Friday, December 14, 2007

Stickers


I should be outlining the book-after-the-present-one, but I have to sound off about stickers. They are driving me crazy. 

I'm talking about those free stickers organizations send in the mail.  I can handle the return address stickers--they come from the Humane Society, from Easter Seals, from Cancer Research Funds, etc., and I use them.  Trouble is, I get so many of them that I end up pre-sticking blank envelopes in my drawers because I can't stand to throw a good sticker away. 

Long ago I bought some really cute address stickers--nice font, nice ink, nice design--but I never use them because something in my frugal nature INSISTS that I use up the free stickers first.  So just as I near the end of my free sticker stash, here comes another load in the mail.  

The return address stickers are bad enough, but lately I've been getting OTHER free stickers--stickers with cute Christmassy things on them, and postage stamp-sized stickers of roses and angels and Christmas ornaments.  Because I can't stand to throw them away (wasteful!), I've been sticking them on the back of envelopes, but I always feel like I should be the sort of person who crochets toilet-paper roll covers when I do it.  It looks  . . . more quaint than professional.  Still, heaven forbid that I toss out a perfectly good sheet of stickers. 

I have this tablet of paper on my desk--a big tablet, and I use it to scribble notes on during the week.  Every Monday, I rip off the top sheet and start a new page for the new week. 

Well, preprinted on this tablet is a little square. The other day I noticed that the little square seemed to be tailor-made, indeed, crying out for a sticker. So I murdered the better part of an hour sticking rose stickers on each little square on each page in my tablet.  Now I can't write smoothly on my tablet, because the stickered corners are about half an inch taller than the rest of my writing surface. 

I've taken to slapping those cute "Have a happy new year!" and "Hope You Feel Better" and "Thank You" stickers on my Netflix return envelopes.  And of course, those ALWAYS get a return address sticker.  Can't pass up an opportunity to plant a sticker in a preprinted corner. 

Is it just me, or does anyone else suffer from impulsive sticker-itis?  Recently I signed up for the do-not-send-me-preapproved-credit card applications list. If there's a  "do not send stickers" list, I need my name on it, fast! 

~~Angie

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Angie, have you thought of donating the stickers to the sunday school classes...or even better the Children's Hospital in the kids ward? They're always fun and what kid doesn't like stickers? As for the Do-not-send-approved credit card list,would you happen to know the address? I NEED that one!!
PS. Post-it notes along with Sharpies are my biggest guilty pleasure. When they came out with the package of rainbow colors...and then the extra wide tip I thought I was going to forever lose myself in excitement. That said, Office Depot is my toy store.LOL

Megan DiMaria said...

Hmm. I'm thankful that's not one of my afflictions. But thanks for the chuckle.

A prisoner of hope,
Megan

Anonymous said...

I pile the stickers in a drawer and give them as pre-Christmas gifts to assorted small children. There's kids at Sunday school and regular school, neighborhood kids, and the give-a-gift-of-yourself kids I sponsor through Social Services. I can never have too many stickers, with all those outlets!

Diane Meyer said...

I need MORE stickers, dadgum it! Is there a list to get MORE??
Too funny.
Diane

Kathy Cassel said...

I accumulated a ton of free return address labels but almost all of them say "ms." and that annoys me. I got fed up just last week and threw the whole pile out!

Anonymous said...

i feel the same way you do, angela, when it comes to not throwing the address labels away. i would buy some really nice ones, but with all of the free ones...
and my other stickers go to my neighbor's grandchildren. they love them!

Suzanne said...

You need to scrapbook! Then you'll always have something to do with stickers ;)

Deborah Raney said...

I LOVE those free stickers that come in the mail. I'm sure it's because my dad used to present us kids with the Easter Seals stamps as if they were something very special. We loved playing with them. But recently my sticker drawer has been filling to overflowing, so I packed up a bunch of them and gave them to my oldest daughter who's a 5th grade teacher. She has a prize box in her room and stickers are a big hit.

And 'amen' to what Kathy said about the Ms. stickers! And I don't like the Mrs. ones either because technically, according to the etiquette sages, Mrs. Deborah indicates that I'm divorced, which seems like an insult to my very-much-married-to-me dh. ; )

Anonymous said...

Hoo-boy, Angie - looks like you struck a nerve here!!! Having handled all of my late Mother's ongoing bills as well as my own, and because we donate to many non-profits, we get gazillion calendars, stickers, note pads, greeting cards, etc. etc. etc. It has become a minor problem. Long story short, ANYTHING that can be used by others, I put in a little gift bag and take to the local home for recovering female addicts. This also goes for used, daily devotional books, and old Guideposts, Angels and home magazines. Also, all other gifts that you have not requested, cannot use, but do not want to throw out. I take a trip over there at least once a month (more, right now) and they are always very thankful. However, I have never taken the address labels, since, well, because, they are like PERSONAL!!! They do get tossed, since many of them have the wrong spelling of my name anyway, and even worse, most usually call me MR. Clyde Osterhaus Thayer. Imagine the nerve!!! Tee-hee! Clyde

Holly said...

How very "Monk-like" of you :) I love idiosyncrasies!! I married one and am one.

I have no problem throwing them away. I don't ever send money for them...which is rotten, I know. But there are so many places to give. And I like to choose and initiate our giving, not be guilted into it.

I just finished "Doesn't She Look Natural." I loved it and am looking forward to the next installment! It was a book, like Mitford, where you begin to fall in love with the characters.

Blessings on you!
Holly

Kathy Cassel said...

Hey Angie--

I just did a quiz to find out which of Santa's reindeer I am. King of cute. I'm Rudolph. I always get the nicey nice ones. I need more of a wild streak. Check it out http://casselcrew.blogspot.com/
Maybe you'll walk on the wild side!

Kay Day said...

What are you working on now? And what is next? Is it a secret?