It got to me

No, not the rejection from SXSW...well, okay, that got to me too but I'm speaking of something more immediate. My arts & crafts supplies.

I mentioned it the other day - then did nothing about it except go out and buy 3 more skeins of yarn and some new bamboo needles to start yet another project. See? This is how it works with me.

I've always been crafty/artsy but in my adulthood it's taken over a part of my life. And I can't just do one thing. Heaven forbid I should actually get REALLY GOOD at something - no, I'm a dabbler. I might be making soaps one week and then tiling a fireplace the next. Well, I think my soap phase has passed...but the back-splash in my kitchen is eyeing me for some new tiles. My staples are card-making & scrapbooking - however I am THE WORLD'S SLOWEST SCRAPBOOKER and have never really finished a scrapbook. Or even a trip/event for that matter. *sigh* Regardless it's something I enjoy. I love having all my embellishments and patterned paper and stickers and and and....you get the idea.

So yesterday I pulled all my supplies from every nook & cranny I could imagine and piled it all in the den. It was yucky. What a mess! How could I allow this to happen? If this is something I really love and value doing, why is it in such a state?!?!

I spent many hours yesterday and more today pouring through old supplies and evaluating whether or not it was worth keeping. I got rid of very old sewing patterns that I'll never make again (actually, I've never managed to use ONE pattern TWICE...they get too wrecked for me the first time...but I held on to these for 12 years....nice, huh?), I started a donation box and included lots of tempra & acrylic paints, stencil brushes, cross-stitch pattern books, etc etc. I found LOTS of things! It makes me excited! I organized all my stamping stuff (which I'm sort of phasing out - I just don't use them much) into one tub; all of my large scrapbook paper & stickers, rulers & current scrapbook into another tub (very heavy). My yarn went into my craft 'tote' which had just been full of crap for years - there's even a spot for needles! I put up my wall organizer and put my scissors, glue guns, crochet hooks, x-acto knives in there; I separated out ribbons from quilling paper; glue sticks from glue pen inserts, threads & safety pins for sewing and assorted adhesives for card making & scrapbooking. I compiled all my "sample" cards in one place as I did with various envelopes. My "special projects" have their own place now (mosaic candle holder thingy, mosaic I bought in Rome of the MOUTH OF TRUTH which I haven't made yet (yeah, I went there in Nov of 2001!!), beads for making jewelry & quilling supplies. And I put all of my random assorted paper (heretofore living in random plastic grocery bags in random piles in random closets - ack!) into a portable file box which had been empty for at least 4 years. Yay! All my colors are together - granted solids are mixed with patterns but still! I'm soooo excited.

So, now Steve & I are moving the futon out of the den and we're putting up a table so I'll ACTUALLY be able to use the craft supplies that I have re-discovered right under my nose.

So, if you're on my regular mailing cycle...there may actually be a hand-made card in the mail for you in the relatively near future.

I feel much more at peace than I have in ages.

Now - back to knitting! :-)

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