Stashing Syndrome and Reverse Digital Scrapping

I was reading a post by Michelle at Scrapability about scrap bookers and their eternal compulsion to buy more scrapping stuff. As she noted, there's a similar phenomenon with any crafty hobby, and I think it also applies even to graphics software hobbyists who don't digital scrapbook. There's all those plugins, brushes, styles, patterns, and more — free for the downloading — and we want to collect it all! Come on, confess… how many of you have actually used more than 2% of all that stuff you've downloaded? Her post goes on to suggest a sort of therapy for those of us afflicted with this stashing syndrome.

"Instead of starting off with a photograph and trying to find digistuff to match and inspire, I’m going to start off with the kits, and create pages all to themselves. To heck with scrapbooking, let’s just play with the stash! Then I’ll later slot in an appropriate photo or two. In fact, the Reverse Digi Scrapping technique - prepreparing photo-less layouts - might actually help me with my other problem…" [Reverse Digital Scrapping, and Stash]

Great idea! Could be a fun exercise even for those of us who aren't digital scrapbookers. So if you've got a download stash, dig it out, start playing, and see what you come up with. You can show us your results in the discussion forum.

Poll: How much do you use the graphics software goodies you've downloaded? (Click a link to vote)
1) I use it quite often.
2) I use it sometimes.
3) I doodle with it right away and then forget about it.
4) I rarely use it but love to collect it.
[See Current Results]

Also see:
• Digital Scrapbooking Kits and More
• Free Graphics Software Downloads