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Oh, I agree with so many of you. Thanks for helping me not feel guilty about my addiction and like Dottie it is a fine line Our families do know where we are and I am fortunate my biggest support.
Thank you ladies so much for these comments! It is so comforting to know that I am not the only one who has these guilty feelings about spending time and money on the hobby that I love. I still work full time and fund my hobby myself, although I see the light coming soon when I can retire!! You have given me some wonderful ideas for sharing. Thank you!!!
It's funny I was just wondering the same thing last night. Especially, trying to figure out if I'm going to restock on my ink pads or what to do! So, for me I decided, I'll just start an art journal. Make card's but in a journal form. Sounds good for now.
But for cards specifically, OMG the military!! the men and women overseas don't have much to send over. Each branch sends a package of things over, but they ask for donations here. You can send tons of cards there and they'll package them up to send to the troops, so they have something to send home to their loved ones. This is what I plan to do with the cards I make.
Then someone mentioned hospitals.
I'd love to sell my stuff but honestly, I just don't have that extra energy to.. Maybe one day I'll go back to selling, but right now, i just want to play with stamps.
I am with the others - donate them. Soldiers are always looking for cards, as are a lot of health organizations for seriously I'll kids. You could give to retirement home for their gift shop as many residents like to send cards to family but don't have lots of money to spend. You could "adopt" a senior with no/little family and surprise them with card smiles. I am guessing Salvation Army, too, may have a way to get cards to those who could use a lift.
Cardmaker mag has a charity each month that they feature for cards. You could do that. SCS has similar things. Or, join one of the SCS groups that do the RAK cards.
I said earlier that stamping was cheaper than therapy. As I look around at all my "stuff" maybe not but it makes me so happy! I donate alot to OWH or other charities(silent auctions which I get alot of requests) and even sell some. Our kids are grown and gone and the furkids do not suffer. I can be in my "studio" for 10 or 12 hrs on the weekend on Sat and/or Sun and just don't know where the time went because I am enjoying myself so much. My DH likes to play golf on the computer and I do take little breaks but I just LOVE it. I do have to credit Carol Duvall for contributing to my "obsession". I had just had surgery in 2007. Maggie(our first furkid) and I were watching Carol and she did a segment on making a cute card and I told Maggie "hey we can do that!" and rest is history.
You don't rationalize an addiction. You admit you have an addiction. Sometimes it can't be cured. You go to any means whatsoever to support your addiction. Sacrifice everything. Keep the supply coming in. If your heart is good, you will not hurt others to support your habit, but you will find a way to support it. Extra job, extra hours, anything like that. You're hooked. Admit it. Some of us can be addicted and yet hide it from others. They'll never know you have such a strong habit, unless of course they are the recipients of your addiction. They just don't know they are supporting your habit. Good luck beating this thing. Let me know if you find something that works. I haven't found a cure yet!
I do miss Carol Duvall. I think I watched every episode 3 or 4 times! Love watching all the card demo's. When I go to my "workshop" my stress goes away and I tend to lose track of time LOL. It is wonderful therapy!!
I love to make cards also and make too many to give to just friends. My solution was to "adopt" a nursing home. I contacted a local home and went there with a few cards, got their head count and told them I would make a card for every resident for their birthday....
I LOVE this idea!!! May I steal it, please?
While I agree with everyone else that you shouldn't feel you need to justify a hobby, I must confess that part of the reason I've chosen to concentrate on card-making is that it's a "giving" thing for me. I make cards for pleasure, but I give every one of them away, in hopes of bringing some of that joy to someone else. I guess I have a double-standard. I think it's wonderful that others choose to spend their spare time making all sorts of crafts for pleasure... but for me, I do feel a little guilty. (I don't have an important career - just a job. And I don't have kids. So doing something meaningful seems important.)
I give cards to friends and family, and I've done the Chemo Angels thing (and will again), and have considered all the other ideas, and a couple of my own. This "adopting a local nursing home", though... it's exactly the type of idea I was trying to come up with. Thank you for sharing this!
__________________ ~ Kitty ~ "If you can dream it, you can do it." - Walt Disney
