Mr. Credit Card is getting plenty of exercise
July 1, 2007 at 7:03 On Saturday, I spent three hours in Target—and never even made it past the health and beauty, clothing, and office supply sections. At 11:30 a.m. the very patient men in my entourage could be put off no longer, and E-Grrrl and I were reluctantly drawn out of the store without ever trying on shoes or looking at CDs.
I bought some lip gloss, my favorite eye shadow, and several makeup brushes that were on my list. (Middle age is making me a high-maintenance woman). I tried on piles and piles of clothes. There’s nothing like re-stocking your closet with $9 t-shirts, $15 tops, and $22 capri pants.
For my European readers, Target is the leader in discount fashion in America. They’re kind of like H & M in Europe, only they offer more than clothing—they have housewares, electronics, furniture, office supplies, food, books, accessories, shoes. Wal-Mart offers the same categories but the products lack the style and design advantage of Target. Target gets top designers to create exclusive lines for them, and everything they sell is just a little nicer, cooler, and more fashion-forward than their low-price competitors.
We picked up some practical items, bought E-Grrrl some sundresses, and the guys a few t-shirts and then had lunch. E-Grrrl and I were then dropped off at craft mecca: Michael’s and its corporate sister, Recollections. We spent two and a half hours checking out all the art supplies and tools.
My big obsession in the craft stores was the decorative paper. That’s what I spent most of my money on. A sheet of 12 x 12 decorative scrapbooking paper costs 59 cents in America and about a $1.20 in Belgium—a good reason to stock up.
I also browsed through dozens of paper craft books before purchasing one. Others will go on my wish list (like the Urban Diva scrapbooking guide), along with the Tim Holtz collage technique videos, and some high-end supplies. I did pick up three different sizes of circle punches, one rubber stamp, some distressing ink, a few travel-theme embellishments, paper storage boxes, and a selection of ribbon, decorative tape, brush markers and high-quality art pencils in muted earth tone palettes. Y’all have no idea how hard it is to find the perfect shade of brown, gold, or green. Really. A Grrrl can’t have too many earthtones to blend.
Of course, after all that time shopping with my creative Muse on my shoulder, I’m twitching about not being able to work on any projects until I return home. I keep taking my purchases out of the bags and boxes and admiring them, thinking of how much I can’t wait to jump in and use them.
The rest of the day was spent getting the laptop repaired so that V-Grrrl Mission Control could get on with posting. Between Target, Michael’s, and computer repair, we spent a small fortune our first full day here. Nothing like stimulating the home economy. : )
July 1, 2007
Reader Comments (4)
Now, instead of thinking how you can't use your new art supplies just yet... think of the ten extra suitcases and the steamer trunk you will need to get it all back. Excess luggage fees anyone?
Seriously, I am impressed that you have done all that and still had time to blog. Happy continued shopping!