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!

Sad News

Sad news on the stamping paper front this week. The Angel Company (TAC) has shut down effective immediately. For anyone who hasn't heard of TAC, they were a home party stamp and paper company like Close To My Heart, Stampin' Up, and A Muse. There's been lots of chat on different forums about what happened and what wrong for the company. I haven't purchased from them in a while, but I do have a nice stash of stamps and papers from them. Sad to see them close especially so quickly! I'm sure I would have ordered a few last things.

Scrapbook Cupboard in East Bridgewater, MA announced this week that they will be closing in September. I haven't been able to visit their shop. I was planning on it in March when I go up to Cape Cod for Crop on the Cape. It's sad that I'll never get to see them.

Until next time *

Remember to support your LSS!

Seven Minute Layout

Remember how I promised you my seven - yup 7 - minute layout? Well, I didn't forget. I got a little distracted rearranging and moving my studio this week and dealing with my heartbreak of losing {Colorful Creations}. Hopefully, next week I'll have pics when it's all neat and tidy.

Without further ado....here we are....

The papers are from the Bohemia collection from My Mind's Eye. I believe I won this paper stack at my very first Scrap Pink at Colorful Creations. If I didn't win this, then I bought it at AC Moore on Cape Cod that weekend. Any who, I've had it for almost three years and have never used it. How sad is that?

As you can see, there's nothing bohemian about my photos. They are from a very brief trip to Folly Beach in South Carolina in 2009. The trip was literally about 10 minutes long. Yet somehow I still managed to take about 80 photos. Digital cameras are dangerous!

Dimensions for the Left Page:
The brown striped paper is 2 1/2" x 12".
The pink patterned paper is 9" x 9 1/2".
The green paisley paper is 6" x 3 5/8".
The 2 mats are 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" and the photos are     4" x 6".
The base is a 12" x 12" sheet of green cardstock.


Dimensions for the Right Page:

The brown striped paper is 9 1/2" x 12".
The pink patterned paper is 2 7/8" x 12".
The green paisley paper is 7 1/2" x 8 1/4".
The 2 mats are 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" and the photos are 4" x 6".
The base is a 12" x 12" sheet of blue cardstock.


I came up with this layout on the fly. I had less than 15 minutes left at a crop and was desperate to get as many photos scrapped as possible.

I do have a few rulers for my style. I always build on on sheet of cardstock. It's almost always a color also. I try to pull three or four colors for cardstocks from the three sheets of patterned paper that I chose for the layouts. And yes, I always use three different sheets of patterned paper for my layouts. I love color and paper!

Your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. The photos are from the beach. And no there's not a beach or water paper in sight! I have tons of photos from the coast from a few years ago and I am sick of scrapbooking all of my water photos on beach and water paper. So I went looking for some paper that I have had for awhile that needed to be used up. I had more than enough to do all 83 photos from Folly Beach. I still have a pile left. By using the Bohemian stack, I had tons of papers to choose from. They all coordinate with each other and there's embellishments that match as well.

As you've probably noticed, the layouts aren't embellished. Nope, they're not finished. This as far as I go at crops. I do all of my embellishing at home in my studio. There's just too much to bring with me at crops. So I focus on getting as many photos scrapped as possible. This is my secret to getting 70 plus pages done at a weekend crop.

Oh and if you click on the photo, it will open in another screen and be much larger.

Until next time *

Have you printed your digital photos lately?

A Gift

Remember how I said {Colorful Creations} had their own line of stamps? I have been collecting them. There were a few that were missing from my collection. Sadly, I'm still missing one or two and I can no longer get them.

Just before the store closed, I called and spoke with Jenn and was able to get a few. I left her my credit card info so they could ship the stamps to me. I got a phone call the next day from Jayne that something was wonky with my card. I was out of town and didn't get to call her until the next day. I am so thankful that I got to speak to Jenn and Jayne before the store closed. I talk to Jenn frequently through Facebook, but it's just not the same.

Jayne didn't want my credit card info again. She told me she sent the stamps to me as a gift. I was speechless. I got all teary eyed and everything.

I got them a few days later. And now it's like the nail is in the coffin and the store is officially gone. This just breaks my heart.

Thank you Jayne not for the stamps, but for being Jayne and having a fabulous place for us artsy fartsy types.

Sometimes it's the small things in life that mean so much! {Hugs to you Jayne}

Until next time *

Have a LSS? Treasure it. Many of us don't have one anymore. :(

It's Gone

This pic belongs to Erin Horgan.  

I just saw that Erin posted a pic of {Colorful Creations} on their last day. All I can say is wow! Look back a few posts and you'll see all of the amazing things the store once had. This is what was left Saturday afternoon.

Talk about a sad, lonely photo! Even my husband was dumbfounded. He was shocked. He said, "It's gone. It's really gone."

It surprised me how he took the news. His first words were, "What happens to Jenn?"Then he said, "What will everyone do? You have friends there who go there all the time. What will you do when we go to Cape Cod?" I just had no words. I had no words when I saw this pic either.

There is some good news with the store closing. Crop on the Cape is still happening! {CC} hosts this event and I've never been able to attend it for whatever reason. Technically, I am not able to attend in 2012, but I'm going to skip a couple days of classes. It's for my art, right?

Until next time *

Seriously support your LSS even if it's only $5 a week. They need your help to stay alive and we need them as much as they need us!

The Ladies of {Colorful Creations}

I had a few people contact me who wondered if I had more photos of {Colorful Creations}. Of course, I do! I even have a few of the staff!

Instead of trying to get the text to go where I want because that never works for me, I am giving the photos captions. If you'd like to see the pics larger, click on them and they will open in another screen and be much larger.

Happy viewing!

The infamous teal sign.

The entrance. They always had such fun things in the windows! 

Need a place to rest? Waiting for someone to shop? These were so comfy and teal.

The Art Bar. Every month there were a few different inexpensive projects to make.

A beautiful paper apron made by Melissa O. This one of the amazing pieces of art we could have won from a Scrap Pink raffle.

The very first crop I went to at {CC} in 2008. It was an amazing weekend! And to think I didn't know a soul there when I got there. Now I live a thousand miles away and I have some great friends from there!

Gorgeous products! I loved their displays. Jayne and Jenn have such great taste in store fixtures!

More goodies! On the left way back you see someone's back. That's the beginning of the studio space!

The best in beach, ocean, travel and vacation you can find!

Oh yeah look at all these Quickutz dies! A few years back they had a Quickutz Club. I really wished I lived closer to the Cape then.

The wall of rubber stamps. That wasn't all of them either. Across from this was another display just as long filled with rubber stamps. At the end of them on the wall were the clear stamps. There were also rubber stamps dispersed throughout the store. 

Gorgeous ribbons! Books and magazines, too!

Got cardstock?

Now on to the artwork. This pics are of artwork made by ladies who worked there. They were used to decorate the store. Such a creative bunch they are!

They had tons of page kits you could purchase. I have this one. It is one of my favorites. I'm addicted to autumn!

Super cute card box!

Gorgeous shadow box with Erin and her brother.

Everyone needs at least one dream.

The perfect autumn art banner.

Melissa O and Erin the elves.  Santa has such great helpers!

Too cute! 

Beautiful lighthouse card. Several different stamps were used to make all of the images. Pretty cool, huh?

A mini book that was an Art Bar project.

Yes, this is round. Reminds me of an old fashioned mailbox or newspaper holder. It's just so darn cool.

Melissa O and Bob's beautiful wedding day. This is one of my all time favorite wedding layouts.

This shadow box I tried so darn hard to get! It was a raffle for Scrap Pink one year.  The box and papers are from Creative Imaginations. I never saw this paper until I walked in {CC} one year and fell in love. I won't tell you how much of this I have bought over the years. Anytime I find any of it, I buy it. 

Super cute box!

Cock-a-doodle-do! Super cute recipe box.

A Cape Cod layout kit that they sold. I have one of these! I should put it together.....or did I use it? Hmmmmm....

Another beachy Cape Cod layout. Remember yesterday when I said {CC} had their own die cut? I actually meant they had their very own "Cape Cod" die for their Accucut. I have lots of "Cape Cods" floating around. Good thing! I know I'll need a ton.

These were state tags that were changed up a bit. See that Clever Tip? Yup, Jenn and the ladies always had lots of clever tips to share. This one I thought was extra spiffy. I bought some tags from states I've never been to like New Mexico so I could change them up.

And now without further ado....the ladies of {Colorful Creations}.

This photo is from Jenn Shurkus. Steal it and she may hunt you down!
This is Jayne and Jenn.

Jayne was the fantastic owner. I'll never forget her "Man Vegas." It's what you get when you mix Manchester, NH with Jayne. And I just realized I don't have a pic of Jayne. Seriously?! How can that be? Well, I'm going to have to borrow one. I hope Jenn doesn't mind. :)


Jenn Shurkus was the manager of {CC}. She's a graphic designer and teaches classes all over the Northeast. I would say Massachusetts, but I have taken classes with her in New York. She went to Ohio last year and to Nova Scotia - up in Canada! - this year to teach. Have Jetta, stamps, and ink will travel I think should be her motto! She's also on Creative Imaginations design team. I mentioned yesterday that it's all her fault I got into Copics. She's a Certified Copic Instructor and a Certified Ranger Educator as well. She was on the A Muse design team also. Jenn is just amazing and
so inspiring!

This pic also belongs to Jenn Shurkus.

Melissa O is always there when you need a good laugh. She just has something about her that makes you happy just being around her. She has gorgeous little girls. Her husband, Bob, even made us a piece of our Advent Calendar one year. I'll have a pic of that soon. Waiting for my hubby to hang it up. Melissa is also on the Core'dinations design team. Lucky girl!

I just discovered I don't have a pic of Melissa that's not part of a project. Surely, I must have one somewhere! For the meantime, I have borrowed one from Jenn. Hopefully she doesn't mind. Don't steal it or I will send her after you. She could really ink you up. :)

This is Jenn and Erin. 

Erin, Erin, Erin. What can I say about Erin? She's a lifesaver. No really she is. Remember way back when I first posted about my favorite store closing and I told the story about locking my keys in my car? The person who came to my rescue even more than OnStar was Erin. It was her phone I borrowed.

Erin is just pure entertainment. From her Hanson stories to her cruises with John Mayer. Never a dull moment with her around.

Melissa cashing someone out.

Melissa M what can I say about her? She is very patient even when I know my 800 questions about a product have to be driving her up a wall. She gives really great advice. I always love watching her Facebook status about her kids, hockey, and all of her family time. She's a hands on mom and I admire that a lot about her.

Finally....I have a few pics of my favorite {CC} croppers. One has become a really great friend and I really miss her. I can't wait until I can go North next year and see her. I may have some Thickers I need to send to her before then.

Angela getting her creative juices flowing.

We'll have to do dinner again. Last year when I went up for a visit, I had a great night with Angela. I was so stressed after my GPS sent me through Washington, D.C. during rush hour that I just cried for like two hours. The next evening I got to {CC} and life was good. The girls calmed me down. How I don't know. Angela and I went to Uno's since i don't have one here where I live in South Carolina. We cropped together all weekend and have stayed friends even with my crazy move.

Hide EJ hide! 

EJ - aka England Jane - just cracks me up. She has no problem speaking her mind which is rather refreshing since so many people don't. I loved hearing her stories about England. And yes, she has the coolest accent!

I think that's all for now. Stayed tuned for my new studio and tons of pics!

Until next time *

Seriously, when was the last time you shopped your LSS? I don't mean window shopping. Support your local businesses! 

The End of an Era

Have you ever been to a place where creativity magically appeared in your veins? I mean the most creative you've ever been and completely inspired by everyone around you. That was Colorful Creations. This past Saturday Colorful Creations closed their doors forever. This was my home away from home. Sure it was on Cape Cod, but the Cape always played second fiddle to the amazingly talented women at {CC}.

Over the last three or so years, I've learned so much about my artistic abilities from those ladies. I discovered there's so much more to scrapbooking, stamping, and card making than many people realize. There's a whole world of mixed media and they compliment and complete each other so well.

Colorful Creations was so fabulous that they had their own line of rubber stamps and papers. Both reflected their location. Where else can you get Cape Cod stamps, papers, and die cuts?

I made some amazing friends and had incredible teachers. Stampober Fest was one of my greatest memories in my all of my art education. That was really where I began to see the world of paper crafting for more than scrapbooking. I learned about watercoloring, jewelry and tags from Tim Holtz's fantastic collections, Ten Seconds Studio's metals and wood, and book binding where you create the cover yourself. It was one of the most creative, artistic days of my life. I so didn't want it to end.

That same weekend, I took Jenn Shurkus' Advent class. Jenn is famous around New England for her Advent class. Every year she comes up with something completely different and unique. I have learned so much from Jenn over the years. She introduced me to Copics (oh that was dangerous!), A Muse Stamps, and a whole slew of other products.

Colorful Creations lead me to some of the greatest products that aren't typically used by scrapbookers. When I first started finding new toys from them, my friends back home were always intrigued by what I found that trip. They were always excited when they would hear I was going back to the Cape because they knew I would come home with something new and fabulous. The ladies were also awesome for tips on where to eat and what there is to see and do besides just the touristy stuff.

Sadly, those days are over. Thankfully, I have my memories. Some of them are a little on the crazy side. One day started with me panicking, but Erin and her phone came to my rescue. I even took a few photos over the years as you can see. I thought the store was so gorgeous. From the studio area to the stamp wall to the Bazzill wall to all of the great pieces of art hanging around the entire store to the signatures from the visiting artists like Tim Holtz and Ali Edwards there was tons of inspiration surrounding you.

Whenever I was on the Cape for a crop, a class, or vacation, I always made sure to stop by the store and see what they had that was new. Jayne and Jenn always had the latest and greatest products on the shelves. And being that I was on Cape Cod, I needed lots and lots and lots of beach and ocean items. Colorful Creations never disappointed!

I just want to thank Jayne, Jenn, Melissa O., Melissa M., and Erin for the years of laughs, tears, friendship, kindness, and creativity. You all are truly one of a kind and are such an inspiration to everyone whom you've come across especially in the industry. I am seriously working on getting to Crop on the Cape this year.....even if I have to skip a few days of school......it's for a good cause, right? ;)

You know the theme song from the tv show Cheers?

"Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;
You want to be where everybody knows your name."

That was {Colorful Creations}.

Until next time *

Have you shopped your LSS today? Do it before it's gone!