Many years ago I went through a stage where I stopped all magazine subscriptions. I would occasionally buy an art magazine – stamping, beading, creating – but decided that the magazines themselves would not be coming to my house. The environmentalist in me won out until I started qualifying for free magazines of different types. I would get those that would inspire me.
Early in my adult life, I was also a holiday magazine junky. Every holiday magazine I would see out on a stand was in my hands, in my shopping cart. As you may know, this will make for a lot of clutter at a time when clutter is not what is needed. At the urging of a dear friend and her Christmas Countdown, I began a tear file. I kept the holiday ideas that were truly doable for me. I kept the recipes I might actually make. I kept the crafts and ideas for gifts that may actually be something I would do or give. And there began my tear file addiction.
I now subscribe to several magazines. I also get alumni magazines from the colleges my children attend and have attended plus the university I attended. I always find a few things that I like so I spend my evenings reading articles and looking at menus. I, then, start tearing. I have about seven files – eight to ten around the holidays – and some articles go in these files. I tear out clothing I like. I tear out articles about people that I find interesting. I tear out ads that have URLs in them and I want to investigate further. I tear out color that I want to use to create. I love to tear!!!!