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[QUOTE=prozacstampinmama]she'll make comments like "Geez your getting more stamps don't you have enough." Even though my collection is small and she isn't addicted and of course she knows you can never have to many stamps. QUOTE]
She so doesn't get it! Enough stamps? C'mon, that's an oxymoron if I ever heard one!
"Its not that I have too much time on my hands Nelly Negative, its just that I find if I make some time to do something I really enjoy and feed my creative needs, I'm a much better person. My family likes me better when I get time to be creative and sharing what I enjoy makes me feel so (pause) worthwhile." (Insert fake smile here)
;)
This is just too perfect! I'm going to have to remember this one! Being a WAHM I get a lot of "too much time on my hands" comments. Grrrr.....
I work 40 plus hours a week at my day job. I have 2 teenagers at home a husband and a parrot. I also work at a local stamp store 2 Saturdays a month. I make all my cards...I never buy them. Tell this woman to manage her own time better and not to worry about yours! We cant help the fact that stampers are better time managers! Good grief...now you got me all stirred up! HA!
Don't we all get those comments every once in a while? Last time I was told that I had too much time on my hands, I told them "Atleast I'm not running around like a chicken with my head cut off!"
My signature validates what has been said many times in this thread. Stampin is definitely cheaper than therapy.
Colleen - My first thought was, your coworker was SO impressed with the card, she just couldn't imagine that you made her one, let alone everyone in the office. It was obvious the card took hours and HOURS of hard work to complete.
I am a short talker... I use a few words. So, often, what comes out of my mouth isn't really what I meant - with absolutely no offense intended.
I say, don't be offended. She was impressed with your card, but just couldn't express it in a way that was obvious to you
I like the "I choose to make the time to do special things for the people who are important to me" response.
PS-I wanted to make the cards for my parents 50th anniversary party. One of my sisters responded "You should, since you're so damn creative"... now what did THAT mean? ;)
Thankfully I haven't run into a lot of this - it's usually "how in the world do you find the time" (I work a 10-12 hr day + the commute). I tell them that I've trained the dustbunnies to take care of themselves. These folks will purchase a handful of 'special' Christmas card for family & birthday cards during the year. If I do get this 'stuff' I just smile and let them know making special cards for special people is more important than other things so I make the time...... It takes fewer muscles to smile so I just leave them with their grumpiness.
SantaKitty
Thankfully I haven't run into a lot of this - it's usually "how in the world do you find the time" (I work a 10-12 hr day + the commute). I tell them that I've trained the dustbunnies to take care of themselves. These folks will purchase a handful of 'special' Christmas card for family & birthday cards during the year. If I do get this 'stuff' I just smile and let them know making special cards for special people is more important than other things so I make the time...... It takes fewer muscles to smile so I just leave them with their grumpiness.
SantaKitty
It's definitely a lot nicer and just as easy to say "How do you find the time?" than, "you must have too much time on your hands!"
If you love something.... no matter what that "something" is, you will find or make time for it.....it's that simple and it's that difficult. "For where your treaure is, there you heart will be also"......
Sorry you had to hear that comment. Some people are just rotten. I just reply that stamping and making cards "keeps me out of the bars and off the streets, and helps me from choking the living daylights out of someone who really needs it!". he he
You've all made such great comments. I always tell my son . . . we don't all do the same things with our time or our money. If you see someone with a lot of "things," they may not have any more than you; they just choose to spend it in more visible ways. You may save a lot and have a better retirement, eh?
Which leads me to how we spend our time. After my full-time "day job" and the time I donate to church and a husband and a son and household and yard stuff, I still find a wee bit of time to stamp 'cuz I just love it. Don't get me wrong - there are certainly people I think have too much time on their hands . . . but it's never because they spend it stamping!!
I have made many different crafts in my life, including cards. The joy is in the making and the giving. A long time ago I learned that if a person does'nt do any type of crafts they don,t appreciate the time or effort or even the cost of the item. Also some people are just not happy people. Every thing is negative in their life. This woman may be like that. I give homemade cards to people who I know will love to get them and boughten cards to people who it won,t matter. Don,t let her take away your enjoyment of making and giving cards. HAPPY STAMPING
I have also had these comments or others who treat my home made cards like they were 50 cent walmart cards, but I got to tell you, I am so lucky to have the mom that I do! She has more stamps then I do! I miss living by her, so I could borrow her stamp sets. :-( Oh well, I am now a stay at home mom after 5 years working full time and homeschooling, and my sweet fiancee' just told me to order $200 in stamp stuff for my x-mas present! I love it! He made me make sure to spend all 200 of it! My mom also ties into this as she is my stampin' up demonstrator..lol! I need something to do when the cold of winter sets in here in Maryland, as it will be a lot different then the weather I am use to in Florida!
__________________ Lisa C., Mom to 3 great kids, 3 super dogs and an cat that thinks she is a dog! My Gallery
I've received similar comments before. When someone says you have too much time, I just smile and say, "I've got 24 hours just like everyone else." They usually don't know what to say back and shut up or they make a fool of themselves trying to let everyone know what all they have to do. Blow them off!
Could it have been more of a lack of social skills (and communication skills) on her part than a deliberate jab? She might have used that tired cliche more as a quick & snappy answer than to intentionally hurt you. Anyhow, don't let it get you down. YOU know your cards were fabulous, right?? Linda
I was kind of thinking the same thing. Sometimes people just feel a need to say something cute. She didn't feel that thank you was enough, tried to thing of something cute, and that is what came out. I seriously doubt that a co-worker would deliberately try to hurt you for no reason at all.
Try to look on the bright side! And, I agree, don't let it get you down.
I have a really close friend who laughs and says "boy you really have a lot of time on your hands". The first time, it really hurt my feelings and I answered truthfully, no, I just stayed until 2 in the morning because I wanted to make something special for you. The second time, I said "I knew you were going to say that!" and made a joke like thank you would be fine too!
I distributed my hand-made cards to my co-workers today. Just about everyone had something nice to say. (I can't believe my interest in stamping and scrapping makes ME the crafty one in our office. )
Anyhow, not to focus on the negative (ok, I'm focusing on the negative) but one woman's comment when she got my cards was, "it looks like you have too much time on your hands". :???:
Sorry, I haven't got time to read all the replies, but I think you actually misheard or misunderstood your colleague. What she REALLY meant was: "You make me feel really inadequate with your artistic talent - I wish I could motivate myself to do something creative instead of watching TV every evening." ;)
Anyhow, not to focus on the negative (ok, I'm focusing on the negative) but one woman's comment when she got my cards was, "it looks like you have too much time on your hands"
Here's my response:
"You know what? Now that I think about it, I don't have that much extra time. And since you don't appreciate the time I spent to make something special, I'll just devote the time I do have to someone who will!"
I can't believe someone would say that?!?! As someone else said..... The proper response is Thank You.
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I have to say that the people who insist on ignoring the old adage" If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." really drive me nuts now that I have small kids who are usually around. So often I want to remind these people where they can go, but my kids would hear so I end up following the old adage myself!!
Just keep smiling, it's our only real defense against rudeness.
__________________
Bridget
Proud to be a former SU Demo & forever USC Gamecock Fan!
even if your co-worker's comment was not designed to be hurtful (though its effect certainly was) some people are just passive-agressive like that. if you were inclined to be just as nasty as she obviously is, I guess you could retort, "no, I have just enough time though sometimes it turns out to have been wasted." the death glare and vowing to never handmake anything for her again is probably enough though.
I take roo613's point that sometimes you can say outrageous things to your friends in-jokes that they would understand but this coworker of yours doesn't sound to be quite on that level to you.
Sorry, I haven't got time to read all the replies, but I think you actually misheard or misunderstood your colleague. What she REALLY meant was: "You make me feel really inadequate with your artistic talent - I wish I could motivate myself to do something creative instead of watching TV every evening." ;)
My favourite response I have heard for the nasty "too much time on your hands" comment is, "No, I have the same number of hours in a day as everyone else, and just as many committments. I don't have more time than anyone else; I just choose to make the time to do special things for the people who are important to me."
OOhhh, I love this one! This gets the point across and turns it around in a positive waY! I actually get this comment all the time. I really don't think folks mean it the way it sounds. I try to "hear" them say what they are probably really thinking, "I don't think I could ever find time for this." When I assume positive intent it makes it so much better! Then I can laugh and say the line on my signature, "Yea, you know, sleep is optional!" I also usually add that it's so much fun for me to create that it's worth the time. Then I tell them that they would enjoy it too and invite them to my next stamp camp. I cant' tell you how many people, who have made that very comment, have been lured over to "the ink side" by that approach!
TOO FUNNY
