Scrapbookers Secret

Video lessons

2010-05-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

Over the summer I will be working on a scrapbooking video lesson series. I will post something here as soon as it is available.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T06:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to mothers everywhere. Hope you get to do at least one thing just for yourself today.

Mother's Day Sale

2010-05-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day Sale at A Cherry on Top. Prices are dropping in the store. Adhesives are all at least 20% off. Making Memories Slice products are 20% off. Sizzix Dies and Embossing Folders are 20% off, Tim Holtz 10%; EK Success Punches are marked down 10%. The list goes on and on..... What do YOU want for Mother's Day?

Save 50% at Two Chicks Designs

2010-04-14T17:22:00.000-07:00

Two Chicks has great scrapbooking t-shirts and apparel. Get yours now at 50% off!

Save 15% off your order at a Cherry on Top

2010-04-12T17:19:00.000-07:00

This is a great deal - save 15% off your entire order at A Cherry on Top. Promotion Ends 4/15/2010 midnight, PST. Promo Code: TAXDAY

Buy 10 get 5 FREE

2010-03-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

This is a great deal - Buy 10 clearance products get 5 free! At a Cherry on Top.
Promo Code: CLEARANCE105

What I am working on

2010-03-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

I am working on recovering a large board book shaped like a bunny. I had found a great spring story about why the easter bunny lays colored eggs and I am putting that story inside as I recover the pages. It is a fun but time consuming project. Each of the 10 pages must be fully covered.

March Madness at Two Chick Design

2010-03-24T03:31:00.000-07:00

They have several t-shirt styles including scrapbooking theme shirts on sale for $9.99. Lots of fun scrapbooking theme stuff including PJ's for crop, coozies and hats. Check them out!

Bazzill Cardstock Sale

2010-03-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

Stock Up on Bazzill Cardstock This Week!

Buy any 12 sheets of Bazzill Cardstock, Get 5 Free!
Mix and Match all colors, sizes, styles, textures.

Use Promo Code: BAZZILL125

The discount amount for the 5 free items is calculated on the least expensive of the required products. All selected Bazzill Cardstock items must be placed in your shopping cart and Promo Code used at checkout. Limit one promo code per order. Valid thru 3/26/10.

St. Patrick's Day Sale coupon

2010-03-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

Today only A Cherry on Top is offering 10% off your order for St. Patrick's Day. Use Coupon Code KISSME

Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Club CK

2010-03-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

Creating Keepsakes has a new club with an annual fee. There are quite a few benifits. Has anyone tried the club? I am just curious if you enjoy it and feel it is worth the investment. I'd love to hear from you.

Scrapbook.com Feebie

2010-03-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

Get the BRAND NEW Crafter's Workshop 12x12 Calendar Template FREE with any $30 order while supplies last! Simply add the Crafter's Workshop 12x12 Calendar Template to your shopping cart along with at least $30 of additional supplies. Enter coupon code calendar22 in the coupon field at checkout and the price of the Crafter's Workshop 12x12 Calendar Template will be deducted from your order instantly.

Great New Bo Bunny Lines

2010-03-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

If you're a Bo Bunny fan, you're going to love the products in these 6 new limited-edition collections. I know they'll fly off our warehouse shelves quickly - order today before they're all gone.
Jazmyne - Pretty, pretty, pretty! Plums and sage greens and flowers...
Flower Child - Sunny and Bright. Summer yellows and teals and lime greens...
Mama-Razzi - Shabby fun in teal, green, brown...
Paradise - Peaceful ocean blues, yellows; sandy toes. Absolutely gorgeous....
Roughin' It - For the rugged men and little men in your life. Camping, outdoors, dirt...
Sophie - Sophisticated fun in hot pinks and teals...

Go to A Cherry on Top now!

Give Doodling a Try

2010-03-08T03:36:00.000-08:00

In my newest issue of Into Scrap'n News I published a how to on a fun scrapbooking idea - DOODLING! I hope you check it out. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

All About Me Album - December page layout challenge

2008-12-01T06:34:00.000-08:00

Congratulations you have nearly completed and album all about YOU. In light of this accomplishment your last layout challenge involves creating a page that lists or documents your proudest accomplishments. Personally I think creating this book should be among them, with some time and dedication you have given your family a snapshot of yourself and what was important to you!

Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Submissions Wanted

2008-11-15T17:42:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone - Do you have a great scrapbooking idea you want to share?
Do you teach classes and would like some additional web exposure for
your resume? Together we can make something great!

I am looking for scrapbooking techniques, ideas and projects to expand
my new website. I also plan a blog and monthly e-zine to highlight
these items. I will give author credit for all submissions.

Nothing to submit right now? That's ok—come check out the site to see
what we have to offer.

E-mail: autumn@love-my-scrapbooking-ideas.com
www.love-my-scrapbooking-ideas.com

All About Me Album - November page layout challenge

2008-11-01T06:33:00.000-07:00

As the weather gets colder (at least up north) you can think back and create pages for your current month layout challenges.

What is your ideal day? This can vary considerably for each person. Maybe you want to walk on the beach, or spend a day at the spa (all expenses paid of course), a day with your girlfriends, taking your kids to Disney, a romantic dinner with a husband or significant other. Whatever it may be, document it for this layout. It can be something you have done or something you want to do. The sky is the limit, it is your day!

Where have you traveled? This could be the next town or several continents. If you have done some extensive traveling you may want to make pinpoints on a world map. If you have stuck to the USA – a map of the US would be a great starting place. You can simply make a list or use photos from favorite spots. It would be nice to include dates and journaling as well.

Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

All About Me Album - October page layout challenge

2008-10-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

This month we have some fun layout challenges to work on. What are your favorite movies? You can document your current top picks or your overall top picks. You can include scanned art from the DVD case, ticket stubs or even a photo of popcorn. Get creative!

Second monthly challenge, what are your favorite holiday(s). Document your layout with pictures and journaling including why you picked this holiday. Personally my favorite is Halloween – the one holiday where you can dress up and be anything you want!

Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

All About Me Album - September page layout challenge

2008-09-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

With back to school time we’ll keep this month’s page layout challenge simple. Create a page to document your education. Hopefully you have some photos and dates from when you graduated from school, participated in a certificate program etc. Document your happiest memory for each event.

Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

All About Me Album - August page layout challenge

2008-08-01T06:29:00.000-07:00

This month’s page layout challenge involves 2 separate layouts.

Last month you worked on your childhood to pre-teen years. This month it is your teenage years. You can make it fun by picking out paper in colors and patterns that were popular during your teen years. What were the styles and fads? Have any of these come back? Do some creative journaling.

Your next challenge is to create a layout based on role models who have guided you or that you have looked up to. These can be people you never met, family members or even someone you read about who inspired you. One of my role models is a fictional character.

Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - post crop clean up

2008-07-06T08:07:00.000-07:00

We all come home from a crop with a few layouts that just need some simple completion work, printing out some journaling, finding that last photo or an embellishment. Make an in process box or place at home so you can complete these prior to your next crop. That way you can go into your next crop with a clean slate vs some completion work you can easily complete in 15 min. at home. You'll get more completed pages and less stuff to drag to each crop! Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

All About Me Album - July page layout challenge

2008-07-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

Summertime always reminds me about being a kid. This months page layout challenge is to create a layout about your childhood. This can be a single or double page layout. Grab some pics of your infancy to preteen life and journal some memories you have! Hope you are out enjoying the summer weather. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - Preparing for a crop part 3

2008-06-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

To really get organized for a crop you'll want to create a box for your paper, photos and embellishments. You can use a new pizza box if you find the correct size (should fit in your crop bag), they also sell plastic 13x13 boxes for this purpose in many chain craft stores. I recommend the plastic boxes that have locking hinges.

You now have your box, photos, cardstock, paper and list from parts 1 & 2.

1 week prior to the crop - Choose your embellishments, rub on letters, anything else you may want to use on a particular project. I place these in a separate box but you can add them to your paper and photos if they fit, you just want to be sure your paper wont get bent.

This is the best way to save time and be organized for a crop. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - Preparing for a crop part 2

2008-06-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

To really get organized for a crop you'll want to create a box for your paper, photos and embellishments. You can use a new pizza box if you find the correct size (should fit in your crop bag), they also sell plastic 13x13 boxes for this purpose in many chain craft stores. I recommend the plastic boxes that have locking hinges.

You now have your box, photos and list from part 1.

1 week prior to the crop - Choose your paper and cardstock. Create layers in the box with the paper and photos. I use cardboard dividers. If you are missing something, add that to your list. If you need to shop prior to the crop, now is the time. Set these aside until part 3.

Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - Preparing for a crop part 1

2008-06-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

Organizational Tip of the Week - coupons

2008-06-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

Keep you coupons in your car or planner or purse (where ever you are sure to have them with you). Even if you don't think you'll be going to that store, sometimes plans change and then you wished you had it. Personally I keep all my coupons in my car so if I end up unexpectedly at a craft store I can make use of the coupons. Even just using a coupon to buy your adhesive will save you a lot over a year! Every little bit helps and you can't use them if you don't have them. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - clean out paper

2008-06-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

Ok - Lets face it - we all buy paper we think is pretty, or "in" to be used at a later date and then we don't use it for whatever reason. Go through your paper and set aside patterned paper you know you wont use. Cardstock you can always use so it is good to save that. Maybe you don't need wedding paper or baby paper anymore, maybe you no longer like plaid or polka dots - whatever the reason there is no sense in cluttering your supply up with things you'll never use. I recommend selling it in coordinated packs at a local scrapbooking tag sale or using ebay. Either way you'll get some cash to buy paper or other supplies you will use. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

All About Me Album - June page layout challenge

2008-06-01T07:34:00.000-07:00

This month we have 2 seperate page layout challenges, but depending on your circumstances you may choose to combine them.

My first love - I am sure you have some photos of the person you first fell in love with, maybe this is the person you are still in a relationship with now, or maybe not. Either way it would be good to journal about your first love, why it worked, why it didn't and some basic information about that person.

Things I would have done differently - we all have things in our lives we wonder "what if" - pick one or more of these what if's and journal about it - if you have photos thats great but if you don't thats ok too. A large embellishment or drawing you make works just as well as a photo.

Don't fret if you fall behind over the summer months you can catch up later on. Scrapbooking is supposed to be fun and the non-stressful part of your life!

I hope you are getting as much out of creating you All About You album as I am. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - crop bag

2008-05-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

This may seem obvious but every 4-6 mos clean out your crop bag. Restock supplies you always maintain, take stock of supplies you regularly use and note items that need to be replaced or purchased. Pull out items you wont use and set them aside to sell or donate. Take everything out and clean out any misc. items from the bottom. If you have a new favored supply or tool be sure you have it packed in your bag when you re-pack it. Scrapbooking - Autumn.

Organization Tip of the Week - layout list

2008-05-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

I get to crop once a month, so I try to make the most of my time. I always start preparing for a crop by looking at my pictures and making a list of the layouts I want to accomplish. You can even make a larger list of your backlog items to help you plan out what needs to be done. It's a simple task but very effective. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn.

Organizational Tip of the Week - Embellishments part 2

2008-05-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Now that you have gathered all your embellishments together and put aside items you no longer want or need, it is time to organize them. Depending on how much you have, there are several good totes on the market with small locking containers to store and organize them. If you have a local scrapbooking tag sale you can usually pick up storage containers at a good bargain if you arrive early. Take a critical look at your supplies. I find it best to put my embellishments in categories. ie. brads, eyelets, buttons etc. These are my "staple" embellishments I always carry to a crop.

If you are local to CT Memory Lane in Marlboro CT is having a tag sale on May 24th. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - embellishments

2008-05-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

Gather all your embellishments and clean house. This may take a while but there is no sense keeping or toting around things you will never use. Partially used supplies can often be donated to local charities. Good items you no longer want can be swapped or sold at local scrapbooking tag sales. You can also put several unwanted items in a decorative basket and donate it for a charity auction. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

All About Me Album - May page layout challenge

2008-05-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

This month we will be working on an easy and fun layout for our album. My favorite things to do. You can spend a day taking pictures of yourself doing some of your favorite activities. You can make a bulleted list. Lots of fun options this month. To start take a few minutes and write down what you like to do, then wait a day or so and look at your list again, you may want to make additions or changes. Then pick out your paper, take some pictures and make a layout.

I planned these layouts out for the whole year by doing many of the double layout months in the early part of the year when it is cold and we tent to scrapbook more. I also put many of the more challenging topics in that part of the year. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - digital pic storage

2008-04-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

Every 3-4 months I save my photos onto CD to make more room on my hard drive. (ok - I also have an external hard drive copy just in case) I generally organize my photos in monthly photos by shooting date (since the camera downloads them that way). I get rid of "bad" photos and then save several months onto a CD. I make a backup CD which I store and I put the other copy in a CD holder glued to the back of my scrapbooks for the same time period. They sell self stick CD envelopes in many scrapbooking stores for this purpose. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - ordering photos

2008-04-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

With digital photography we all seem to take more pictures than we are used to. To save time and money download your pictures to your computer - I back up to an external hard drive for security. Once you have them there look at the photos critically and select only the ones you will use for your layouts and save them to a separate folder. You can either burn the whole folder to a CD which saves time at the store since you can select all or upload to an on-line photo service which is often less expensive. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - camera

2008-04-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

It seems obvious but many of us don't carry our camera all the time, you never know when you can get a great shot. How many times have you said you wished you had your camera with you at an unexpected time? They are not just for events anymore! You'll never miss a shot if you carry your battery with a fully charged battery - or a battery back-up. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - Photo List

2008-04-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

If you have an event coming up, especially something like a wedding or family reunion, make a list of must have photos. As the event occurs you can refer to it to be sure you have everything you wanted. There is nothing worse than wanting a full family pic only to find out you forgot to take it when you had the chance. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

All About Me Album - April page layout challenge

2008-04-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

This month we will be working on two separate layouts. These should be fun layouts to do - get creative with it.

Layout 1 - Your favorite books. This can include your top 10 favorite reads or authors. Take a photo of yourself or family members reading - or do a layout with no photos.

Layout 2 - Your favorite music. Again you can base this on your favorite songs, artists or even genres. You can print out CD artwork or pics of you with your IPod. There are many possibilities.

Have a great and creative month. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - Must do layouts

2008-03-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

If you work on your scrapbooks in non-chronological order as most people do, it is important to put together a list of layouts you want to do. You can also add to this list, layouts you want to do in the future. I call this my "must do" layout list and when I am not sure where to start at a crop this is where I look. I am able to pull a project I feel like working on while I accomplish a layout I need to do. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - Letter Stickers

2008-03-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

If you are like most scrapbookers you have many sheets of sticker alphabets with the letters you use most frequently missing. To use up the odds and ends you have left combine several alphabets for a more whimsical look or you can even mount the letters to paper to create a variety of new looks. This will breath new life into your supplies and allow you to use more from your stash. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - Chipboard

2008-03-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

I find it easier to find a chipboard embellishment when I want one by storing them all together. I have a large ziplock bag so I can easily see what is inside. If you have a large selection you may want to put letters in one bag and shapes in another. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the week - patterned paper

2008-03-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

When organizing your patterned paper each person will have their own twist. I like to organize mine by themes (holidays, beach, zoo, girl theme etc). I do break out a few of my favorite paper lines so I can easily find them. I love Crate paper, Kaleidoscope and Basic Grey. I use a 12x12 paper filing cabinet with hanging folders - Oriental Trading now has a 12x12 paper storage cube which will hold hanging files for your 12x12 paper. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the week - cardstock by color

2008-03-02T18:03:00.000-08:00

Have you ever dug through your paper stash looking for a particular color of cardstock? Your best bet is to put your cardstock by color. I use only main colors - blue, green, yellow etc. Although I know some people will go even into shading - lt. blue or dk. green. Find something that works for the colors you work with most. You will find it easier to find your cardstock and save time in the process. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

All About Me Album - March page layout challenge

2008-03-02T16:23:00.000-08:00

This month we will be working on two separate layouts. Documenting the less than perfect events in our lives allows our true selves to come through. We all experience hard times, bad moments or even bad hair days. Life is not always picture perfect.

1) My most embarrassing moment - we all have some story or event in our lives we would consider embarrassing. This layout will allow you to document this event with a spin that suits you. You can create some humorous journaling, a letter of apology if you made a blunder or just writing down the events as they happened.

2) My greatest loss - no matter who you are at some point in your life you have had a significant loss. This can be the death of a loved one, the loss of an opportunity that changed your life, a change in your body due to illness or injury or any other scenario that comes to mind when you think of your greatest loss.

Spring is a time for renewal. It is a good time to look at events in your life and find the positive (even if small) contributions these events have made to the person you are now. See them from a new perspective perhaps for the first time since they happened.

Organizational Tip of the week - page maps

2008-02-24T14:49:00.000-08:00

In addition to the layouts I keep in a notebook I have a seperate are for page layout sketches. A huge selection is available on pagemaps.com - check out the monthly archives. That way they are all easily within reach and in a format I can put in my crop bag and take to a crop. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the week - layout ideas

2008-02-17T17:05:00.000-08:00

We all have a stack of scrapbooking magazines somewhere - maybe even with some layouts marked but how often do we actually go back to them? I got a 2" binder (I prefer D ring style) and filled it with plastic page protectors. As I see a technique or layout I really like from a magazine I rip it out and insert it into my idea notebook. That way they are all easily within reach and in a format I can put in my crop bag and take to a crop. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - ribbon

2008-02-10T16:58:00.000-08:00

Organizing ribbon can be a challenge. You can put all your ribbon on small embroidery spools and they will fit into a small beading plastic organizer. (you may need several) Or you can take a small box and punch or cut holes all over it - you can feed the ribbons out through the holes for easy viewing and you can pull out and cut off pieces as you need it. There are several of these organizers out on the market if you don't want to make your own. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - shopping list

2008-02-03T18:35:00.000-08:00

I keep a shopping list with my scrapbooking stuff so when I need an item I can add it to my list right away before I forget. That way my next trip to the local scrapbooking store will be productive.

You can download a free planner page file from Creating Keepsakes which includes a shopping list like the one I use at:

http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/mag/article.ihtml?index_field=2077

Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

All About Me Album - Feb page layout challenge

2008-02-01T18:30:00.000-08:00

As I noted in my post about my scrapbooking resolutions, I plan to complete an album about myself in 2008 and I hope you join me. Every month I will be posting a new challenge to accomplish by the end of the year our albums will be complete.

Feb will be composed of 2 seperate layouts - you can do these as singe or double page layouts:

1) What I Dream of Accomplishing and why - its a great idea to put our goals on paper so why not scrapbook them and it will be interesting to look back and see how far you have come with these dreams next year or even years later.

2) My Most Defining Moment - we all have a moment in our lives which really helped to make us who we are. For some this might be a huge accomplishment but for others it may have been caused by circumstances good or bad, but no matter the event it is part of who we are and important to document.

Happy Scrapping - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - Pens

2008-01-28T18:27:00.000-08:00

Do a quick test of your pens to make sure they are all in good working order. Dispose of any that wont write or don't work properly (or that you just don't like) and make note of any replacements pens you need. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - cutter blade

2008-01-20T14:28:00.000-08:00

How long has it been since you changed your cutter blade? If you don't remember (or carry a spare with you) it is best to change your blade now. You don't want to finally have a chance to crop only to find out your blade is dull. The Cutterbee is my personal favorite since most parts are replaceable. I find I only need to change my blade 1-2 times a year. Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - tool cady

2008-01-13T13:29:00.000-08:00

This is your weekly organizational tip:

Get a tool cady the come in lots of cool color choices. The one I use is by All My Memories and is called the Tote-ally Cool tote and is pink and brown. I have had it for several years now and it is a real time saver. They have more expensive ones out now with a spinning base but the people I know who have one said it wasn't worth the extra money since they rarely spin them anyway. If you already use a tool cady good for you! Take a few minutes and clean it out putting things in easy to find places.

Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

Organizational Tip of the Week - adhesive

2008-01-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

This is your weekly organizational tip:

Go through your supplies and make sure you have a back up for each type of adhesive you regularly use. This will keep you from running out of adhesive at an inopportune time.

Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn

All About Me Album - Jan page layout challenge

2008-01-02T16:34:00.000-08:00

As I noted in my post about my scrapbooking resolutions, I plan to complete an album about myself in 2008 and I hope you join me. Every month I will be posting a new challenge to accomplish by the end of the year our albums will be complete.

Jan - Description of Yourself

This months challenge is a page layout with a description of yourself and photo(s) of course. You can do a single or double page layout depending on how much information you would like to include. Include anything you want but you might want to consider : birthday, where you were born, marital status, eye and hair color, hair type (long, curly, straight etc), height and weight, children if you have any, pets and any distinctive features. You can also include general health, hospital stays and any other items you feel appropriate. If you come up with some good ideas please post them.

This is also a good time to get an album to put these layouts in. That way as you complete them you can put them directly into your growing collection of pages about yourself!

Happy Scrapping - Autumn

My Scrapbooking New Years Resolutions

2007-12-31T19:06:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year from Scrapbookers Secret!

As I reflect back over 2007 I have thought about how I scrapbook a lot about my family but not much about myself. I resolve to complete an album about myself in 2008. I lost my mother as a teenager and there is so much I wish I knew about who she was, what she aspired to be and what happened to her college sweetheart she had so many pictures of. Hopefully this album will help answer these questions for my daughter and give me a chance to reflect on my own life as well. I hope you will join me in creating an album. I will be posting monthly layout challenges to help.

My other resolution for 2008 would be to use my existing product stash. Lets face it we all have one and yet we all buy more..... I would like to complete the bulk of the above album by not purchasing any additional supplies with the exception of 1-2 "perfect" embellishments.

What are your resolutions relating to scrapbooking? I'd love to hear them.

Preparing for a Successful Crop

2007-12-29T17:37:00.000-08:00

Preparing for a Successful Crop
By Autumn Ayla Craig

Whether you crop at home, at a store or other location it helps to be prepared. A first step should be to set your goals for the crop and be realistic about it. If part of your cropping time is for socialization, and who’s isn’t, build that time into your goal. A layout or page completion goal is an easy way to track your progress. As you crop you can also note where you spend excess time – can’t find something, forgot something etc. That will help you plan better the next time.

There are many strategies to prepare for a crop, but getting yourself organized is a great one.

First go through your crop supplies. If you don’t already have one a tool caddy is a great addition. It keeps your most used items handy at all times.
Check your consumable products like glue, tape runner and xyron refills. Be sure you have a backup if you are running low.
If you don’t have pictures printed, print them ahead of time. I recommend Shutterfly.com you can save money on your printing costs.
Make an in process box. If you aren’t sure how to make one go to my website to get a free download – Scrapbooking in 15 Minute Increments which includes detailed instruction on making one.
Try not to over pack.
Always bring 1-2 more projects than you normally complete in case you get stuck on a current project, or if you complete your pages faster than you expected.
Make a list of tools you frequently use and pack them.
Look at the projects you will be working on – if you know you want to use a specific embellishment type and have some handy pack them as well.
We all have a stash of unused products – if you know you’ll never use it then participate in a local scrapbooking tag sale, use eBay or donate them to charity.

I hope these suggestions get you more organized for your next crop.
Happy Scrapbooking - Autumn