My Spare Time

A-h-h-h-h-h. A place for everything, and everything in its place. Although my housekeeping, or lack of it, seems to deny this compulsion, I really do love organization. I prefer items to be out of sight, but handy and logically placed, which calls for constant negotiation with Don, who is much happier with everything within sight so it is immediately at his fingertips. Lately, I have been organizing my scrapbooking space. My paper fetish had gotten somewhat out of hand, so I organized the patterned paper into design groups and the solid cardstock into color groups. I'd prefer them in file drawers, but I couldn't find any that had 12 x 13 inch drawers.

Stamps, paints, die cuts, and doo dads fill up the labeled boxes and scrap paper is filed into large vinyl envelopes according to color. It will be so nice not to have to hunt through sacks for what I want any more. What? Too much time on my hands? H-m-m-m. Maybe. Or, maybe it is more like sublimation since I can't organize any other part of my life. Anyway, it keeps me busy and makes me feel like I have accomplished something in the end.

Big Shot

Remember how the Duomo in Florence waited over a hundred years without its dome until Brunelleschi could reinvent how to build it? Or how a train track was laid over the Alps to connect Austria to Italy before a train had even been invented that could make the trip? Well, a few years ago I bought two sets of lower case alphabet dies even though I didn't have a die cut machine. The stores where I bought them were going out of business, so the price was right and I made the leap of faith that someday I would get the hand tool that used them. However, when I looked for the tool a few months ago, I found out it was not made any more. Jeesh. Not giving up hope, I eventually stumbled upon another machine that uses various brands of dies so I bit the bullet and bought it. No more numb fingers from using an exacto knife to cut out a title! As I continue to make progress on the kids' scrapbook albums while Mom is busy in her room, I am more and more thankful for my new, finger-saving toy.