MUST, MUST see!!

I have watched this over and over and still can't get over the way this video makes me feel.  I thought I would share it with you so your day can get a bit brighter!

Craft Supply Hoarder

There have been a lot of scrapbooking trends that I have gone bananas over and then never really used.  I blame HSN for some of it but mostly it is my own compulsive behavior.  I guess in some warped way I think that this cool new product will complete me as a human being.  Here is a list of 10 items that I HAD to have and are now collecting dust.

 1. WRMK Sew Easy-  I have a gazillion heads, enough thread to lace every shoe in America, the carrying case yet I do very little stitching.  I found that if I was going to go to all the trouble of pulling all the bits out, I might as well bring out the sewing machine.


2. Chipboard Letters - I'll use a set once but when I don't have a  letter that I need I dismiss the rest of the collection.  I know I could get creative about supplementing what is missing but I rarely make the effort. Why think when Micheal's is right down the street.  I know, pathetic.


3. Stamps - I have so many but because I am the gutter-ball queen of stamping, I rarely risk ruining a project by using them.  Look at all that black foam - no ink spots or remnants of paint. It is sad really.  These stamps have never fulfilled their destiny.

 

4. Ten Second Studios metal art products - I took a class; bought the starter kit and then I never used it. I love the concept but I just haven't made a project that calls for the look. Yes, that is my story and I'm sticking with it.

5. Maya Road mini albums - I have an assortment of the designs that have been released each season but I rarely use them.  I guess I'm more of a collector than a Maya Road crafter.  I even hang on to the chipboard embellishments because they are so stinkin cute.  I just can't bare to part with them.

6. Prismacolor markers - I invested a small fortune in these fancy shmancy markers but I rarely use them (this was before the Copic rage).  I could have stuck with crayola markers but at the time, it seemed critical that I had the very BEST, just in case I learned how to draw.

7. Xyron cartridges - I have the 1900 with multiple cartridges (laminate, laminate with magnet, removable and permanent), two 250 machines, 2, 150 "X"s and now a Creatopia but I rarely use them because I don't want to "waste" the adhesive.  Ridiculous.

8. Journalling Pens - I still can't stop buying journalling pens...as if the pen is magically going to change my chicken scratch into Heidi Swapp-like penmanship. Ha! That's a good one.

9. Ribbon - There were a few years when I couldn't go to Michael's without adding a spool of ribbon to my cart. Did I have a project in mind when I bought it? Nooooooo. I NEEDED a broad collection.... just in case.

10. Page protectors - I have no explanation for this compulsion.  I can only assume it is one of those squirrel instincts. One never want to be caught without the right size page protector that will fit into any hole configuration.  Am I right?

Maybe Bravo will come out with a reality show called "Craft Hoarders" and instead of helping you clean out your stash, they will teach you how to use all of your stuff like a pro.  Love that idea!!

Basic Grey Warehouse Box sale arrived!!!

In case you are dieing to know what is coming your way or if you want to buy one, take a look:

I bought 2 but there is so much product that I am happy to sell the 2nd at cost. Leave me a comment if you are interested.  Here are photos of the 2nd Basic Grey Box that I am able to sell at cost;

 

She's at it again...

After digging through my photos to create my last post about my scraproom evolution, I am now wanting to move things around, yet again.  I really liked the open space when my desk was against the wall so I think I may be reorganizing today.  I am so blessed to have a scraproom but I don't use it every time I craft because it is so cluttered and tight in there.  I have got to work out a solution or I might as well surrender the room so my daughter can have her own bedroom.  Here is my current "BEFORE" photo. So sorry about the blurry imagine.  I took this pic with my phone after 2 cups of coffee.  I already have horribly shakey hands and coffee adds insult to injury.

I'll have to blend in my Cricut Imagine, scrap baskets and a cart full of supplies which are currently residing in my bedroom. Heavens to Murgatroid, I have a busy day ahead of me.

Scraproom Evolution

Over the years I have had many spaces for my scrapbooking; lots and lots of set ups; dozens of interests and a heap of directives.  I used to sell kits, then I had a studio where I taught classes and held mini crops, then I opened a online shop, then I went to art school at the Academy of Art and all the while scrapping for hire.  I dug up a bunch of photos just for kicks.

This (below) was my 1st scrapbooking space back when we lived in our townhouse.  I had a huge room with a play area for my 3 year old son.  I'd set up the pack and play so my newborn daughter could take a nap...in theory.  I scrapped far less than I shopped - these were the days of QVC and HSC scrap-a-thons.  Nothing less than crack for me.
 

 

Below are my first few set-ups when we moved into our house.  It seemed like I was always moving things around.

Then I opened up a small studio in my garage (below).  I had started teaching classes at my son's school and at Michael's so I decided I would take it a step further and we transformed our garage into a super duper creative space.  It was wonderful, but freezing in the winter and scorching hot in the summer.

Then I started attending a bunch of workshops and I really got into mixed media.  I stopped teaching and holding small crops and started having friends over for "messy time".

Then I decided to go to art school.  I enrolled in the Academy of Art, downsized my stash,  and went back to my small craft room (below).



Then I got a drafting table and chair off of free-cycle!  Woo hoo - what a score!  But it took up a lot of space in the tiny room and I moved it a gazillion times trying to get the best configuration.

I was always searching for "innovative" supply storage solutions.  Some worked, some did not.

 

 

I think the industrial drawer unit is just not the bang for the buck I had wanted.  It takes up way too much space for the minimal storage it offers.

This (below) is what my space looks like today.  I feel so cramped in there, that I often bring a bunch of stuff to my bedroom and scrap on my bed.  One day I'll find the right arrangement.