Compulsion in the "Magical World of Wonder"

Hello again faithful readers (hi mom!) I have been waiting to update all of you on the "thank you note" post and I am proud to say that I have just finished the last one! wow talk about a load off my back! Now I can focus on other things like knitting, painting, and writing about myself! yay!!




Friday I set out to become creatively inspired. Having had surgery on my right arm in May I have been unable to drive myself anywhere. I was beginning to feel like those caged tigers at the zoo, pacing back and forth, eyeing toddlers, and licking their lips. I HAD to get out of the house and look at stuff! I finally was able to drive and could barely sleep Thursday for the excitement of going to my favorite fabric stores and hunting for deals! I am the kind of person who loves digging through bins of knick-knacks to find the perfect (insert item) for that perfect (insert place/project). If it is on clearance I will find it! Coupons are like magic to me, and "sale" is one of my favorite words. Generally this ends up being to my advantage and I can keep a thrifty household, but on occasion, my hunt for sales can mix with a complulsive mindset to become a dangerous cocktail of mania fueled shopping.......this is what happened Friday. I started out at the local chain craft store which shall remain nameless (they aren't paying me to advertise). I found amazing clearance fabric, yarn and ribbons, picked up some notions and a magazine and before I knew it I had racked up quite a haul in my shopping cart. Feeling slightly guilty but justified with my purchases I picked up a American-sized diet coke and drove on to my "Magical World of Wonder" or what is typically called Textile Fabrics. I have been in this store several times since I have moved here to Nashville, but never unsupervised, and with every fabric in the store being 50% off, I don't know how I didn't smell disaster coming. I felt like a kid in Willie Wonka's factory, walking up and down the aisles touching everything, becoming more and more hyper without realizing I was doomed for a creative overdose. I started shopping in the clearance section, feeling very smart about my choices checking labels and visioning what the pieces of textile would become, by the time I got to the children's prints I was teetering on the edge, and once I spotted the batiks it was all over. I began pulling bolts of fabric left and right, mania taking over the budgeted center of my brain. When I had finally exhausted myself, I returned to the cutting counter to check out with my treasures. When the sweet lady behind the counter began ringing everything up I started to come out of my stupor, and when she announced the total, my palms were beginning to sweat. "Oh man, my husband is not gonna like this", I started to say. The lady behind the counter (Lets call her my enabler) was quick to reply with, "Come on it is a great deal, just tell him it is like Costco, buy more now, save more later!" With her reassurance pushing me back into creative oblivion, I happily handed over my plastic. signed my X, and lugged my giant bag of fabric to the car. While driving towards home reality slowly began seeping into my brain and I again became worried about the money I spent and Mr. Mc's opinion of my whole compulsive day. I called him at work and blurted out,

"HiHoneyOMGIamSoSOHappyIjustgotthemostGORGEOUSfabricAnditisAMAZINGandIamsoexcited!"

I can only image what he was thinking with this manic out burst and after a few questions, my intuitive husband figured out that I had broken our spending rule. You see we have a rule where if we are going to spend over a certain amount we talk to the other person. (This is a great rule for those of you who are like me and occassionaly have spending outbursts) Being the loving hubby that he is he said that we would talk about it later (since he was at work) and with this, all the consequences of what I had done came down on me. I had a healthy reality moment, called my mom in typical drama queen style, cried, and finally, like a big girl, went back to the local craft store and returned the non-escentials that could be returned. On my drive home I reflected on my diet-coke fueled spree with an adult perspective. This story has a happy ending, Mr. Mc is SO understanding, I have AMAZING fabric to make BEAUTIFUL things with, and I have learned my lesson in a short amount of time which wasn't all that aweful. Now I know that if I am going to enter a fabric store unsupervised, I CANNOT have any plastic, only cash.........also, don't shop in your favorite stores with sales while drinking gallons of caffeine and no sleep.