Wednesday 9 March 2016

Using It Up and Wearing It Out

I have a question for you But I promise that if you give me your answer, I'll keep it myself. Are you a hoarder? Do you have a store cupboard ready to take on the very worst of weather followed by alien invasion?



I'm not so much a hoarder. I'm more of a one hit wonder. I'll buy something new, we'll try it, we'll quite like it; and I'll buy it again, but never get round to making that recipe a second time. The one with the water chestnuts: there's your example, right there. With a layer of dust on.

Now, scrapbooking supplies: same idea? Save for a rainy day? Or use it as soon as you get it? I used to be a saver, in those early days, when every fresh sheet of beautifully patterned paper was a revelation, and each new embellishment a tiny treasure all of its own. But then I remembered the balloon story. And now I use things up.



Because when I was little, I went on a school trip. We went to Hamley's toy shop on Regent Street in London, and I spent most of my souvenir money on a balloon making kit, which contained a tube of red gunk (in the days when ingredients weren't important, or listed) and a little plastic tube, like a straw. To make a balloon you put a squeeze of red gunk on the end of the tube and blew until a balloon appeared, in a sort of bubble gum effect. But when my mum saw this DIY magic in action, she warned against over use. She said I'd be sad if I used up all my gunk at once. and that I should save some for "again". So I did. And you can guess what happened, because you are a grown up and not an impressionable nine year old who does what she's told. Of course, when "again" finally arrived - balloon making day! hurray! - I went to squeeze the gunk and I discovered to my huge, balloon-less distress, that there was no gunk to squeeze. It had all dried up All of it. There were no balloons that day; but from that very minute I decided that keeping things for good wasn't always a clever idea.

So if I open a packet (water chestnuts aside) I do try to keep on going until the entire packet has gone. Sometimes I even use a whole pack of something all at once. Which is how I came to make the page I'm posting today, and how I came to write How To Use An Entire Pack Of Rub Ons And Have Fun Doing It for the Gossamer Blue blog. The rub ons in questions are from MME and they came in The Life Pages March kit found here.



So, do you hoard? Or rip open that pack, and have fun doing it?




23 comments:

alexandra s.m. said...

HI Sian,

First, your page is stunning!
I love the way you composed your background which makes for such a pretty cocoon for your photos.
I can relate to your balloon story not because the same thing happened to me but because I remember that kit perfectly well. I remember the smell and using the bits as chewing gum!!

Thank You
xx

Ruth said...

I used to be a hoarder of stash, but now I try to use it up. For two reasons: 1) if I died tomorrow, what would happen to all my supplies? They'd most likely end up in the bin. And 2) if I use it all up, I can restock during our visits to Texas, where there is much more choice. Two contradictory reasons, but there you are ...

Cheri said...

Hmmmm. Interesting question. I'd have to say I'm a combination of hoarder and use-it-up. I don't hoard a lot of paper supplies anymore, but my digi stash ... well let's just say I add a lot of pretties with no clear idea how I will use them. And I don't tend to delete anything after I have used it... purging of the digi stash is as much work as paper!

Susan said...

I remember that gunk! What on earth was that stuff and why were they selling it to children?! It smelled so toxic. Lovely page, by the way.

Fiona@Staring at the Sea said...

A great way to use them. They make a beautiful background. The floral elements remind me of barge painting. I've never got on terribly well with rub ons. I'm more likely to never open the pack at all, than use it up! In fact, I gave them all away. I am a hoarder but not of scrap book supplies. Fabric is a whole other story!

Susanne said...

Love that layout - so pretty and light. After oh so many years of hoarding scrappy stash, I'm finally using it up at a faster pace than ever before, and replacing at a slower pace than ever before (excepting of course the scrapbook.com order that arrives tomorrow). I am bolder about cutting something up or trying something I am not sure will look good, and if it doesn't, I am okay with throwing it away. It's not like I would run out of paper and pretties even in a scrap-apocolypse. Now I must see what rub-ons I could use up a whole sheet at a time!

Jane said...

I'm a hoarder but I'm triyng to change

Julia said...

Definitely a use it up here and now kind of gal. More so because I have learnt the harsh way that life is to short so enjoy it now! And as for water chestnuts? I'm afraid I struggle to see their reason in this world (I'm not a fan and will pick them out of any meal!) love all your rub one Sian - looking forward to getting my LP kit even more now!

Mitralee said...

It's extremely clever of you to use all those rub-ons at once. Just like that balloon, a short year later and they don't come off quite as well. And then at that point you tell yourself you were actually going for the distressed look...but you weren't really. Totally dig that page! I try to use up an entire kit at once. It makes me sad to find bits of one six months later. ;-)

alexa said...

A lovely, interesting post and yes, I remember that balloon stuff too. I don't think we ever managed a single balloon though. I fell about laughing at your 'With a layer of dust' comment - brilliant. As is your very fresh and pretty page, of course - I never had much luck with rub-ons but that was probably because I had hoarded them so so long they'd lost their stickability.

Karen said...

Those rub-ons make for a gorgeous page! I tend to rip open the package, use it several times, but rarely use it up. I try to stay organized enough to remember what I have, but mostly that fails. When we're back from our trips, a good clean-out is in order. My question is, how much of any one item should I save?

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

Oh I love the look of all those rub-on's on your page, Sian! I have used more of my scrapbooking supplies in my canvas art than I did when I was scrapbooking. Thanks for the reminder on the rub-on's...I want to pull those out for this weekend! :o)

Maggie said...

My mum used to have this cupboard under the stairs with food stashed away in it. Tins and tins, dried milk and goodness knows what. What for you may ask? Heavy snow? Nuclear war? House arrest? I have no idea. Just don't go into my utility room and look in my spare store cupboard....... Well it's a long way to the shops, you just never know!

Jennifer Shaw said...

Beautiful page and I love how you used these rub-ons. I'm a rip it open and use it up now while I still love it!

Lizzy Hill said...

Love how you've been snapped doing what you enjoy doing....& I have a hoarder hubby. So we deffo don't need 2 in the house. But scrappy bits I like....I am TRYING hard NOT to hoard. I really am!!!

Patio Postcards said...

Oh such a sad tale of a little girl with her balloon or lack there of. Life lessons can be hard.

I am of the camp that saves scrap stash for the perfect layout & I have said it before, if I use it, I will not have it for later when I do find the perfect layout, take the perfect photos. I am also of the camp that likes to sort & fondle the stash regularly "oh so pretty". My new style of scrapping has me using more of my stash than ever before, but I do have a long way to go before I am cured :).

Missus Wookie said...

I like to use things up - it is always so satisfying. Except when it isn't because you are afraid you can't get any more. So, I waver back and forth between the two depending what it is.

Sandra said...

Hello my name is Sanda and I'm a hoarder lol. Yes to scrapbooking supplies (let's not say how muc) and eeerrrr I have a bit of hoarder problem with everything else! Mainly toilet paper. Yes I know you're laughing. But my fear is us being snowed in (I know we've not had snow like that ever) and us running out. So I probably have about 4 or 5 packets of toilet rolls (and they come in 9's) LOL

Beverly said...

Brilliant use of rub ons and hoarding them doesn't turn out so well, they don't seem to perform as well as they age. I remember the balloon making kit and know exactly what you mean about the dried up part :(

Barbara Eads said...

I am not a hoarder in the sense of being afraid to use something. I have more of a "multiples" problem. I'll buy two, use one and have the other for later! I feel so sorry for that little 9 year old and her disappointment over her balloon making. I can see how that experience has "allowed" you to enjoy things right now!

stephanie said...

I'm a sticker hoarder. I love using them on layouts but don't feel i ve gotten my money's worth if I don't have some left over!

Jo said...

I am a terrible hoarder, the loft is so full I worry that it will crash down on our heads! I am also the mum that says don't play with/use it all now and Maddie has a shameful amount of things that she's outgrown that she's hardly used and that makes me feel terrible :( This year I'm on a stash ban so I am finally using all of my papers and embellishments :)

Anonymous said...

I am most definitely a hoarder and now I've got all these traditional scrapbooking supplies and mostly do digital. ACK! There's so much money tied up in them that I just can't toss them or give them away. I need to do some paper scrapbooking so that I can use them up slowly.

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