Tips and Tricks when Scrapbooking away from Home & GIVEAWAY!!!!

Hello Scraplings

(like earthlings, only better)

----thanks Tracy from Pansyshell Scrapping for that, I love the idea of scraplings :D

It has been a while since I have posted.  It just seems that the days turn to weeks way to quickly and I barely find the time to check blogs, let alone post on blogs :D.

I crop with a group of great friends every Tuesday morning, and we have affectionately called ourselves "Tuesday Therapy".  It is a lovely opportunity for us to get together and chew the fat.  On the odd occasion that one of us arrives in dire need of therapy (or in girl talk, desperately needing a moan session), we always find ourselves amongst a group of friends who will nod in agreement when we moan that we live with the worst husband on the planet one week, and once again nod in agreement when we sing our fantastic, lovable, generous husbands praises the next :D  True friends are the ones who will agree with you, no matter what they think ;)

I started thinking about how often we pack up to scrap, and was wondering if there are any of you out there who never know what to take, always end up taking too much, or in some cases too little, and end up sitting at a crop, frustrated and not scrapping a single thing.  I started by jotting down a few pointers, and ended up writing a 2 page document of how I like to organise my stuff for travel scrapping.  I realize that this is an entirely personal choice, as we all have different ways of packing our stash, but thought it would be nice to share with you how I do it :D

I have been scrapping for over 9 years, and during this time, I have hosted many crop sessions, taught countless lessons, attended numerous crop sessions at stores and at friends houses, as well as frequented Scrapbooking Conventions.

In the early days it was a simple matter of loading all my stash (a few pieces of paper, 3 punches, some adhesives and a paper trimmer), into my small carry tote and I was set.  As time went on and my stash grew to a size which no longer fitted into my nifty little “I will never need another crafting carry tote” bag, I had to start sorting out what was necessary to take with.  Over the years I have developed a planning system that works for me, and I would like to share some ideas with you, which you can use and make your own, to suit your scrapping away needs.

GOING TO AN OPEN CROP

1.            SELECTING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS

First and foremost I select ONLY the photographs I want to do layouts for and I use the following “rule”.  NOTE:  I have to add here that I am not a believer of rules as such when it comes to scrapbooking, as it is a creative process and rules just takes the whimsy out of the magic that occurs during creating pages :D.  I have found that if I take a whole pile of photographs along, I get confused as to which I want to scrap and ALWAYS end up not bringing that something along that I saved or purchased with that particular photograph in mind.

2.            SELECTING YOUR PAPER & EMBELLISHMENTS

Next I choose paper and embellishments for the layout and usually add in an extra piece of plain cardstock just in case I decide to make an additional embellishment for the page.  I store types of embellishment together in a ziplock bag in a large storage container; for example, I have a bag labeled butterflies, vacation, bling, flowers, etc.  At this point, I pull out the corresponding bag of embellishments, and choose the ones that suite the page/theme.  These I place into smaller ziplock bags.  I also have my ribbons stored in ziplock bags by colour, so it make it easier for me to see EVERYTHING in the colour range, and select something suitable.  NOTE:  I take just what I want to use on the layout, e.g. 3 brads, 1m of ribbon, one butterfly and a handful of prima flowers.  These I store in a jewelry size ziplock bag.

3.            SELECTING THE EXTRA THINGS

Once I have the papers and embellishments chosen, I then turn to my non-consumable stash to see what will work on the layouts.  My” non-consumables” are the things like stamps, misters, inks, punches, etc.

4.            HOW TO ORGANISE AND TRANSPORT

I have taken some page protectors and cut the ring binding side off, leaving the tree bonded sides in tact.  I use these as my project folders.  Into this I put the paper, photograph and embellishments I wish to use on the layout.  If the embellishments chosen are too bulky to flat pack nicely, for example a roll of tissue tape, I put these separately in a compact plastic container, with the same for all the layouts.  If I have any notes to make on the page, I write them on a post-it and stick it to the outside of the plastic page protector.  The project layouts are stored and transported in my cropping tote using a commercial paper transporter (I use a Cropper Hopper Page Planner folder, which holds up to 5 page protectors)

5.            GO TO STASH WITH EVERY CROP

I have a permanently packed “go to” stash, packed ready to go in a document folder.  In this I have the little things I have found over time that I am always looking for, when I want to add a little something extra.  This is a personal choice, so I will list some of the things I have and you can customize to your personal scrapping style.

·       A4 Sheet of craft paper (or off cuts)

·       A4 Vellum sheet (or off cuts)

·       A4 White untextured cardstock (or off cuts)

·       A4 Sheet inkjet transparency

·       A few pages torn from an old novel

·       A couple of pages of sheet music

·       Tickets from a children’s games centre

·       A few meters of natural lace

·       A few meters of ribbon printed with ruler markings

·       Selection of paper clips

Along with my usual supply of cutting tools and adhesives, I have found that I am usually well enough stocked to complete several layouts without finding that I get part of the way through, and realize I have something in my supplies at home that would have worked well with the page.  In the event that I find I need a little something extra, I scout around the other scrappers and see if they have anything that will lend itself to the page and want to swap with something I may have in return.  Oops, here is another “rule”… Sharing is caring :D.  And, if you are at an open crop at a store, it is always nice to have some products at your fingertips to purchase should you wish.  I always make sure I have at least 5 layouts ready for a crop, that way, if my mojo is pumping, I am assured to have more than enough supplies and photos to scrap for the entire crop session

GOING TO A SCRAPPING CLASS

I find out prior to attending the class, what the end layout will look like, then see what I have in my stash that will lend itself to the layout.  I use the same principle as in going to a crop session, and pack my tote accordingly.  Should the class be all-inclusive, I obviously don’t take stash with me but still always take along my favorite of the month, which currently is Distress Inks and glimmer mists, as well as all my own tools and adhesives.  Not all stores have a supply of tools and adhesives that are available for use during a crop/lesson.

I hope that you found this information helpful, if it was needed and I would love you to tell me your little crop-away secrets :D  Please e-mail your ideas to jobrown0@gmail.com and I will publish your ideas on the blog.  I will randomly select one of the emails received and the winner will receive a FANTASTIC prize.

Creative Hands has kindly sponsored Giant Chipboard letters spelling C-R-E-A-T-E , for you to decorate and embellish for your scrapping space.  This is the one I have done and framed for my craft room:

Many moons ago I was fortunate enough to attend a Scrap Convention and we made LAUGH as one of the master classes.  I have also framed it for my craft room.

E-mail entries close on the 15th of February 2011.

Happy Scrapping Scraplings :D

Jo