a musing for long-time scrappers

[CoventryAnn]

I don't think I've ever been a hoarder, but I do have loads of stash (how does that work?) If it's new and i love it I just can't wait to chop into those papers, and throw as much stash at a page as possible (don't do minimal!) I really don't get 'paper stroking', I'd rather have lovely papers in my scrapbooks as part of a page, than getting dog-eared in my stash.

One of the reasons i've been enjoying the simple recipes and Completely Different challenges is that they force me to search through my stash and find thing's i'd forgotten i had and get that old stuff used!

When I was out of work a while ago I was much better at not shopping and just chopping those lovely papers that had been hanging about for a bit. Now I'm working again I have slipped into my old habits of being far too easily tempted. Sadly it looks like OH will be out of work soon, so I will have to reign it in again... or maybe I should be spending now!

[Azimuth]

I started scrapbooking on a budget. I would go to the scrapbook shop and take my photos, find some cardstock and pp that went with the photo and theme i was after and take it home to scrap with

only problem is sometimes i'd get it home only to have forgotten what page it went with! hahaha

It did mean that I'm not precious about cutting into paper, and never really have been: I'm more likely to see it and get joy from it if it's in an album! There were a couple of sheets of paper i'd made up into a kit, and couldn't find photos to fit, but they were so lovely. I eventually remembered i don't have to use them on a layout, and made a post it note holder - now i see and use the paper every day! much better!

Don't get me wrong - once i was on less of a budget and not living as close to a scrapbooking shop, i did buy stuff I just liked and as a result have plenty of stash now to try and use up. I haven't bought patterned paper in probably 2-3 years, with the possible exception of the odd sheet in a sale.

[Voodoo Vixen]

Like Azimuth, that is how I started buying stash!! There was a scrapbook shop just down the road from where we lived in Jo'burg (good grief, if I lived that close to a stash shop now it would be very dangerous) and I would take the photo I wanted to scrap and go in and the girls would help me choose the base, papers, embellies etc... but I soon learned that it was an expensive way to shop and only have enough to do one page so went ahead and started willy nilly bulk buying... but it all fit in one case that sat next to the desk in the family room...
Here I am getting ready to leave Canada in a couple of months and I am packing my stash up again.... and the dollar stores and Michaels have added to the burden mightily!!

[joolsmicra]

I had 'middle age stash spread' until about two months ago! There was stuff under the bed, in the wardrobes, in the dining room, and stamps in the garage.I bought a cupboard (well wardrobe!), and have moved stuff into there, sorting out to our after school club, a lot of the stuff I would never use.I have scrapped more in the last two months than I have done in years.
My stash problem stems from the collector syndrome...if I like it (and even if I dont)I must have it in all colours (remember the great fibre glut of 2004?).
I love patterned paper, but looking back at my albums its the 'simple scrapbook ' style pages I like best...even some of the ones with the bought toppers that came out to match paper lines in the early noughties. I have bought some new papers recently, just to feel current, but I am using them, rather than saving them for a 'perfect page', and Im stamping and inking more on smaller arty projects.Oh, and yes .....tools are my biggest regret (xyron gluing machine? refills impossible to get and cost the earth, 4 or 5 paper trimmers,embossing stencils and ball pen type thing...not used since the class we did introducing it!)

[MaryAnne]

I had 'middle age stash spread' ...

My stash problem stems from the collector syndrome...if I like it (and even if I dont)I must have it in all colours (remember the great fibre glut of 2004?).
...
Oh, and yes .....tools are my biggest regret (xyron gluing machine? refills impossible to get and cost the earth, 4 or 5 paper trimmers,embossing stencils and ball pen type thing...not used since the class we did introducing it!)

Just made me LOL. I have old age stash spread

And OMG I still have a ton of fibers that I simply have no use for. I prefer the look of ribbon in a tag-hole on stretched across a page.

But here we disagree. I still have a fair few brass stencils that I use in an embossing machine very occasionally, and still have, and love, my Xyron (until I run out of refills, that part is true) Totally with you on the hunt for the perfect trimmer ....

[ifa]

wooo..sounds like we are all collectors of sort. I have a lot of stash but not from not wanting to use them. My regret is, I wish I didn't replenish paper or products or buy them in multiple because I was afraid of running out.

Now I am more restrain. I find I don't use a lot of patterned paper so I don't buy the whole collection just 2 or 3 I like.

[Jane]

I still have a lot of my old stash but I did get rid of a lot of naff papers, although it was stuff I was given for demos, TV samples, Dt supplies that I would never have bought in the first place. Papers I chose and bought for myself I kept and still look through them for projects.
I had a bit of a disaster last year, we were clearing out our old house and I made a pile of stuff I needed to take to our new place or down to my studio. There were albums from my first seven years of scrapping, all of my Club Scrap kits, loads of paper, some 12" stamp sheets etc etc. When we went down to collect them my sisters in law had put them into the skip without checking or even looking at the boxes. It had been collected 30 minutes before we got there and when we called the company the driver was just leaving the landfill. It was all gone.

I was distraught at the time but the same day all of those teenagers were murdered in Norway and I realised it was just stuff. Out of everything I have missed the albums, I loved looking through them but I still had my children and I can make more.

It made me less precious about my supplies, I buy what I like (and can afford) when I get the chance with no project in mind then shop through my stash when I want to make something. I can use it more easily than I used to and have a clear out every now and again, giving what I don't think I will ever use to my WI or primary school.

[tigerlady]

Oh Jane that would have been heart-breaking. Yes, it is good to put it into perspective but a sad loss all the same.

[chocolate_ee]

Perversely , now that I have a mountain of stash , I find myself using less and less per layout - it's all gone inversely proportional ( sorry that's the maths teacher in me !! ).

In fact I need to find a new word for minimal ... which just doesn't do any more . My last layout contained one sheet of cardstock, one photo , some journaling which I'd printed on my Mac, one little gemstone and a circle which I'd cut out of the cardstock !

I used to fall into the 'more is good' camp but now I'm firmly entrenched in the 'less is great' camp. I do remember when I first started scrap-booking, many moons ago , I used to go to my LSS ( Debbie if you're reading this you know which one !! ) and I would spend an interminable amount of time in there choosing ... wait for it ... 3 sheets of card stock and then I'd add the codes to my list of "Card stock I've Bought " so that I didn't duplicate. That makes me hoot with laughter now and yes Debbie - you had the patience of a saint !!!

But one good thing to come out of it all is that I can be very generous with my stash which gives me great enjoyment . When friends come round to scrap they don't need to bring any card stock , or ribbon or anything in fact they can use what they like in my scrap-room. I've donated tons to my boys' school and local community groups and soon I will be making abut a mile of paper bunting for our Jubilee Street Party which should thankfully deplete my stock of red , white and blue stash ... which will of course open up a whole new opportunity to replenish !

[Alibri]

I find I prefer much less fussy layouts these days and with twin boys 9 months old, have far less opportunity to scrap/craft than I used to.

Now that we're emigrating to Australia next year, I am seriously on a stash diet, both in terms of finances, and transporting it all over the water ...

I don't allow myself to buy patterned paper anymore ... the last lot has been for my boys' albums ... but I am still spending on tools, like the Sizzix Framelits, which will be timeless and always useful. Same way that I can't get rid of the Quickutz I have - a couple of timeless alphabets, if only I'd use them more!

I don't even use Thickers that often, but have a mountain of them. I have mounds of stash, but have been regularly going through it, and giving away/selling what I don't want - I recently Freecycled my fibres to a lady who knits toys for charity. I sorted all my embroidery threads into colours and put them into the box from which the fibres came. I've sold a couple of stamp sets on Ebay which I decided were too similar to ones that I already had.

I have already categorised my albums into the appropriate chronological order, and actually gave away about three albums worth of layouts of my nieces and nephews for their Christmas presents ... I decided that I couldn't fit the albums I have into my craft room, so needed to make a dent in those.

I am perpetually going through and reducing my magazine collection and throwing old ones or I might even try to sell some of the more specialist types, like Cloth Paper Scissors, for example.

I much prefer "white space" layouts these days, but will still prefer to use 6 x 4 photos or ones where you can actually see the detail. So I don't tend to use that much stash on each layout - but am precious about keeping scraps, because they do get used in cards or other projects! I just used some small scraps on a CJ I've just completed - and even a Royal and Langnickel rub-on which probably dated back to about 2005!

In short, I am not concerned about building up stocks of Bazzill cardstock - I will always use that - but I think 4 Croppers Hoppers worth is enough to take to Aus with me! And then about the other 4 of patterned papers is plenty too! There must be another 2CH full of unfinished projects - I keep saying "one day, one day" and that is what I tend to work on, if ever I get another chance to go away on a scrapping weekend with some friends ....

I find you just have to keep constantly going through it, and what you don't like/can't see yourself using has to go! I gave away 3 pizza boxes of stuff to a lady and her daughter on Freecycle recently, and another box and a half of stuff to a friend of a friend who lives in Spain who doesn't have much access/money to stash ...

I will get there eventually to use/reduce/ get orderly and whilst I do still buy stuff, I am no longer bothered by having to have the latest/trendiest stuff...

But Jane - how awful for you losing your early albums. Not so much the "stuff" I agree, but the albums must have been a blow, even if you did put it into perspective against other horrible world events ...

[Cris]

I thought scrapping would be easier with more stash. I started with very little and never seemed to have the right colour CS or PP. Now I have taken over the dining room and have too many choices and so have the same problem (just call me indecisive )

I was just saying at the weekend that I have heaps of embellishments but don't seem to use them much on my LOs. I don't think it's the saving thing, although it used to be, I think it's remembering I've got something and finding it LOl

Jane - Sorry to hear you lost your albums. I know what you mean about putting things in perspective, but still an awful loss of time/memories. I used to love seeing your LOs in the gallery

Cris

[Voodoo Vixen]

Oh Jane... I think that is one of our worst nightmares and I would have been really upset but as you say, compared to some things it doesn't seem such a huge issue... love the comment about making more kids My albums don't travel with me... I leave them at home because I fear losing the lot and some of the photos I no longer have because I used originals for the LO.

[Jane]

When I was reading through the last few comments I had an idea, searched on two peas and look what I found!
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/gall...umuk/projects/

At least I can save the digital copies for a mini book

[Voodoo Vixen]

Yay!! That will be a mini book and a half!!

[Jane]

They are cringeworthy but I was so proud of them at the time!