I Have a Confession to Make...

... I fell off the OUS wagon. I fell far and I fell hard. For shame!

In my defense, it was a Thanksgiving night sale at Michael's involving 40-70% off plus a 30% off (including SALE items!!!) coupon. $2 rolls of ribbon for 50c? Yes, please. $20 paper pads for $8? I'll take 5. $1 stamps for 60c? Do you think 15 is enough?

So I shouldn't make excuses... but I am. I'm rarely in the States (where everything is MUCH cheaper than in Canada) when the exchange rate is decent (and there are coupons!). So I fell off the wagon. Luckily I didn't get crushed by the horses and I'm jumpin' back on!

If everyone agrees that I should be publicly humiliated, I don't blame you and will take the punishment. ;)

EDIT:

Apparently my penance for cheating is to share my stash. So here it is!

 

*please excuse my ugly couch*

Anyway, I'm back on task after my little binge. And I fessed up so that counts as something, right?!?!?

Patient No. 5 - Athena Vander Wyst of Avalon Studios!

Our fifth OUS Patient is Athena Vander Wyst of Avalon Studios! (HI ATHENA!!!) Her husband sent in this desperate request!

Mr N. Vander Wyst

123 Craft Hoarder Way Please Help Twp, NY 11111

OUS Rehabilitation Clinic

c/o Kaotic Ekko's Curiosities

ATTN: Head of Rehabilitation

555 We Can Help Ave.

Rehab anytime, Anystate 77777

November 13, 2009

To whom it may concern:

Please help! My wife, the Avalon of Avalon Studios, has managed to lose our toddler AND nine year old boy in the huge tidal wave of craft supplies that has taken over our home! This would make the eighth time this week. I have sent her to you in the hopes she comes out a better person.

The list of supplies is staggering. It will take an organizational crew a week of non-stop work just to get through the mess which includes but is not limited to: Beads, ornaments, gems, rocks, findings, dominoes, paints, glitter, fabric, cloth, pins, needles, patterns, paper of all kinds, pens, markers, stuffing, floss, and don't even ASK about the templates she's saved on her 2 one terabyte hard drives...she keeps printing copy after copy after copy!

I have decided to commit her to your facility until such a time as I can find our children and move to a different state and start a new life with new identities. This is the last act of a desperate man. I beg you to please, for the love of all that is holy, make her use the supplies or I fear we will all drown in the sea of them.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Mr. N Vander Wyst

Now Mr. Vander Wyst, before you steal off with the children, let OUS have a go! The first step is admitting there is a problem! ;)

Do you need REHAB? Email me your story... we're here to help. 

Just a 'Little Thing', but progress nonetheless!

So I've had this circle punch for a bit and have been waiting until I've had a clever idea for gift tags. Well, inspiration finally hit me this week. But, *gasp*, I didn't have any cardstock! Now, money is short here (just like everywhere else) and the closest craft store is at least 20 miles away. So what's a girl to do? Go a-huntin' of course!

In the spare room I came across some Staples poster board I purchased back when I was trading ATCs. [For those interested: What are ATCs? and some of mine.] Anyway, I ended up not using it because it's glossy on one side and I didn't like it ...but would it work for gift tags?

Success! Run the matte side through the printer, add some hoarded glitter and ribbon and voila!

Available here.

Now I'm working on my second set using glitter glue and snowflake embellishments (which I overbought last year and have been stingily doling out).

I'd like to say a special thank you to fellow OUS Patient Amanda of Dawn Correspondence for inspiring me with her gorgeous gift tags. Thanks sugar! xo!

Do you need REHAB? Email me your story... we're here to help.

Patient No. 4 - Robyn Selk of Jewelled Trellis!

Our fourth OUS Patient is Robyn Selk of Jeweled Trellis! (HI ROBYN!!!) Her family sent in this emergency letter!

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Dear OUS Rehabilitation Clinic, I am writing this letter to request admission.  I am guilty of multiple craft addiction and hoarding not limited to calligraphy, beading, jewelry making, supply hoarding, cross stitch pattern creation, cross stitch supply cumulation, painting supply collecting, yarn addiction, knitting needle aquisition, fabric and sewing supply agglomeration.  I need help. Admission is requested by husband who can no longer see into offenders craft area, and children who are continually lost in the morass of crafting supplies that dominates this area. She also suffers from "I-wanna-craft-but-I'm-afraid-I'll-mess-it-up" aphobia and a severe case of "but-what-if-I-need-it-someday" itis.  Thank you for considering our application for our dear mother Robyn~JewelledTrellis Sincerely, The Selk family.

Thanks for letting us know Selk family! We promise we'll take real good care of her!

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Patient No. 3 - Teri Landow of The Beaded Branch!

Our third OUS Patient is Teri Landow of The Beaded Branch! (HI TERI!!!) Here's what she had to say about being a Craft Supply Hoarder:

Operation Utilize Supplies (OUS)

I have a confession to make.

I'm a craft hoarder. The reason why my office/craft space is such a terrible mess, and terribly out of order is because I can't seem to stop buying craft supplies of many, many different kinds. I can't seem to settle on one craft. Sigh. And after I buy more supplies, I wind up not using them because I don't want to waste anything. I don't want to screw up, make a mistake, and waste (gasp) the supplies.

I have paints. I have paper. I have old books for altered book projects. I have polymer clay. I have ArtClay Silver. I have tools. I have gold and silver leaf. I have a kit to make resin cabochons, etc. I have beads. I have findings. I have wire. I have fabric. I have yarn. I have embroidery supplies. I have soap supplies. I have old watches that I have taken apart. I have stamps. I have stamp pads, inks, dyes, scissors. Pretty much, it's almost a case of if you need it or want it, I have at least a LITTLE bit of it. Somewhere. I even have old Friendly Plastic pins that I can melt down and reuse. Pens, pencils, chalks, oil pastels. Really the list is quite endless.

Crashing head to desk.

I also have about a million half finished projects. Or a quarter finished projects. Or un-started projects. Okay you're getting the picture.

So what?

Well, I came across a group of friends on Plurk who suffer from the same problem! (Yeah, I know. No big surprise.... Crafters are an odd bunch.) And one person has stepped up and issued a "Rehab" for all of us. A blog has been formed for those of us in Rehab by Mel Smith (thanks!!!) of Kaotic Ekkos Curiosities and now I will be able to show what is going on as I use up supplies, and hopefully have some beautiful new creations to sell! Will it all be jewelry? Heck NO!!!! I'm planning on offering lots and lots of goodies to tempt everyone! Now, onto the crafting!

Keep remembering that sand is ALWAYS blue!!!

And check out the "Dirty Little Secret"...look familiar to anyone?!?!

Thanks for joining us Teri! Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Do you need REHAB? Email me your story... we're here to help.

OUS Painting listed for sale on Artfire!

Due to the overwhelming response I have listed my 1st OUS painting for sale!

Imperfect: Overcoming Self Criticism

Do you need REHAB? Email me your story... we're here to help.

Patient No. 2 - Amy Dutsch of Mama's Little Monkeys!

Our second OUS Patient is Amy Dutsch of Mama's Little Monkeys! (HI AMY!!!) Here's what she had to say about being a Craft Supply Hoarder:

Wow. I NEED this blog! I have just recently done my own "Journey Into Minimalism" on my blog http://blog.mamaslittlemonkeys.com (various posts). My hoarding is fabric. It's just to pretty to cut sometimes!! So I have cleaned out, purged, moved my boys into one room and gotten my own clean and organized craft room!! (Pics on the blog)

Can't wait to see what you come up with! :)

~Amy

Thanks for joining us Amy! Make sure you keep us up-to-date!

Do you need REHAB? Email me your story... we're here to help.