I am Ellen B and I am an ebayolic

Once upon a time I needed a few charms for a dangle.  Reader WARNING: if you are not a scrapper there is no way to explain (even with flow charts) why we must have a few random charms dangling from a mini album, preferably on a Tim Holtz chain. Please, just accept the fact that it completes the entire album. A mini without a charm dangle would be like going to a fancy restaurant without your shoes. Trust me, people notice.

Now, I’m not going to claim to be in the category of Columbus or Lewis & Clark but (she said blushing) I have made a major discovery that I would like to share – it’s my version of charm heaven. It comes from a far away land and it usually arrives in a small yellow padded envelope. The place is Tibet and according to one of the sites, the charms are mainly made by “women with skill”. Tibetan Silver Charms are very detailed, and come in all sizes and shapes. When I say “all” I mean it! Ebay has over 90,000 auctions of Tibetan charms available at this very moment, and I double dare you to not go to Ebay and check them out – even if you aren’t a scrapper.

The art of buying charms is really a philosophical exercise. One must ask themselves, “Do I really need 10 radish charms?” Yes, they are adorable but I don’t often eat radishes, have no plans to make a vegetable mini, but at $.99 and free shipping, how can I not click the commit to buy button? And that motorcycle charm…I once dated a guy who drove a Harley (see 30 random  #6), so for old times sake, I should buy them. Besides, they take up so little space. And then, what about the 30 sun charms that were so tiny I needed a telescope to see the face?  For just $.99, how could I pass them up?

I’ve been saving the best for last - my favorite charm of all time. Hands down it would have to be the Eiffel Tower, which I have in silver, gold and brass. Do I use them? No. Why not, you ask? Because I might need them one day and then, I’d have to reorder and wait 6 weeks for my order to arrive.

So I stash. Definition of a scrapper – a creative person who stashes goodies for safekeeping or future use. Like the 30 gold squirrel charms I have stashed away for the winter. Now, if only I could find some Tibetan acorn charms to feed them in case they get hungry.

Besides charm dangles on mini albums I make bookmarks for folks who don’t have a Kindle, like my husband.  For Tony, I made a bookmark filled with stars, because that is what I see when he kisses me! Are you an ebayolic?