The Mother of Pack Rat Pearl

I've been hitting a lot of auctions and flea markets lately, finding some wonderful treasures to appease my need to hoard. This incredible stash of mother-of-pearl buttons came from an auction last week and today I hit the mother load at a flea market. I'm telling you, this place was a found-object-multimedia-artist's nirvana! Bits of brass and beads, ribbons and baubles... I had to remind myself to breathe now and then as I had been holding my breath in awe over every bit of "my precious" I uncovered. In my last post Marie asked the question about my inventory and whether or not I have most of my materials on hand when I start a new project. Well, the answer is yes, I tend to have everything on hand. This is due to the fact that I haven't thrown anything away since the late 70s (except for my ex-husband, ha!). Anyone who enters my house can see my sickness all over the place - I am a pack rat to the extreme. I warn people of this if they have never been to my house before (L, that means you;) since they are libel to sustain a jaw injury as it hits the floor in disbelief.

But I am happy floating around in my sea of stuff. It makes me giddy to know that I have everything on hand needed to make anything at any given time. If you need a giant ball of chartreuse wool yarn, look no further! If it's miniature plastic shoes you need (and really, who doesn't?), I have a whole collection! Looking for embroidery patterns from the 1930s? Well, look no further! And if fabric is your passion... I'll build you a house out of the stuff! (Incidentally, I haven't sewn in years but I can't get myself to whittle down the fabric collection. I may need an intervention in this instance.)

Every now and then I get down on myself for being such a cluttered mess. I wonder how "normal" people are able to live clean and organized lives and wonder if they are happy doing it. I'll be the first to admit that I do need to straighten up a bit, but in the end I am happiest surrounded by my things. They inspire me. They are familiar. They are my Prozac. :)

Thanks so much to everyone who has signed up for the giveaway! There is plenty of time to participate so be sure to jump on board! :)