Is This Cute or What???

I have shared before my love of yard sales.  I can't wait for yard sale season to start again.  But in the meantime I visit Thrift Stores in order to get my fix of aquiring other peoples unwanted junk. Not long ago I was in one of my favorite stores and spotted this little gem.:

How cute is this???  The funny part (or maybe not - perhaps it's a sign that I need a 12 step program) I have NO idea what I am going to do with it.  I just had to buy it.  But it's great - I love the bright colors.  It is all handmade -the little appliques were sewn on by hand - the quilting is hand done - it's brand new. It makes me wonder, someone put all that work into it and then it never got used - that is very sad.  So while I was feeling sorry for this little quilt it just jumped out and landed in my shopping cart somehow.  The best part was that I only paid $5.00 for it.  So now what to do with it - I could sell it, I could give it away as a gift, or I might have a need for it sometime - there will be kids (or grandkids) coming along in the family one of these days.  I just love finding things like this.

The first step is admitting it...

Hello!  My name is LeeAnn and I am a hoarder. (OK whew! Got that off my chest) 

If my background doesn't give it away, my profile certainly does.  I am a creative type person and I love crafts.  I love to shop and I spend my money on clothes (a topic for another day) and my craft habit. 

I owe my creativity to being an only child.  Since I didn't have brothers and sisters to harass play with when I was younger I had to learn to entertain myself when my friends weren't available.   So I learned to sew, draw, paint and do a myriad of other things.  I was always spending my allowance on fabric and drawing books whenever I had the chance. 

One of my BFFs and I get together periodically to quilt.  She knows how I am about crafts.  So she's always showing off these necklaces and earrings she has been making.  Then she made me a cute bracelet for Christmas.  She knows how I am about jewelry too (dangit Mary Ann!!)  So, she tells me how easy the things she had made were and that I should get into it - I would enjoy jewelry making. What she didn't know is how obsessive I really am (though the 5 bags of fat quarters should have clued her in).  To make matters worse my VBFF also was starting some jewelry projects (but hse is always much more motivated than I am and actually finishes stuff).

Well I love crafts and I REALLY love jewelry.  So it seemed like a natural progression. I decided to dive into jewelry making. But in my obsessive little mind I think that I have to have everything that I might ever need and have it on hand - just in case I have a brain storm and want to make something in particular.  I can just go to my supplies and find everything I need.

So every chance I get I buy beads, findings and other jewelry supplies.  I go on vacation, I seek out the bead stores and buy beads.  Everytime I make a trip to JoAnn Fabrics for something I have to look at the beads and buy beads. To make it easier to deal with all these beads I have been trying to organize this stuff, because in order to make things, you have to know what you have and where to find it.  After all summer of organizing and drafting my VBFF to help organize when she was visiting (Susan I know you are out there - THANKS!!) I STILL don't have these damn beads organized and put away.

So I threw them all in a pile the other day, just to see what it looked like.  Mt. Bling!!! This is what it looks like.  

I would hate to think how much $$$ is in that pile!  Not to mention all the really lovely pieces I would have if I actualy did something with this stuff.

In the 3ish years that I have been buying jewelry supplies here is what I have actually made:

So, I have come to the conclusion that I am a hoarder - I like to buy beads and collect them - but I don't actually do much with them. They sure are pretty though!