2023 Goals | Update

I think we are twelve weeks in to the year now and that seems like a good time to do a little review of my goals for the year.  You can find the post here - my messy ramblings straight from my messy head!  The main part I'm interested in this time is:

"So what AM I going to do?

1. Make with what I have.
2. Enter challenges.
3. Find an outlet for my cards so they don't build up.
4. File my layouts every five pages.
5. Rediscover what I love and do that more.

If something new really strikes me (and I use a set I already have randomly picked from the jar, wait two weeks and still want it, and make the space for it by one in one out) I can purchase it - but it does need to pass The Questions.

1. Do I have anything SIMILAR already in my stash?
2. Can I get CREATIVE with something I already own and make it work? 
3. Do I really LOVE the product or do I love what other people are doing with it? 
4. Do I NEED it"

So points 1 and 2 get a big old tick; 3 and 4 do not; 5 is a work in progress and I'm being mindful of it.

 

 

And then I confess I have had three shopping sprees.  One was a pre-order of the new Cocoa Vanilla collection from Hey Little Magpie.  Zoe is someone I have supported since the very beginning and I hope to support for a long time to come.  I would have just bought it all but I know that that doesn't work for me in the long run.  I used The Questions and was sensible with my small order.  I also used Magpie points which covered most of the cost!  I call that a win.  It  will be arriving some time in April and I will enjoy using it.

The second was the latest Heffy Doodle release.  Heffy Doodle is another company I have supported from their beginnings.  I could have bought all of the stamp sets and coordinating dies.  I did not.  I use The Questions and was sensible about things.  Would I have loved using every image from every stamp set?  No.  Could I cobble together something vaguely similar fom my existing stash?  Well, probably.  Ideally what I'd have done is hand picked a couple of images each from four or five different sets, but alas we can't do that.

What I did purchase was dies and patterned papers.  I have an alpha and number die set.  I didn't have any lower case alpha dies nor any number dies.  I do use the upper case alpha dies I have frequently and have often reached for numbers and had to resort to stickers or using my Silhouette to cut them.  Therefore I think these were a good purchase.

I got some uniquely shaped dies that create various sized panels for cardmaking or scrapbooking.  The shapes are not replicated in my stash and not something I would cut on the Silhouette.  I believe I will use them a lot.  We'll see.

The papers are 6x6 pads and I have enjoyed using 6x6 papers in my "Die cut the same shape from every colour paper" layouts.  I don't have any pastels in my 6x6 paper collection.  So I think that is a justified buy.

Third, I won a voucher from Time For Tea.  I didn't factor in vouchers and gifts... I'm calling it a treat and if winning starts to be a problem I guess I'll address it then.  I can't see me winning anything else so we'll just stick with it being a treat for now. 

I don't think that's bad considering how I was comfort shopping and getting caught up in the hype of new release buying.  Two restrained shops and a voucher since November feels OK to me.  Of course, the key is that I now use the stuff.  I've test die cut most of the Heffy Doodle dies so I have some blanks to play with which will hopefully start the ideas forming.