I've Used Up All of My Supplies!

Hah! Gotcha!

In October 2011, I posted this in one of the forums over at SOC:
Picture this.... I've used up almost all of the embellishments that fill my two Clip-it-Ups, so much so that they are nearly empty. I have used almost all of my cardstock and patterned paper on the 100's of layouts and cards I've completed and only a few sheets remain. All of that crafting has me down to just one or two bottles of Stickles, Smooch ink, or Glimmer Mist and most of my ink pads are dried up from overuse. I've depleted my supply of brads, eyelets, flowers, and other stuff I've collected over the years.

I wonder...what would it look like or feel like if we actually used almost all of the supplies we had before buying more? Kind of like when the cupboard or refrigerator gets so bare you know it's time to go grocery shopping? (By the way, this was a VERY RANDOM thought!)

Since writing that post, I have probably tripled my craft supply collection. And yes, storage is becoming an issue!

And then in May of this year, I posted this:
I know that many of my friends here have gotten to a point where they no longer feel the need to go to their local craft store just because; stop at TM, TJ MAXX, or Ross simply because they're on your beaten path; or browse the craft aisle every time you go to Walmart or Target for your household goods. I'm talking about my sisters who no longer feel the need for the latest tools, paper, or stamps (whether they're a bargain or not) and only purchase adhesives, etc. when what they have is almost finished.

Almost every month I tell myself I don't need and really can't afford any more stuff and I'm going to stop craft shopping but inevitably I find myself picking up this or that or stopping at Michaels or Joanns (because I'm in the area) to see what's new or different. Of course there's nothing I need and sometimes I'm lucky enough to walk out without buying anything. I have more supplies than I could ever use but I tell myself just this once, just this one thing and I'm done shopping. The problem is I shop more than I craft and the more you buy the more you have to organize, so I spend more time organizing my stuff than I do crafting.

 I'm also not sure what my crafting style is so my embellishments are kind of all over the place, no particular genre. I know what I don't like but I'm not sure what I do like. As of right now I am strictly a card maker and scrapbooker. There are a lot of techniques I'd like to try but haven't, yet somehow I have many of the supplies needed for those techniques.  There's no one thing that I stick to.


So... what if I said that beginning on January 1st I was going to stop shopping for scrappy supplies? (OK... you can pick yourself up off the floor and stop laughing now!) I've already rearranged my craft space to make everything more accessible and enlisted the help of my sweetie and the 50 Projects group over at Facebook.

And what if I said that in 2014 I wanted to make a concerted effort to use the stuff I have? Would you be willing to join me?

I think that in the next year, the focus of my blog will change from providing scrapbooking tips and tricks to showcasing what I create with products I currently have. The point being to keep myself honest and accountable.

So, if you've read this far, what do you think?

Have a safe and prosperous New Year!
WrinkleFreeDiva

Christmas Craftiness

Lest people think that I'm not doing any crafting and all of the stuff in my craftroom is going to waste, I thought I'd show you all of the Christmas stuff I've made since Thanksgiving.

This card was for my manicurist.

Gift bags for my son's teachers.

Cards for my son's teachers. Silhouette files with embellishments I purchased after Christmas last year.

Saw this Silhouette cut file and decided to try it on a few cards.

A "scraplift" from a card posted several years ago.

Wanted to try out this rubber stamp and gold embossing powder.

Shamelessly scraplifted from Shalana Glass who is a member of one of the FB groups I'm on.

Another rubber stamp with heat embossing.

Using up embellishments I bought after Christmas last year. 

Print-and-cut file from the Silhouette store.

My very first easel card from a Silhouette cut file.

Another Silhouette cut file that I altered a bit to suit my needs. The poinsettia was cut with Spellbinders.

Thank you notes for the gifts given to me by my students; I made 18! Another Silhouette cut file.

Whew! Now that I've uploaded and captioned all of these pictures, I realize that I really did get a lot done during November and December. For many of the cards, I made more than one, but only took a picture of one since the others were duplicates.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are gearing up for a festive New Year's celebration.

Thank you for looking!

WrinkleFreeDiva

December's Scrapbook Pajama Party

Finally got a chance to participate in another one of iClassygirl's scrapbook pajama parties on Wednesday, December 18th. (The last day of school before winter break for this sista was the next day, so I was all set to sit back, relax and create!)

Tiare generally provides us with a sketch and a list of supplies so that we can get ready before going online. I really enjoy watching her design process and interacting with the other ladies who participate. And yes... many of us scrapbook - in our pajamas no less - while we are online with Tiare.

So, this month's sketch is here and Tiare's finished layout is here. And here is my layout:

One of the things I am working on with my layouts is doing more layering. I don't think I did too badly on this one. I sure love those little Studio Calico wood veneers and recently bought a ton of them! But I digress....

Don't want this post to get too long, especially since I have no lesson for you today other than, I used CTMH Liquid Glass to adhere the wood veneers. It seems to do a pretty good job of holding them in place.

Thanks for looking and stay tuned for another post.