The choicest pieces for myself.

To someone looking at this picture it may look like nothing more than old pieces of paper and envelopes. Guess what? It is! This is what I like to recycle. I am constantly saving bits and pieces of paper to be used "one of these days" on a card project. I am lucky enough to work for a printer so I can get lots of offcuts. Offcuts are the discarded pieces trimmed off of full sized stock sheets that are cut down to press sheets and bits of final trim ends. I can, once in a while, get old stock sample books when the paper companies issue new ones. I get the Christmas card sample books every year too. I save any neat, pretty or unusual looking birthday, anniversary, thank you or note cards given to me during the course of a year, along with any reusable coloured envelopes. I keep junk mail that looks like a possible candidate for reuse. For Christmas this year my family got me a "Sizzix" die cutting system. I am very excited about it. I have bought a few more dies to use with the system and am collecting different stock odds and ends to create 3D images and die cuts for future projects.
I also save bits and pieces of ribbons, wool, buttons, lace, stickers, labels, tags, pictures from magazines, postcards, photos and anything else that I happen to look at and think "hmmmm, I bet I could use that for........"
Up in the corner of the bedroom I have a box or two or ten, of neat recycled stuff for my one-of-these-days projects. Some day I hope to have my own permanent "craft working counter" somewhere in the house that can be left up full time without having to be moved when the family gets together and the dining room table is needed. for a meal or game of cards or Scrabble. It will have really good lighting, electrical plugs close at hand, a good cutting mat, an enlarger and light box, and an area for my computer and printer. I want a lot drawers, with clear see-through fronts,to hold my special bits and pieces of recycled and new treasures. It will also have shelves along the top and bottom of the counter to hold all the stuff required to do my crafts. Sigh......one can only dream. Regardless of whether this dream ever comes to be or not I will continue to recycle. The boring newspapers, plastic jugs, jars and bottles and the tin cans will be given to the regional recycling program. I'll keep the choicest pieces for myself.

By the way, this weeks "This Is..." theme was suggested by three buttons' mum.