The "Pack Rat" Gene

Creative people tend to collect stuff. And by stuff, I mean junk. We collect stuff that normal people throw away, we collect stuff that we would normally throw away, we collect old stuff, new stuff, anything with the word stuff in it... We collect! If inspiration hits us, or even if we have the slightest inclination that inspiration could hit us, it goes in our stash. My family and I have always been pack rats, which was fine when I was living in my parents house and I could borrow stuff from my Mom and Sisters' collections. However, now I have to be careful. Nick and I live in a two bedroom apartment that seems to grow smaller by the minute! Between his fishing and hunting hobbies and my crafting-everything-imaginable hobby, we don't get the luxury of extra closets, an attic, or a basement. I have found that being a pack rat is good for the Do-It-Yourself projects I do. It can be very easy to find inspiration by walking into our spare bedroom/office/laundry room/ craft room and digging through my collection of everything crafty. Like for example, today I sorted my 12x12 scrapbooking paper by color. It was super fun to look at all of the different sheets I have accumulated through the last couple years and think of future projects for them. I came up with all kinds of card ideas, origami ideas, and a multitude of other craft ideas just by looking through the stacks of paper. (More on this to come soon!) I also had the added bonus of feeling more organized when I got done which also helps with positive anti-lazy feelings and promotes Do-It-Yourself projects, ideas, and productivity in general! Yay! Another way I like to get inspired is by window shopping. (Yes this is also very dangerous. A good idea is to not bring any money when window shopping!) I was at Nick's grandparents house on Sunday and his grandma had a catalog from Acacia out and was showing us girls some stuff from it. I saw this picture and immediately decided that I could definitely make that myself. Isn't it cute! I will be organizing my spare bedroom/office/laundry room/ craft room on Friday to try and make some kind of space for the sewing machine that I inherited from Nick's mom. It is currently in Nick's grandma's basement. SO, as soon as I make a spot for it, Nick will drag it out for me and I will have a brand new Ruched Wrap to wear!

http://acacialifestyle.com/ruched-wrap/p/52857/

SO, if you are looking for inspiration for some fun winter projects or some new additions to your wardrobe, I highly recommend looking for inspiration in your own home in your own craft-stash, or window shopping for things that you can make yourself. Good luck! Until Tomorrow, ~Elise