“If I knew then what I know now”…..

Taken better notes so I could document better. Used papers I loved right away vs saving them for a better time.

Don't buy any metals, or epoxy stickers

Spend more money on mixed media ( ink, paint, stencils, stamps) and less on patterned papers

Don't buy embellishments without a specific project in mind

Invest in good storage pieces right away - don't mess around with cheap baskets and totes

Print only the good photos - not every photo from every event

I am not sure I would change much, because every phase the scrapbooking industry went through has provided me with different options and the opportunity to learn new skills.

I have "way too much stuff", but over the past few days I have unearthed gems from my stash that were just perfect for my projects. I know I love options, so that means that for me, less is NOT more...

The only thing that I might change is mixed media purchases. The liquid stuff does not age well. So I need to limit what I buy to not only what I think I need for this next project, but also to what I think I will actually use before it dries up.

I would not:

Use any October Afternoon flair. It was so cute, too. Now it is all rusted. I'm going to have to go through all of my old layouts, remove the flair, and find something to put over the torn place.

Buy any epoxy. I have removed all of it from my layouts already but it made me so mad. I can't believe they still sell it.

Not store my supplies in a place where the cat peed on it. So frustrating. It was in my basement and I didn't go down there enough, so I didn't catch on for awhile. I had to throw out so much, including the particle board shelving unit I loved. I was able to save most of my October Afternoon stickers by cutting the corner piece off of each one. Why the cat thought that was the perfect place to pee, I'll never know.

Buy so many Cricut cartridges and store them in the basement. I think if I kept them up in my living space they wouldn't have gotten as sticky. I still haven't gotten around to de-sticking them.

This is something I still need to work on. I would not buy products from a store simply to support the owner, or because I did a free make 'n take at an expo. For some reason, I feel like I have to support small businesses, even though I'm buying things I don't really need/want. I feel the same way at shows. If I take a free class or do a free make 'n take, or if the owner is very friendly/helpful, I feel an obligation to buy something.

That's not to say that I don't think we should support small businesses. I have one myself. It's just that I often feel "obliged" when I really should be more intentional with my purchases.

Buy the 8.5x11 wrmk albums in all the pretty colors.

Buy thickers like was said above

Organize my stuff as I bought it

Get more photos scrapped without wasting time looking for stuff.

Scrapbooked my pictures as they happened, and told the stories even without the photos, so I didn’t forget so many of the details.

This is my main one. I am way better than I used to be but I still get sucked in occasionally with certain designers.

Don't buy things because they're pretty or on sale, only buy things I know I will use.

After reading a lot of people's posts, I need to go through my Thickers and see if any of you want to buy them from me because I don't use them anymore.

Ditto. 

DEFINITELY limit my DCWV paper pads. I'm sure that I've given way more of them away than I've ever used.

When I first noticed that TM was selling scrapbook stuff, I'd go crazy every time I went into the store (or so it seemed). It was great to get items that I'd only heard about, but had never seen anywhere - and to get it at a great price. Unfortunately, some of it I've used, and some of it I haven't used; thus, the "haven't used" pile up and then the need to clean it all out. I have a plastic tub full of stuff like that, of which I'm sure most of it I had purchased at TM.

Then again, I also bought stuff that I used - and stuff that I keep because I want to use it in the future. I guess we all go through that. But as I've gotten older, I'm more aware of what things I'm inclined to use, and what things I probably won't use, so I'm much more "picky" when I shop anymore.

It's difficult, though, with this hobby because things are changing and evolving all the time - and there's always the next "ideal must have." You just got to really THINK before you purchase!

Well, since I no longer live near enough to shop at any LSS, I have to either shop online or from my stash.  I don’t regret having the oversized stash that I do. However….

I bought some 25 sheet paper packs from Tuesday Morning that I have asked myself, “WHAT was I thinking?”

I bought a lot of them because I am a card maker, and I was teaching a free card class every month, so it allowed me to use inexpensive papers with no regrets, rather than ones that I knew I might use for scrapbooking. Life has changed, and I no longer teach the free card class. I have far too many paper packs and paper pads that I should have left on the shelves at TM.

The same is true of some of the stamps and dies from TM.

Almost all of the things I bought from the LSS are things that I still like, except for some of the mixed media that dried up or went bad.

It’s wonderful to have a great stash to “shop” from. Recent comment from my just married grandchild: “When you go into Nana’s craft room, it’s like going into the craft section of Hobby Lobby. She has everything you’d ever want.”

Except my hoard stash is better than Hobby Lobby’s, LOL.

I would have bought all the Sassafras Lass I could find, and more Basic Grey too. I recently went through all my stash and was overall really happy with how much of my older stuff I still liked. I focused mostly on paper though, and I do wish I would have bought more embellishments--not the epoxy though!

Similar to others, I should have been more selective when purchasing 40% off pads of paper at M's. I have some truly hideous paper pads. I'm making use of them now by using them for backing sheets when I want to "wallpaper" something, or if I need to make dividers, etc. It still feels like a victory when I manage to work my way through one of these pads.

I would have been more selective in my mixed media purchases. Lots of it has dried up. I had a bit of FOMO and bought lots of different colours, etc. and much of it went to waste. Now I focus on having the basics only.

I feel really good about my hoard. I don't have a lot of regrets about it. Maybe here and there, but not too many overall.

If I knew then what I know now, I would not have switched over to D-ring albums. They are so large, bulky and cumbersome when people look through them.

i feel good about my hoard too. i just did a small purge and did some (ok, LOTS of) purchasing lately too but i like how the hoard is evolving.