Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Packing for a Crop

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

I've gotten a couple questions about packing for crops, so I thought I would do a post about how I get ready to scrap away from home. Also, I'll be going on vacation this month and I'm taking some scrapping stuff with me, so I'll need to do this myself fairly soon. I'm hoping posting about it will help me to brush up on my process! :D Usually I can pack for a crop in about thirty minutes {don't hate me!} but I think it will take a bit longer to pack cropping supplies for my vacation since I'll be away from my stuff for longer than just one night.

As you surely know by now, page kits are the backbone of my scrapbooking. {If that comes as a surprise to you, you should probably read this post before going any further.} Before I started using page kits, my scrapbooking was very disorganized. It took me forever to choose the perfect cardstock, the perfect patterned paper, the perfect embellishments, etc. So much time was spent on sifting through my stash that hardly any scrapbooking got done and it was almost impossible to choose what to take to a crop. Since I have started using page kits, I really only have one decision to make per layout: which kit do I like best for these photos?

So, when I'm packing for a crop, I choose my photos, then choose my page kits and put them into my tote. Then I add some generic stamps {like flourishes, journaling spots & maybe an alphabet}, my stamp blocks, my travel box of Colorbox cat's eye queues {I have all of them ~ it gives me a nice variety of ink colors in a relatively small amount of space}, my favorite punches, some baby wipes and a pad of post-it notes. Then I grab my tool bag off my desk, and I'm done.

The post-it notes are very important because they provide me with peace of mind ~ I don't have to worry about packing the right things. If I need something from home to complete a layout, I just write on the post-it note what is missing and how I planned to use it. Then I stick the post-it note to the page protector. When I get home, I just finish off any layouts with post-its and they're ready to go into albums!

And that's it! That's all the packing and preparation that I do. I know it might seem complicated when you factor in actually making the kits, but I think it's a definite timesaver. For me, making a kit is kind of like shopping, and since I really load up my kits, I don't have to do that very often.

I hope this helps you when you're packing for your next crop! If nothing else, slipping a pad of post-it notes into your tote can be really helpful. That way if you have an "aha!" moment at the crop you won't forget it by the time you get home!

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

11 comments:

  1. I have to say that after seeing your video I started doing the page kits and it makes life SO much easier! I don't load them as much as you do because I want to be able to use some of my embellishments and such in many different kits but I do fill them with the papers that coordinate and cardstock. Some have stickers and such that I bought to use with those pages. It has made life SO much easier! Thank you so much!

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  2. I am in the process of packing for a weekend crop and I also create a theme kit. It's good to know that someone else does it the same way.

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  3. Jennifer, I'm glad the page kits are helping you! :D I totally get leaving the embellishments in your stash so you can pull them into multiple projects ~ I do that with my most commonly used embellishments {like bling!} as well.

    Maritza, I think that even if you are not a person who always scraps from page kits, making one just for a crop is a great idea! That way you have everything you need for one project and you don't have to worry taking everything.

    Thanks, butterflyamanda! :D We are heading north, so it will be nice to get a little break from the heat!

    Kathryn
    Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

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  4. I have not attend a crop yet. Hard to beleive huh? My concern is that I wont have what I need to make it perfect! Thanks for the advice. It was very useful.

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  5. Hey Kathryn! I'm like Vangie.. i have yet to attend a crop.. BUT I TELL YOU WHAT!!?? i'm ready to GO AND attend one now!! :) thank you for all the sharing all this valuable info with us!! it truly helps so wen don't end up.. BAFFLED AND CONFUSED!! :)
    with a grin,
    steffogal1

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  6. You always beat me to the punch! I was just about to film a video and post about packing for my crop club! Great minds! I guess I will do it anyway, everyone's different right! I have only been to one and I definitely used you idea of kits! It worked great for me last time and I will definitely do it again!

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  7. Oh, Vangie & Steff, you should at least go to one crop! I have so much fun at crops! They're better if you have a friend, but still can be fun if you don't know anyone else since you can meet new scrappers! If I'm going by myself, I just take my iPod in case there's no one to chat with {which hardly ever happens} and have fun!

    Yes, Amy, you should still film the video! I am not going to film the actual packing for the crop on my end. That's a little too complicated for me, I think! :D I'm glad the [age kit helped you out at your last crop ~ have fun at the next one!

    Kathryn
    Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

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  8. You teach me so much, just in the daily course of reading your blog and watching your video's I pick things up and learn just from the exposure to your knowledge and techniques.
    I have taken the approach of making kits for pictures I either already have or ones I know I want to print (thanks to the digital age!!)
    Like, I have a group of pics from years ago of a trip to Vegas, so I have started purchasing paper and embellis to coordinate, pulled the CS to go with it...
    I have the same format going with about 8 groups of pictures, 4th of July (2006), Halloween (from 2001,7,8), Softball tourney ('09), 1st haircut ('08), baby showers ('06) & ('09), Bunco..etc...(Love those 2 gallon Ziploc bags-life savers)
    Making page kits this way for me is working wonders, I apprecitate all of the insight of preparation and the tutorials that you have prepared on this subject. It has made my life much easier to crop prep. (It clears things up when I'm shopping, as well!)
    I would love to have the cat quese of pigment ink, then just taking clear EP would cover all bases...great hint!
    Thx for stopping by my blog, yeah, didn't you know I'm sending out gifts to all my blog gal pals...lol-not!! I really have been having fun making mini's for gifts. I am doing the "woman in my family" heritage style mini (not so mini) for my mom, with lots of pics & blank journaling for her to fill in, in her own words! I havn't figured out how to do some blanks yet for her to add women that I may have either forgot or don't know about! I used the K & Co. Que SaraSara paper & sticker/rubon collection and I'm loving it! I also did a book for son, who got a real job today (BTW), about his college years & graduation.
    Plus the new family addition and having the 2 year old here, I have a feeling I will be sleeping next week...
    When & where is vacation? Hope you have a great time!
    Looking forward for the completion of your current videos!!
    Later,
    ~Jill

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  9. That's fabulous. What a great idea the post it notes. Gotta love post its. Thanks for the comment on my blog. You know how much we love comments. Validation is the best.


    Angela

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  10. Hi, Jill! Congratulations to your son on getting his after college "real" job. He must have worked hard on his resume and during the interviews! Vacation is just going to be Virginia to see all our family & friends that we've been missing since we moved. It's a wonderful vacation, but nothing fancy.

    I am excited to read how well the page kits are working for you! That is so cool! It sounds like they are making lots of things easier between the shopping and the cropping and the actal scrapping, so that is awesome! Every time you leave me a comment like this I just feel really humbled and blessed that I can teach or inspire anyone! Thank you so much!

    Angela, post it notes are my cropping life saver! :D Hope everything is going well for you & that you have tons of fun in the new school year!

    Kathryn
    Life's a beach. Scrapbook it,.

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