Stocking Up vs Hoarding...

I AM NOT A HOARDER!!! Okay, maybe a little - or maybe a little more than a little.  But I am slowly, but surely, getting over it - well sort of. 

I'll admit it - but just between us, please don't tell anyone - I do still own supplies that are over 10 years old, most of which I will never use.  But honestly, I do plan on weeding these items out - soon!  It's just that they are in my themed packets and I haven't gone through those lately.  (But I will not be getting rid of my Daisy Ds paper - and that's that!) Anyway, that is totally not what I'm talking about here.

I'm talking about buying new items.  For example, let's just discuss October Afternoon's Mini-Market letter stickers.  I love these things!!!! Obviously as evidenced by the fact that they are on practically every.single.layout. I create!  What in the world did I do before I had my Mini-Markets?!! I actually find using them fun. Really.  Figuring out titles that can integrate Mini-Markets is definitely a fun part of my process.  And I own a lot of them.  Not just various color schemes either; I mean several sheets of each color scheme.  The reason for this is quite simple: I ran out once.  I ran out of the letter 'O' on a sheet of my Mini-Markets - a color scheme I use quite often - and when I went to reorder, they were out of of stock.  What? Mini-Markets out of stock?? What kind of store are you running???  How long is it going to take for me to get my Mini-Markets????  What am I going to do about titles in the mean time?????  And so, now I order at least two of every sheet.  And if they're extremely popular, maybe 3.  And once I'm down to only one sheet, it's definitely time to order again.  It's called 'stocking-up' - not hoarding.

Then there is the issue of pretty papers that I love.  For example, those Dear Lizzy lines - specifically 5th & Frolic & Lucky Charm - that I discussed last week.  I'm still drawn to using one of those lines on every single layout (as evidenced below) and actually have to force myself to even look at other papers.  Why?  Well, because I adore them... they make me so happy.  There's also that pocket of American Crafts various discontinued lines that I just keep hanging on to.  Those papers are mostly stripes, small repeating patterns, etc. that make great background or accent papers.  And if that's the case, then it's not hoarding, it's 'stocking-up'.

Also, there's the embellishment fetishes:  specifically, wooden elements and flair.  I've talked so many times about how much I love these items (as evidenced on almost every layout) that it's really not worth discussing.  But just like I spoke of in my last post, each time I use something I feel a little pang of regret that it's gone - much less if I use all of something up (like those great Freckled Fawn word items!) and so next time I make a monthly 'kit' purchase, there will be a couple of packs of my fave veneer items.  However, I'm basically drowning in flowers and brads, hardly ever use them anymore and should really consider ridding myself of them in view of my little bitty space restrictions.  Yet each time I get face to face with them in the store, I almost buy more.  Why? Because they're so darn pretty. 

So that's the difference to me.  Getting several of something I absolutely love and I know has a place spread throughout my albums is stocking-up.  Buying something you have no use for - or holding onto something for the right layout - just because it's beautiful is hoarding.  Or holding onto something that is dated, that you hope you will use again (like those slides we used as frames several years ago which I am determined to put on a layout in June), that is hoarding.  Or maybe buying more than you'll ever use - like my little Thickers obsession... well I just don't know what that is!!!

Do you think there's a difference between hoarding and stocking-up?  What do you hoard? What do you stock-up on? Do you feel there is anything worth buying a lot of for those 'just in case' moments or because you adore it? I know that some of you will say that you just don't have room to hoard anything... well, this is for you too.  Because regardless of space limitations, there is always a tiny amount of room to stash something you love.  Or for that matter what would you hoard/stock-up if you had the space?  Come on now, there must be something!

So here are some layouts that show what's in my current stock some of which I don't mind using and some of which is very apparent that I love to use:

 

 

So this is such an American Crafts layout it looks like an ad.  Mostly DL Neapolitan with some shots of 5th & Frolic thrown in and one little piece of Botanique (the pink grid).  The only other thing other thing not a Dear Lizzy item is the tapes: Bella Blvd & October Afternoon.  I know that this is not one of my fave DL lines, but these pastels need to be used and definitely need to be in my album for this year as I use so few.

 

 

 

 

Another of those Dear Lizzy layouts... this time using strictly 5th & Frolic papers.  The additions this time were Echo Park stickers, Doodlebug Pearls, Bella Blvd tapes, October Afternoon tab and Heidi Swapp & October Afternoon mists all on a piece of white cardstock from who knows where!  More pastel papers - a little brighter now - as a companion page to the previous.  While not a double-page layout, they are absolutely lovely side-by-side in my album.

 

 

 

Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm this time with a shot of Romance in the form of the light pink heart paper.  Additions this time are the Freckled Fawn & Studio Calico wood, Doodlebug Pearls, Heidi Swapp & October Afternoon mists, Freckled Fawn tape and EK Success & Martha Stewart punches.  While GiGi's album in mainly teal/aqua in color, it's great to infuse shots of this navy into it - especially when it has the prerequisite teal/aqua on the layout. 

 

 

 

AHA... NO DEAR LIZZY!!!  But alas, there is the Amy Tangerine Yes, Please paper used for the background. To this was added:  patterned paper & pink letter stickers: October Afternoon; other stickers:  American Crafts Thickers, Glitz Design; Tape: Bella Blvd, Freckled Fawn; flair: A Flair for Buttons; Wood: Freckled Fawn, Studio Calico. (Oh, and look! I only used one little scrap of patterned paper on top of my background!  I know... how strange! But I rather like it - my photos tell the complete story, thus the lack of journaling!!!)  This bare little page is sitting next to a very busy, color-infused layout in my album and looks absolutely lovelier there than as shown here - even though the colors are not coordinated.

 

As one last little thing, I finally finished the double-page layout for NSD!!!  You know, now that I don't scrap double-page anymore, I think I've forgotten how!  Note:  I really wanted these pix in my albums because of the special time between JC & GiGi that they convey, but had to manipulate the photos because GiGi was in her undies (absolutely not revealing, but don't want a permanent record of that!).  Oh well, here it is such as it is:

 





I didn't get to have a scrappy weekend... so much drama, so little time.  But I have managed to do a little this and that and that's definitely what's keeping me sane.  But I really hope that everyone else is scrappy. 

 

And that's all she wrote! 

 

"We are hoarding potentials so great that they are just about unimaginable." - Jack Schwartz