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Does anyone every "purge" their supplies? I'm feeling overwhelmed with stuff that I just had to have, and yet there it sits, unused, mostly embellishments and stuff.
I also have stack of magazines that I need to get control of and organize. I have a room just for me, but I seem to be filling it up at an accelerated pace (just 4 months ago I was in a closet).
HELP!!!
__________________ I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone. Bill Cosby
This sounds so familiar! I don't have my own stamping room, but my husband bought me a unit for the dining room that all my stuff goes in. It is such a mess!
My stamping tastes have matured as I have learned more and the stuff I bought at first is stuff I would never dream of using now, but can I bear to get rid of it. NOOOOOO! You never know when I may need that stamp for one particular card.
I must learn to be more disciplined!
I do keep my magazines in order by keeping my favourites and then just keeping certain articles filed away from other magazines!
Thanks Ally, that sums it up for me too. I bought a ton of embellishments years ago (of course in bulk, because they are cheaper - right) and some I haven't used in over 2 years. I'm trying to convince myself that there is a point where your have to let it go.
__________________ I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone. Bill Cosby
I am big at "don't get rid of that, you may need it for something"...and I have outgrown my area so it is not too neat very often...so maybe we should all set a goal that before we can make our next purchase, we have used one of the embellishments (or stamps or ribbons or whatever) in a project...maybe we will discover a lost treasure among your "clutter" and come up with an amazing project.
If you discover a way to do it...you could bottle it and sell to all of us here at SCS! I would love to be able to have my own room and invest in a bunch of organizing containers but I can't justify it with all the crafty stuff I could buy instead! Oh well someday when hubby and I aren't limited to living in base housing and buy our own place I can have my own room!!
Prior to rubber stamping, I learned Iris paper folding. I went way over board on purchasing scrapbook paper....What I did this past winter to purge was, I had 5 girls that I gave scrapbooking stuff to for Christmas gifts. I bought each of them a 12x12 album and then went through my paper. Kept only that which I absolutely loved and divided the rest between the 5 girls. For stamping extra's I'd suggest the same. If you know a young girl or 2 that would love stamping, why not pass it on. My best friend's daughters enjoy stamping with Aunt Julia....well, I'm getting ready to purge again, so they will soon have a box coming their way. Hope this helps....JULIA...
I am at the point with my scrapbooking and stamping supplies that I need to stop buying unless I absolutely have a project I need a specific item for. For example, I have stacks of paper that I have never used. I need to stop buying until I work through what I have or sell it or give it away. I have some punches that I haven't used in years. I read somewhere about hosting a swap crop and having people bring their items that they haven't used and making trades for the items - "someone's trash is another person's treasure".
I have a small area in my dining area and I keep the rest of the items in bins in several other areas. I'm overwhelmed with all this stuff that isn't used, that I'm not even stamping or crafting. My goal is getting organized with the essentials and then weeding out what I probably won't use. I know I'll get my scrapbooks updated and my baby announcements made, in advance, if I stick to this!
Anyone else have purging ideas or any swap suggestions for their geographical areas?
I am planning my 1st workshop and I am including a "Yard Sale" table. Several of us are pack rats and need to purge our supplies. Everyone is encourged to bring something that is not getting used. They may sell it, trade it or give it. One mans trash is anothers treasure.
I have purged my supplies 3 times over the last 2 years. I had been in a lot of swaps and felt that I had to keep everything together from that swap otherwise I wouldn't know what to do. With the exception of kit swaps, when I would go through everything with new eyes, I would realize that there were some things that I really could see myself using and some that I wouldn't.
After I went through everything, I donated to different venues. The first one was a huge contribution to my sons Kindergarten teacher last year. She is a stamper and she also would set up a writing/art center for the kids in the classroom. She was so excited to get the goodies.
On my 3rd purge (which was much smaller by this time) I gave the bits and pieces to a friend of mine who is relatively new to all of this, but is trying very hard.
It also helps you get organized and remember what you have and what you need to get those projects finished or started!!!
with my friends we bring the stamp sets we are really done with. I now have about 5 sets after 3 years stamping. we sell them to each other. there retired sets so we sell them about 1/2 off (or more). the good part is you know where they are if you need to borrow them in the future.
I've started going through my stuff trying to use the old stuff. this year I'm thinking about donating some of my old paper /card stock (pre-stampin up) to a school. I don't enjoy using it why am I keeping it around? why store it? the other thing is try to use up your glues. I pulled out some velum glue and it had gone bad! It yellowed and showed through on the page. what a waste of $$$. Also there are so many better products always coming out.
My local scrapbook store is having a supply swap so I am going through my stuff that I have that I know I won't touch. I am like the majority though, keep it all because you just never know!
OK, ya'll are encouraging me. I'm atleast going to make a box with stuff I don't use. I think my local scrapbook store holds a yard sale every 3 months, so maybe I can get rid of stuff and use the money to buy more??!!??
Unfortuneately, I have to have neat space in order for me to enjoy being in there and playing. So all this stuff feels like a weight. I think I will use the 2 year rule. If I haven't used it in 2 years, something has to be done with it.
I love Julie's idea of making gifts out of the supplies, I may do that with some of the stuff I know that my god daughter would like.
I think I'm going to ban myself from buying any more embellishments till I get this under control and use some of what I just had to have at the time!
__________________ I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone. Bill Cosby
A friend of mine (also stamper/scrapper) went through all her mags, cut out the pages of the things she wanted to keep, put them in a binder, and tossed the rest of the mag. Her philosophy? why keep all that when I only want this?? I need to adopt that philosophy too.
How do you control the clutter???
