craft room

Have you ever bought craft items with the hope that you might be able to use them someday? Come across several stamp sets you’ve had over a year that have never seen a bit of ink? Had to purge your Designer Series Paper stacks of barely used sets from several catalogs ago? I’ve been asking myself these hard questions the past couple of weeks as a result of the daily emails I’ve been receiving from the Frugalwoods during a month-long challenge to reassess my spending habits.

The challenge has made me look at my hobbies in a new light. But the following statement was what some might call a game-changer:

“You were not put on this earth to buy stuff. Shopping does not constitute a hobby or a skill, our material possessions do not define who we are, and we are all capable of focusing our energies on productive, meaningful outlets. We can all create instead of consume.”

How embarrassing to think that I might be a craft shopper rather than a person who creates cards with paper and embellishments at every opportunity.

I confess that I’ve struggled with wanting one of everything in the Stampin’ Up! catalog, even knowing that there is no logical way that I could use all of the products before new ones come out. I’ve written before about being guilty of hoarding DSP because the paper looks too pretty to use.  However, the thought that I might allow material possessions to define me gives me new resolve to make sure that creating paper craft projects to share is my hobby, not shopping for supplies.

As I’ve been writing this post, my Share What You Love embellishment box has been propped up next to my laptop. The Stampin’ Up! motto on the front reminds me that the company’s goal is for demonstrators to share what we love, help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments. Although the company is happy to grow and earn a healthy profit, their hope is that we do more than buy products that pile up in the corners of our craft rooms. And so I plan to continue on my crafting journey with new resolve enjoy creating and sharing my handmade items by giving them away as well as sharing them on my blog and YouTube channel.

Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Stampin' Up! motto