the cycle of scrapbooking

Scrapbooking
Once upon a time before the 2010’s scrapbooking stores were abundant and you could jump from store to store in a matter of minutes.
Each store had their own style, product, classes and events.
And then they started to fall.

It wasn’t so much a loss of being able to shop because as they fell more and more online stores opened and my need to get new product was fulfilled. No it was more the sense of community and social aspect, plus the actual act of scrapbooking.

Without store crops or a space to go to with your pictures in hand to find that exact shade of green that matched that leaf that was on that sweater that aunt sue made, it just wasn’t the same as shopping your stash. And the stash oh my, you went to every store closing, you bought everything you could touch because you may need it and what if you do and its not available immediately. Colours online are not the same as in real life. What about the green. I better buy 25 sheets of it. What if Aunt sue makes more sweaters.

You think to yourself there is retreats put on, you still talk to the friends you made at these stores you will continue your hobby as you once did, even more so because you won’t be constantly out shopping you will have more time to actually scrapbook. And it will be glorious no more lugging everything to a crop. Yes scrapbooking will be easier.

But it wasn’t easier you kept buying and buying and buying some more. You re arranged your room, you went thru all your product but you don’t actually scrapbook. Oh you have printed off some many ideas, or with this new thing called pinterest..pinned so many boards.
You do slow up in your buying of product because who needs 15 different kinds of pocket watch stamps, or daisy’s or the word thank you. Who are you thanking any way.

But you start hoarding your supplies, your scared to use it. So many companies have gone, then ones you thought would always be there, if they’re gone how will you replace that precious piece of paper. Oh you can search ebay and buy all you can find, but still it starts to turn into the Seinfeld episode with the sponges’.

So when do you actually scrapbook? When do you actually take the time to make all those things. You never make it a priority. But then there are those times when you actually sit down and make something. You have the best time. Your happy, your think why don’t I do this more often? You still go to crops the odd time, but they are not the same. Its not at a store, you take way to much stuff, its only for a few hours. Its just not the same.

You think about selling off all your supplies because you never use them, you say you are on spending freeze but you still buy supplies. You justify your purchases because they are dies. Dies are a tool, multiple uses, they are not consumable. You can make your own embellishments. Yes that silhouette collecting dust isn’t the same as the die. The die will put an embossed edge around the cut out. And yes getting out the silhouette is so much more work than grabbing your die cutting machine, all your dies in multiple storage vessels because you don’t know where that one specific one is. Hmm..yes it still seems easier even though you have now made multiple trips carrying all this stuff. Wait though its exercise in a sense, those dies are really heavy and if you start lifting your arm while walking down the hall you can get in a few reps in and call them arm curls.

What the real baffling part of the whole not using your stuff often is that your room looks like it is used all the time. Nothing is put away, stuff is everywhere. You have so many pretty baskets, containers yet nothing seems to make it in them? Well I can’t scrapbook now I have to clean my room. Seriously this time its going to stay clean I’m not going to just throw things in there. Ok I’m going to re-invent the wheel in my organizing. I will take this from here and just move it across the room because that in the long run will make me use it more. No if I take it from the yellow basket and put it in that green bin, hmm green that looks like the paper I bought for Aunt Sue’s sweater. Isn’t Aunt Sue’s birthday next week I should make a card. I should make a Thank you card as well for that sweater. Oh here are my thank you stamps. Oh I thought I had a old script thank you. Maybe Simon Says has that one I’m thinking. I think I saw it on Kristina Mcguire’s (yes I know) video recently. Where’s my tablet I need to see that video.

One day it will happen I will scrapbook.