Scrappetizer is giving away a FREE WEEKEND RETREAT at our April 26-29, 2012  Scrapbook Event

 Drawing on Jan. 28, 2012

The Official Rules to win a Free Scrappetizer Weekend on April 26-29, 2012:
1) No Purchase Necessary
2) Start Date: January 1^st, 2012. End Date: January 28^th, 2012
3) All are eligible to enter
4) This Giveaway has a max of 4 Entries per person.

• 2 entries for registering for the Stamp & Scrap in the Poconos IV by Jan. 28, 2012
• 1 entry for “Following” the Blog at http://www.scrappetizer.blogspot.com/
• 1 entry for “Liking” the facebook page at www.facebook.com/scrappetizerweekendretreats(write a post on the page or email scrappetizer@gmail.com so I know you have “liked” us)

5) Any person may have up to 4 possible chances of winning
6) One winner will be chosen from all entries
7) The winner will receive a Free Scrappetizer Weekend at Split Rock Hotel on April 26-29, 2012. (Maximum value of $386. If a package with a smaller value is chosen the difference in monetary value will not be awarded. Early Bird Thursday & 2 BR suite upgrades are not included and must be purchased separately).

The winner will be chosen liveduring the Scrappetizer Weekend at Hamilton Park on Jan. 28, and posted on the blog and facebook page by Jan 29, 2012. The winner will be contacted by email or facebook.
9) The winner will have (3) weeks to contact me to claim prize.
10) This giveaway is sponsored by Kathy Gaffney and Scrappetizer Weekend Retreats 22 Hemlock Drive, Franklin, NJ 07416. This giveaway is not sponsored by the hotel. 

http://www.scrappetizer.com

Pine Lily Retreat is celebrating teachers….of all kinds! School’s out and it’s officially summer! All teachers [that's you!] can choose to stay Thursday night June 2nd or Sunday night June 5th FREE. Call Kaki at 985-768-6069 for further information or visit our website at www.pinelilyretreat.com.

…just for another year anyway. Pine Lily Retreat, Lacombe LA, is having a real American Girl weekend. Book for April 15-17 and get either Thursday or Sunday night FREE! That’s 3 days of undisturbed time, just scrappin’ with the girls. Visit www.PineLilyRetreat.com for details.

Queen of the Crop Scrapbooking Retreats announces “Winter Wonderland” event.  Weekend retreat will be held at the Best Western Heritage Inn in Stockton, California on February 18th -20th, 2011.  Space is still available but filling up fast.  Registration deadline is 1/28/2011.  Please visit website for details and cost. www.queenofthecropscrapbookingretreats.com

You can’t take it with you… or can you? Or better yet, should you?

Yes, I’m talking about the age old question about what to pack for a scrapbooking crop! I seem to be getting better and better and taking less and less with me to an all day crop — but I feel that I could do so much better. So, I’m not only typing this to help you, but I’m also hoping that it will help me plan for my next all day crop.

Try to get back to the basics. How many pages can you get done during an all day crop? Do you want to actually Finish the page or would it pain you too much to have to finish it at home? Do you have a scrap-room (like I do) to finish your pages at home? Here are some of the basics that you will need to remember:

1. Your Photos (Don’t do what I did one time and leave home without your photos.)
2. Adhesive
3. Paper trimmer and scissors
4. Markers and/or pens
5. Paper
6. Embellishments

One thing I have found helpful is putting together page kits. If you take the time to put together page kits during 15 minute blocks of time at home, it will help you be more organized and get more done when you sit down at the crop. You will also end up bringing less to a crop because you won’t be bringing all of your paper and all of your embellishments.

For my page kits, I use plastic Page Planners that you can get at your local craft store. You could also get the huge ziplock bags that are big enough for 12×12 paper. I developed my own planner page to put with each kit so that I know what I planned for each page. Put the papers you want to use, stickers, embellishments, photos and go ahead and cut out your die cuts ahead of time to put in your page kits. A little planning will save you time at the crop.

So you signed up for your very first scrapbook crop. Now what? Don’t panic, there are several steps you can take to ensure that your first scrapbook crop will be a success. Planning, organization and packing the right supplies will make your first crop a success.

1. What to Bring:

Must Haves: album, photos, paper, a trimmer, adhesives, embellishments, scissors, markers and other tools (hammers, eyelet setters, etc.)

Optional: cup holder, extra light source, snacks and cash

2. Planning: It is best to plan ahead which pictures you plan on scrapping. Based on your picture selection, gather themed embellishments and paper that you think you will be using.

3. Organization: Once you have planned what items you need, you will need to get them organized. Keep your photos in one place or if you have ideas of which paper and/or embellishments you will use for a layout, put them together in a bag. You may want to invest in a divided paper storage product or perhaps a portable hanging file folder system. Organize your embellishments however you choose (by color, theme or manufacturer). Whatever system works for you so you can find the items you are looking for.

4. Packing: Now the fun part! It is always interesting to how much stuff you can fit into that tote of your! I would suggest a rolling tote….it is easier on the back. Take care when packing your paper that it does not get damaged. It is best to pack paper and album in the same compartment. If you are bringing ink pads, pack them in an outside pocket or put them in a plastic bag or other container just incase a cover comes off. You may want to invest in a smaller table sized caddy that can hold your scissors, adhesives and other items that you will constantly use.

The day of the crop, make sure you have directions and leave in plenty of time. After you check-in, either select a seat or find your assigned seat, unpack and start to crop. You will find that you get more work done when you have all your scrapbooking items organized!

Are you planning on hosting a scrapbooking crop? If so, you’re in for a world of fun! Scrapbooking is a fun and creative hobby enjoyed by millions worldwide, and a crop is a great way to get experienced and novice scrappers together to share tips, get new pointers, and to create some great new pages and books. But as much as it is, there are some important things to remember when hosting a scrapbooking crop.

For one thing, no matter how devoted a scrapper is he or she will probably need something else to do other than just concentrate on scrapbooks all day or all weekend. When hosting a scrapbooking crop be sure to provide other activities that attendees can participate in, or provide instructors and demonstrators of new products or techniques. This means that the attendees won’t be drained from trying to create new pages and books for hours and hours at end and can get a rest from all the activity.

If you’re hosting a scrapbooking crop and want to provide an instructor make sure he or she is very experienced with both scrapbooking and in presenting as well. Some people are very good at the hobby but not very good at instructing others! It’s awful for someone to be hit with stage fright when they’re just trying to share tips on such a great hobby, and of course everyone will then turn to the person that is hosting the scrapbooking crop to get things rolling again.

Demonstrating new products is also fun when hosting a scrapbooking crop but make sure you’re not hiding a sales presentation as an actual crop. Those who attend will expect to be able to create pages and maybe even an entire book while they’re there and they will need and space to do just that. And make sure everyone can get something to eat and drink as well! If you’re hosting a scrapbooking crop that is just one day you can usually provide a boxed or catered lunch; if this is a weekend affair you’ll need to talk to the hotel or someone else about catering different meals or let your attendees know what restaurants are in the area. If you keep these points in mind when hosting a scrapbooking crop you’re sure to have a great time that is fun and enjoyable for everyone in attendance.

For inexperienced scrappers who are not familiar with the term, scrapbooking crops online are something like quilting bees. Crops are a way for fellow scrappers to get together to share their pages, talk about their different techniques, share new products, and generally enjoy their common hobby. Once you start participating in scrapbooking crops online, it can become quite addictive.

How Much Do They Charge?

When looking for scrapbooking crops online, you would do well to ask yourself a few questions about the ones being offered. For example, do they charge a fee for you to attend? If so, how much is it? A few dollars is not a bad thing, since the webmaster or host usually has to pay a fee for the site or forums, so you shouldn’t immediately assume that it is a scam or that you are being ripped off.

Additionally, many scrapbooking crops online have many more attendees than those that are held locally, since virtually anyone with a home computer and a scanner can join in. If you are really looking to make new friends, learn new techniques, and get the best recommendations about new products, then you would do well to consider the small cost of the admissions fee.

What Do They Include?

Some scrapbooking crops online offer nothing more than a scheduled chat between members. While others have scheduled demonstrations, talk about certain techniques, and so on. You need to make sure you are reading all the information available about this particular crop to know exactly what you are being offered and whether or not it is worth your visit.

The participants of the crop are all online at the same time and are creating scrapbooking pages as they chat. They usually will upload pages to a gallery to show off their work when the scrapbooking crop has ended. Sometimes there will be challenges or contests during the online crop. For example, they may have a contest to see who makes the most page layouts during the scheduled time.

Is it Just a Sales Pitch?

Unfortunately, some scrappers who also represent scrapbooking supply companies schedule these scrapbooking crops online just as a way to reel in potential customers. There is nothing wrong with showing other people the materials and products you represent, but this should not be the whole focus of the event, and you certainly should not feel pressured to buy products you are not interested in. Make sure there are other activities and not just sales presentations.

So do your homework about your particular host and talk to other potential visitors, and then you can make the best decision about any potential scrapbooking crops online that you are considering. This way you will not get bored. You will not feel pressured to purchase things, and you won’t be scammed out of a so-called admissions fee.

Where to Find Scrapbooking Crops Online

The most popular places to find an online crop are scrapbooking message boards or forums. These aren’t limited just to the large forums either. If you belong to a monthly scrapbooking kit club, see if they have organized online crops. They often will challenge each other to make page layouts from the products offered in that month’s kit.

Attending a scrapbooking crop online can be a lot of fun. It also motivates you to get more pages done. It’s a social event to share your hobby with others who enjoy it as much as you do.

Scrapbookers, listen up! There’s more to altering and cropping your photos than simply matting them or double matting them on cardstock. Those techniques are a good beginning, but with a little thinking outside the box, you can do so much more!

Here are twenty things you can do to spruce up your photographs.

1. Are you using digital photographs? Add your journaling digitally, directly on the photograph before printing. You then free up space for additional journaling, embellishments or more pictures.
2. Cut your pictures into appropriate shapes. For example, if your layout features flowers, you might trim and cut your photos into a flower shape. This is particularly easy to do if you are using photo editing software, but it can also be done with printed photographs by using a template or stencil.
3. Round off the corners of your photographs with a corner punch
4. Add decorative cuts to the corners of your photographs using punches. Attach double sided sticky tape to the underside of the punched areas. Sprinkle with glitter, micro beads, Pearlex, colored sand or any other item that sticks. Save the punched out shapes and use as embellishments elsewhere.
5. Tint your black and white or sepia photographs with commercial products made for that purpose, or do the tinting digitally before printing.
6. Make a large photograph out of the background or the landscape. Use this large photograph as your background paper, then attach your matted photographs on this paper. For instance, if your layout is about your mountain camping trip, print a scenery image the same of your layout. Use this as the background for your other images.
7. Make a large photograph using landscape or background images. Using a stencil, cut alphabets from this picture and use for your title or other journaling.
8. If the picture has a large element, such as a close-up of a person, cut the person out of the snapshot and matt against a different background.
9. Tear or burn the edges of the photograph for an aged look. Rub the torn edges with chalk or stamping ink to give a browned, aged appearance.
10. Stamp a frame directly on a photograph. Solvent inks like Stazon work well on glossy photo paper but pigment or dye inks may not hold.
11. Take a laser photocopy of your photograph and then use the laser copy to make decorative transfers.
12. Punch one or more holes in the photograph. Thread fiber or ribbon through the hole.
13. Attach eyelets or brads to a photograph.
14. Using a pencil, draw interconnecting jigsaw like shapes on the back of a photograph. Be careful not to draw through a face. Number the shapes consecutively and then cut out. Reassemble the photo on card stock, gluing down the pieces but leaving a small space in between for the matting to show through.
15. Attach your photo to the bottom of a scrapbook shaker box.
16. Sandpaper parts or all of a photo to obtain an aged, damaged look.
17. Cut a photo into a tag shape. Mat it with a card stock tag that is slightly larger than the photo.
18. Cut small circular or oval shapes from a photo and attach to the bottom of a clear, flat marble or plastic “bubble.” Use as an embellishment.
19. Make a self-framed photograph by cutting a rectangular shape out of the middle of a photograph. Trim 1/8 inch away from all four sides and then re-assemble the photograph over a colored matting. See an example here: http://scrappingbydesign.com/blog/?p=48
20. Cover small, selected areas of your photograph with a decoupage product such as Crystal Lacquer or Dimensional Magic.

Digital and hybrid scrapbookers will find it easy to incorporate many of these photo altering techniques digitally.

Photos, Photos, PHOTOS!

• Decisions…
  • By DATE or BY THEME?
  • One set PER CHILD or one set PERIOD for the family?
• Sort, Sort, Sort…
  • Remove ALL photos that are blurred and not top quality. You don’t have to throw them away, BUT YOU DON’T NEED TO WASTE YOUR TIME PUTTING THEM IN A PRECIOUS SCRAPBOOK EITHER! Once they are out of site, trust me, they are out of mind. You’ll get old and forget about them!
  • Pictures that are still on a disk or loaded on your computer? Search through them and move the ones you want to keep to a new folder. Load that folder onto a pen drive or a cd and HEAD TO TARGET, HEB, or your favorite photo processor. Set a date to complete this target! Did you hear me? Set a date TODAY! You’ll only accomplish goals if you set them, write them down, and STICK to them!
  • How many photos to choose? Once you have them in order, SORT AGAIN! Try to complete one 2-page layout for small day-to-day activities and 4-6 pages for big holidays with lots of people you don’t want left out of your book. Rule of thumb: Choose 3-4 photos for each page you plan on completing. You’ll never finish if you try to use every photo you have! Some photos (Like school pics and photos with Santa) will probably stand alone on a page, so plan accordingly.
• Storage…
  • Store 4×6 photos in a simple storage box. I personally love those By Cropper Hopper, but even a simple shoebox will work.
  • Store Larger Photos in THE SAME ORDER in a larger accordion organizer.
    • Tip: Place an index card with your 4×6 photos to remind you that you have a larger photo in the other organizer that you want to add to your layout.
    • Leftover photos that you just can’t part with? Put them in a shoebox, stack them in your guestroom closet, and when you die family members can decide what to do with them, but you won’t have to endure the pain of throwing them away!

Paper…mounds and mounds of PAPER

• It’s cheap…it really is! In the habit of collecting paper? Don’t worry, we ALL ARE! However, some of it has just seen better days. GET RID OF IT! You don’t have to feel wasteful…send it to your child’s teacher. They always need junk paper for school projects. It’s not worth storing if it’s not paper you will actually want to see for years to come in your albums.
• Scraps smaller than your photos (4×6)? THROW THEM AWAY! They get in the way and you will lose valuable time that could be used on your pages trying to go through them to find what you want. At about .59 for a whole sheet, it’s just not worth the aggravation!
• Sort by theme, color, or both? The choice is truly yours, but here’s what I suggest:
  • Sort by theme-specific FIRST. Witches are for Halloween and shouldn’t be placed in the mother-in-law stack (UNLESS she dressed up as a witch for Halloween, you’ll have some serious explaining to do).
  • Sort by color next. You many have chosen a pumpkin colored background to go with your witch in the night sky, but that doesn’t mean it won’t coordinate well with your Thanksgiving photos, so don’t get caught up thinking with a one-track mind. You’ll save yourself lots of money if you can see how the paper can work with several “themes”.
  • Have lots of paper stacks? SORT THEM OUT! Place them with the theme or color block they go with. You’ll keep from flipping through the pad OVER AND OVER again wasting valuable scrapbooking time.
• Storage…
  • Have 15 or 20 dead trees in that pile of paper? You need a FILING SYSTEM. Retrospect makes a simple box with hanging file folders that fits beautifully in your closes and has handles so you can port it back and forth to your scrapping area if you need to.
  • Have less paper because you are just FULL of WILL POWER? You need a smaller system like the Accordion 12×12 storage systems. You’ll need one of these for crops as well (even if you are a paper collector).
  • Lucky? Have a scrapbook room/area all to yourself? We can special order shelves to meet your specific needs. You’ll still need an accordion storage system for crops.

Stickers…

• Follow the same advice as paper. Stickers include ANYTHING THAT STICKS and are not thicker than ¼ inch! You may have theme-specific charms that are flat (and don’t stick), but you’d use them similar to a sticker, so place them with the stickers.
  • Sort by theme (THROW OUT THE JUNK or give to your child’s teacher).
    • Holidays, Events, Seasons
    • Letter stickers/rub-ons by color
    • Have a sticker that can fit under several headings? CHOOSE TODAY AND DON’T LOOK BACK! General Sport sticker??? Place it under Football or Baseball NOW and don’t change your mind. You’ll waste time making pointless decisions later! TRUST ME!!!
    • Place in filing system
      • Large box…behind all paper
      • Accordion box…just for stickers or a binder system works well too!

Embellishments…

• This is where it gets FUN! You’ve got decisions to make when it comes to embellishments. They are what make your pages UNIQUE but they can also be the biggest headache.
• You already know the drill: Throw out what you are not madly in love with or give them to your mother-in-law!
• Place all brads together. I suggest taking them out of their boxes/bags and place them in an embellishment organizer. They are cheap and stack well.
• Place all eyelets together.
• Place all embossing inks together.
• Place all ink pads together.
• Place all stamps in a stamp organizer…you get the idea.

Adhesives…

• Find your favorite and stick to them! If it can be refilled, it’s going to be easier to remember the names/types of your favorites! GIVE THE STUFF YOU HATE TO CHARITY! Stop fighting with it. Not all croppers have the same best favorite!
• Have trouble remembering? Tell us and we’ll keep it on file for you!
• Only take 1 or 2 to a crop. You don’t want to waste time making that type of decision. If you only have a few choices you’ll move along at a quicker pace.

Tools…

• Tried embossing? Found out it wasn’t your cup of tea? GET RID OF IT AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES WITH IT! That goes for any tool you’ve tried and decided you don’t like…scissors, die cuts, etc.
• Basic tools are best utilized when you can get to them easily. This is where your tote GETS you ORGANIZED and keeps you that way. Rolling totes or shoulder organizers like the ones from Crop In Style and Croppin’ Companion aren’t just for toting to/from crops. They actually organize your “crop” at home too!
• Find a tote that:
  • Organizes your pens/markers
  • Scissors
  • Adhesives
  • Is large enough for your favorite trimmer
  • Fits a 12×12 album
  • Has a place for what YOU CALL ESSENTIAL to getting your scrapbooking completed because that is the goal!

Organizing for a Crop and Beyond…

• Crop time is valuable. If you try to bring all “Crop” stuff, you’ll be so busy sorting through; you’ll never get any pages completed! Spend some time before the crop to SET GOALS. If the crop is 5 hours long and you typically complete 4 pages an hour, organize your “crop” to include the items needed for 20 pages. If you are more detailed and prefer to use your crop time learning from others and adding details to your pages, plan accordingly. DON’T BRING WHAT YOU KNOW YOU WON’T NEED! The crop room and other croppers are always willing to share!
• Suggestion: Start an ORGANIZED BINDER SYSTEM like the one from Croppin’ Companion. Before a crop, Go through your NOW ORGANIZED MATERIALS and make selections.
  • Decide the number of pages you WILL COMPLETE.
  • Choose the photos, paper, stickers, and embellishments for each page or layout. Place them in the binder and don’t look back!
  • If you are using the Croppin’ Companion Tote System, choose the tools you’ll need and just 1 or 2 of your favorite adhesives so you don’t overload yourself at the crop. If you have a rolling organized system, bring that along with your selected page layout items, etc.
  • After the crop, go home and put everything back that you didn’t use. If your envelopes have pages that weren’t completed, move them to the front of the binder and fill the now empty ones with the next items on your list. You’ll be ready to crop a page or two here and there (when hubby’s not looking) or between the load of wash or while that incredibly exciting football game is blaring in the den!

Finally…REMEMBER TO SET GOALS…both long and short term! Visualize and keep the prize of a winning scrapbook COMPLETED and READY TO SHARE FOR YEARS TO COME in focus! WRITE YOUR GOALS DOWN RIGHT NOW!!!!!

More Tips…Cause I just can’t get enough!

Are you years behind in scrapbooking? Organize your pictures by theme (make sure they have the date on them). When you complete all of one theme at a time, you don’t have to go searching for your materials. It’s not as “fun” as you will get tired of ghosts and witches, but you will complete more pages in less time.

You can then simply file your pages in that big filing box with the correct theme. If you are doing chronological albums, you’ll just grab the pages for the correct album when you are ready for them.

DON’T FORGET TO LABEL EVERYTHING! You’ll forget which box you put what in, so label, label, label!

HAPPY CROPPING!

Jeni