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WSCS News Bulletin. . .
A local CT craftswoman was reported missing earlier this evening.
Story at 11:00
The National INKuirer
CT Crafter abducted by aliens!
Husband said he returned home from work found no signs of forced entry, his dogs and house were untouched. But his wife was missing. . .story page 3
Hi I�m Matt Boardhoarder reporting for Eyewitness News
A CT man is mounting a search and rescue team to find his missing wife . �Fran has been missing less than 24 hours, but I fear foul play is involved.� said JC. �I came home to find dinner in the oven, the back door open and our dogs safe in the den.�
I�m Matt Boardhoarder for Eyewitness News.
Here at the scene in the sleepy New England town, police are flummoxed. Sgt Polly Shrinkfanz of the WPD commented, �There were no signs of forced entry. Her car was in the garage. At this point everyone is a suspect� We will keep you updated as this newsbreaking story unfolds.
Lotta Stampsets, Fran�s neighbor of 19 years, stated, �We are perplexed. I saw Fran earlier in the day playing with the dogs and hanging out laundry.�
If you have any information on the whereabouts of Fran please call the hotline. Your tip can be anonymous.
Hi I�m Matt Boardhoarder reporting for Eyewitness News
The missing CT crafter has been found safe, but rattled in her own home! Fran was caught in a landslide of cardstock, stampsets and other crafting items for 16 hours. The massive pile knocked her unconscious and she lay motionless in the avalanche of crafting supplies. She declined to be interviewed on camera as she said she was sorry for all the trouble and worry she caused and she just didn�t know how the situation got so out of hand. Luckily, this story had a happy ending. Hi I�m Matt Boardhoarder reporting for Eyewitness News
Today on Oprah the story of a woman buried under an avalanche of cardstock, stampsets, inkpads and other crafting items in her own home!
Oprah, �Today we have a CT crafter with us, Fran who was reported missing by her husband. Fran was in fact stuck in a mess in her own den.� So, Fran, tell me how did this happen?
Fran, �Well, Oprah, this is really embarrassing. I love to stamp and I live in a typical New England home with small rooms. I carved a tiny space in my small den to set up a place to keep my stamping supplies. Well, I just ran out of room and the pile kept growing. I subscribe to a place for everything and everything in its place, but stamping supplies seem to reproduce without warning.�
Oprah, �Do you consider this an addiction?�
Fran, �Yes, but a relatively healthy one�
Oprah, �Healthy? you were buried for 16 hours and a search and rescue team was summoned!�
Fran �Yes, I know, uh, this is awkward. I am usually a very organized person, but I just ran out of room. I tried to categorize my stampsets, inks, pencils and paper. It was the paper that really did me in. I buy paper like cardstock will be rationed to one sheet per day. I can�t help myself. But stamping is my �art therapy� it keeps me sane, well up till the �incident�.�
I don�t know how it became such a jumble. The weight of the pile knocked me unconscious. To think of all the excitement I caused because my crafting supplies were so disorganized.
Oprah, �It sounds like you could use a more efficient workspace.�
Fran, �That�s for sure, also my back is killing me as I lean sideways to stamp on the only end table in the den. Sometimes it takes me hours to make one card because everything is so topsy turvy. I can�t find items that I know I have. I waste so much time because I have to keep searching for things.
Oprah, �Well audience, is there anybody out there who can help Fran make a sensible, orderly workspace in her diminutive den?�
I knew it...I knew she would be found under an avalanche of crafting supplies...can you imagine how lucky she is that it was just loose supplies...how tragic if those supplies had been in a scrapbox...why if the scrapbox had fallen on her....oh to think how tragic the outcome....she is just so lucky to be alive...and so lucky that the scrapbox was given to me instead her...
Yeah I saw Fran...she just couldn't wait for the contest to end....and she went out and bought a Scrapbox....so now I can have this one...what a great friend...
__________________ Heidi
Last edited by stamp bug; 10-06-2009 at 12:02 PM..
NO NO that was my evil twin brother, Dan, in drag. He is independently wealthy and bought a scrapbox just to spite me. The scrapbox would never fall on me! All my stuff would be organized. And I would be happy and my husband would be happy and the dogs would be happy. . .
- How often would you anticipate needing to close it all up so it would be tucked away and out of sight?
- What would your approach be for keeping the work area uncluttered so you'd continuously have open crafting/work space?
- What else would you do to the area you'd place it in to augment it (since our craft supplies exceed our capacity to store them, WorkBox or not! - LOL!)?
- Based on the photos of it, what if your favorite nook or cranny in it?
- How often would you anticipate needing to close it all up so it would be tucked away and out of sight?
I would probably close it up every night, since �visual noise� keeps me awake at night, the ability to pack it up and close it up would be a Godsend. No more embarrassing moments when unexpected company drops by. My friend Maria actually gasped when she came over a few months ago because my den was in such disarray. I had dragged out all my baskets to search for a particular item.
- What would your approach be for keeping the work area uncluttered so you'd continuously have open crafting/work space?
Using all those drawers and all those cubbies!!! I cannot even imagine having my supplies in sight and reachable. I now paw through multiple baskets of items to find what I know I have. I am serious when I say it can take me many hours to make one card simply because I spend so much time searching for what I need because the supplies are in so many different baskets. Unfortunately the baskets don�t afford you the luxury of seeing what you have.
The layout of the scrapbox is efficient because you can see what you have and you could put something back without fear of having to search for it again. I wind up keeping piles of �stuff� out because it is too hard to find once I put it back in the baskets. Knowing what you have and having it accessible makes for an efficient workspace.
- What else would you do to the area you'd place it in to augment it (since our craft supplies exceed our capacity to store them, WorkBox or not! - LOL!)?
If necessary, I would keep some of the baskets for overflow. At least then I could put the most used items in the scrapbox and keep the bulk of it well organized.
- Based on the photos of it, what if your favorite nook or cranny in it?
The see-through drawers right above the table space -- A dream come true. I would love to be able to put my inkpads where they are visible and accessible. Can you imagine just opening up the scrapbox and there within reach are all your inkpads, just beckoning to be used? This would really be an asset to my stamping. Having escaped from a cubicle a few years ago my stamping keeps me sane. My lack of room to organize my supplies makes me crazy�so it is a catch-22. My fluid chalk inkpads don�t fit in my stamp caddy and I cannot tell you how many times I have dropped them�even cracking the lids. Of course they fall ink side down and I have stains on the floor! The scrapbox would provide the resources I need to get organized once and for all! Thank you
Hi Fran. I was very distressed to hear about you missing on the news. I was hoping to buy all your crafting supplies at a rock bottom cost from your husband if they didn't find you. They would be a great to help me fill up the ScrapBox I will be winning next week! I missed the new update and the Oprah appearance...luckily I recorded them on my DVR and am now happy to know you are safe. Best of luck!
Fran...are you going to be writing a book about your tragic adventure??? Let us know when the book tour is...I would love to get an autographed copy...I'll keep it in a special place in my new Scrapbox...
Did Oprah let it slip that she read the galleys and is going to make my adventure an Oprah Book club choice. Oh I didn't know they were giving away two scrapboxes!!!! Yes, I'll be happy to autograph a copy for you!
Thank goodness you are not getting the Scrapbox. It's a good thing I am going to get that. I can't imagine the Scrapbox falling on you. with the way you have soo much stuff it might end up getting top heavy and fall. Don't worry we wouldn't want that to happen to you.
THAT'S WHY THEY DECIDED I NEED IT MORE BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A CRAFT ROOM, OR LARGE SHELVES TO FIT ALL MY STUFF IN. I DON'T EVEN HAVE A TABLE TO STAMP ON. YOU HAVE A NICE FLAT SURFACED ONE.!!!:mrgreen::twisted:
Location: "In a state of somewhere.... Somewhere between Motherhood and Grandma should!"
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Wow.... I finally found you!
CUTE! CUTE Story.... so typically you and I definitely can attest to the need of the Scrapbox being sent to your house. I would really hate to have to come up there and dig you out again....
And SCS has been so wonky for me that only half of my posts post, so I hope this makes it here! Sorry it has taken me so long to find you and be able to post.
Share with us:
(1) why you craft
(2) what you do with your completed handcrafted projects, and
(3) what the biggest impact any of your projects has had on you, someone else, or the world at large!
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Can I answer #3.....? I met Fran a couple of years ago at a craft fair when I fell in love with her handmade jewelry. While I was admiring her handi-work, she was drooling all over my SU! catalog and we became instant friends. We have chatted, stamped, walked dogs and searched for missing "Lucy" (DS's lost fancy hamster) together. I was saddened to hear that her recent eye surgery was not as successful as they had hoped and I totally agree that her life would be so much easier if she could have all her stamping supplies up close and personal. She has a heart of gold for everyone she meets and She is a great lady that I am proud to call my friend!
As a side note: :mrgreen: I do know that she is recovering relatively well, inspite of all the disheveled supply piles, and she as been able to recover her last missing basket from the bottom of the stash. Now to find the missing ink pads.....
I craft because I have always been creative. As a kid, my very favorite thing was getting a box of 64 Crayola crayons with the built in sharpener. (Sorry Mom about decorating your bedspread with lipstick and drawing on the walls behind the living room curtains when I was 4) I have always been enamored of coloring. As a "grown-up" what better way to feed the need to color than by stamping?
I sell my cards at a Chocolate Cafe in town and all of my friends have requested packets of my cards for their Birthdays and Christmas. We try to do homemade gifts, instead of buying dust collectors for each other.
The best benefit that I have ever gotten (in addition to the joy of the creative process,) is when my dear Aunt Rachel was in chemo I sent her a card a week to keep up her spirits. The love flowed back to me when she realized that I had hand stamped each and every one of them.
Let's face it isn't it nice to get a hand stamped love note mixed in with the bills and junk mail. I am on a personal crusade to keep the hand written note alive in our sound byte, twitter email world. A card you can cherish. Thank you for considering my entry. Good luck to all who entered.
fran...best wishes for the contest...you definitely need to win...no more scary mishaps with your piles of crafting supplies...stay safe and organized...
Fran, congratulations on your rescue AND MAKING THE FINAL !)! YAY! Best wishes to you and i was really touched by your friends comments about you. Good luck to you!
Fran your story is so fun! I always prefer to send a hand written note!! Some family and friends turn to typing them for spell check and neatness but I LOVE the personal touch! It is so nice to see others doing it too. (and my spelling is horrific) When I send handmade cards I never sign them, but put in a post it note or letter in them, so the card can be used again by the person that received it. I even reuse priority boxes and write "recycle your grandchildren will thank you" on them in green with the little arrows. Anyway... I have more stories to read before casting my vote.
FINALIST: Have you seen Fran?
Answers to questions
The Written Note!
