The calendar has officially flipped into Summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, and while where I live the Weather Gods are having a laugh at our attempts to wear only shorts and flip flops, there is definitely a more relaxed feeling in the air. A feeling of more time to spend on our hobbies. Like Scrapbooking!
Our membership group is gearing up for Reunion in Portland Oregon. A three day crop surrounded by (mostly) ladies, away from household obligations, kids and husbands, is just what this over-extended crafter needs!
Can’t wait to see these faces again. Or at least … most of them!
But scrapbooking away from your desk and/or craft room does raise some issues.
The number one issue? What to take?!
I turned to the Creative Team for their top tips and boy did they deliver!
Today, let’s take a look at ideas of what to pack, how to pack, and how to plan projects to work on at your crop, whether it is local and you can take more in your car, or far away which means packing everything into a suitcase. Our team has done it all and is sharing their experiences with you in the hopes of making your next crop more enjoyable and productive.
Packing Tips for Local Crops
1. Give Yourself Options
"The crops I attend are usually close to home so I don’t have to limit my supplies, but I do, otherwise I would be overwhelmed. (The one exception is when we go to Florida for 3 months in the winter - more on that below).
If it’s close to home I make page kits that include photos and even stamps, normally 30-40 kits. Since I’m at least a year behind I will also take my in progress December Daily to work on. If I’m working on a trip album, I will include that too. I feel this gives me plenty to do, even at a weekend crop, because let’s face it, I do socialize a lot! Honestly if I complete 10-15 layouts over a weekend, it’s a miracle. I limit my tool selection, besides the obvious such as a paper trimmer, adhesive, scissors, rulers. I do take a mini die cutter and generic dies like, tags, circles, sprigs, and a few of my favorite flower dies. I also include my collection of Vicki Boutin flower stamps. "
I love the idea of taking page kits! It is my plan to do this when I pack up for Portland. With my current album and layout reorganization in progress, I am identifying the gaps in my albums and these are the stories I want to focus on telling at Reunion.
When I went to Charlotte I took a ton of photos and supplies to scrapbook about my daughter’s High School Graduation that had just happened. It was an amazing experience to be “forced” into only telling a certain set of stories because of the supplies I’d brought. I made so many pages that I feel that part of her story is mostly told now. Weird how limiting yourself actually frees yourself!
To see all the layouts I made in Charlotte head over to my Instagram and watch this reel.
2. Have it All in One Place
"One of the biggest things I do for scrapping on the go is to keep a bin with a duplicate of basic supplies like scissors, liquid glue, tape runner, piercing tool, pens & pencils etc. These things are fairly inexpensive and it saves me tons of time packing all these little things. The next thing I do is keep a list of other things to pack. I have some must-haves on the list, some maybe items and a few optional items. That list means I don't have to think about it all in the packing moment. Finally, as for projects I take a few layout kits, basics like neutral cardstock and my story binder (a binder of printed photos + notes of stories I want to tell.) This makes it easy for me to just dump things in a bag and head out."
I love this idea of a ‘ready to go’ bin, and her lists! Swoon! Misty definitely has the organizational chops I aspire to. I feel like I need a weekend workshop in her craft room. Maybe that way I can actually soak up all her wise ways!
3. Know Your Style
"Packing for crops can feel daunting, but knowing your style and thinking about what you'll realistically get accomplished is key. When I attend crops I'm most definitely there for the social experience, so I know I won't likely get that much done. And, I'm okay with that! I also have trouble physically carrying huge, and heavy, loads of stuff so I only take what I can manage. Regardless of if I'm attending a crop close to home or farther away, I pack pretty much the same. I have a pink roller bag I've had for ages that I put my stuff in. If needed, I add a few other items into a tote (made out of Tim Holtz fabric, that my mom made for me!!) that I can set on top of the roller bag for easy maneuverability.
Inside my roller bag I generally pack collections that have a number of matching elements all ready to go (such as coordinating paper and ephemera). Near the back I stash some basic black & white cardstock - both 12x12 & 8.5x11 - for pages, photo mats, or card bases. Sometimes I'll throw in some metallic cardstock too, if I'm feeling fancy. As for my essential tools (like scissors, pens, tweezers, glue, photo splits, etc), I have a teensy square 31 'tote' everything fits in. It slips into the bottom of my roller bag and, when I get to the crop and unload those items, this little bag serves as my tabletop garbage! I have a mini score board & glass mat I can usually fit inside my bag too, if necessary, and my trimmer sits on top before I zip things up. I rarely mess with inks, dies, cutting machines, or even photos - it's usually not worth it to take those things for such a short time. In the outside pockets of the bag I stash a few other randoms such as my stapler, hole punch, glassine bags, baby wipes, coaster, and gems (because I can't live without my bling)!Whenever I attend crops my crafty peeps are always amazed at how little I have. Yet, I always seem to have enough to keep me busy all weekend. My best advice for heading to a crop is always, "pack your bag with paper/kits & "stuff" and then take out half!! You'll never finish the amount you expect."
Knowing Lindsy’s scrappy style as I do now, I find it hard to imagine how she only brings one bag to a crop! But I guess what I said above about my experience limiting my supplies applies here too. If you know you tend to socialize more than scrap (cough, cough, Alice!) then it makes sense to only bring enough supplies for a few pages or cards. Not your entire craft room.
4. Less is More
"Less is more! I use to bring tons of supplies "just in case". I would spend more time packing and unpacking, decision fatigue set in and I became overwhelmed.
Page kits are the answer for me. I put together supplies for 1-2 layouts in 12x12 sleeves. My base kits contain 3-5 sheets of paper, cardstock, alphas, embellishments and of course enamel dots. I take my Epson Picturemate along and print photos as I need them. Having said all this, I give myself permission not to finish a layout at a crop. I tuck everything into my sleeve, add a post-it note listing what I need, and finish at home. I tend to come in "hot" at a crop. I get a lot done the first day and a half. I simmer down mid-way through the weekend and take time to chat and see what everyone is working on. I just love the buzz in a room full of creative energy"
I love that each of our Creative Team members has a different system that works for how they scrapbook. Misty is highly organized with lists and pre-packed bags. Lindsy knows she’s going to be social so limits her supplies to take the pressure off. Claire doesn’t want to spend her entire weekend packing and unpacking so she also limits her supplies and takes the time to organize page kits ahead of time. Laurie brings page kits too but she knows she needs options so she brings a lot of page kits plus other projects that are ‘in progress’.
How does your style stack up?
For me, I fall somewhere in between Lindsy and Laurie. I don’t want to be “bothered” hauling the entire contents of my craft room with me so I bring a curated kit of supplies. But I tend to be able to put my head down and knock out page after page, so I need a lot of options for projects or pages. That’s not to say I’m not social too, but when I sit down to work on a layout, I want to get it done so that’s where I focus.
Packing for an Away Crop
Want to see how I packed for Charlotte last year? Keeping in mind I also was helping Alice and had supplies for our Mini Album make and take, I packed the following:
– One container with my papers, photos, memorabilia, and embellishments for my personal scrapbooking.
– One container full of all the items needed for the mini album make and take plus some swag bag items I was contributing to the cause.
– One pouch full of tools like scissors, liquid glue, tape runner, pens, tweezers, baby wipes, and other odds and ends.
– Another bag with ink cubes and blending brushes (plus probably other items I’ve forgotten about now).
– My large 12″ Trimmer
– My Altenew Stamp Wheel
I was flying so there wasn’t a lot of room left in my suitcase for clothes! LOL
I am a habitual over packer and there were definitely items I packed that I didn’t use, as well as items I wished I’d packed but had to make do without. This year I am driving to Portland so have my entire car to fill!
Not really, but here’s what I will be bringing this year that I didn’t bring last year:
– My Big Shot (debating if I should bring my manual Big Shot or my electric one …) plus basic shapes of dies, and some embossing folders
– My Selphy printer plus paper and ink so I can print and scrapbook about Reunion or print photos I’ve forgotten to print ahead of time
– An album that I am working on so I can put my layouts away immediately (what?!)
– My Distress Oxide inks and ink blender head binder (yes I have an ink blender head for each colour and I store them in a 6×8″ binder – sometimes I am highly organized! LOL)
I am also doing a Make and Take so will have all those supplies with me.
Maybe I need a roof rack? LOL
Planning for an Extended Stay
At the top of this post we heard from Laurie who had great tips for what she packs for a local crop. But she also spends three months of the year in Florida and here’s what she had to say about how she approaches packing for that.
"Now, when I pack for Florida I pack half my scrap room! Not really, but it seems like it. I usually include paper collections, not page kits, cardstock, Thickers, a lot more stamps and dies, some printed photos, my SELPHY printer, and my Sizzix die cutter."
Looking at Laurie’s photo, I must admit that this is how I’m tempted to pack my car for Portland!
So where do you fall? Can all your crop supplies fit in one rolling tote like Lindsy, or do you need a small U-Haul? Please let us know in the comments and if you’re curious how I actually pack, be sure to follow my Instagram @knotjustyarn_ladner as I’ll be sharing the whole journey in my stories.
Next month we are going to be sharing how we Scrapbook On Holiday. Until then, Happy Scrapping where ever you are, and if you interested in joining us at our next Family Reunion, become a ScrapHappy Member today.
