We all have little demons that haunt and tempt us. For some it is Starbucks. For others it is Lost (STILL haven’t seen a single episode.) And still others, it is Twilight, chocolate, Apple technology, photography, cars, vacations or make-up. Everyone has their poison. There is always that one thing that gets them every time.

Although my list of vices is certainly not short, I do have one major addiction that I succumb to more often that I care to admit. I do however, need to admit my weakness in order to overcome it. Right??? Well, if not, then at least I am curbing a small piece of some of your curiosity.

I am completely obsessed with crafts, mainly sewing and crochet. I have a major weakness for all things silk, crepe, tulle, organza and lace. I have boxes upon boxes of calico printed cotton, denim, ultra suede and corduroy. I have a lifetime full of elastic and buttons. I have an entire box dedicated to glue sticks. We won’t even get started on patterns.

Here is the picture that I chose to take today. I was in search of a sparkly, blingy, vintage button today and knew that if I went into the abyss that I call the basement craft room, I would be sure to find one. And indeed I did. It was attached to a 1980 green polyester mother of the bride dress that I bought as part of an Ebay lot 5+ years ago…. and I love it.

But I digress. Over the years I have “collected,” for lack of a better word, fabric. There was a time that the fabric stores sold fabric remnants for fifty cents. They had gorgeous arrays of textiles in every color and texture and I would buy them a bit at a time. Then, one day, they had a remnant consolidation sale where they stuffed plastic grocery bags full of those amazing gems and sold the whole lot for fifty cents. I hang my head in shame when I admit that I bought them out. That is where my addiction began and this is where it has led.

I now have 35+ boxes full of fabrics and discarded ball gowns that I bought in bulk off of Ebay. They are so full of potential with their multicolored linings, layers of tulle, blingy buttons and vintage zippers. I have another 2 boxes of ribbon and trim and several boxes of notions. I was also so lucky to inherit bolts and bolts of upholstery fabric and vintage linens.

I find myself blessed though, because I can honestly say that I now have a fully stocked and ready to go craft room. I had a friend come over the summer to help me organize this room and figure out exactly what I had. She is my friend’s mother, part of my ward and is and organizational GENIUS!!! No. Really. She does it professionally.

I was a bit embarrassed as we sifted through the piles of chiffon. I quickly added that we could certainly start getting rid of a lot of this. She looked at me in amazement. I thought that she was going to chuckle over what a crafty pack rat I am. Instead, she looked at me with awe and said, “You have everything that you will ever need to do a small business from you home. You won’t need to purchase a thing.” And, she wouldn’t let me toss any of it.

Now, I will say that I do use it on almost a daily basis, but not nearly to its potential. As I was rummaging through the boxes today, I was reintroduced of the treasure trove that it is. My mind instantly leaped to the finished products that these fabrics would make. I imagined a brown suede skirt for the Nena and matching argyle ties for the boys. I could see oceans of fabric flowers and an entire closet of American Girl Dolls. However, as it sits now, it is simply a very dirty diamond in the rough.

So, while along with the rest of you, I too am getting really freaked out by the show Hoarders and immediately think of my basement sewing wonderland whenever I see or hear of that show, I know that it has potential. I have some amazing ideas as to what I am going to do with some of this stuff. Now, if only I can find the time to do some of it.

And, as some of you already know, I am more than happy to share! Let me know if you are in need of anything fun. I am more than happy to get someone else going with the crafty bug.