Let me first say, welcome. You're currently entering into a world of crazy ladies; a world where there is no eating or sleeping, because no page ever was finished while doing those miniscule tasks (ok, I exaggerate here. There has always been plenty of food at every crop I've been to!).
If you're like me, you should pity the person who is hosting your first crop. I sent roughly two emails per day (more on occasion) asking random questions and pulling out details like a dentist pulls teeth. What to bring, what would be supplied, oh, and what about extension cords and Cricuts? Would the room tend to be on the warm or cool side, and should I bring a trash can? Now, how cushy were the chairs, again?
*I would like to take a brief moment to publicly thank Holly VanDyne for her patience, guidance and unlimited text package*
Soon you will find yourself packing and wondering a) have I brought too much?, b) what have I forgotten?, and c) how will I ever fit all of this into my car???
(Important side note: all of your supplies should be archival safe (ie: acid and lignin free). It might not seem like a big deal now, but in 50 years when your children's children are looking at these, we still want the pictures to look like pictures!)
For those of you who are list makers (*I'm guilty*), here is a rundown of the basics (and I do mean basic basics) to make sure to include in your caravan of supplies:
- Pictures. You think I'm stating the obvious here, but trust me...this might be the most commonly forgotten item.
- Paper. Again, HELLO. But referring back to the 'pictures' comment... enough said.
- Adhesive. This is where things start to get sticky (pun intended). There are possibly a million trillion options out there to use for 'glue'. My personal favorites? Glue Dots, Stampin' Up! Stampin' Dimensionals and stitching (please don't get me started with my love for my sewing machine while scrapbooking).
- Markers/Pens. There are a lot of fancy pens you can get from a variety of different stores and companies, but go simple at first. You can usually buy markers individually, so get just a few and see what you prefer. I really like the markers that have a fine tip end and a more broad, feather tipped opposite side. I use Stampin' Up! Stampin' Write Markers.
- Embellishments. Aaaahhh...the good part :) This is the part that takes you from fifth runner-up to a first place prize at the Young Author's Contest. Lots of people can adhere some pictures and pretty paper to a page and call themselves scrapbookers, but, to me, embellishments can make it true art (therefore making you an artist...slap that on a resume :D). You need only Google 'scrapbooking embellishments' to have a never-ending list of choices. Commonly used do-dads include buttons, ribbon, brads, eyelets, stickers, chipboard, rub-on's, glitter, die-cuts, flowers, phrases, etc.
This part really is where the sky (or your bank account) is the limit!
- And because you can never have too much...(just watching out for us addicts out there!!)
If you're a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type person, you can stop reading here :)
I also tend to want to use my 'crop time' efficiently, so I plan, plan, plan!!
I like to go through my pictures and whittle them down to the handful that will actually make it to the page. From there, I pull out my Color Coach and decide on a color scheme. All of this info gets jotted down neatly (ppsshhht...right. I'm usually working a thousand miles a minute. Let's say legible, at best) onto a note card. Then I draw myself a little mini-page on my card and sketch out what I want to layout to look like. After that, I use the back of the card to jot down my journaling. The majority of scrappers I've met get a glazed-over-deer-in-the-headlights look at the mention of this subject. Fear not, and answer this question: why are you choosing these pictures to scrapbook? (Hint: your answer is your journaling.)
So there you are! You're ready for your first crop.
Now, take a deep breath and roll your shoulders a bit to loosen them up, because you're going to need all the strength you have to get the kitchen sink out of your pile of things to pack!!
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