Looking at the large cardboard box mailed from my aunt, I was so excited to see what I would be getting for my fifth birthday. After my dad had finally peeled back the shipping tape, I ripped the flaps open, my eyes tearing across the contents inside. I don’t really remember much of what was in there other than a whopping six packs of scotch tape.

When I was younger, I was referred to as the Queen of Tape. I used tape on everything, and those six packs from my aunt probably lasted me a whole two months. In my eyes, tape was, and still is, one of the best things to have.

Arts and crafts were the number one consumer of my product. I used to keep everything, a little five-year-old pack rat. If I bought a drink in a glass bottle, I’d keep it. A cardboard box from the mail? Keep. Any sort of container that could be remade into whatever my little mind could think of, I kept. Granted most of these projects turned out to be epic fails, but at least I tried. Glue is messy, but tape will always be there for all your business paper needs.

Tape is also a perfect partner in crime for temporary tattoos. Draw any design on the sticky side of tape, ensuring of course that the design is backwards, and voila! A perfect temporary tattoo.

If you’re looking to keep things clean, tape is the answer. I used to love hanging stuff up on my walls, but obviously I would’ve gotten in some serious trouble for getting out the hot glue gun. With tape, I could put anything up on my wall and take it down with ease weeks later.

One of tape’s best qualities is its discreteness. Clear scotch tape is practically invisible for whatever you need. Sticky notes are flaky, always falling off after a few hours. With tape though, you can roll it up on the back and never even know it’s there.

I may not spend a minimum hour on arts and crafts everyday anymore, but I still like to keep a roll of tape on my desk. While it may not be the strongest of sticky supplies, tape is way more versatile than any glue, which is why I consider it an essential to have.