(28) catalogs
A while back, I ordered some of these as part of an ongoing attempt to hang a series of tablets in my hall without frames (don't ask about The Great Corkboard Fiasco of Summer 2011), and ever since, I've been getting their product catalogs. I've gotten to the point where I both rejoice and despair when a new one arrives, because there's so much fabulous stuff in them. It takes me days to get through a catalog, reading every page and imagining all the amazing things I could do to my house if only I had an unlimited budget (and, in a lot of cases, a significantly higher DIY ability score -- frex, my current obsession is this rolling cart).
Good catalogs, and even some bad ones (like OMG the home decor catalog half of which looked as though it were designed by and for eight-year-olds with princess complexes), do that to me. They fire my imagination and become launching pads for new projects and inspirations. And I think we can all agree that I'm no technophobic curmudgeon, but browsing online just isn't the same; it's not as satisfyingly organized and linear, and even searching for a thing in multiple ways won't always lead you to a thing you want. With catalogs, it's all right there at your fingertips, printed in full color on environmentally unsound (would the opposite of a green thing be a red thing?) coated paper.
It's a good time of year for catalogs, and I guess if I haven't outgrown the thrill of seeing a new one in my mailbox when I get home from work, I'm never going to.
Good catalogs, and even some bad ones (like OMG the home decor catalog half of which looked as though it were designed by and for eight-year-olds with princess complexes), do that to me. They fire my imagination and become launching pads for new projects and inspirations. And I think we can all agree that I'm no technophobic curmudgeon, but browsing online just isn't the same; it's not as satisfyingly organized and linear, and even searching for a thing in multiple ways won't always lead you to a thing you want. With catalogs, it's all right there at your fingertips, printed in full color on environmentally unsound (would the opposite of a green thing be a red thing?) coated paper.
It's a good time of year for catalogs, and I guess if I haven't outgrown the thrill of seeing a new one in my mailbox when I get home from work, I'm never going to.