! Had to reign myself in to edit the selection I had made. They cost generally in the region of £2.50 to £3 per roll so it adds up quickly.


Prior to this I had only found the odd ones in Waterstones and Paperchase but choice was limited. The two brands I have come across labelled as Washi and made in Japan are MT and Maste. Other places have 'decorative tape' but its not quite the same.

Just as a side note, after making the Washi tape purchase on the first floor I had a poke around the rest of the shop. It's HUGE! There are another two levels downstairs with a massive selection of supplies for any art or craft. And the coolest thing is that you can hire out studio space there for photography which is great because it makes it accessible to anyone that can't afford the outlay on all the equipment.

Anyway, can't wait to start taping!
 

See you soon,
Miranda
x


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