# Too Much of a Good Thing!



## ResolvableOwl (Oct 21, 2021)

*Too much of a good thing can be wonderful. – Mae West

The art of living is not least the ability to do without something necessary in order to afford something superfluous. – Vittorio de Sica

How many things are there which I do not want. – Socrates*


Let's confess hoarding compulsions! Weaknesses, devotions and experiments that have grown over the time to a (more or less harmless) heap that is no longer rationally justifiable. But in the spirit of @CreativeWeirdo's (marvellous user name, btw!) Needing some validation thread, let's treat our secret inner magpies with a bit of public affirmation.

*The rules:* Post a class of items, of which you possess a quantity “that depends on perspective” if you should have a bad conscience about it or not. One at a time, to make it easier for others to react on specific posts/topics/fields.
No pics.
Keep it awkward. Brag with your FO, mica, or shoe collection only if it's really, really bad.
Self-made soaps do NOT count. Fruit flies do NOT count.
It's okay to include former stock that you don't longer have around. We don't want to encourage pathological messie troubles, but support those who haven't lost hope (yet) and are sincerely trying hard to destash, to keep inflow and outflow of goods halfways on eyesight to each other. _Having had_ some thingie (and knowing what it's been good for, and where to get replacement) is close enough to _having it currently_ to qualify. But keep in proportion. _Eleven varieties of coffee, of which one has run out last week_ – that's the stuff I'm after. But not so much when you “just” have had eleven types of coffee in your whole life (though impressive enough that you have been counting them!).

I'm happy to start, to set a bad example. 

*Sugars*

Simple sugars: glucose, fructose
Simple sugar alcohols: glycerol, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol
Disaccharides: refined sucrose (beet and cane), cane sugar in all states of refinement between molasses and fully refined, isomaltulose, lactose
Disaccharide alcohols: maltitol, isomalt
Oligosaccharides: inulin, maltodextrin, maltose/malt extract/glucose syrup (from barley, rice, corn)
Starch: corn, wheat, potato, tapioca, arrowroot, rice, mung bean
Malt: barley (some 8 varieties in various toasting states), wheat, rye

I've included the last two lines of starch sources as an excuse to also mention koji, kiuniang, α-, β-, and gluco-amylase (as well as saliva) to saccharify the starch into maltose & friends – but I'll exclude ordinary starchy crops, for that this list has an end at all.


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## dibbles (Oct 21, 2021)

ResolvableOwl said:


> Fruit flies do NOT count.


  
I can easily add to this, but I'll start at the beginning. Yarn. Before I became an obsessive soap maker, I was an obsessive knitter. Specifically wool socks, but also hats and blankets. I had quite the yarn stash. I have had to stop knitting, but it has taken years to part with the most of the yarn. I still have all of my needles.


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## artemis (Oct 21, 2021)

How about crafts and the tools that.go with them? I have taken up so many different crafts over the years! Painting, embroidery, jewelry making, heading, hand quilting, polymer clay, toy repair, scrap booking, soaping... I have brushes, needles of all sizes, pliers and cutters, prying tools, specialized scissors, hammers, rollers, small containees, big containees, scale, thimbles, slicers, reamer, molds, spatulas.....


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## SoapDaddy70 (Oct 21, 2021)

Before I started making soap last year I was into Diamond Painting. Fun hobby, great for listening to audio books and killing a couple of hours and helped with my anxiety. Was actually thinking of buying another one. Last one I did was pretty big and took me a couple of months.


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## Megan (Oct 21, 2021)

I am also a collector of crafts. Copious amounts of yarn, about 100 sets of knitting needles and a couple dozen crochet hooks (this is the only craft besides soap making that I participate in regularly). Polymer clay, dozens of colors, many cutting and molding tools, fixtures and fastenings. Jewelry making, various gauges of wire, different beading strings, needles, pliers, fastenings, saws, scrap metal, beads, stones (my favorites are lapis, opal, and jade). Embroidery, tons of thread, backing, an embroidery machine that I tried to use once and couldn't get the hang of so it's been sitting for 10+ years. I finally got rid of the stuff for ribbon embroidery. Silhouette cutter, various materials, mostly vinyl...don't use this much either. Drawing supplies, various other art supplies, canvas, different papers for different media, watercolor, acrylic, pastel, way too many sharpies. Glitter...so...much...glitter. Various glues. Other odds and ends like clear ornaments or saved jars, etc. A fabric collection that my mom passed on to me when she passed away (although I have given a lot of this away). Much of these supplies were passed to me from her because 1. she was an artist and 2. she had the same sort of craft hoarding tendencies as myself as well as a pretty severe shopping problem. I have trouble getting rid of anything I associate with her...which I've been working on because I really don't see myself taking to jewelry making or the like.


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## Mobjack Bay (Oct 21, 2021)

I am forever finding fabulous fabric for (re)fashioning.  Some might call it hoarding, but who can stop themselves when a deep dive at the thrift store reveals a full length silk satin circle skirt in a wild artsy print on sale for $1.99?  An occasional trip to the fabric district in NY and LA, or the closeout section of Home Goods, rounds out the selection of fabrics I would never find at the local JoAnn’s. My stash is neatly organized in labelled storage totes. Some of the categories that come to mind without a visual refresher are: cotton - lightweight, mid weight, heavy weight; cotton knits; linen woven and knits; lining fabric; rayon: silk and silk blends, including a tote just for men’s ties, which make great bias binding; upholstery remnants; wool woven - mid weight, coat weight; wool knits - mostly sweaters and a surprising amount of cashmere that has been through someone else‘s washing machine.  I also save button and embellishments. I’ve made everything from jackets, kimonos and tops to hats, purses and stuffed animals. I have an old Bernina workhorse sewing machine that I received as a present over 40 years ago, and relatively new serger and coverstich machines. I also have a very nice assortment of thread, every sewing notion imaginable, pressing hams, a dress form that’s shaped like I was before pandemic chocolate, etc.

When I need a break from making soap, I sew instead.  Although I can still justify keeping my stash, I can no longer justify keeping it in the house. It was competing for space with my soapy stuff, so now it resides in the garage.


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## SideDoorSoaps (Oct 21, 2021)

I’m with @dibbles and @Megan … I’m at S.A.B.L.E. Levels of yarn (stash acquired beyond life expectancy) and I’m not at all sorry. My husband has knives and guns and sporting goods way beyond my levels of yarn and craft supplies ownership.

I have a current obsession with book binding / making and own several types of paper book punches. I’m often at thrift stores and buy supplies. Last week it was 10 paper card stock pads for $3 each!! Embroidery floss, hoops, fabric, beads, paints, buttons, screen-printing supplies, cross-stitch kits. I bought two hand-crank knitting machines last month which warranted more yarn!! I may or may not have some more luxury super chunky merino on the way.

I also rescue hand knits from the thrift stores I can’t bear to leave behind. This one I got for $3 also!!  And beyond Pinterest, I’ve got hundreds of screenshots of crafty things I want to make. This list can go on…


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## violets2217 (Oct 21, 2021)

Can our obsession/collections be hobbies and unfinished projects!?!?!? I have a lot of those! Lots of fabric and vintage linens and pillow case. Tools for all the hobbies I've learned. One of my recent collections include power tools. I'm playing at woodworker!
But I can admit that I collect dishes, great vintage thrift store finds. Odds and ends that I think I need and I consider pretty. None of my daily use dishes match and everyone in my house has their favorite dish or bowl, but I love them all. I've found that we can't use a lot of our dishes in the microwave because I'm drawn to shinny silver embellishments on dishes! My BFF once had a large New Year's Eve dinner party. I think we had 10 to 15 couples. I was able to go through my cabinets and storage and provide whole place setting for each guest. It was kinda embarrassing, but the table looked so eclectic and awesome! I've managed to buy on two full sets of dishes. One a pale pink set of vintage melamine dishes and and 8 place setting 1950's Taylor, Smith and Taylor Teal china set for $25.


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## glendam (Oct 22, 2021)

I guess I collect cheese, I eat it almost daily.
Currently I have:
1 classic parmesan wedge
2 mozzarella blocks
1 fresh mozzarella ball
a package of babybel cheese
1 wedge of Gorgonzola cheese
1 disc of panela cheese
1 package of havarti cheese with dill (husband’s choice)
1 pack of american cheese (this is for dog’s pills)
1 pack of soft feta 
1 jar of cheese powder
there might still be a pack of sliced cheddar but I am not sure 

I can honestly say I have never met a cheese I did not like.  I even like goat cheese.

Edited to add two more I just saw in the fridge:
- the Philadelphia cream cheese I have been snacking with.  
- And a jar of ricotta cheese I haven’t opened yet but once I do I need to finish in a week, per label instructions.


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## AliOop (Oct 22, 2021)

Kitchen gadgets!!  I use most of them a lot, although some do languish.

Two KitchenAids (including every attachment ever made, and the ice cream maker set)
Breville 13-cup food processor (with every attachment ever made)
Expensive mandoline that I never use (because the Breville attachments rock) - still love the cut gloves for box grating
Vitamix (with wet and dry blades, and three sizes of containers)
Nut milk maker (fantastic machine that I'd buy again in a heartbeat)
Two Instant Pots (the new air-fryer model is on my Christmas wish list, in which case I'll pass along the oldest one)
High end stove-top pressure cooker (bought before Instant Pots were a thing)
Hand-held blender, more stickblenders and frothers than I'm willing to count (some in the soaping room)
Sous-vide machine
Electric knife, knife sharpener, too many knives (had more until the movers stole a box with about half my knife collection)
Pampered chef mini-scrapers, spatulas, storage cups, slap-chop
Two complete sets of stainless steel cooking pots (don't ask)
Six different muffin pans (don't ask)
A goodly collection of cast iron cooking/baking implements (including a prized aebelskiver pan)
Turkey roaster pan (although that's now a soaping item)
Hand-crank pasta maker
Canning implements
Top-of-the-line the coffee grinder, two automatic coffee makers, three French presses (small, medium, large)
Cake decorating tools, every size of glass bakeware, many sizes of Silpat mats and baking pans, food storage containers of every shape and size.
Large electric griddle, panini maker, waffle maker

I know I'm missing stuff but I'm too embarrassed to go into the kitchen and look.

*Edited:* sushi rolling kit, barbecue cooking pans (the fish one is my favorite!), barbecue salt blocks, dedicated bacon pans for cooking bacon in the oven, three sets of salt and pepper grinders (don't ask). Two spiralizers (won one of them in a contest!), spice grinder, two capsule makers (saves so much to make your own turmeric capsules). Oops, forgot, three crockpots (mini one is in the soaping room). Ooooh... jerky gun, dehydrator, fermenting airlocks, kombucha set up. 

Which reminds me of my huge salt collection, and a pretty expansive spice collection, too.


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## Johnez (Oct 22, 2021)

I will admit to hoarding aquarium stuff. In my last move I had to get rid of 2 tanks as I didn't have the room to pack them in my van, however many pumps, hoses, PVC parts, an entire water treatment setup that I have not even opened up yet, and various other supplies did make the move but are now sitting in totes. I have a giant piece of driftwood that I will either have to completely treat with bleach and let dry in the sun or throw away, such a shame that. The DIY streak in me runs deep, I've even got old tools for furniture frame building I haven't used regularly in about a decade now, maybe one day I'll build cool sofas again.

A pic of my previous work:


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## Megan (Oct 22, 2021)

glendam said:


> I guess I collect cheese, I eat it almost daily.
> Currently I have:
> 1 classic parmesan wedge
> 2 mozzarella blocks
> ...


My husband complained that I had too much cheese in the fridge. I will show him this list. (He complains that he doesn't eat cheese, but he ate some beautiful white sauce pizza with prosciutto and basil yesterday that seems to disprove this statement.)


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## Megan (Oct 22, 2021)

Johnez said:


> I will admit to hoarding aquarium stuff. In my last move I had to get rid of 2 tanks as I didn't have the room to pack them in my van, however many pumps, hoses, PVC parts, an entire water treatment setup that I have not even opened up yet, and various other supplies did make the move but are now sitting in totes. I have a giant piece of driftwood that I will either have to completely treat with bleach and let dry in the sun or throw away, such a shame that. The DIY streak in me runs deep, I've even got old tools for furniture frame building I haven't used regularly in about a decade now, maybe one day I'll build cool sofas again.
> 
> A pic of my previous work:


That couch is awesome! Reminds me of Nickelodeon.


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## glendam (Oct 22, 2021)

Megan said:


> My husband complained that I had too much cheese in the fridge. I will show him this list. (He complains that he doesn't eat cheese, but he ate some beautiful white sauce pizza with prosciutto and basil yesterday that seems to disprove this statement.)


Glad to be of help.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Oct 22, 2021)

ResolvableOwl said:


> *Too much of a good thing can be wonderful. – Mae West
> 
> The art of living is not least the ability to do without something necessary in order to afford something superfluous. – Vittorio de Sica
> 
> ...


How sweet it is...


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Oct 22, 2021)

Ok "self realization"  Im quite boring, nothing to report that I have excess of... ugh the pains of reality! somethings gotta change
. 

update: Oh I do have a collection of 20's - 70's costume jewlery. Ive picked up at "Fun Stores" I call them, which are 2nd hand thrift stores throughout the years.  WhooHooo Im not so boring' Yay .


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## maryloucb (Oct 22, 2021)

Well, now I feel bad, because I am a purger, and have nothing to excess.


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## ResolvableOwl (Oct 22, 2021)

Well, maybe you're secretly hoarding _free space? _

It's a rare hobby, but I've heard that such people do exist.


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## AliOop (Oct 22, 2021)

maryloucb said:


> Well, now I feel bad, because I am a purger, and have nothing to excess.


Don't feel badly! We have moved a LOT, and I purge every time... everything but the kitchen gadgets. 

To be honest, I don't really consider them "excess" since I use almost all of them frequently, some more seasonally. Despite the long list, my kitchen is very uncluttered, as is the rest of my home. But the bottom line is whether your level of accumulation suits *you.*  If it does, then it's all good!


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## violets2217 (Oct 22, 2021)

glendam said:


> I guess I collect cheese, I eat it almost daily.
> Currently I have:
> 1 classic parmesan wedge
> 2 mozzarella blocks
> ...


I have a cheese drawer in the fridge... and it is usually full. But know I'm wondering why my blocks of cream cheese are not in the drawer? They have their own organizer container of their own!?!?!


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## Mobjack Bay (Oct 22, 2021)

@AliOop I want to head out there to make aebelskiver with you!
and I need @Johnez to come here to help me reupholster the semi-nude club chair I have sitting in my sunroom. I have this wild idea that I will cover it with wool salvaged from men suits, or old denim jeans, or possibly with new fabric that I dye in a shibori pattern. Oh right, I completely forgot about my collection of fabric dyes and all of the potion-like ingredients that go along with those. The dyes are helpful in fabric upcycling because I use them to tone weird colors to a more desirable color palette.


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## glendam (Oct 23, 2021)

violets2217 said:


> I have a cheese drawer in the fridge... and it is usually full. But know I'm wondering why my blocks of cream cheese are not in the drawer? They have their own organizer container of their own!?!?!


This is curious, my cream cheese is not in the cheese drawer either, it’s hanging out with the butter.


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## AliOop (Oct 23, 2021)

@Mobjack Bay time for an SMF food and craft tour: first stop my house for aebleskivers, then over to your place for ice-dying lessons (and so @Johnez can reupholster your chair). Additional stops for cheese sampling with @glendam and @violets2217, craft stops with the other yarn and craft hoarders experts, soap swirling with @KiwiMoose and @Jersey Girl, alternating wall pour at @Zing's place, and finishing up with desserts crafted using various sugars and grades of cocoa butter at @ResolvableOwl's crib.


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## Mobjack Bay (Oct 23, 2021)

Brilliant.  And, then maybe I can find out what the owl does with inulin.


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## ResolvableOwl (Oct 23, 2021)

Mobjack Bay said:


> what the owl does with inulin.


Get serious stomach ache . Inulin/oligofructose is one of the few (officially edible) substances that my gut really has a low tolerance for. I bought it to test if it's really possible to cook a fructose syrup from it through acid hydrolysis, like it's done with boiling agave juice to agave syrup. Aim: a honey-like sweetener from topinambur or chicory root juice. I just have to patent this and make a fortune with it . The first topinambur batch is already growing in the garden, I'm just waiting for all of you to visit me to help me harvest them .


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## Johnez (Oct 23, 2021)

ResolvableOwl said:


> Get serious stomach ache . Inulin/oligofructose is one of the few (officially edible) substances that my gut really has a low tolerance for. I bought it to test if it's really possible to cook a fructose syrup from it through acid hydrolysis, like it's done with boiling agave juice to agave syrup. Aim: a honey-like sweetener from topinambur or chicory root juice. I just have to patent this and make a fortune with it . The first topinambur batch is already growing in the garden, I'm just waiting for all of you to visit me to help me harvest them .



I'll bring the sofa and we can all watch whatever wizardry you get into. 

*After the harvest of course!


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## Mobjack Bay (Oct 23, 2021)

One of my down the rabbit hole adventures after the luxury soap thread was to try to figure out why Tom’s of Maine is adding inulin to its soap,  It’s a prebiotic when taken internally, but does that translate to effectiveness in a wash off product?  Is prebiotic a health claim? 

and Germany is still on my bucket list,,,


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## Mistrael (Oct 23, 2021)

I collect things that I love, with very little resistance from my husband unless it's a live critter. Even then I can often wear him down, but no one trusts me alone in pet stores anymore. There's always some sad critter in need of rescue! That's how we got 3 dogs and a guinea pig. I'd like to have a herd of pigs and also a cat but my family says not while we have 3 dogs.

My primary obsession for 10+ years is yarn crafting. I started with crochet, which swiftly lead me to knitting, and I've dabbled with a few types of weaving for a couple years. I have a few spindles and have attempted spinning but wow that's challenging! So my soaping supplies got nothing on my yarn supplies! I've lost track of how many big bins I've got full of skeins, projects done & not done, gifts I need to locate & hand out, etc. I have an inklette loom, a small frame loom, and a small backstrap loom, lots of warp threads, two full sets of interchangeable needles (one wood, one metal), and at least three sets of hooks.

But then the pandemic hit, and I've always meant to improve my sewing! Which I'm doing... so now I have an obsession with natural fibers, slow fashion, and an interest in historical and ethnic clothing. The ethnic is basically b/c of my interest in history and genealogy, and my personal genealogy is... interesting.

Don't get me started on the books I've collected for all these interests. I also have a fascination with psychology and true crime, then classic literature, European & American history, etc, etc, etc... 

Oh, and with sewing came a revival of my fondness for cross stitch and a reminder that I've always wanted to learn embroidery. I can never die b/c I have too much to do & learn & learn to do! 

Current works in progress: 1 pair knee high socks/stockings, 1 lace shawl, 1 witch hat, 1 embroidered 18th century pocket, 1 mid Victorian era chemise, 1 wool sweater, 1 cotton bath pouf, 1 very large Starry Night cross stitch... I think that's it so far? Meanwhile I still need to make balms to get us through a Michigan winter and I'd like to make more soap for the holidaze and I'd really like to stop buying laundry detergent, but I'm behind on checking my kids' homeschooling work b/c I've had no energy.

I just need a Time Turner.


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## ResolvableOwl (Oct 24, 2021)

Mobjack Bay said:


> One of my down the rabbit hole adventures after the luxury soap thread was to try to figure out why Tom’s of Maine is adding inulin to its soap, It’s a prebiotic when taken internally, but does that translate to effectiveness in a wash off product? Is prebiotic a health claim?


“Prebiotic” as in “bug food”? Not sure if soap is the best place for it. Idk, it probably behaves quite in line with what we know from starch/maltodextrin/glucose syrup/sugar, and this doesn't justify its price premium. Since, for fructose, an alkaline environment lowers the onset of caramellisation down to room temperature, it might also have some browning issues reminiscent of honey. My guess is that it's a label appeal item. Nothing wrong, but nothing exciting either.

ETA: Just remembered that concentrated inulin solutions have a unique rheology. They look and feel like oil (and inulin is in fact used in food industry to offset reduced fat content in “light” products). Maybe it does add some unique slip properties to soap? Dunno; and now that I've used up my inulin, my lead to testing it is just as long as for everyone else.



Mobjack Bay said:


> and Germany is still on my bucket list,,,





(but PLEASE consult someone with an actual sense of taste, for choosing better beer brands)


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## SideDoorSoaps (Oct 24, 2021)

Mistrael said:


> I collect things that I love, with very little resistance from my husband unless it's a live critter. Even then I can often wear him down, but no one trusts me alone in pet stores anymore. There's always some sad critter in need of rescue! That's how we got 3 dogs and a guinea pig. I'd like to have a herd of pigs and also a cat but my family says not while we have 3 dogs.
> 
> My primary obsession for 10+ years is yarn crafting. I started with crochet, which swiftly lead me to knitting, and I've dabbled with a few types of weaving for a couple years. I have a few spindles and have attempted spinning but wow that's challenging! So my soaping supplies got nothing on my yarn supplies! I've lost track of how many big bins I've got full of skeins, projects done & not done, gifts I need to locate & hand out, etc. I have an inklette loom, a small frame loom, and a small backstrap loom, lots of warp threads, two full sets of interchangeable needles (one wood, one metal), and at least three sets of hooks.
> 
> ...


I totally forgot about all my looms! I can’t even list all my WIPs. They are every where.


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## Mobjack Bay (Oct 24, 2021)

I have often looked at looms online!.  I love handwoven fabrics.


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## AliOop (Oct 24, 2021)

@Mobjack Bay back away from the looms....run while you still can....


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## Mobjack Bay (Oct 24, 2021)

AliOop said:


> @Mobjack Bay back away from the looms....run while you still can....


I have absolutely no room for a loom unless we get rid of my partner’s drums.  Oh wait, we did that last year to make room for my soap curing rack


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## Mistrael (Oct 24, 2021)

Muahaha! Looms for everyone! This is why backstrap weaving is amazing. All the components can be packed into one of those mailing tubes when not in use!


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## Mobjack Bay (Oct 24, 2021)

Mistrael said:


> Muahaha! Looms for everyone! This is why backstrap weaving is amazing. All the components can be packed into one of those mailing tubes when not in use!


OMG, Pinterest has failed me! I have various rigid heddle, lap and [even] potholder loom pins, but not a single pin for a backstrap loom.


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## Zing (Oct 24, 2021)

AliOop said:


> @Mobjack Bay time for an SMF food and craft tour: first stop my house for aebleskivers, then over to your place for ice-dying lessons (and so @Johnez can reupholster your chair). Additional stops for cheese sampling with @glendam and @violets2217, craft stops with the other yarn and craft hoarders experts, soap swirling with @KiwiMoose and @Jersey Girl, alternating wall pour at @Zing's place, and finishing up with desserts crafted using various sugars and grades of cocoa butter at @ResolvableOwl's crib.


AEBLESKIVERS??!!  @AliOop , you just get more and more awesome!  I loves me some good aebleskivers.  I'll eat plenty o' aebleskivers -- and I can offer some lefse and krumkaka as well.  Speaking of hoarding, please take and eat plenty of Mrs. Zing's (bless her heart and don't tell her I said this) pickles, jams and jellies, canned fruits and veggies.  What's that new acronym - sable?  I'm not usually over in this part of the forum but it is brightening my day!


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## Nona'sFarm (Oct 25, 2021)

What a fun thread!
It seems each craft comes with a need for different tools. So I justified purchasing a small table saw because I NEEDED to make a box to display my soaps.
So I've been sewing since I was a teenager and have tons of sewing tools, as well as a whole cabinet and cedar chest full of fabric, patterns, thread, sewing notions, etc.
I started crocheting in earnest a couple of years ago. I have a hard time resisting a sale on yarn. Now every bed in the house has boxes of yarn stashed under it. I have a big stack of patterns that look fun.
I've cross stitched off and on for a number of years. Have lots of thread, that I just recently organized during the lockdown - so proud of myself on that one. Have a number of cross stitch patterns and a pretty good supply of 14 count fabric. More ideas of stuff I want to make than time, of course.
And of course lots of soaping stuff - the refrigerator in the garage has mostly oils and fragrances; along with completed items like salves and balms. On top of the fabric cabinet I have bins that hold empty containers for the balms.
Been thinking about picking up macrame again. Did a lot of that in the 70s. Been seeing a lot of beautiful macrame creations on instagram. But where to put the tools and cord, hmmm, maybe under the sofa?
And then of course most of the garage seems to house beekeeping stuff, along with camping stuff, 2 dog crates, 2 cat beds, dog food, cat food, chicken food, a seed starting setup, some tools, painting supplies, paint, and some "I'm not sure where to put this, but I'm not ready to get rid of it" stuff.
But crafts bring me joy, so I'm not ready to part with any of my stash yet and half the fun for me is in the dreaming about what I am going to create. The other half is the creation itself. It is the idea of making  something that will bring me joy or someone else joy that tickles my fancy. And so I buy stuff to make it and one day I will, I think. Or my daughter's inheritance will be cabinets of fabric, yarn, cross stitch supplies, and soaping supplies AND don't forget about the table saw. My son gets the other power tools.

Whoops, forgot about the candle making stuff - have 4 large baskets with wax, wicks, fragrances, melting pots, and molds. I have 12 boxes of empty jars for soy wax candles. I also use some of  these jars for bath salts.


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## ResolvableOwl (Oct 27, 2021)

Currently discussed in @Zing's DOS/storage thread: *Silica gel*.
Silica gel packs always have exerted some kind of magic attraction on me. I've been collecting them since childhood. I've peeled the pearls out of the lids of vitamin pill tubes. People have given me silica gel packs as birthday presents, and I was (unironically) happy about it. At work, I salvaged some 60 bags from a batch of incoming new devices from the waste bin. I've recorded before/after weight loss by baking in the oven, or microwave drying. I've sorted the sachets by colour, size, type of wrapping. I've cut them open and mixed the pearls. Sorted them by colour of the humidity indicator, you know the game. At peak times, I guess it was 10 kg at least.

One sad day I realised that they are factually of no use for me, at least not in this quantity, and I threw away most of my “collection”. I still have about a pound of the pearls at hand. Currently I'm using part of it to dry up cocoa powder (for chocolate making – I've found that it makes the powder much easier to sift, and the chocolate to be smoother as a melt and in the mouth).

(I could attach a photo, but I'll at least try to stick to my own rule and don't. It'd be unimpressive, just some brown powder next to a bath of glassy pearls.)


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## AliOop (Oct 27, 2021)

@ResolvableOwl for the WIN in the most unique collection category!


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## ScentimentallyYours (Oct 30, 2021)

I am overwhelmed by my supplies for: Soap, Candles, Sewing, Felted wool made from sweaters bought at the thrift store and boiled in order to repurpose for other crafts, Polymer clay and tools and bead rollers, Cookware and gadgets, and Gardening paraphernalia. 

I used to have a HUGE collection of rosebushes, both modern and historic.  Many of them I purchased, but then I learned how to root roses from cuttings and my collection really proliferated after that.  I was also hybridizing roses and had way too many seedlings. Unfortunately groundhogs and rabbits started breeding in our side yard and, along with transient deer, they put our garden on their dinner list. Together they made a concerted effort and managed to wipe out most of the roses. 

I have glass and colored glass and dichroic glass and all sorts of supplies for fusible glass and jewelry. Luckily it is small art, primarily dichroic glass pendants, so it takes up less space than larger fused glass projects. Still, those supplies take up most of a room in the basement.

 Then there is the collection of vintage Autoharps and the supplies to restore and customize them. I have Autoharps from 1882 through the 1980s that are stored under beds in two bedrooms, in the office, and down in the basement. I have boxes of laminated abalone shell and mother of pearl, felt for chord bars, lacquer, springs, screws, strings of multiple guages, magnetic pick ups, an assortment of tools, and other items required for chord bar setups. 

All this stuff needs to be decluttered and organized. Would somebody PLEASE come to my house and help me?  I’m desperate!!!  (Maybe I could do it myself if I spend less time on SMF?)


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## earlene (Oct 30, 2021)

ScentimentallyYours said:


> All this stuff needs to be decluttered and organized. Would somebody PLEASE come to my house and help me? I’m desperate!!! (Maybe I could do it myself if I spend less time on SMF?)


Yes, it's the de-cluttering and organizing that is the challenge, isn't it?  Actually getting rid of things is so difficult!


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## glendam (Nov 26, 2021)

I have a nice addition to my collection.  While I have eaten most of my previous cheese collection (and sadly had to throw away a couple), yesterday my sister asked me to take home all the leftover cheese from the charcuterie tray she had prepared.  I was so happy.  I think it was because she heard me identifying all the cheeses by their appearance and color of their rind.


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## Iluminameluna (Aug 19, 2022)

I have to confess that because I travel between 3 places, routinely 2 in the US and 1 in Central America, I've been able to sort of disguise my stashes.
There's the soaping stash in El Salvador dug up by my roommate. The soaping molds because I was planning on doing a major soap batch. Oh boy. Thirteen silicone molds, the largest with 12 individual 3.5oz bars in the shape of turkeys, the smallest a 6 bar heart one of 2.5oz bars. There were 2 logs made of cedar, and 2 plywood slab molds. The wooden ones made to order by a local carpenter, who makes my furniture as well.
My yarn stash is also spread between this house, my older son's house in San Antonio, and I'll be leaving some here in WI with my younger son. Hopefully I'll be back to pick it up later this year to join its entity in San Antonio. My collection is almost 90% cotton yarn, with thread #30 to worsted weight. I love crocheting really tiny stuff, and things for my soaps, and everything in between. My kids don't like for me to give anything away, except my younger son who "uses" my stuff to romance his dates. That includes the soaps.
I don't even count the kitchen stuff I keep buying when I'm at any of these houses because I keep leaving it behind for them to use.
The longest I've lived anywhere since I was born was 4 years, and those 3 periods have been a tie between my birthplace of San Francisco, and El Salvador. So I can only REALLY claim stashes with the stuff that I left with my Nanny and at my house, both in ES.


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## earlene (Aug 23, 2022)

Iluminameluna said:


> I have to confess that because I travel between 3 places, routinely 2 in the US and 1 in Central America, I've been able to sort of disguise my stashes.
> There's the soaping stash in El Salvador dug up by my roommate. The soaping molds because I was planning on doing a major soap batch. Oh boy. Thirteen silicone molds, the largest with 12 individual 3.5oz bars in the shape of turkeys, the smallest a 6 bar heart one of 2.5oz bars. There were 2 logs made of cedar, and 2 plywood slab molds. The wooden ones made to order by a local carpenter, who makes my furniture as well.
> My yarn stash is also spread between this house, my older son's house in San Antonio, and I'll be leaving some here in WI with my younger son. Hopefully I'll be back to pick it up later this year to join its entity in San Antonio. My collection is almost 90% cotton yarn, with thread #30 to worsted weight. I love crocheting really tiny stuff, and things for my soaps, and everything in between. My kids don't like for me to give anything away, except my younger son who "uses" my stuff to romance his dates. That includes the soaps.
> I don't even count the kitchen stuff I keep buying when I'm at any of these houses because I keep leaving it behind for them to use.
> The longest I've lived anywhere since I was born was 4 years, and those 3 periods have been a tie between my birthplace of San Francisco, and El Salvador. So I can only REALLY claim stashes with the stuff that I left with my Nanny and at my house, both in ES.


I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the things I brought back home with me from when my granddaughter & I lived in that wonderfully tiny house in San Antonio.  The plan had been that she would want it in her apartment, but that didn't happen.  She is still living with her parents near Houston & their house sold on the first day of showing after listing.  I suppose there will be a short stint in a rental of some sort (hotel or whatever) while waiting for whatever they buy for themselves to close!  

In the meantime, although I gave some mirrors from SA to granddaughter, I brought most of it back here and only a small portion of it got put into service here.  I did return some of it to the Goodwill in San Antonio from whence it came, though.

I used to live in two places another time as well.  I had a condo in the city where I worked and a house in the country that my previous husband had purchased before we married.  We stayed in the city during the work week and staying in the country on our days off.  After he died, I couldn't stop the habit of living in both places and in fact for awhile would do the daily commute from the country house because I really loved living in a forest.

But having two sets of everything to keep in two different places, is costly, not only to purchase, but to move or store, if & when moving takes place, as it has and does happen.  I can't even imagine having 3 sets of everything.  Maybe not totally true.  I do have some soaping stuff that I tend to use almost exclusively when I travel.

I guess I would have a really hard time adjusting to a minimalist's lifestyle.


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## Iluminameluna (Aug 23, 2022)

earlene said:


> I guess I would have a really hard time adjusting to a minimalist's lifestyle.


I have always been a planner, really, though mostly in my head because I had an unstable childhood. So I had to quickly, very quickly, decide which things I could do without, permanently.
I get to a place, anywhere, and I start making lists. First in my head, then in a notebook, of the stuff that gets acquired. Purchase receipts and manuals. And they're kept in binders. So when I leave, they stay behind and my kids, or my relatives, know what I left.
And no matter where I live, there are always go-bags, mainly backpacks, that always have basic items, and nowadays some crocheting and soaping absolute needs (that would be a set of hooks and a clipper for the crochet bug; 3oz of castor oil, 3oz of coconut, and several pairs of nitrile gloves for soaping, these aren't easy to get or are fake, or aren't cheap).
I can't always bake bread, but there's always some kind of thread available, and caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) is easy to find usually, and another hard oil like palm, or or canola or cheap olive oil (Bertoli comes to mind) is also available.
All a bit obsessive. I know. But it's the only way I find to not leave my mind behind.  🫣


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## Mobjack Bay (Aug 23, 2022)

Iluminameluna said:


> And no matter where I live, there are always go-bags, mainly backpacks, that always have basic items, and nowadays some crocheting and soaping absolute needs (that would be a set of hooks and a clipper for the crochet bug; 3oz of castor oil, 3oz of coconut, and several pairs of nitrile gloves for soaping, these aren't easy to get or are fake, or aren't cheap).


I still haven’t learned this trick.  After many years of traveling, you can still find me frantically looking for my toiletries the night before I have to leave.  You make it sound so easy.  Thanks for the tip


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## Iluminameluna (Aug 24, 2022)

Mobjack Bay said:


> You make it sound so easy. Thanks for the tip


Visit your local thrift stores!  No joke. I just found A Dell genuine leather soft briefcase with a cross-over removable strap, capable of carrying 2 laptops in one outside console, and enough room in the center one for at least 2 1" binders if I were so inclined. Not that I would, I couldn't carry that much weight, but it's roomy enough for that much volume in YARN. Plus the stationery section zips down completely, which means I can arrange all my hooks in it and just crochet to my heart's content with everything at my fingertips. And then it just zips right back up as if it was a laptop. And this magic bag only cost me $7. Lots of wonderful goodies await, for pennies on the dollar. And you're saving lots of goods from ending up polluting the environment to boot! So, to me, there's no such thing as too much of a good thing,  when it comes to being a good and WISE thrift store consumer!


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