I am a craft hoarder.
What I have hoarded:
- Stacks of fabric scrapes
- Beads, buttons and trinkets
- Chains
- Laces, trims, ribbons and yarns.
- Coloured and patterned cardstocks
- Craft scissors and design punches
- Coloured pens and markers.
Above photos you see here now are just the tip of the iceberg. I have cartons, cupboards and drawers of craft supplies that have been collecting dusts for years. It all started with unplanned shopping of craft materials. Scenarios like I saw a beautiful beads necklace and thought of recreating a cheaper version by DIYing; magazines showcased DIY tutorials to upcycle old clothes triggered me to buy beads and laces; after buying, I became too lazy to begin the craft project.
I still remember five years ago, I was so surprised to find a cheap craft shop that I bought all the pretty little beads and wires without thinking what I wanted to do with them. In the end, after buying, the materials were not enough to complete whatever crafts I have imagined. Too ambitious and overconfident resulted in lost passion.
I always thought I was saving money when I overbought during sale time. The logic I made was that I will use the items one day. However, either the items went out of trend or I have already lost interest in the particular hobby.
Now I have limited my budget when on shopping. Before I buy anything, I will recall of my forgotten hoards of craft supplies. Now I am wrecking my head on what I can do with all the leftover supplies. Any ideas?
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The Friday Rejoicer 
Ooh I’m definitely a craft hoarder too! I have absolutely hundreds of boxes and tins and drawers full of things just like these! Check out the blog post I wrote about my fabric stash too :) http://sewsensational.wordpress.com/2013/09/10/learning-to-love-the-fabric-i-already-own/
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I read that post and I remembered I dropped a suggestion a few weeks ago. Like you, I bought fabrics on sale and now regretted as the prints looked outdated. I also own beads and ribbons which were meant to make a necklace but still short of a few items which I don’t want to splurge on.
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So you did! I apologise :) Buying things because they’re on sale is always a problem – everything is so tempting but unless you have a specific project in mind they always end up sitting in the stash!
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First of all don’t confuse being overwhelmed with lazy, it is different. When you have the urge to shop why not shop your stash. You will be surprised how resourceful you will be come. Not enough beads for a particular project? Make some paper beads and ill in the rest. Odd pieces of mis-matched fabric? Make rice bags (heat packs) and doll clothes that you can sell at a craft fair or maybe a small quilt for Project Linus. Little odds and ends are perfect for cards and scrapbooks too. Maybe sign up for a craft fair at a local school or church and make goodies with the stash you already have (no buying new) and you can recoup some of you money and not feel bad about past purchases:)
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Great suggestions! Suddenly I’m filled with ideas to make use of my stash. Thanks!
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I love to scrapbook and I all my paper scraps are out of control! And yet I keep buying more, I think I have a real problem lol!
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Then perhaps next time you have to finish all your paper scraps before you can buy more. That’s how I stop my buying urge.
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