Collect them ALL!!

Okay, it's time for another rant. I'm sorry to do this to you all, but there are just some things I have to get out there otherwise my head may explode! My latest pet peeve, marketing for kids...

It's always been bad, since I was a kid watching Saturday Morning Cartoons (yes, cartoons used to be shown only at certain times not entire networks dedicated to them 24/7!) commercials geared to kids were always annoying. Not much more so than what the grown ups got though, at least ours usually came with cute characters and catchy jingles (two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun) You're singing it in your head aren't you?! :0)

Lately I've noticed a trend, I'm sure it's been going on forever - but now that AJ is older and paying more attention, it's come to my attention as well. The trend of  "COLLECT THEM ALL" - have you noticed this phrase is everywhere!! I know it's always been there, otherwise shows like "Hoarders" would never have come about. Remember the Beanie Baby craze? I know I thought I needed every one of the Strawberry Shortcake dolls or my life was going to be incomplete. McDonald's (Happy Meal toys) and most cereal companies (see General Mills below) have based entire marketing campaigns on the fact that kids want to search, find and collect.

Who doesn't like to collect stuff? But it's getting to be outrageous - I mean really, kid's shampoo?!? ......

Okay, I get there are 4 different varieties and four different characters - but what are you collecting? Are you really expected to keep the plastic container with the picture after the product has been used? What are they supposed to be doing with their collection?

Can you imagine trying to market to adults in this manner?  " Try our new croutons, there are 4 flavors, collect them all!" or "Now Squiggles fabric softener has 3 new bottle designs in three fashion colors, collect them all!" Most products for adults that come in multiple fragrances/varieties are enticing to you to find your "signature scent" and they make a variety to appeal to the largest market possible - not so that you'll go out and collect them all.

Can you think of something marketed specifically to you where they ask you to "collect them all"?

Confession time...

I usually unload my dishwasher in the morning, most of the time my mind wanders, planning my day or designing a project. This morning, as I am putting away things, I started to really take notice of what I was putting away and that led me to think of some dear friends of mine.

Don't you love it when a friendship moves beyond that occasional visit to each other's house and becomes one where your kitchen cupboards and drawers are completely open to each other? I love knowing that my friends know which drawer is the silverware drawer and if they need a dish don't hesitate to go looking for one. That's when you know you are have a true friendship and not just an acquaintanceship.

I have taken notice that some of my friends are able to get by with much less than I am. I sometimes (often) envy them this, and usually wonder about how differently we must do some things and what makes us each unique. The kitchen is one area (among many!!) I struggle with "an abundance of stuff".

This morning I was taking notice as I put things away:

• I have 13 wooden spoons. Is this odd? Do I really need 13 wooden spoons?  

• Then the spatula/scrapers (as opposed to a spatula/flipper) of which I have 11. Two are my favorite pampered chef ones, the others are of various sizes and colors. 

• How about cutting boards, I have 9. All of various sizes and materials. Each one isn't used for it's own thing (I don't keep one especially for veggies and one for chicken... I trust my dishwasher enough I don't worry about it) but each one has something special for which I prefer it for a specific reason. 

How about measuring stuff? (YOU are playing along with me now, aren't YOU??)

• I have 9 liquid measuring cups. Two 8-cup ones, a 4-cup, three 2-cup, and three 1-cup size. 
• For dry measurements, I have 5 sets of cups and 4 sets of spoons. All are different and again, I like each one for different reasons. One set of cups has hard metal handles that feel sturdy, but my plastic set has all the sizes including 2/3cup. Measuring spoons, one set fits into narrow openings, another set has a 1/2 tablespoon. My bread recipe calls for 1/2 T. of yeast, how could I not have that set?!? 

I could go on. and on. and on. I think you are probably getting an accurate picture. I have A Lot of stuff in my kitchen, but it all fits and I know where it all is. I don't like washing while I go, which my husband lovingly suggests *Every*Single*Time* I fill the sink with dirty dishes. Don't stifle my creativity!! or you'll be eating nothing but hamburger helper! 

So, come on over for dinner and I'll show you where I keep the silverware. I promise not to make you clean up after I cook, but you do need to chose which set of dishes you'd like to use. Oh Hush, everyone I know has at least 5 sets.... don't they???

Repurposing

Okay, yeah, it's recycling... but fancy.

I've had this shelf thing for years.

It's dark wood and sectioned with a glass lid over the top. I think I got it at the Ikea in Iceland and had plans for it... Well, since I've moved it at least twice now I couldn't just ""get rid of it". I think it was in the kitchen section and was made to hold spices or something. Maybe in the office section.... who knows! Anyway, I had planned to hang it up to store my rubber stamps in - well anyone who knew about my rubber stamp collection would be on the floor rolling. I'd need about 100 of these. It has glass over the top with a hole to use to open it, but it sticks and doesn't slide smoothly (I'm pretty sure I bought it in the clearance room).

So I'm cleaning up my craft room and came across this gem. I'm looking around at everything trying to come up with some good reason why I need to keep this. Then it hits me!! It's not for me, I've been holding onto it for AJ. So I installed hangers on the back and removed the glass completely (I'm saving it to use for my cutting table). Sorry the picture is a bit blurry, AJ loves it and is excited to get everyone in there just right (this was a quick demo picture - not even half of his collection).

And I'm looking forward to not stepping on Lego heads! (See, Honey, I knew we were moving and storing this for a reason :0)

The Hive

If you've ever come to stay with us you'd know I have a thing for bees, you could say that "I think they're the bees knees".

I didn't start out collecting bees. I started out with a love (that continues to this day) of all things Winnie-the-Pooh. Disney's version is okay, E.H. Shepard's version is far superior in every way! This:

Not this:

I am a huge fan of A.A. Milne and the classic English versions of Pooh. I began collecting when I was very young, back then the only Pooh items to be found were Disney's version. I had the books and drawings of the original, but not much else. As I got older, more and more the classic version came into style and I was in heaven!! It was more expensive and still not quite as easy to find - but it was out there.

Then something happened - both versions became easy to find everywhere and everyone knew I loved Pooh Bear! I got Winnie-the-Pooh everything!! I loved it all and wanted to show them all off. But he soon began to take over the bedroom, the bathroom, the living room and when he began to wander his way into my kitchen I was done! I went through everything, and saved only my oldest and most precious of items. The rest, I'm sad to say, moved on.

Now, I still loved my dear old bear, but had no more room! Then I began to notice his bees. He has the cutest little bee friends. In the early drawings they are mostly just scribbled, and Disney gave them military personalities. They seem to be drawn in a ton of various ways - but always so cute!! And so my new collection began. Bees!!

These days my bees live in our guest room which is decorated somewhat like an English Garden. The walls are green, there are flowers all around, English tea cups and tons of bees. This is one shelf with a few cuties on it. My husband is happy that they've finally settled into a hive and are not buzzing all around the house anymore -----

although, they are dressed as Steeler Fans so I don't know what the problem is!?!

Crafting ADD

I wish I was one of those talented people who did one thing and did it superbly. My mom is one of those people, she does woodworking - she had many other talents and can pretty much do anything well (crochet, knit, painting, gardening, designing) but where she excels is at woodworking. She creates her own patterns, uses every kind of saw imaginable and then sands, paints, etc. until she has a project of excellence. She enjoys doing it and so it isn't a chore, but a labor of love. If she could, she'd probably spend most days in her shop and covered in sawdust.

I inherited part of that, I am a jack-of-all-trades kinda gal. I can see something and usually figure out how to do it, not as good as the original - but close enough for me! Unfortunately, I have to try everything!! I see something and think,"hmmm - wonder how they did that, looks like fun". So I give it a shot. Not just a little shot though, nope, I go all-in.

I decided to try knitting and crocheting when I was younger, instead of getting one pattern and one set of needles and the yarn for the project. I got the sets. I have sets of knitting needles, a full set of crochet hooks - skeins and skeins of yarn, printed up oodles of patterns.... you get the idea. I then found I don't really have the attention span and attention to detail required.

I decided once to try cross-stitch. Did I get a pre-assembled kit? Nope. I got a kit, plus blank canvas and the books and sets of needles and 1 skein of every color of embroidery floss. Do I like cross-stitch? Not at all. I'm good at it, I just don't have patience for anything larger than the size of a 50 cent piece!

And on and on it goes. I've got the stuff for polymer clay, friendly plastic, quilting, sewing, silk ribbon embroidery, tole painting, jewelry making, general crafting, felt crafts, beaded ornaments, art journals, altered books, scrapbooking, card making, cake decorating, mosaics, stamp carving, rubber stamping, paper making, altered art, fabric painting, knitting, crocheting, and cross stitch. Yep, I have it all.

I've taught jewelry making, beading, card making/rubber stamping, art journaling, scrapbooking and silk ribbon embroidery. Those seems to be the things that I keep going back to over and over again - but for limited amounts of time before once again, I move on. I think it's having students who keep it fresh so I don't bore myself to death. Anyone want to learn silk ribbon embroidery?? I have all the stuff.....

I need a 12 step program!!

Contain it!

I'm cleaning out my craft room - yea, horrors!! Actually, the job is going much better than I thought for one simple reason ... I love containers!!

I have found the about half of the containers I've opened to clean out are empty or - contain more containers!! I found a cardboard box, filled with smaller cardboard boxes - I have entire plastic bins filled with tins of all shapes and sizes, but with nothing in them. (Tell me someone who can throw out one of those cute altoid tins and I'll show you a person with limited vision and imagination.) They are an organizer's gold mine!!

But then there are my not-so-cute containers... I mean really who needs 30 empty VHS cases?? I had a plan, they were going to be used to hold something and be all neatly labeled on a shelf..... just don't remember what that something was now. I have clear clam shell cases taking up huge plastic bins that I've been storing for years! I have no idea what to use them for.... but aren't they too good to throw out? What if I think of the perfect thing to put in them, but they're gone?!? Yes, I have nightmares about such things.

I am trying to be ruthless. I am moving all empty containers out into the AZ room while I organize my craft room. If I find a need for containing something, I go and pick out the perfect one from my own private stash. When I'm done - whatever is leftover will be recycled. Promise. (except for those cute little altoid tins, get real people!!)

Hate is such a strong word!

Do you have something in your house that you love - but no one else gets it? I have an "ugly pot collection" which my family loathes. Bringing my husband's attention to the collection can make him visibly shudder in repulsion. I don't get it, but I love using it against him. So, of course, my collection is prominently displayed in my kitchen.

 and this is the one that started it all, it's still my favorite -

This little guy represents my childhood. I am a 70's kid and these are the colors of my youth! The yellow is the color of the house I lived in, I believe you would call it mustard - I called it something much much worse. The avocado green appliances that dominated our small galley kitchen. The burnt orange color that my mother loved and made it's appearance in fabrics, carpeting and those awful large floral wallpaper prints! Back then I longed for neon colors, purples and pinks and detested these colors. Now, I seek them out in dishes, pictures and yes.... even fabric. What color represents your youth?