She's Back and As Crazy As Ever

I had ample opportunity to play with my new A Muse set Ice Crystals this weekend. Here are three bashful-blue-based cards using it.

Classic CAS Layout

Busy Background Balanced by Bold Sentiment

Sweet Border and Pearls

Doing variations like this is so much fun for me. Some ideas work, others don't. But I usually get something that isn't embarrassing in the end.

Now for some mindless Monday crazy chatter....

I posted a thread on SCS yesterday trying to articulate the restlessness and boredom I've been feeling lately in regard to ordering new stamps. Let me make it clear (so no one panics!) that I'm not restless and bored with stamping or blogging. AT ALL. No, my issue is failure to get excited about the new stuff.

Weird, eh? I mean, this is such a first-world problem. People are starving in Africa, killing in Syria and Lebanon, drowning in Vermont, and frying in Texas...and I'm not feeling excited about buying new stamps. Boo-hoo for me, right? But you don't come here for current events; you come to see the crazy CAS lady parade her insanity for the whole world to see.

I hope it's entertaining.

The thing is, I don't over-spend on this hobby anymore. In fact, I'm downright disciplined and restrained and live well within my budget. I rarely buy on impulse, and thus rarely regret my purchases. Which is why new catalogs and product releases are so pleasurable for my AR/OC self: cool stuff to think about, ruminate over...obsess, really. It's always been good.

Lately, however, I've been dragging my feet. My pleasure in my recent A Muse order didn't come until the stamps arrived. Picking out what I would order felt more like work than fun. What's wrong with me?!?!

Now, some of you might say that it's the trends that aren't appealing to me, that the companies are re-hashing old ideas, that I don't need to buy stuff--I just need to use what I have more creatively.

But I feel like I've done that already. After I finished my excellent resolution to use every single image stamp I own (two years that took!), I felt a bit lost. What would my next big resolution be? I've tried several new resolutions, but none really stuck. And as a result I felt stuck.

There comes a time in every obsessed CAS-lovin' stamper's heart when there is too much stuff. So much stuff, in fact, that it weighs down your creativity and fun instead of inspiring it. I've passed that point and then some. Watching Krystie Lee sell off a bunch of her older stuff struck a chord with me. Also, I have already instituted my minimalist wardrobe, and with that in place the past year, I've enjoyed wearing fewer clothes more, feeling like my closet is an opportunity each day rather than a musty tomb where old clothes went to die.

Is that enough melodrama for you? I could crank it up a bit if you want.

Anyway. Strange things are afoot in my craft room this week. I'm cleaning out and storing a bunch of stuff because letting it all go at once scares me too much. But in a year or so, if I haven't retrieved anything, I predict that Salvation Army will be making a bargain-hunting stamper or two really happy.

On a similar note, I'm also going to start shaking things up a bit with regard to projects. It's the prelude to the holiday season and time to start getting my mojo on for teacher gifts, neighbor gifts, friends and family gifts, holiday decor ideas, and whatever else sounds fun. I'm gathering ideas and plan on sharing the results with you as they happen.

I may not be CNN, covering important world news, but I am the crazy stamper lady you can count on for easy, quick, and simple ideas to help you out in a pinch. Thanks for joining me!