Shopping and reflection

I didn't do any actual crafting today (yet, at any rate). So far my solitary leisure activities have consisted of browsing blogs, playing Fish Wrangler on Facebook (I leveled up my Steam-powered Hydropole to Level 6 now! woot!), and SHOPPING!!! Behold the evidence of my consumption!!

I hit Michaels to return a dry inkpad Queue, and while I was there found some things I've had on my mind for a while. The awesome Santa stamp by Rubber Stampede was the last one on the shelf; I'd thought about getting it on my last trip to Ms but had more wants than coupons. The Making Memories paper piercer and stylus (green handled thing) is another item I'd pondered deeply on a trip to Ms a few months ago at a time when finances were particularly tight, and today they were loose enough that I nabbed it before the moment passed. :) The flat-backed gold-rimmed pearl brads weren't in stock the last time I shopped, and I'd resisted the call of the double-sided satin ribbons for over a month now til I saw it in this colour combo that seems to me like a very good match for Broken China and Shabby Shutters Ranger Distress Inks! So I had to OF COURSE purchase all of these things today! With the return and my coupon, the total amount was $6.49. How could I NOT buy them!!!!!!!

Then I went to Hobby Lobby and spent over two and a half hours there. Before you call the Looney Bin (it's in the yellow pages under "L") on me, I was admiring the Christmas stuff, then spent a bit of time in the scrapping and stamping sections getting out of the way of the staff, who for some reason needed to dust and sweep around me an awful lot. I also chatted with two ladies about stamping (wound up giving them a bit of advice about an altered letters project they were working on) and one of the ladies was so sweet and said I should make a career out of scrapbooking pages for other people! She said she would be happy to bring all her stuff to me and have me scrap it for her! Don't know why she got that strong of an impression of my puported prowess, but she sure was sweet! I also ran into some acquaintances I hadn't seen in AGES and we caught each other up a bit. Who knew HL was such a social hotspot? :)

Anyways, I'm guilty as charged for purchasing a 12 pack of 10x14 inch Fabriano Aquarello 140# watercolour paper (featured regularly on Becca Feeken's beautiful creations), a large journaling block stamp by Stampabilities, the Grungeboard shapes pack, some dimensionals, and a spray of purple poppies. No immediate, specific plans for most of these, except the Santa stamp for this year's holiday cards, the Grungeboard for an idea I had for a Christmas countdown calendar, and the poppies for some altered pens. I already have the pens and the floral tape, purchased a couple of months ago at the back-to-school sale time. So, I have a lot of products and ideas to work with and hopefully they will flow from my fingers the way burgers flow from McDonalds!

As I was walking out of the Hobby Lobby, I was thinking about how I'd updated my friend in the store about my new job and all, but hadn't mentioned the two eye surgeries I'd had this year, and how much my sight had been restored. I had a second cataract surgery, and a subsequent vitrectomy to flush all of the debris out of my eye that nobody could tell was there until the cataract was gone. And all of this without complications, which in my situation is an absolute miracle. Tonight, I drove home in the pitch black evening and reflected on the great gift of my vision being restored. I can drive at night now, read street name signs again, and even walking around outside is easier and less stressful. In fact, life in general is easier. I am SO grateful for all of the wonders and gifts I've received, not the least of which is my continued health and vision.

So that's all from today. :D Hopefully tomorrow I will take a chance to sit down and craft some. I've been working on sour cream containers for the Hallowe'en treats this year; they were a real hit last year and are a good excuse to use some of my "value pack" papers and fun monster stamps. Friday night I pulled out my papers and cut them down to 5.5x8.5, and stamped aliens and some kind of monster on some of them. :) No real vision for this stamping project, but I will have fun tinkering around with it!