Gilford on the 10th and the next Monadnock Crops on the 14th, I’m sorely tempted
to leave everything packed up (and in some instances, still loaded in my car!)
to save myself the bother of repacking. The upside to this decision is that
there will be less opportunity for my neighbors to gawk as I haul bags and totes
down the stairs, out the front door and into the hatch of my beloved yellow
beetle. The downside is that pretty much all of my stuff is packed up and
unless I’m working on digital, there’s not a lot left for me to play with. I
guess it’s just as well that work will be keeping me very busy until it’s time
to drive to Temple and turn the town hall into our cropping hideaway.
One remark I’ve heard at nearly every event I’ve attended is along the lines
of “You fit all of THAT {insert vague gesture at the tool tables and the product
tables that I set up along with my personal work space here} in YOUR car??” Yes.
I can fit 14 totes/bags of tools, product and supplies, a cricut expression, a
15 cubic inch box full of cricut cartridges, a scanner, a laptop briefcase that
contains a portable photo studio, a wide format printer, at least one folding
table, an 11 year old and her stuff and my coffee and snacks in a 2000 VW Beetle
and still be able to see out the rear window. My Beetle does have a surprising
amount of cargo space in it when the back seat is down, but what and how I pack
allows me to make the most of that space.
Obviously, your packing needs are not going to be the same as mine. But I
have some tried and true tips that will make your packing for a crop easier and
less stressful.
1. Know the event and pack for it. Is it a 3 hour crop or a 3 day crop? How much space will be available for you to work in? What is the crop hosts supplying by way of tools? Will there be an opportunity to purchase things you run out of or forget – either a close by store or a vendor? Will there be technique or kit classes at the crop that will
account for some of your time?
2. Pre plan your project. There’s a bunch of ways to do this, but I prefer the power layout system. Basically, all you do is group your photos with the supplies you want to use for your layout (cardstock, patterned paper, stickers, flat embellishments and memorabilia) and stick it on a plastic guide in a box and keep piling up these page kits until the box is full or you’ve run out of pictures. (I can demonstrate the Power Layout product and technique at any of our crops; I just need a couple of days advanced notice so that I’m prepared. I will also blog about it in the future). Have a tool kit ready with basic tools (trimmer, scissors, corner rounder, paper piercer, adhesives) and a kit of non-flat embellishments (stickles, liquid pearls, inks, etc.) if that’s the way you roll. (Personally, I like to stickle when I get home; not only is it less to carry, but I have more drying space at home than I do at most crops. I’ll make a note on a post it to remind me of what I had planned.)
3. Have a list. Lists are good. Lists are essential. Lists are what keep me from driving the 45 minutes between my house and the Temple Town Hall without forgetting the iHome so we have music to scrap to.
4. Use the buddy system. This is great if you are going to a crop with a bunch of girl-friends. Unless you’re working as a group to mass produce identical books or invitations, instead of everyone bringing the same tools, leave some at home. Plan that Sally brings her custom cutting system templates while Marcy brings the border maker system and Kiki brings the punches. You’ll have less to pack, less to forget, less to lug in and less to not use and have to bring back home.
5. Leave yourself plenty of time to pack. Nothing adds to the amount of stuff you bring like waiting to the last minute and throwing things in bags in a panic. I brought two large totes of paper to the Fall 2011 Getaway weekend that I did not even look at because I panicked while I was packing and didn’t think that I was bringing enough of my personal stuff to work with.
6. Make note of what works for you and repeat for future events, likewise if something doesn’t work for you, don’t do it again. I’ve been known to take pictures of my car loading process so I can remember the best way to load it. I also have lists of what tools/product goes in which bags/totes so that I’m consistently making the most of my car space. I also make my husband feel bad because I’m the only one who loads my car. His job is to lug my totes and boxes and bags and carts up and down the stairs in my
specified order, but I’m the only one climbing into my trunk and hauling everything into position. I’m not trying to make him feel unhelpful; I just know that he is not going to be around to help me reload the car before coming home from the crop, so my car needs to be loaded in a manner that I can replicate.
I hope my experiences helped you streamline your packing process or at least gave you an idea of what you might want to try. Packing, like scrapbooking, is an individual thing and what works for me might not work for you. Do you have a tip that I didn’t mention? Mention it in the comments section.