Ever attend a weekend retreat or a weekend crop? If not, you must! They are fabulous. I just got home from one hosted by an amazing scrapbook store in Butler, PA which is just outside of Pittsburgh.
The Scrapbook Super Station is really one of the largest scrapbook stores I've ever been to. She carries so much more than just paper and cardstock. She has lots of embellishments, inks, stamps, mixed media (squeal!), altered are item, lots of Tim Holtz, and so much more.
This week there will be tons of pics and info about what I completed. Inky Hot Mess is introducing something called Glam Veneers this week. They're pretty sweet. I'm sure you will love them as much as we do! There were tons of questions about them at the retreat.
I will show what to do with photos that aren't printed in true 4x6. Oops! Did you know digital pics are actually 4x5.33? Yeah, I printed these pics loooooong before I started pocket scrapbooking. Imagine my surprise and annoyance. But it all worked out and the layouts are pretty jazzy if I do say so myself.
You'll also see what the girl who dislikes journaling does with her journaling. Yeah, back in the olden days before electricity and running water when I did traditional scrapbooking, I never journaled. Absolutely hated it. I sucked at keeping track of date also.....hello they are on digital photos so how hard was it to write it or stamp it? Apparently, it was too challenging for me. :)
This girl previously hated alpha stickers. Save your tomatoes....you'll need them for the salad you'll be eating tonight while you check out my posts. I used bunches of them. You'll get to see what happens when they collide with ink and what I do what I can't get them to sit perfectly on a card. No point in having a nervous breakdown over a letter....especially since the trash was sitting just 8 inches away.
Come back soon for lots of info and goodies! You'll be happy you did! Come back even if you don't pocket scrapbook. You'll love all the info and pics. This stuff will work for anyone who has ever taken a photo!
Showing posts with label Crops. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crops. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Thursday, September 18, 2014
croppin' on the keuka
we still have seats available for croppin' on the keuka! the crop is this saturday. it begins at 10 am and ends at 7 pm. we have included lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, dessert, beverages, goodie bags, door prizes, and raffles in the registration fee. the registration fee is $45 and inky hot mess is donating $10 from each registration fee to the humane society of yates county!
for lunch we are having deli sandwiches, cole slaw, and macaroni salad. the afternoon snack will be chips and dips. our dinner is a hot dinner. we will be having baked ziti, meatballs, sausage, italian zucchini, garden salad with your choice of dressing, and italian bread with butter. we are offering a chocolate bar for dessert. bottled water, coca~cola, sprite, diet coke, and iced tea are the beverages available.
a special note....inky hot mess believes in our community and the people who call the finger lakes home. just about all of the produce is grown here in the finger lakes. we purchase it directly form local farms. there are a few items we are not able to get locally.....if we find them we will in the future! the sausage and meat used in our meatballs are also raised locally and purchased from bostrom farms.
the crop is all indoors. the building sits just off of the coast of keuka lake. the view is absolutely stunning!
please contact us if you would like to attend! we would love to have you!
for lunch we are having deli sandwiches, cole slaw, and macaroni salad. the afternoon snack will be chips and dips. our dinner is a hot dinner. we will be having baked ziti, meatballs, sausage, italian zucchini, garden salad with your choice of dressing, and italian bread with butter. we are offering a chocolate bar for dessert. bottled water, coca~cola, sprite, diet coke, and iced tea are the beverages available.
a special note....inky hot mess believes in our community and the people who call the finger lakes home. just about all of the produce is grown here in the finger lakes. we purchase it directly form local farms. there are a few items we are not able to get locally.....if we find them we will in the future! the sausage and meat used in our meatballs are also raised locally and purchased from bostrom farms.
the crop is all indoors. the building sits just off of the coast of keuka lake. the view is absolutely stunning!
please contact us if you would like to attend! we would love to have you!
Sunday, September 7, 2014
croppin' on the keuka 2014
croppin' on the keuka 2014 registration is now open!!!
where: keuka lake state park on keuka lake in the finger lakes (we will be in a 100% enclosed shelter and we are cropping rain or shine)
when: saturday, september 20th 10 am until 7 pm
how much: the registration fee for the day is $45. the fee includes a $10 donation to the humane society of yates county. every cropper will receive a goodie bag loaded with lots of goodies. we will have tons of door prizes and raffles as well!
food: all of your meals are included! we have included lunch, an afternoon snack, hot dinner, and dessert. water, soda, and iced tea are also included.
space: each cropper will have half of an eight foot long table. there will be 2 people per table. don't forget that the gorgeous keuka lake is right in front of you and you can stare at it all day long!
electricity: we have very limited electricity in the building. please bring a surge protector and extension cord with you!
registration: contact inky hot mess for the registration form. you must fill this out and either email or mail it to inky hot mess. seating is extremely limited!!! payment is due when you register!
inky store: inky hot mess will be bringing product with us for sale! lots of cardstocks, kits, embellishments, twines, stamps, dies, veneers, glitters, and more!
inky hot mess believes in giving back to our community. all water and soda bottles/cans will be donated to the geneva little league & lassie league. we will be collecting donations for the humane society of yates county. they are in need of paper towels, canned dog and cat food, and scoopable cat litter.
questions: send an email to office@inkyhotmess.com
where: keuka lake state park on keuka lake in the finger lakes (we will be in a 100% enclosed shelter and we are cropping rain or shine)
when: saturday, september 20th 10 am until 7 pm
how much: the registration fee for the day is $45. the fee includes a $10 donation to the humane society of yates county. every cropper will receive a goodie bag loaded with lots of goodies. we will have tons of door prizes and raffles as well!
food: all of your meals are included! we have included lunch, an afternoon snack, hot dinner, and dessert. water, soda, and iced tea are also included.
space: each cropper will have half of an eight foot long table. there will be 2 people per table. don't forget that the gorgeous keuka lake is right in front of you and you can stare at it all day long!
electricity: we have very limited electricity in the building. please bring a surge protector and extension cord with you!
registration: contact inky hot mess for the registration form. you must fill this out and either email or mail it to inky hot mess. seating is extremely limited!!! payment is due when you register!
inky store: inky hot mess will be bringing product with us for sale! lots of cardstocks, kits, embellishments, twines, stamps, dies, veneers, glitters, and more!
inky hot mess believes in giving back to our community. all water and soda bottles/cans will be donated to the geneva little league & lassie league. we will be collecting donations for the humane society of yates county. they are in need of paper towels, canned dog and cat food, and scoopable cat litter.
questions: send an email to office@inkyhotmess.com
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Cha-cha-changes
Whoa. I guess I should blog more often. Google has totally changed Blogger. Let's see how long it takes me to figure out where everything ended up. Good grief nothing is where it used to be. I hope I can find all the bits and pieces.
Well, onto what I originally came on here to post about. So I have a weekend crop this weekend and I have been doing some major organization and serious cleaning of the old studio. Not exactly a great thing to be doing days before a three day crop....or is it?
This cleaning spree has me seriously thinking about what I'm bringing to scrapbook for those three days. I haven't been happy with the amount I've accomplished lately. I figured out why. I haven't been prepping at home!
Prepping at home? Yup, prepping at home. I decided today that I am going to do more work at home. This should help me purchase less at the store also. I won't confess to how much I usually spend at a weekend crop. Yes, triple digits far too often especially since I have to pay for my hotel, about $100 in gas, my meals, a meal to share, and the crop fee. Yes, it is an expensive weekend, but it is lots of fun and I see friends who I live four hours away from.
So normally I just grab a ton of bags of paper. Each bag is a zipper bag filled with one paper kit/pack/stack. They are all sorted and cataloged by theme. I normally grab whatever is in the bin that matches the theme. I can fill a large rolling tote with just these bags of paper. I have been bringing a second rolling tote filled with cardstock. Then I have a bag that holds my completed layouts, a bag that holds my paper trimmer and seat cushion, and a bag which has my photo box, adhesive, scrap-ma-bob (drink holder that screws onto the table), adhesive, and a few other do-dads. Oh and my purse and my 31 soft sided color bag.
This is far too much to drag to my SUV, drag into the crop space, drag back to my SUV, load into my SUV, and drag back into my house. It usually takes me three trips to my vehicle to unload at a crop. This is taking me too much time and my body isn't a fan of picking up what feels like 40 tons of cardstock. So I decided my madness and slacking off at home needs to stop.
Since I have been in cleaning and organizing mode, I decided to start packing today even though I am not traveling until Friday morning. So what am I packing? And how? Well, I have these zipper pouches that fit into a bag and I'm picking out coordinating cardstock for my paper. I'm not packing the whole paper pack. I'm only taking the sheets of paper from the pack that I want to use. This should seriously cut down on my luggage and the weight. I won't need a body builder with me this weekend to hurl my bags about.
I'm also hoping to crop my photos here at home. Lately, I've been doing that at crops as well. I can crop the photos at home while watching tv. With tropical Storm Beryl out there raining on us for the next day, I should have plenty of time. Don't worry. I'm safe from Beryl. I'm very far inland and it's rained on and off today from her. Nothing major is coming to my neck of the woods from her. The dogs certainly aren't thrilled with her visit. They're not fans of water apparently.
Until next time *
Have you organized your work space lately?
Well, onto what I originally came on here to post about. So I have a weekend crop this weekend and I have been doing some major organization and serious cleaning of the old studio. Not exactly a great thing to be doing days before a three day crop....or is it?
This cleaning spree has me seriously thinking about what I'm bringing to scrapbook for those three days. I haven't been happy with the amount I've accomplished lately. I figured out why. I haven't been prepping at home!
Prepping at home? Yup, prepping at home. I decided today that I am going to do more work at home. This should help me purchase less at the store also. I won't confess to how much I usually spend at a weekend crop. Yes, triple digits far too often especially since I have to pay for my hotel, about $100 in gas, my meals, a meal to share, and the crop fee. Yes, it is an expensive weekend, but it is lots of fun and I see friends who I live four hours away from.
So normally I just grab a ton of bags of paper. Each bag is a zipper bag filled with one paper kit/pack/stack. They are all sorted and cataloged by theme. I normally grab whatever is in the bin that matches the theme. I can fill a large rolling tote with just these bags of paper. I have been bringing a second rolling tote filled with cardstock. Then I have a bag that holds my completed layouts, a bag that holds my paper trimmer and seat cushion, and a bag which has my photo box, adhesive, scrap-ma-bob (drink holder that screws onto the table), adhesive, and a few other do-dads. Oh and my purse and my 31 soft sided color bag.
This is far too much to drag to my SUV, drag into the crop space, drag back to my SUV, load into my SUV, and drag back into my house. It usually takes me three trips to my vehicle to unload at a crop. This is taking me too much time and my body isn't a fan of picking up what feels like 40 tons of cardstock. So I decided my madness and slacking off at home needs to stop.
Since I have been in cleaning and organizing mode, I decided to start packing today even though I am not traveling until Friday morning. So what am I packing? And how? Well, I have these zipper pouches that fit into a bag and I'm picking out coordinating cardstock for my paper. I'm not packing the whole paper pack. I'm only taking the sheets of paper from the pack that I want to use. This should seriously cut down on my luggage and the weight. I won't need a body builder with me this weekend to hurl my bags about.
I'm also hoping to crop my photos here at home. Lately, I've been doing that at crops as well. I can crop the photos at home while watching tv. With tropical Storm Beryl out there raining on us for the next day, I should have plenty of time. Don't worry. I'm safe from Beryl. I'm very far inland and it's rained on and off today from her. Nothing major is coming to my neck of the woods from her. The dogs certainly aren't thrilled with her visit. They're not fans of water apparently.
Until next time *
Have you organized your work space lately?
Monday, April 2, 2012
Road Trip Saga
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| welcome packet to crop on the cape 2012 |
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| the home of crop on the cape |
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| a view of the croppers |
With so many cropping days and not returning home between crops, I worked on a major plan for my crop packing. I brought much more than I usually would even dream. I had two rolling totes with me which is huge since I bring my small one to weekend crops.
My plan was to finally finish my birthday trip to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC. That trip happened back in 2011. Nothing like being speedy and up to date with my layouts. :D The other pile of photos was to finish scrapbooking my friend's son's birthday party from last fall. I had started his birthday, but barely put a dent in the pile. Interesting mix of paper I tell you!
Thursday evening we kick off Crop on the Cape! It was such a wonderful time. I had so much fun seeing friends and visiting. Yes, we chat on Facebook, it's just not the same neither are emails. Face to face conversation and hugs truly are the best!
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| melissa brought a typewriter...yup she uses it for all her texting :) |
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| we're such a fun bunch even kermit joined us |
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| the fun cards we made in jenn shurkus' class |
Because of my classes I kind of figured Friday would be a sort of lazy day. I knew I would be leaving the resort to eat lunch and dinner and then we had an ice cream social that evening. I didn't plan on accomplishing much. But I have to tell you I accomplished too much! How can that be? Oh just wait and see. Great, now I sound like Dr. Seuss.
Friday I start going through the birthday photos. I printed 262 and had scrapped maybe 20 or 30 of them. I started to really look at them and see what I really wanted to remember from the birthday party and weed out the photos that were duplicates or of people not looking so attractive. You know the photos with the mouth full of frosting while biting down on a cupcake and someone snaps your photo. That deer in headlights with the mouth open look. Yeah, we didn't need to scrap those. Pretty sure we all want to forget about those. I also try not to scrapbook people's rear ends. Faces truly are better looking.
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| more ladies getting their craft on |
I must have thrown away over 60 photos. That was a lot! Kind of was beginning to wish I went through the photos before I wasted the time and money printing them. Uploading can be such a nightmare. Then I started cropping the photos and was like hmmmmmm this is what's supposed to last me the rest of this weekend and all next weekend? I don't know about this. Well, get scrapbooking and see.
Saturday afternoon panic sets in. OMG! I finished scrapbooking all of the photos I brought with me! Thankfully, I brought my MacBook and I have like a trillion photos on it that haven't been scrapped. Ok a trillion might be a slight exaggeration. A teeny, tiny one. I decided to see what photos I have that need to get out the computer and onto paper.
Sadly, it dawned on me. I've never scrapbooked my first nephew's first birthday! The little man - I can't even call him a little boy anymore - will be five - YES 5 - years old next week! What a terrible aunt I am!
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| this is the table where i scrapped and i've actually been to oak bluffs |
I start searching to see where I can get photos printed and picked up in the morning. Remember, I'm on Cape Cod and not in Winston-Salem. Cape Cod is limited on some things. Thankfully, there's no super centers or other scary things like that on the Cape. It would ruin the beauty of the Cape. So I check out the usual places - Wal-Greens, Wal-Mart, Target, nope not nearby. CVS....hey I've never gotten photos printed there, but they are nearby as in less than a half mile away. Ding ding ding ding we have a winner.
Thankfully, the CVS website didn't take days to upload. I didn't have to fight with it and call it names. Yes, I have had to call some photo printing service websites some names when the uploading just isn't working. If you've printed photos ever, you've probably been there. If you haven't, oh one day you will.
Not only did the upload go smoothly, I found a discount code online! I got 25 photos for free and then they were only 10 cents each. Sweeet! So this crisis wasn't so horrible after all.
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| yes the crop on the cape is practically on the ocean |
One of the beauties of Crop on the Cape is that you can scrapbook 24 hours a day. The ballroom is open to us the entire time. Very few crops can say that. Because of this I decided to stay up late and make a bunch of layouts so I would be all ready to stick my freshly printed photos once I picked them up and cropped them. I did say I planned on staying up late which I was thinking would be like 2 am. Oh no 6 am rolls around and I decide I'm finally tired and I probably should get some sleep. I did need to shower, pack, and check out of our room by 11 am on Sunday. Yup, I just made it by like 15 minutes.
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| who wouldn't want to scrapbook with this view around the corner? |
Then I needed to go to CVS to pick up my prints hot off the presses! The said they would be ready at 11 am. Well, guess what. My photos were printed by 9:38! I wish I had known they were done early. Why? I don't know. I had this crazy idea in my head that I could have gotten them earlier and I could have gotten less sleep as if four hours of sleep really was enough. Oh did I mention that my husband gave me a cold a couple of days before I left South Carolina? A lovely parting gift I tell you!
Cold + No Sleep + Crop on the Cape = Holy Cow! Are You Crazy?
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| save the date |
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| the goodies i won! |
Until next time *
Good times. Good friends. 19 1/2 hours to get there. Priceless!
PS No, I didn't scrap all of the photos I printed at CVS. More to come on that saga soon! Remember, I went to North Carolina the next weekend to scrapbook!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Accomplishments Part 2
Remember yesterday's post? Here it is if you missed it. This post is a Part 2 because it was getting very long. Well, it seemed very long to me and maybe not others. Back to the packing for cropping chat!
Ok back to cropping! I had to get out my two cents about saving digital photos. So maybe it was more like 45 cents. Before you pack, think about what you want to accomplish at the crop. Are you social butterfly and like to chit chat more than crop? Then don't take everything you own with you. Plan a few small projects and pack for those.
If you are someone who spends half the crop shopping, think about that. Is the store close enough where you could spend some time the day or week before shopping? Are you shopping for the project you brought with you? Think about what you really need. Start a list and do all of your shopping at once. This will save you precious time. You won't spend 30 minutes wandering around the store hoping something jumps out and says, "Stick me on your page!" and then another 30 minutes two hours later and so on. I've done this and been incredibly frustrated by how much time I wasted.
Are you the serious cropper? That's me! I go in with a plan and what I MUST accomplish. If I fall short of that, then I get really annoyed with myself. Yup, I have scrappers OCD. Here's an example of my nerdy, OCD self:
I went shopping before a crop which was held at a large store, but I knew that they didn't have what I was looking from since I have been there numerous times. I went through the photos I had with me to scrap, the ones I had just gotten from my sister-in-law of my sweet nephews, and the ones I took on my trip. I knew I was not going to scrap all of the photos I had printed at CVS, but I don't have a scrapbook store anywhere near me. The closest store is about two and a half hours away and it's not a large store.
Unfortunately, I have to do the majority of my shopping online which does have some downfalls. You can't see or touch what your buying. Sometimes I'll order stickers online and when receive them, they are glittered which may be fine sometimes, but I am really not into pink glitter on boys layouts. That's just my thing. I do know a lot of scrappers will use pink, flowers, or glitter on masculine pages. I'm just picky and I know it.
This is the list of what I was looking for:
playground
sandbox
swings
hamsters - zhu zhu pets
legos - with the uncle
ice cream
This piece of paper is well traveled and pretty ratty looking at this point. I did get some papers and embellishments at that store I was shopping at and at the one I was cropping at. One night when I went back to my hotel, I went to my favorite online store - A Cherry On Top (don't worry the link opens in another page so you won't lose your place here - and did a little shopping. The order arrived a day or two after I got home. I had forgotten all about it. It was like Christmas!
I still am hoping for a few more items so I have to search my other favorite places. But here are a few things I found that I am totally in love with!
Ok back to cropping! I had to get out my two cents about saving digital photos. So maybe it was more like 45 cents. Before you pack, think about what you want to accomplish at the crop. Are you social butterfly and like to chit chat more than crop? Then don't take everything you own with you. Plan a few small projects and pack for those.
If you are someone who spends half the crop shopping, think about that. Is the store close enough where you could spend some time the day or week before shopping? Are you shopping for the project you brought with you? Think about what you really need. Start a list and do all of your shopping at once. This will save you precious time. You won't spend 30 minutes wandering around the store hoping something jumps out and says, "Stick me on your page!" and then another 30 minutes two hours later and so on. I've done this and been incredibly frustrated by how much time I wasted.
Are you the serious cropper? That's me! I go in with a plan and what I MUST accomplish. If I fall short of that, then I get really annoyed with myself. Yup, I have scrappers OCD. Here's an example of my nerdy, OCD self:
I went shopping before a crop which was held at a large store, but I knew that they didn't have what I was looking from since I have been there numerous times. I went through the photos I had with me to scrap, the ones I had just gotten from my sister-in-law of my sweet nephews, and the ones I took on my trip. I knew I was not going to scrap all of the photos I had printed at CVS, but I don't have a scrapbook store anywhere near me. The closest store is about two and a half hours away and it's not a large store.
Unfortunately, I have to do the majority of my shopping online which does have some downfalls. You can't see or touch what your buying. Sometimes I'll order stickers online and when receive them, they are glittered which may be fine sometimes, but I am really not into pink glitter on boys layouts. That's just my thing. I do know a lot of scrappers will use pink, flowers, or glitter on masculine pages. I'm just picky and I know it.
This is the list of what I was looking for:
sandbox
swings
hamsters - zhu zhu pets
legos - with the uncle
ice cream
This piece of paper is well traveled and pretty ratty looking at this point. I did get some papers and embellishments at that store I was shopping at and at the one I was cropping at. One night when I went back to my hotel, I went to my favorite online store - A Cherry On Top (don't worry the link opens in another page so you won't lose your place here - and did a little shopping. The order arrived a day or two after I got home. I had forgotten all about it. It was like Christmas!
I still am hoping for a few more items so I have to search my other favorite places. But here are a few things I found that I am totally in love with!
- Playground Kit from Echo Park - it's a 12x12 paper pack with 2 sheets of stickers and 12 sheets of double sided paper. Super cute and works for both boys and girls.
- Lego Brick Stickers from Creative Imaginations - who does love Legos?
- At the Park Stickers from Reminisce - these are super cute a must have for photos from the park!
- Dinosaur Brads from Eyelet Outlet - I have yet to meet a little boy who doesn't love dinosaurs. I will get a lot of use out of these critters.
- Playground Stickers from Sticko which is EK Success - totally perfect for playing in the backyard.
- A Boy's Life Kit from Echo Park - totally perfect for the big boy - not a baby or toddler paper - in your life. Your big boy will be sure to tell you that he's not a little boy. This is made for him!
- Ice Cream Brads from Eyelet Outlet - perfect after stopping for ice cream and snapping a few photos.
I didn't think to take a photo until I put everything away. Yup, I'm a slacker. Ok I promise to do better next time, but you can see the goodies on A Cherry On Top's website plus the other pieces that coordinate and what the prices are if you're interested in a little shopping.
Anyone know where I can find me some paper or nice stickers with a hamster or two? This Zhu Zhu Pet mania has struck my nephews and I must scrap their pets with them!
Until next time *
Make a plan even if your not a planner. You'll feel like your accomplishing something!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
How Much Have You Accomplished While Cropping?
You will notice I have changed my Crop Counts around. What's my Crop Counts? It's where I keep track of how many layouts and photos I scrap at crops. It's located on the left side on the bottom.
It's interesting to see how much I accomplish. I can definitely tell which crops I seriously prepared for. Lately, I haven't been cropping my photos before the crop and that is a HUGE mistake. It's a total time killer at a crop! I spent about an hour a day cropping photos. That's way too much time. This is something I do occasionally while watching tv at night. I need to do that more often.
I've also noticed that instead of matching up my cardstock to my papers before I leave my house I am getting a lot less accomplished. Yes, it takes me about two hours at home, but I pack for about 60-70 layouts this way. I also don't have to drag around the rolling tote full of cardstock and another one full of paper. I felt like He-Man the last to crops. I needed some serious muscle power to left those totes up.
Where am I going with this? I was kind of bummed over my counts until I realized the numbers were dropping like a rock because I was being a slacker. Then while cropping in North Carolina I decided I needed to stop thinking about how many layouts I made.
I have been using anywhere from three to eight photos on a two page spread so why was I so hung up on getting fewer layouts done? When I was scrapping Cape Hatteras, it was all two 4"x6" photos on each page. In my world, it was B-O-R-I-N-G! Now, that works for many people and that's great! We're all different and unique. I would love to figure out how I can crop my ocean and beach photos without them looking like a three year old got a hold of the scissors. If you have any tips, PLEASE share them!
So I started thinking about how many photos I was actually scrapping. And my numbers have really gone up! I may not come home with as many layouts needing to be embellished, but I am working through that mountain of photos that need to be scrapped. That is more important to me.
Here's my challenge to you.....stop thinking about layouts! Instead focus on how many photos are now scrapped, preserved forever, and no longer living in your computer. Watch your photo pile shrink over a weekend. It's very liberating.
Go to a crop with a plan. Figure out ahead of time what you want to scrap and only bring those items with you. Count up your photos when you pack for your crop. Write it down and put it with your photos. Just before you pack up to go home, count up the photos you have left and the photos you scrapped. Remember, every photo doesn't need to be scrapped. It's ok to throw away a printed photo. I do all the time....blurry ones, kid's picking their noses (ummmm I don't need to treasure that moment in time), etc. I also don't need five photos of the exact same thing at the exact same angle so those get pitched as well. Don't panic! You still have the digital copy or the negatives if you're using film.
Whatever you do, do NOT EVER delete the digital image!!!! Save a backup somewhere just in case! I say this because I know someone whose house burned down and she didn't keep backups. She printed and scrapped everything. She was up to date and current with her albums. Man, I wish I knew her secret! But she lost everything when she lost her home. She felt she didn't need to have a backed file of her digital images since everything was scrapped. I am not sure which she felt worse about - losing her house or all of her photos. She beat herself up pretty bad about the photos.
So for this reason alone - if you can't find any other - please keep a copy of your photos on dvds, an external hard drive, a cd, on a cloud (a digital cloud like Me from Apple), etc and keep a copy in a safe deposit box or at a relatives house. That way you will always have your photos no matter what happens in life. Yes, it's more work, but it's work you can walk away from. You can let your photos copy while making dinner, doing dishes or laundry, walking the dog, tucking the kids in bed, taking a shower or a bath, watching American Idol or The Bachelor or whatever fancies you, getting the mail, washing your car (please come was mine when your'e done! :D), dusting (wait, do people really do that?), playing with the kids outside, etc. You don't need to babysit your computer while it does the copying.
Until next time *
Pack light! Your back will thank you!
It's interesting to see how much I accomplish. I can definitely tell which crops I seriously prepared for. Lately, I haven't been cropping my photos before the crop and that is a HUGE mistake. It's a total time killer at a crop! I spent about an hour a day cropping photos. That's way too much time. This is something I do occasionally while watching tv at night. I need to do that more often.
I've also noticed that instead of matching up my cardstock to my papers before I leave my house I am getting a lot less accomplished. Yes, it takes me about two hours at home, but I pack for about 60-70 layouts this way. I also don't have to drag around the rolling tote full of cardstock and another one full of paper. I felt like He-Man the last to crops. I needed some serious muscle power to left those totes up.
Where am I going with this? I was kind of bummed over my counts until I realized the numbers were dropping like a rock because I was being a slacker. Then while cropping in North Carolina I decided I needed to stop thinking about how many layouts I made.
I have been using anywhere from three to eight photos on a two page spread so why was I so hung up on getting fewer layouts done? When I was scrapping Cape Hatteras, it was all two 4"x6" photos on each page. In my world, it was B-O-R-I-N-G! Now, that works for many people and that's great! We're all different and unique. I would love to figure out how I can crop my ocean and beach photos without them looking like a three year old got a hold of the scissors. If you have any tips, PLEASE share them!
So I started thinking about how many photos I was actually scrapping. And my numbers have really gone up! I may not come home with as many layouts needing to be embellished, but I am working through that mountain of photos that need to be scrapped. That is more important to me.
Here's my challenge to you.....stop thinking about layouts! Instead focus on how many photos are now scrapped, preserved forever, and no longer living in your computer. Watch your photo pile shrink over a weekend. It's very liberating.
Go to a crop with a plan. Figure out ahead of time what you want to scrap and only bring those items with you. Count up your photos when you pack for your crop. Write it down and put it with your photos. Just before you pack up to go home, count up the photos you have left and the photos you scrapped. Remember, every photo doesn't need to be scrapped. It's ok to throw away a printed photo. I do all the time....blurry ones, kid's picking their noses (ummmm I don't need to treasure that moment in time), etc. I also don't need five photos of the exact same thing at the exact same angle so those get pitched as well. Don't panic! You still have the digital copy or the negatives if you're using film.
Whatever you do, do NOT EVER delete the digital image!!!! Save a backup somewhere just in case! I say this because I know someone whose house burned down and she didn't keep backups. She printed and scrapped everything. She was up to date and current with her albums. Man, I wish I knew her secret! But she lost everything when she lost her home. She felt she didn't need to have a backed file of her digital images since everything was scrapped. I am not sure which she felt worse about - losing her house or all of her photos. She beat herself up pretty bad about the photos.
So for this reason alone - if you can't find any other - please keep a copy of your photos on dvds, an external hard drive, a cd, on a cloud (a digital cloud like Me from Apple), etc and keep a copy in a safe deposit box or at a relatives house. That way you will always have your photos no matter what happens in life. Yes, it's more work, but it's work you can walk away from. You can let your photos copy while making dinner, doing dishes or laundry, walking the dog, tucking the kids in bed, taking a shower or a bath, watching American Idol or The Bachelor or whatever fancies you, getting the mail, washing your car (please come was mine when your'e done! :D), dusting (wait, do people really do that?), playing with the kids outside, etc. You don't need to babysit your computer while it does the copying.
Until next time *
Pack light! Your back will thank you!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Cat's Out of the Bag
I can now let the cat out of the bag and tell you what's up! I had to take a mini hiatus from paper crafting. Shocking and hard to believe, I know. But it's true.
You see, I was gearing up to go on a road trip and go home for a quick visit after I went to Crop on the Cape (which was wicked awesome!). I had to bring Christmas presents with me.....ummmm two years worth. Yeah, I am not a huge fan of this shipping gifts to family. I like to see them open them!
There were three lap quilts on my list of things to finish before I went to New York. Thankfully I did finish them all. I finished the last one the morning I left.
I finally got to take the long arm machine quilting class at my local quilt shop. I machine quilted one of the quilts on my sewing machine and it's not fun. I quilted the other two at the end of my class and wow was it speedy! It would have taken me hours on my sewing machine and it took about 30 minutes to set up and quilt each lap quilt. Zoom zoom baby!
First up is my sister-in-law's quilt. She likes pink just a tad so I went with chocolate and pink fabrics for her quilt. All three quilts are the same pattern except I made hers larger by adding an additional row. Sure made some good times for me with math. Math and I don't get along. Oh remember, you can click on the photos and the will open in another screen much larger.
Next up is the quilt I made for my oldest nephew. He likes baseball just a little bit. His face was priceless when he unwrapped the quilt. The back of the quilt is all stars. He loves stars. Every night he looks for stars with his mom. I didn't know that and was totally taken aback by the excitement. I knew he'd be excited about baseball, but he was much more excited about the stars.
The photos we took really don't capture the excitement in his eyes. Seeing that was priceless and well worth the 15 hour 17 minute drive to his house. His reaction made the trip totally worth it. I didn't even need to go to Cape Cod after that. My trip was made.
The last quilt is for my youngest nephew who's still a toddler. The last time I saw this little guy he was only six weeks old! My goodness he is getting big. He's walking and talking now. Oh and he blows kisses. That was just adorable when I left my sister-in-law's house to go to North Carolina for my next crop.
I've called this nephew "My Little Linebacker" since he was born. He was a very big baby especially since my sister-in-law is a very tiny girl. The Linebacker was also excited about his quilt and kept pointing to the large squares and talking. I have no idea what he was saying, but he was one happy little dude!
Sorry there won't be any photos of the boys and their mom posted with their quilts. I don't post photos of children online. There are just too many crazy people out there! If you are family or a close friend, email me and I will show you the photos. Some people don't like this rule of mine, but you never know who's watching or reading and I would like to keep the kids safe. Their safety is much more important to me than complaining grown-ups.
Back to the quilts. I made two of them in two weeks. One quilt I need to complete. They all were in different stages of completedness. Completedness? Did I just make up a new word? Hmmm....it's been one of those days. The toddler quilt was started back when he was a baby. The baseball quilt took me forever to find all of the fabric. I searched for well over a year. Who knew I would have such a hard time with something as common and simple as baseball?
There will be much more to come! I have lots to tell about my very long trip. It was a wonderful trip and I was sad to go home. Leaving New York was very difficult, but I didn't cry leaving my sister-in-law's house which I am very happy to report. I won't tell you how much I cried through New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia though. It was probably a bit easier leaving her house with my nephew in school and the other one blowing me kisses. I've now lived in South Carolina for 2 years minus a week and the homesickness definitely has not gotten better. It's making me rethink this whole living in South Carolina thing!
Until next time *
Miss someone? Tell them! You never know how happy they will be to here it. They miss you, too.
PS If there are some typos, please forgive me. My one eye is swollen and feels like something bit me. Things are a tad fuzzy visually today. I tried to catch everything, but if I missed something, please go easy on me. I have ice on my eye as I type this one handed and one eyed. No easy feat I tell you!
You see, I was gearing up to go on a road trip and go home for a quick visit after I went to Crop on the Cape (which was wicked awesome!). I had to bring Christmas presents with me.....ummmm two years worth. Yeah, I am not a huge fan of this shipping gifts to family. I like to see them open them!
There were three lap quilts on my list of things to finish before I went to New York. Thankfully I did finish them all. I finished the last one the morning I left.
I finally got to take the long arm machine quilting class at my local quilt shop. I machine quilted one of the quilts on my sewing machine and it's not fun. I quilted the other two at the end of my class and wow was it speedy! It would have taken me hours on my sewing machine and it took about 30 minutes to set up and quilt each lap quilt. Zoom zoom baby!First up is my sister-in-law's quilt. She likes pink just a tad so I went with chocolate and pink fabrics for her quilt. All three quilts are the same pattern except I made hers larger by adding an additional row. Sure made some good times for me with math. Math and I don't get along. Oh remember, you can click on the photos and the will open in another screen much larger.
The photos we took really don't capture the excitement in his eyes. Seeing that was priceless and well worth the 15 hour 17 minute drive to his house. His reaction made the trip totally worth it. I didn't even need to go to Cape Cod after that. My trip was made.
The last quilt is for my youngest nephew who's still a toddler. The last time I saw this little guy he was only six weeks old! My goodness he is getting big. He's walking and talking now. Oh and he blows kisses. That was just adorable when I left my sister-in-law's house to go to North Carolina for my next crop.
I've called this nephew "My Little Linebacker" since he was born. He was a very big baby especially since my sister-in-law is a very tiny girl. The Linebacker was also excited about his quilt and kept pointing to the large squares and talking. I have no idea what he was saying, but he was one happy little dude!
Sorry there won't be any photos of the boys and their mom posted with their quilts. I don't post photos of children online. There are just too many crazy people out there! If you are family or a close friend, email me and I will show you the photos. Some people don't like this rule of mine, but you never know who's watching or reading and I would like to keep the kids safe. Their safety is much more important to me than complaining grown-ups.
Back to the quilts. I made two of them in two weeks. One quilt I need to complete. They all were in different stages of completedness. Completedness? Did I just make up a new word? Hmmm....it's been one of those days. The toddler quilt was started back when he was a baby. The baseball quilt took me forever to find all of the fabric. I searched for well over a year. Who knew I would have such a hard time with something as common and simple as baseball?
There will be much more to come! I have lots to tell about my very long trip. It was a wonderful trip and I was sad to go home. Leaving New York was very difficult, but I didn't cry leaving my sister-in-law's house which I am very happy to report. I won't tell you how much I cried through New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia though. It was probably a bit easier leaving her house with my nephew in school and the other one blowing me kisses. I've now lived in South Carolina for 2 years minus a week and the homesickness definitely has not gotten better. It's making me rethink this whole living in South Carolina thing!
Until next time *
Miss someone? Tell them! You never know how happy they will be to here it. They miss you, too.
PS If there are some typos, please forgive me. My one eye is swollen and feels like something bit me. Things are a tad fuzzy visually today. I tried to catch everything, but if I missed something, please go easy on me. I have ice on my eye as I type this one handed and one eyed. No easy feat I tell you!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Cropping Goals
Whenever I go to a crop, I have goals of what I need to accomplish at that crop. Some are weekend crops and I have big plans. Others are Friday night crops where I won't get anywhere near the same amount accomplished, but I do always have a goal and a plan.
The very first crop I attended was an all night crop at a store called Memory Lane in Clifton Park, NY. Sadly, since then the store has closed. I had no idea what to bring or how long anything would take me. At that time, my sister-in-law was pregnant with her first child and I was making the invitations for the baby shower. I had to make 70 invitations. Surely, I thought this would take me longer than 12 hours.
I cut everything assembly line style so I would have a pile of papers for each cut I needed. Henry Ford would have been proud! (He's the man the production assembly line is credited to.) So about four hours later I was done. Yes, in four short hours I had completed 70 invitations! What was I going to do for the next eight hours? I had nothing planned! I started wandering around the store aimlessly looking for something I could do. I purchased a few chipboard books and made them.
This crop taught me a very valuable lesson. I needed to seriously think about how long I would be at a crop and what I wanted to accomplish. Then I began to over plan and pack enough to keep me busy until the cows come home. I've never had any cows so I'm thinking I would have been very busy for far too long.
With over thinking things and packing like I was moving, I was killing myself. I had to spend so much time and effort in packing that it became a chore. It wasn't fun. It was a ton of work. And I swear my crop bags weighed a few ton each. The end of the night when it came time to pack up my car, I dreaded and needed Advil when I got home. Not a good thing!
So I had to come up with a new way of doing things. A way that cropping could be fun again. That's when I started leaving the embellishments at home and finishing layouts at home. I have a whole room that's just my paper studio so why shouldn't I use it? Seems silly to have it for decoration purposes only.
Just by leaving my embellishments, stamps, inks, and Cricut home I was freeing up tons of space in my car and my stress level dropped like a rock. I didn't have to spend hours thinking and planning on what to bring. I literally would spend a few days packing everything up. It was like I was moving every time I went to a crop.
Now with my less is more approach, I get a ton done. I don't have headaches, backaches, or stress. I have a good time. I don't spend a few days packing for every crop I go to. As you can see from my Crop Count, I'd do nothing but packing if I was cropping my old way with the schedule I have coming up!
So with every crop I do have a plan of what I need - yes need not want - to accomplish. I have thousands upon thousands of photos that need to be put into layouts. Yes, I am one of those who crop every photo I take. I don't do photo albums. They're not my thing. They work for many people though. I'm just not into them.
Every month I get at least 1,000 photos printed. I order them online and have them shipped to me. I have tried several different printers and am hoping I have finally found one I really like. The others I tried weren't bad. I just didn't like the quality of the prints. Other folks have had awesome results. I think it's the style of photos I take. I do mostly outdoor and nature shots so the lightening isn't the same as taking photos of your kids in the house or at a pool party.
When my photos arrive, I sort them all out. I put each event into a photo envelope. I label the envelope with that photos are and the date the photos were taken. Then they go into one of my many photo boxes. I also take those thumbnail sheets and cut them up. I use a grease pencil and write the date and what the photos are of on the sheet. Each one goes with it's corresponding photo envelope. Once I scrap those photos, the thumbnails go into an envelope with each other. I have a nice thumbnail collection that I need to create some cute project for.
The day before a crop, I start to go through my photo envelopes and pick out what I want to work on. It all depends on how many photos there are and how long the crop is. I can usually do about 100 photos at an all day crop. It all depends on if the photos can be cropped or if they need to stay 4" x 6".
I pack the photos I bring to a crop in a photo box from Creative Memories. I won this from a crop a few years ago and it changed how I bring my photos to crops. Before I won this, I would just stuff the photo envelopes in one of my crop bags....EEK!
Once I have chosen my photos, I pick out my paper collections. I put a Post It note on each bag so I know what photos go with which paper. This is especially necessary for weekend crops. I'm absent minded and would forget my name if it wasn't on my license! :) If I'm only working on one set of photos, then I don't bother with the Post Its.
This past weekend, I went to a weekend crop that was three days long. I brought lots of photos with me! Most of the photos were from our Southern States Trip from way back in 2009 when we went to six states and spent two and a half weeks sight seeing. It was an amazing vacation! I hope I can get it all printed and scrapbooked before I'm 50! Here is what I scrapbooked: Bean Station, TN, Archibald Smith Plantation located in Roswell, GA, High Point Museum in High Point, NC, Calhoun Mansion in Charleston, SC (this mansion was used in the movie The Notebook), Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, shore and dunes which are all on Cape Hatteras, NC, and fireworks in Cobleskill, NY from the 4th of July 2008.
During the weekend, I was tweeting about what I was working on and some of the music I was listening too. Here's where you can follow me on Twitter and see what I am up to. When I'm traveling, I don't have much time for blogging or Facebook. I have mini parties when I accomplish one of my goals. It keeps me going and moves things along. Amazing what a few M&Ms can do.
As you can see, I don't scrapbook in order. I work on whatever I have printed and whatever I feel like working on. Some projects are huge and I procrastinate with them. Like my NASCAR photos. I have hundreds scrapped already and have thousands more that need to be printed (several hundred already are) and then they need scrapping. The joys of going to race shops and six races in one year. That 2006 was a crazy year of racing for me! And then I've gone to races almost every year since 2002 so that's a lot of left hand turns. I haven't worked on those pics in a few years so maybe it's time.
Until next time *
Have you scrapbooked today?
The very first crop I attended was an all night crop at a store called Memory Lane in Clifton Park, NY. Sadly, since then the store has closed. I had no idea what to bring or how long anything would take me. At that time, my sister-in-law was pregnant with her first child and I was making the invitations for the baby shower. I had to make 70 invitations. Surely, I thought this would take me longer than 12 hours.
I cut everything assembly line style so I would have a pile of papers for each cut I needed. Henry Ford would have been proud! (He's the man the production assembly line is credited to.) So about four hours later I was done. Yes, in four short hours I had completed 70 invitations! What was I going to do for the next eight hours? I had nothing planned! I started wandering around the store aimlessly looking for something I could do. I purchased a few chipboard books and made them.
This crop taught me a very valuable lesson. I needed to seriously think about how long I would be at a crop and what I wanted to accomplish. Then I began to over plan and pack enough to keep me busy until the cows come home. I've never had any cows so I'm thinking I would have been very busy for far too long.
With over thinking things and packing like I was moving, I was killing myself. I had to spend so much time and effort in packing that it became a chore. It wasn't fun. It was a ton of work. And I swear my crop bags weighed a few ton each. The end of the night when it came time to pack up my car, I dreaded and needed Advil when I got home. Not a good thing!
So I had to come up with a new way of doing things. A way that cropping could be fun again. That's when I started leaving the embellishments at home and finishing layouts at home. I have a whole room that's just my paper studio so why shouldn't I use it? Seems silly to have it for decoration purposes only.
Just by leaving my embellishments, stamps, inks, and Cricut home I was freeing up tons of space in my car and my stress level dropped like a rock. I didn't have to spend hours thinking and planning on what to bring. I literally would spend a few days packing everything up. It was like I was moving every time I went to a crop.
Now with my less is more approach, I get a ton done. I don't have headaches, backaches, or stress. I have a good time. I don't spend a few days packing for every crop I go to. As you can see from my Crop Count, I'd do nothing but packing if I was cropping my old way with the schedule I have coming up!
So with every crop I do have a plan of what I need - yes need not want - to accomplish. I have thousands upon thousands of photos that need to be put into layouts. Yes, I am one of those who crop every photo I take. I don't do photo albums. They're not my thing. They work for many people though. I'm just not into them.
Every month I get at least 1,000 photos printed. I order them online and have them shipped to me. I have tried several different printers and am hoping I have finally found one I really like. The others I tried weren't bad. I just didn't like the quality of the prints. Other folks have had awesome results. I think it's the style of photos I take. I do mostly outdoor and nature shots so the lightening isn't the same as taking photos of your kids in the house or at a pool party.
When my photos arrive, I sort them all out. I put each event into a photo envelope. I label the envelope with that photos are and the date the photos were taken. Then they go into one of my many photo boxes. I also take those thumbnail sheets and cut them up. I use a grease pencil and write the date and what the photos are of on the sheet. Each one goes with it's corresponding photo envelope. Once I scrap those photos, the thumbnails go into an envelope with each other. I have a nice thumbnail collection that I need to create some cute project for.
The day before a crop, I start to go through my photo envelopes and pick out what I want to work on. It all depends on how many photos there are and how long the crop is. I can usually do about 100 photos at an all day crop. It all depends on if the photos can be cropped or if they need to stay 4" x 6".
I pack the photos I bring to a crop in a photo box from Creative Memories. I won this from a crop a few years ago and it changed how I bring my photos to crops. Before I won this, I would just stuff the photo envelopes in one of my crop bags....EEK!
Once I have chosen my photos, I pick out my paper collections. I put a Post It note on each bag so I know what photos go with which paper. This is especially necessary for weekend crops. I'm absent minded and would forget my name if it wasn't on my license! :) If I'm only working on one set of photos, then I don't bother with the Post Its.
This past weekend, I went to a weekend crop that was three days long. I brought lots of photos with me! Most of the photos were from our Southern States Trip from way back in 2009 when we went to six states and spent two and a half weeks sight seeing. It was an amazing vacation! I hope I can get it all printed and scrapbooked before I'm 50! Here is what I scrapbooked: Bean Station, TN, Archibald Smith Plantation located in Roswell, GA, High Point Museum in High Point, NC, Calhoun Mansion in Charleston, SC (this mansion was used in the movie The Notebook), Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, shore and dunes which are all on Cape Hatteras, NC, and fireworks in Cobleskill, NY from the 4th of July 2008.
During the weekend, I was tweeting about what I was working on and some of the music I was listening too. Here's where you can follow me on Twitter and see what I am up to. When I'm traveling, I don't have much time for blogging or Facebook. I have mini parties when I accomplish one of my goals. It keeps me going and moves things along. Amazing what a few M&Ms can do.
As you can see, I don't scrapbook in order. I work on whatever I have printed and whatever I feel like working on. Some projects are huge and I procrastinate with them. Like my NASCAR photos. I have hundreds scrapped already and have thousands more that need to be printed (several hundred already are) and then they need scrapping. The joys of going to race shops and six races in one year. That 2006 was a crazy year of racing for me! And then I've gone to races almost every year since 2002 so that's a lot of left hand turns. I haven't worked on those pics in a few years so maybe it's time.
Until next time *
Have you scrapbooked today?
Monday, September 19, 2011
A Little Change
So while I was a cropping fool last weekend, I decided I needed to keep track of how much I got done at crops a little bit. I do have a system in place for the weekend, but once I get home, it all goes out the window.
You will see on the right hand side of my blog a new piece all the way down on the right hand side. It's called Crop Counts. I'm now keeping track of how many layouts and photos I crop at every crop I attend. Before I would just count my layouts when the crop wrapped up. Now, I'm going to have a record of it. I'm also counting how many photos I crop! This part is huge to me.
Some layouts only have two photos since I am not into cutting up every photo I have taken. Many photos just can't be cropped either. I did have several that I was able to crop this past weekend. I was so excited to get five photos on a page!
I know I'm kind of.....ok ok no kind of about it.....I am totally nerdy about keeping track of what I accomplish at crops. I know lots of people go for the social aspect. Some even for the for food. Others it's time away from their families for a mini vacation. But for me, it's all about getting my work done. I go into each crop with goals. Yup, remember how I said I was nerdy? :)
Until next time *
Have you cropped lately?
You will see on the right hand side of my blog a new piece all the way down on the right hand side. It's called Crop Counts. I'm now keeping track of how many layouts and photos I crop at every crop I attend. Before I would just count my layouts when the crop wrapped up. Now, I'm going to have a record of it. I'm also counting how many photos I crop! This part is huge to me.
Some layouts only have two photos since I am not into cutting up every photo I have taken. Many photos just can't be cropped either. I did have several that I was able to crop this past weekend. I was so excited to get five photos on a page!
I know I'm kind of.....ok ok no kind of about it.....I am totally nerdy about keeping track of what I accomplish at crops. I know lots of people go for the social aspect. Some even for the for food. Others it's time away from their families for a mini vacation. But for me, it's all about getting my work done. I go into each crop with goals. Yup, remember how I said I was nerdy? :)
Until next time *
Have you cropped lately?
Friday, August 26, 2011
Packing for a Crop
I've had several folks ask me about my cropping style. I frequently get asked at crops if that's all I brought. Yup, I only bring two bags. These pics are from a Friday night crop at Scrapbook Utopia in Lexington, South Carolina. They frequently have Friday night crops from 5 pm - Midnight. They also do a weekend crop (Friday 10 am - Midnight and Saturday 10 am - 11 pm) every other month.
Really this is all I brought. I did 30 layouts in those seven hours. I didn't really get started until 6:45. I had to get some dinner, do some shopping, and visit peoples. I haven't been to the shop in a few months. Lots to see and buy!
The two bags are from scrapbook companies. The bag that's open (black and purple with black scrolls) is from Close To My Heart. The bag that is all zipped up is from Storytellers Club.
What is hiding in that bag from CTMH? Lots of goodies! A full box of ATG adhesive. Yes, that would be 12 rolls. I hate running out and not every store carries it. I gotta order me more next month! I have less than a box left. And running out is not an option.
My ATG gun is also in there. Also hiding in there are my paper trimmer, glue dots, and pop dots (foam dots, 3D dots, whatever you call them). The ATG gun is the world's greatest gift to paper crafters! It's a very reasonably priced way of getting adhesive. The gun comes in red. There's a pink one for Breast Cancer at Michael's. And, yes, you can use a coupon on it! I get my refills from Framing Supplies. The more rolls you buy, the larger the discount! The rolls cost less than $3.50 a piece and they have 36 yards of adhesive. I only use the ATG Gold which is acid free.
Also in my bag of tricks, is my photo box from Creative Memories. Yup I keep that baby full of photos. I keep the thumbnail sheet that comes with my prints. I mark on that with a grease pencil what the pics are of and dates. Very important details! I also separate the pics with notepaper. I can't have my pics from leaf peeping in Vermont mixed with a NASCAR race in Charlotte. Now how would I scrap that? It'd be a big ole hot mess!
What else is hiding in there? Oh something extremely important. So important that every paper crafter needs this! NEVER EVER put a drink on your workspace! I have a cup holder/trash bag hanger from Creative Memories. There's another company that has them now. I am seriously considering purchasing another one so it will just stay in my bag. I won't have to take mine off my studio table anymore that way.
The Storytellers Club bag holds the secret to my cropping life. Now, when I go to weekend events I do bring my rolling tote. For a one day crop, I only bring this bag. Remember how I said I don't bring anything except for paper and cardstock? Those papers and cardstocks are in this bag. I got this bag when I became a member of their monthly club. Every month with your kit, you get a large zipper paper pocket that attaches to this bag. It's pretty neat and awesome free gift!
All of the papers and cardstocks I bring are in zipper bags. I store all of my paper collections in zipper bags in my paper bins [you'll see all of that soon.....maybe next week if the cleaning fairy comes to work this weekend :)]. I also keep my Versa Mat from Close To My Heart in here. I use that as my work surface.
I have one pocket that I keep all of my scraps of cardstock in and one for all of my scraps of paper when I run out of a paper collection. You know those 2" x 2" pieces that sit in a pile just waiting to be used? Yeah, those have their own pocket. I think they are pretty special. Some day I'm going to have a card making fest and use a bunch of those pieces up!
All of my completed layouts go in a pocket. Each pocket holds several layouts. I do have to use several pockets when I am doing large projects. This keeps them all in order so I don't have to play a guessing game later on.
I am a little nerdy about my organizing, too. Each set of layouts gets a colored piece of paper folded over the top with some info on it. I write down what the pics are of, how many layouts there are, and the date of the pics. Yup, nerdy. I know this. :) There's a reason for this! I swear it will all make sense in a bit.
Remember how I sad I don't complete my layouts 100% at crops and I bring home mountains of layouts to finish embellishing? Well, this is where they all go. Your eyes are working just fine. They are in a milk crate. Some of the layouts are done and just need to be put into albums. I need to make my pages that say what each event is. Those are pretty cool. I'll have to show you some of them. A girl and her Cricut can have a good time!
The pockets also hold my new paper and cardstock purchases. Sometimes some stickers will also fit. I don't put stamps or things like brads in there. I don't want dents in my new papers.
Until next time *
Print your photos and scrap them!
Really this is all I brought. I did 30 layouts in those seven hours. I didn't really get started until 6:45. I had to get some dinner, do some shopping, and visit peoples. I haven't been to the shop in a few months. Lots to see and buy!
What is hiding in that bag from CTMH? Lots of goodies! A full box of ATG adhesive. Yes, that would be 12 rolls. I hate running out and not every store carries it. I gotta order me more next month! I have less than a box left. And running out is not an option.
My ATG gun is also in there. Also hiding in there are my paper trimmer, glue dots, and pop dots (foam dots, 3D dots, whatever you call them). The ATG gun is the world's greatest gift to paper crafters! It's a very reasonably priced way of getting adhesive. The gun comes in red. There's a pink one for Breast Cancer at Michael's. And, yes, you can use a coupon on it! I get my refills from Framing Supplies. The more rolls you buy, the larger the discount! The rolls cost less than $3.50 a piece and they have 36 yards of adhesive. I only use the ATG Gold which is acid free.
Also in my bag of tricks, is my photo box from Creative Memories. Yup I keep that baby full of photos. I keep the thumbnail sheet that comes with my prints. I mark on that with a grease pencil what the pics are of and dates. Very important details! I also separate the pics with notepaper. I can't have my pics from leaf peeping in Vermont mixed with a NASCAR race in Charlotte. Now how would I scrap that? It'd be a big ole hot mess!What else is hiding in there? Oh something extremely important. So important that every paper crafter needs this! NEVER EVER put a drink on your workspace! I have a cup holder/trash bag hanger from Creative Memories. There's another company that has them now. I am seriously considering purchasing another one so it will just stay in my bag. I won't have to take mine off my studio table anymore that way.
The Storytellers Club bag holds the secret to my cropping life. Now, when I go to weekend events I do bring my rolling tote. For a one day crop, I only bring this bag. Remember how I said I don't bring anything except for paper and cardstock? Those papers and cardstocks are in this bag. I got this bag when I became a member of their monthly club. Every month with your kit, you get a large zipper paper pocket that attaches to this bag. It's pretty neat and awesome free gift!
All of the papers and cardstocks I bring are in zipper bags. I store all of my paper collections in zipper bags in my paper bins [you'll see all of that soon.....maybe next week if the cleaning fairy comes to work this weekend :)]. I also keep my Versa Mat from Close To My Heart in here. I use that as my work surface. I have one pocket that I keep all of my scraps of cardstock in and one for all of my scraps of paper when I run out of a paper collection. You know those 2" x 2" pieces that sit in a pile just waiting to be used? Yeah, those have their own pocket. I think they are pretty special. Some day I'm going to have a card making fest and use a bunch of those pieces up!
All of my completed layouts go in a pocket. Each pocket holds several layouts. I do have to use several pockets when I am doing large projects. This keeps them all in order so I don't have to play a guessing game later on.
I am a little nerdy about my organizing, too. Each set of layouts gets a colored piece of paper folded over the top with some info on it. I write down what the pics are of, how many layouts there are, and the date of the pics. Yup, nerdy. I know this. :) There's a reason for this! I swear it will all make sense in a bit.Remember how I sad I don't complete my layouts 100% at crops and I bring home mountains of layouts to finish embellishing? Well, this is where they all go. Your eyes are working just fine. They are in a milk crate. Some of the layouts are done and just need to be put into albums. I need to make my pages that say what each event is. Those are pretty cool. I'll have to show you some of them. A girl and her Cricut can have a good time!
The pockets also hold my new paper and cardstock purchases. Sometimes some stickers will also fit. I don't put stamps or things like brads in there. I don't want dents in my new papers.
Until next time *
Print your photos and scrap them!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Croppin' in Style!
I went to a weekend crop this past weekend in Winston-Salem, NC. I surprised a new group of people with how quickly I can pack my area up. I have been asked a few times this week to share my secrets. Did I mention that I did 60 layouts over 3 days of cropping?
First off, I do a lot of preplanning. I sign up for crops in advance. Even if it's a local day or evening crop, I plan it all out. Yes, it takes time, but it keeps from from bringing everything including the kitchen sink with me. Let's face it, scrapbooking is heavy! Loading and unloading your vehicle really works out your muscles. Paper weighs a ton and then you add on all of the other goodies and you feel like you just lifted the world.
I start by going through my boxes of printed photos to see what I have. And then I figure out what I'm in the mood to scrap. I do not scrap in order. I scrap whatever I am in the mood to scrap.
I always make sure I pick out way more than I can possibly get done. So once I picked out my photos, I start looking through my paper packs. All of my paper is sorted by collection and in a zipper bag. I load them all into my rolling tote. Depending on the store I'm going to and depending on the project, I may or may not bring cardstock. I usually don't since most stores have a really good selection. Stores that I know don't have a lot too choose from, I always bring my cardstocks as well. I pack them into the paper packs.
That's all I bring. I have the rolling tote and my tool bag. In my tool bag, I bring my ATG gun (adhesive), a box of 12 rolls of refills, scissors, paper trimmer (and yes I have left this home!), band aids (you never know when you'll end up with a nasty paper cutter or when someone at your table will pierce themselves), my cup holder, a trash bag, Post Its or a little note pad, a pen/pencil, pop dots/foam tape, and my work mat.
That's it. Really that's all I bring with me to a crop! My rolling tote, my tool bag, and my layout organizer so I have somewhere to put them when I'm done. There's dividers in there so I can keep track of my creations. It also keeps my projects separated.
I do not bring an album with me because I don't scrap in order and often times I work with a variety of photos that have nothing to do with each other. I am not about to lug around three or four albums. They weigh too much! Some albums are also dreadful at trying to open. The screw posts can be brutal. I don't want to waste three hours at a crop playing with an album. I've got big things to get done!
Why? I have a whole studio stuffed to the ceiling with goodies. I don't bring my Cricut Expression everywhere because you don't always have room. I used to bring stamps, inks, embellishments, stickers, etc with me. I wouldn't get much done. I wouldn't have just the right color brad with me and I knew I had a ton at home. The right one was probably there. I would get so frustrated and that would slow me down. At times, that frustration was so bad it would kill my mojo and I would need to go for a walk to clear my head.
So one weekend I decided to think how I scrap at crops. Why did I bring so much with me? I never touched 90-95% of it! That was an awful lot to lug around and it would take forever to pack and unpack. I got to thinking. What would happen if I didn't bring all of that with me? Would I get anything done? Would I miss all of my toys? How could a scrapper actually go to a crop and not completely finish my layouts at the crop?
I decided to try this idea out at a local weekly crop that I attended at Captured Moments. Why not? We only cropped from 5 pm until 11 pm. I didn't have much to lose. I would be back the next week so I could go back to my old ways.
My first night, I made 10 layouts! I was sold on my idea. And I haven't gone back since then.
Like I said, I have a nice studio at home filled with embellishments. I finish that layouts when I have time at home. Sometimes I need to order stamp because I don't have just the right one. Or I am in desperate need of a new Cricut cartridge or a file for my Wishblade. And then occasionally I am not happy with my embellishments and want something different so I need to do some shopping.
There's also some layouts that I have no idea how to complete them. I have a whole album from my honeymoon of Luray Caverns. I seriously cannot put "Luray Caverns" on every page. This is one project that has stumped me. I definitely need to get them completed so they can get put away.
By bringing so little with me, I don't take up tons of space. Space is always tricky at crops. I don't have to make four trips to the car to load or unload. I have plenty of work space since it's not covered with all of my embellishments. I literally unpack in less than five minutes. I leave all of my paper packs in my rolling tote and leave it open. I can also pack up and put everything away in about five minutes. Often times, it's less than that! I don't empty out my tool bag. I also clean as I go and when things start to wind down, I put away whatever I don't really need. I usually do that when I get lunch. Need to have room for my turkey sandwich and not make a mess on my layouts or papers.
Stay tuned.....Later this week I will be posting a layout that I made in seven - yes 7 - minutes! I'll be sharing the dimensions for everything on it also. Feel free to scraplift it!
Until next time *
Have you finished all of your layouts?
First off, I do a lot of preplanning. I sign up for crops in advance. Even if it's a local day or evening crop, I plan it all out. Yes, it takes time, but it keeps from from bringing everything including the kitchen sink with me. Let's face it, scrapbooking is heavy! Loading and unloading your vehicle really works out your muscles. Paper weighs a ton and then you add on all of the other goodies and you feel like you just lifted the world.
I start by going through my boxes of printed photos to see what I have. And then I figure out what I'm in the mood to scrap. I do not scrap in order. I scrap whatever I am in the mood to scrap.
I always make sure I pick out way more than I can possibly get done. So once I picked out my photos, I start looking through my paper packs. All of my paper is sorted by collection and in a zipper bag. I load them all into my rolling tote. Depending on the store I'm going to and depending on the project, I may or may not bring cardstock. I usually don't since most stores have a really good selection. Stores that I know don't have a lot too choose from, I always bring my cardstocks as well. I pack them into the paper packs.
That's all I bring. I have the rolling tote and my tool bag. In my tool bag, I bring my ATG gun (adhesive), a box of 12 rolls of refills, scissors, paper trimmer (and yes I have left this home!), band aids (you never know when you'll end up with a nasty paper cutter or when someone at your table will pierce themselves), my cup holder, a trash bag, Post Its or a little note pad, a pen/pencil, pop dots/foam tape, and my work mat.
That's it. Really that's all I bring with me to a crop! My rolling tote, my tool bag, and my layout organizer so I have somewhere to put them when I'm done. There's dividers in there so I can keep track of my creations. It also keeps my projects separated.
I do not bring an album with me because I don't scrap in order and often times I work with a variety of photos that have nothing to do with each other. I am not about to lug around three or four albums. They weigh too much! Some albums are also dreadful at trying to open. The screw posts can be brutal. I don't want to waste three hours at a crop playing with an album. I've got big things to get done!
Why? I have a whole studio stuffed to the ceiling with goodies. I don't bring my Cricut Expression everywhere because you don't always have room. I used to bring stamps, inks, embellishments, stickers, etc with me. I wouldn't get much done. I wouldn't have just the right color brad with me and I knew I had a ton at home. The right one was probably there. I would get so frustrated and that would slow me down. At times, that frustration was so bad it would kill my mojo and I would need to go for a walk to clear my head.
So one weekend I decided to think how I scrap at crops. Why did I bring so much with me? I never touched 90-95% of it! That was an awful lot to lug around and it would take forever to pack and unpack. I got to thinking. What would happen if I didn't bring all of that with me? Would I get anything done? Would I miss all of my toys? How could a scrapper actually go to a crop and not completely finish my layouts at the crop?
I decided to try this idea out at a local weekly crop that I attended at Captured Moments. Why not? We only cropped from 5 pm until 11 pm. I didn't have much to lose. I would be back the next week so I could go back to my old ways.
My first night, I made 10 layouts! I was sold on my idea. And I haven't gone back since then.
Like I said, I have a nice studio at home filled with embellishments. I finish that layouts when I have time at home. Sometimes I need to order stamp because I don't have just the right one. Or I am in desperate need of a new Cricut cartridge or a file for my Wishblade. And then occasionally I am not happy with my embellishments and want something different so I need to do some shopping.
There's also some layouts that I have no idea how to complete them. I have a whole album from my honeymoon of Luray Caverns. I seriously cannot put "Luray Caverns" on every page. This is one project that has stumped me. I definitely need to get them completed so they can get put away.
By bringing so little with me, I don't take up tons of space. Space is always tricky at crops. I don't have to make four trips to the car to load or unload. I have plenty of work space since it's not covered with all of my embellishments. I literally unpack in less than five minutes. I leave all of my paper packs in my rolling tote and leave it open. I can also pack up and put everything away in about five minutes. Often times, it's less than that! I don't empty out my tool bag. I also clean as I go and when things start to wind down, I put away whatever I don't really need. I usually do that when I get lunch. Need to have room for my turkey sandwich and not make a mess on my layouts or papers.
Stay tuned.....Later this week I will be posting a layout that I made in seven - yes 7 - minutes! I'll be sharing the dimensions for everything on it also. Feel free to scraplift it!
Until next time *
Have you finished all of your layouts?
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