(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)
Earlier this week, I read this great article by Jaclyn Myers about shopping one’s own stash and some tips/tricks to help her use what she already has. As someone who has lots of stuff, I completely resonate with this. In addition to rising prices of everything, and especially pens, putting what you own to good use isn’t just a Marie Kondo sparking joy thing, it also makes good financial sense. But, I’m not here to talk about shopping one’s stash - Jaclyn’s article does a great job - I also wrote a little bit about it in my article about 2026 intentions. Instead, I’ll talk a bit about what I discovered when I did a little bit of tidying this week.
To say that my office (not pictured and probably never will be, lol) is a bit of a hot mess is a bit of an understatement. Because I shop a lot (at shows, fests, store events, and online), it’s sometimes hard for me to keep things organized, especially after shows when I’m exhausted and it takes days to recover. I’m pretty good at putting away pens, inks, and paper, but stationery stuff - stickers, washi, cards, etc. - that gets out of control and fast. Earlier this week, I tried to make a dent in the mess by first breaking down the pile of boxes that I was tripping over. (I swear I need them for selling and shipping stuff!). Side note: this is an awesome reel about saving boxes, not that I can relate, wink. Anyway, I found a canvas tote that had other canvas totes inside. That wasn’t surprising, since I often put empty bags in bigger bags. What was surprising was what I found inside - several little paper/fabric/plastic bags filled with stickers and such that I bought at the SF Pen Show…almost TWO YEARS AGO!!! Gulp!!
Now before I beat myself up too badly, sometimes you buy duplicate items on purpose. Maybe it’s because it’s a limited item, maybe you think you can resell it later on for a premium (it’s rarely worth the effort, trust me), maybe you love it so much you want extra (OG Lamy Dark Lilac, I’m looking at you), or maybe you know you’ll use it a lot, or you want extra for gifts. Call it dupes, backups, or whatever, most of us have done it on occasion and it’s all good, no judgment here.
Some of the stuff I’ve bought multiples of, on purpose: Washi tape (top 2 and bottom 2 are because they’re cute, middle 2 cuz they’re short rolls), I love and use my TN refills, I also went nuts when eric small things came to the 2023 SF Pen Show cuz cute!
Having dupes means it’s a little easier to use your stuff - I took one of the extra Hello, San Francisco sticker sheets and decorated this passport TN that I got from eric small things’ stamping workshop.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case here. When I went through all the newly-found stickers and washi tape, all the while thinking “so that’s where that was!”, “I’m not insane, I really did buy that”, and “I can’t believe it’s been sitting in that bag for more than a year and a half!”, I quickly realized that I had seen some of these items recently. As in within the last few weeks. How’s that possible? Because yours truly had just bought them. Again. Oops. Insert facepalm.
Just some of the things I’ve accidentally bought on more than one occasion: Patches by Amarillo Stationery and Fog Cats (bought the patches in 2024 and again in 2025), sticker sheets and washi tape from KuboandLucy, 2026 Traveler’s Company sticker set - bought from Flax Pen to Paper and more recently again from bobo design studio. Don’t ask me how the 2026 stickers got mixed in with the 2024 stuff.
While I keep my washi tape in dedicated drawers and cases, my stickers/sheets and cards are another story. I clearly don’t have any semblance of organization for these items other than to keep them in the bag(s) that they came in when I bought them, and then they’re in geographic proximity to the other items I bought at the show/fest/shopping trip. Definitely not a great way to store them. And if this stuff isn’t remotely organized, it’s no surprise that I ended up buying duplicates! How on earth can I shop my stash and use my stuff when I don’t even know what I have?!
It’s going to take me a while to figure out the best way to organize all of this but in the meantime, here are a few things I’ve decided on:
- Sort by type - As I said above, my washi is in its place but the stickers…that was another story. I started by separating loose stickers from sticker sheets.
I have my Stickii sticker sheets in here, as well as others from Mind Wave, Midori, and others.
While not stickers, I often buy patches when I buy stickers, and they don’t go together, so I put all my patches in this inexpensive zip pouch from Daiso. A Ziplock bag works just as well, but this is cuter.
The pouch has a clear back so you can see what’s inside.
- Break it up - I’m a sticker fiend. always have been, always will be. But I don’t treat all stickers equally - I don’t feel as bad if I don’t use vendor stickers, which are still super cool, but usually free, but I do feel that pang of guilt if I don’t use stickers I’ve bought. The former feels like advertising (which, in a way, it is), while the latter is stuff that resonates with me, whether it’s hobbies, phrases, something cute, etc. There’s no right or wrong, good or bad, they’re just different in my head, so I put them in separate piles.
Also, loose stickers aren’t the same as sticker sheets. Vinyl stickers aren’t the same as flake stickers or washi stickers. But I haven’t decided if I’d rather keep products together by the vendor I bought them from (since they often have a similar look/aesthetic), or if I want to sort them by type. Currently, they’re a mix of both, depending on how much I have from a given brand/vendor.
Stickers on the left are ones I bought - I’m really feeling that sticker hoarder one, lol. The pile in the upper right are from vendors/brands, the bottom right are ones I’ve gotten from friends.
Reusing this plastic zip bag from Ikea for my slowly growing stash of stickers from TheCoffeeMonsterzCo. This is one of those times when I keep all the stuff from a single brand together, as opposed to organizing them by type. I may change this if I end up not using the non-sticker items.
Let’s be real, sometimes I can’t decide where things go, so they will go into a repurposed Crane stationery box until I can find a more permanent home for them.
- Sort by theme or function - There are some stickers and washi tape that I use primarily for my book journal, so those live in its own pouch. Similarly, anything date/day related are stored together.
Book-themed stickers, washi, and other decorative items for my book journal live in this pouch, making it easy for me to grab and go when I want to work on it.
I also keep a book-themed sticker release TN insert - this makes it easy for me to find the stickers I want. It also helps me get over their “preciousness” because they are “used” once I peel them off and it makes it easier to find and use them.
I like to keep these day/date stickers together, either in my bullet journal cover, or within arm’s reach on my desk.
There are so many stickers I still need to organize, but for now, the stash from the last couple years’ shows are either sorted as mentioned above, or in the bag below.
Believe it or not, this bag is mostly organized, loose stickers up front, everything else grouped by vendor with larger items in the back. It’s a work in progress, just like everything else in life. 🙂
It’s going to take a while to go through and sort everything, but discovering all these items was a little embarrassing but also a lot of fun - it’s like getting new stickers all over again and I can’t wait to use them! I plan on revisiting my stash more regularly, but especially before shows, like the SF Stationery Fest next weekend, so I don’t get any more accidental extras! Hope to see you there!
PS - Vendor friends, don’t let me re-buy the same stuff, haha!
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