what's in a name?

Or, why is this blog called "Use the loot"?

One of the many things I love about my husband is his awesome ability to see my flaws (or, to be kind, my quirks), and love me anyway. And I'm ever so grateful that he puts up with my garage sale and thrift store addictions, and tolerates my ever-increasing stash of "stuff". Heck, he even builds me bookshelves to hold it! But the very best is when he lovingly makes fun of my excitement when I score a great deal... He pretends like I'm a dragon sitting on my hoard of treasures, just gloating over all the loot I've accumulated. He makes this cute "pppttt... pppttt..." sound, and caresses the air with his fingers like he's playing with piles of gold coins. It totally cracks me up, because it's so close to the truth! I do love to admire my stash and pet all my pretty fabrics... ahem.

But, I also love to MAKE stuff. Now, I'm no artist, and I know it. I like to make useful (but still attractive) things. And for some reason, I get a real kick out of limiting myself (as much as possible) to using the things I find at yard sales and thrift stores. Maybe it's the thrill of "making something out of nothing", or the challenge of making something really cool from only what's on hand. Or maybe it's just the most frugal way to scratch my crafty itch, I don't know. Whatever it is, it's me, and I'm rolling with it.

In the past year or so, since we moved to Seattle and settled into our "forever" house, I've gone a little crazy with accumulating supplies. So far, I've done a lot more collecting than crafting! It was fun while it lasted, but now I'm itching to get busy making stuff. I asked the husband for help naming this blog, and he suggested all sorts of funny things having to do with dragons and hoards and so forth. But I kept protesting - it's not about THE STUFF, it's about USING THE STUFF!! I have so many ideas for cool projects, and big goals for making all my gifts and for donating to good causes too. So, that's my plan - Use The Loot! Yes, it's a rush to bag the loot, and I'll share those adventures too. But I hope blogging about it will help keep me on track for actually creating as much as I collect. Wish me luck!