Raise your hand if you are a craft hoarder! Me, me, I am! Here’s a little about my journey to a be ‘the one who dies with the most craft supplies’. It started innocently enough, crayons, markers, paper, stickers…when I was a child. I still remember my first rubber stamp when I was 14, it was a unicorn that Mom and Dad got me for my birthday, along with an ink pad. I still have that and I’m 50-ish. Um, speaking of unicorns I had quite a collection in my early teens!
I married my high school sweetie when I was 16 and crafting went by the wayside while I had our two lovely children to nurture. As they grew I would color and play with them, oh what a fun time that was! I didn’t work outside the home much when they were little. I tried quilting for a while in my early 20’s and I did some needlework, but as the kids got older I didn’t have much time for it.
When they were both in elementary school and we got our first computer (early 90’s) dang I feel old, I discovered Print Artist and got into card making. One thing led to another and I found rubber stamping again, it went crazy from there.
I joined a couple of rubber stamp groups on the internet and started doing card exchanges and ordering supplies from vendors. I would trick my family into going on little trips, always with a rubber stamp shop on my secret agenda HA. I would find something nearby to do thinking I was tricking them but somehow I think they knew. After a few years I had well over 1,000 stamps and who-knows-how-many ink pads, markers, papers, embossing powders, etc. It was a serious addiction. I even signed up with Stampin’ Up although at the time absolutely nobody around knew what the heck that was about! I’m an introvert so that didn’t do much for me except feed my addiction. Thinking back though I did introduce a few ladies who are still into stamping. I quit Stampin’ Up after a year or so and went to Medical Assisting school in my early 30’s.
Somehow, I ended up getting into scrapbooking in the late 90’s and my hoard grew. Markers, pencils, stencils, stickers, cardstock, more ink pads, more stamps. I tried to get as many pictures of the kids as I could although my son was a sneaky one and didn’t like his picture made. But I managed to fill over 8 scrapbooks. Then OMG I found digital scrapbooking! And Photoshop! I started creating layouts and from the same photos I had in the physical scrapbooks, and later more layouts from newer photos. After some time I learned how to design my own digital scrapbook kits and sold them on digital scrapbook websites. My hoard just sat there during that time, poor lonely supplies.
In 2012, our 25-year-old son died in an accident. I lost my way, I tried working as a medical assistant at my job for about 6 months but I wasn’t all there. I was making mistakes I never would have made before. I ended up resigning. I was very depressed and had severe anxiety and PTSD, nightmares, you name it I was a mess. I did something really crazy 8 months in and sold all of my hoard. Except for my first unicorn rubber stamp. I basically gave up. It took several years but then slowly I started wanting to create again….and started building another craft supply hoard. It’s getting huge, but I’m remodeling my craft room/office and it’s getting under control. I haven’t been able to work outside the home again so I needed something to fill my time so now I’ve decided to start this new blog. It lit a spark in me and I’m excited, I have a reason to get up in the morning, and I have a new found passion.
Build your hoard! There’s always something to live for and be excited about, never give up. We all lose our way sometimes but there really is light at the end of the tunnel. Please feel free to reach out if you are struggling with grief/depression/PTSD. I’m no expert but I can listen and empathize.
Now to use all of those cute planners (I’ll have to count!) and supplies I’ve been collecting…..LOL. I’ll share my craft room transformation when I’m finished, it’s not fancy but it’s functional!
xoxo~Dawn|A Quirky Crafter
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