Bustin' Out the Stash

If you're a scrapbooker, card maker, paper crafter you have a stash.  You just do.  Other crafters have their own stashes - sewers?  Fabric.  Stitchers?  Threads and patterns.  Knitters?  Yarn.  It just comes with the territory.  What varies is the amount of stash we have.  Some folks are good at using it and some are better at collecting it.  I'm kinda in the middle - I use it, but I still have quite the collection.  I do go through my stuff now and then and cull the items that no longer "do it" for me and donate them away.  I'm in need of doing this again.

I know there are strategies for using up your stash.  Like challenges - either self-imposed or someone else's suggestions - like the ones I run here on the blog.  Mixing older stash with new stuff, 'cause the new stuff is more fun to use.  Am I right?  Enter having an Apron Strings autoship to the kit of your choice.  A little new paper breeds inspiration to add some older ribbon or buttons, especially when creating cards or tags from the scraps.  Taking a class.  Like through Big Picture.  

I'm pretty good at recognizing I need to use things from my stash.  I can think of plenty of ways to use things up - shoot I post them here.  I am not, however, very good at taking my own advice in my own crafting.  Which is why I decided to take the Stash Busters Anonymous class.  Someone else needs to call the shots, plus I get to see if there are ways of incorporating my older stuff that I haven't yet thought of.  The class starts this week.  I have, finally, crossed off some of the loudest ringing bells on my to-do list, so I won't have those hanging over my head.  I can finally craft without the guilt - which I know I've preached about lately, but sometimes the to do must-do vs. reward takes precedence.  It's about not using the "to-do" as the reason for not crafting.

Class starts Thursday.  I'm excited.  If you're signed up, let me know, we can cheer each other on.  If not, and you've got a stash (and we already know you do ;D), check it out.  Maybe it's just what you need, too.

Happy Tuesday.