missmike1205
One Post Wonder
Posts: 1
May 7, 2018 2:19:44 GMT
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Post by missmike1205 on May 7, 2018 2:21:26 GMT
Hi all!! My bestie and I are looking to start hosting our own scrapbook/craft weekend retreats... we have a love for anything crafty and would love to bring people together to relax and scrap/craft away.
For those who HOST retreats: how did you get started?? What is the best way to get the word out?
For those who ATTEND retreats: what are the top three things you prefer/look for in a retreat? Favorite game you have played? Favorite gift/giveaway you have seen/received??
Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions!!
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Post by tinksmommy on May 7, 2018 3:06:52 GMT
I attend both weekend retreats and all day 9 to 9 crops on a Saturday. The 9 to 9: I love having plenty of room, a comfy chair and a power strip that’s easy to access. The all day crop comes with meals. There is an endless supply of soda’s and water. It is a real treat to not have to worry about making meals or doing dishes. They also have a pool so you can swim which is a nice break from sitting. The host sometimes has a vendor with a store come in with product. I love that since we do not have any scrap stores where I live. This is what I prefer now over weekend retreats because I still have one weekend day to do my chores and laundry before my work week begins on Monday.
As far as weekend retreats: The one thing that I do not like is sharing a bedroom with people I don’t know or having to share a bed with a friend. Picky possibly but I am too old to share a bed with anyone except for my hubby. Those that I have attended required meals to be made and the group shares this by pairing up for one meal. You and you partner divvy up the bill for the meal and the cooking. It works very well but I would pay extra to have meals provided. People also bring a ton of snacks. I haven’t been to one with games or prizes. I will probably go to more of these once I retire.
My friend and I want to do a scrap cruise someday.
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Post by grammadee on May 7, 2018 3:15:43 GMT
Sounds like a fun adventure!
As an attendee, the games and prizes are not that important to me.
Top three:
1) Space. I like a whole table to spread out my stuff, and enough room behind me that I can move out of my chair without colliding with someone.
2) Access. I don't want to be lugging my crop supplies up or down stairs.
3) Communication: I like to know what IS and what ISN'T included in my crop fee. What tools (if any) you will have for everyone to share. Will there be a store on site, or do I need to bring everything? If there are classes, will there be a class fee? If there will be challenges, can you post them early so I can pack what I need to take them on?
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Post by Citygirl on May 7, 2018 3:32:11 GMT
As an attendee:
Top 3
Space: I want a big work surface and room to move.
Food: meals, snacks, beverages provided.
Time: how much uninterrupted crop time there will be. For overnight retreats Is the room accessible 24hrs or will it close at a certain time.
Favorite game was scrapbook bingo. I think the best giveaways have been from sponsored crops where I received current products.
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Post by scrappingirl212 on May 7, 2018 3:36:22 GMT
I have attended many day crops. I like them to be long...one I go to is 7a-midnight. The main things i need are like the above poster said: 2-3 electrical outlets, comfy chair and space. Meals and drinks included or bring your own/order in doesn't really matter to me for a day crop.
The weekend retreat i like the best is all meals, drinks, snacks included and share room with only your own group. You basically scrap 24/7 if u want. Very fun to be spoiled and scrap, talk, eat, read, nap whenever you want for several days straight! Ahhhhhh😊 The host is very into women being taken care of and making time for themselves.
I'm not a big fan of games. I'm ok with door prizes being drawn every hour or whenever or a small prize table (die cuts, stickers, inks, little fun stuff) and they call out "if anyone is working on something summer related come pick a prize" type of thing.
One more important thing: good music! I seem to notice radio stations with pop hits from the 90's-present get played a lot and that's fine with me.
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Post by kiwigirl on May 7, 2018 7:23:02 GMT
I used to attend quite a lot of crops and weekends. I don't anymore and that's just because of certain women I would rather not spend my time with, I don't know why but most of the women who scrapbook close to where I live, turned out to be nasty unfortunately.
Important to me.... I think honestly the most important thing is being able to get around the room. There's always those people that have 73 bags and a rolling cart with them and they make it very difficult to get past them cause they have stuff everywhere. It makes me nervous not to have a clear path around the room (I get claustrophobic so I stress that if there's a fire, we couldn't all stampede out of the room in time). So I would love it if the organisers went around and reminded people to be considerate of others and having a clear path to walk through. I know it's a bit stupid but it is something that stresses me out and makes me anxious, there's no controlling these things!
Games/prizes/gifts on the table are not important to me. Unless they're uber cool and generally nobody has the money to provide that so I'd rather the organisers put the money towards classes or snacks instead.
I'm probably more fussy on the space than anything, not too hot, not too cold, space to walk around.
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Post by kiwikate on May 7, 2018 8:15:21 GMT
Agreeing with what others have said- plenty of table space, sturdy tables, comfortable chairs. Good lighting and some fresh air! I like to be able to buy basic supplies and also cold drinks etc. I dont mind about food being provided- often I'd rather order take out or bring my own. I dont think prizes and games are important- I really dont like anything to eat into my scrapping time! I love to choose my table buddies. For a weekend retreat I always pay extra for my own room, it makes it much more of a treat.
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Post by kiwikate on May 7, 2018 8:19:12 GMT
Important to me.... I think honestly the most important thing is being able to get around the room. There's always those people that have 73 bags and a rolling cart with them and they make it very difficult to get past them cause they have stuff everywhere. It makes me nervous not to have a clear path around the room (I get claustrophobic so I stress that if there's a fire, we couldn't all stampede out of the room in time). So I would love it if the organisers went around and reminded people to be considerate of others and having a clear path to walk through. I know it's a bit stupid but it is something that stresses me out and makes me anxious, there's no controlling these things! Couldn't agree more! People can be very inconsiderate with space and it is great if everyone can be reminded of any restrictions. |
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Post by Sassenach on May 7, 2018 10:27:15 GMT
1 A large workspace - I really hate to be crowded
2 No children
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Post by myboysnme on May 7, 2018 12:13:22 GMT
This question is right up my alley. I go to several retreats a year and have been to all kinds of retreats. So get ready for lots of thoughts - mostly don'ts!
I like retreats in a hotel where we get meal vouchers at the hotel restaurant. This is because one of the retreats I go to the food served is not always to my liking and my friend doesn't eat meat so we always end up getting food elsewhere. The only other way to handle this is to have a meals included price and a slightly discounted no meals price. I am thinking about getting weight loss surgery and I would prefer not to have food and smells in the crop area anyway, even if it's a large one.
Not a fan of renting a big house someplace and everyone take a turn with a meal. I don't cook at home and I sure don't want to cook at a retreat. Hosts always say, well you can order pizza or takeout. No, I can't. How about you as the crop hostess just charge a tiny bit more and you order it?
And please do not ask me to clean up meals. Oh no. I am there to crop and I don't even clean at my own house.
I need my own table, wifi and free electricity for my fan if I use it. I need a 6 foot table not a 4 foot. Let us know if the chairs aren't good and we can bring our own or pillows. I went to a crop where we shared a 6 foot table. Oh no way. I was appalled. They said, "You can bring an extra side table." No, I am not hauling my own table to your crop that I pay for. I also am not sharing a room except with my friend. Forget it.
Contests - I really feel those days are over. The one I go to has a page contest and people enter kits, projects they copy of pinterest, mosaic moments templates. The winner is always someone who built a graphic 45 project or used a kit. Even when the crop hostess says no kits, they still get entered. Just forget it. And don't have tickets for everyone as they complete a page. There is too much diversity in sizes and complexity. Just don't.
Door prizes - At the retreat I go to now there is a table full of stuff from 31 Bags to iris cases. Hostess pulls out a name and you get to choose in order. So as your name gets lower and lower on the list, some people are getting gifts worth $50 and some are getting gifts worth $3. Forget that. I prefer a grand prize of a free retreat next time or 50% off and give everyone a $10 off the next retreat coupon instead of buying stuff on sale to put on a prize table. Don't have one big draw for a Cameo or something. Take the money you spent on that and divide it by attendees and take $5 off my crop cost.
I LOVE having a free table and sale table. I love having vendors. Some people love classes. I never partake but it seems vendors like to give a class. However, at the retreat I go to they charge for the class. I don't like that.
Have an info sheet with crop rules on the table at each place as people arrive. Enforce the crop rules and walk around. Some people would say, oh hell no! Forget the crop police. But some things ruin the crop for others. These 2 things in particular: People who play music and videos and won't use earbuds, and people who insist on being on face time or speaker phone. If you walk around and hear someone on speaker phone, gently ask them to take it outside the crop area. If someone is playing music, or watching videos with the volume on. gently ask them to use earbuds. At my last retreat in the same room as me I had 3 people on video chat, 2 people listening to a hockey game, one watching a you tube video and one older lady who had a ring tone so loud that she refused to turn down. She was asked to and said, "No." Then she left her phone in the crop room and it rang and buzzed non stop. Here's another rule - if your family is staying with you, visit with them outside the crop area. Your spouse bringing in your 4 kids from the pool is disruptive. These things can all go on an info sheet. Don't make it a mommy and me crop. Have an age limit, like no one under 12 in the crop area. There is one lady who lives very close to the venue, always at our crops who brings her young daughter, and then her friends come by all weekend and sit and chat with her. One brings her knitting and they yack for hours. Friends don't pay to be there. Then her husband brings her two boys by about 20 times a day. Can you tell she is always one table over from me? My friend and I suffer in silence because we love our crop spot that we always get. Don't put your attendees in the position of saying something to the others. That's your job and you are the only one they will respect.
Time: I like a 24 hr crop room but at our retreats everyone is gone by 1 am. So if you want to close it down, that's fine. Have one crop hostess up at 8 am and one to close it down at 1 am. Crops go from 10 am Friday to 4 pm Sunday. People leave at various times Sunday depending on their drive but we only live an hour away so we are home by 5 pm.
Room temp: I always bring a fan because I am fat. My friend is a tiny waif so she brings a jacket. Our spot is right next to the heater/air conditioner so I get to control that for the whole room (it's a small room-our crop space is 4 connected rooms that turn into a ballroom sort of) and no one else even knows it's there. I am always very aware of whether people are saying they are hot or cold and adjust without letting anyone know. I lent my fan to an older lady who sweats profusely and she aimed it blowing right on my waif friend. when we asked her to turn it she got mad, unplugged it and gave it back.
Cost: The retreats we go to are $200 and the hotel offers breakfast. They offer a meal Friday night and a meal for lunch Sat. They have snacks and drinks. As I said, I would much rather have meal vouchers or a slight discount for no meals. $200 is a fantastic price. Worth every penny.
I am going to come back on here as other people's responses remind me of something.
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christinec68
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,125 
Location: New York, NY
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Post by christinec68 on May 7, 2018 12:26:47 GMT
The only other thing I can think of that hasn't been mentioned is having a separate area for eating.
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Post by amp on May 7, 2018 12:29:40 GMT
This question is right up my alley. I go to several retreats a year and have been to all kinds of retreats. So get ready for lots of thoughts - mostly don'ts!
I like retreats in a hotel where we get meal vouchers at the hotel restaurant. This is because one of the retreats I go to the food served is not always to my liking and my friend doesn't eat meat so we always end up getting food elsewhere. The only other way to handle this is to have a meals included price and a slightly discounted no meals price. I am thinking about getting weight loss surgery and I would prefer not to have food and smells in the crop area anyway, even if it's a large one.
Not a fan of renting a big house someplace and everyone take a turn with a meal. I don't cook at home and I sure don't want to cook at a retreat. Hosts always say, well you can order pizza or takeout. No, I can't. How about you as the crop hostess just charge a tiny bit more and you order it?
And please do not ask me to clean up meals. Oh no. I am there to crop and I don't even clean at my own house.
I need my own table and free electricity for my fan if I use it. I need a 6 foot table not a 4 foot. Let us know if the chairs aren't good and we can bring our own or pillows. I went to a crop where we shared a 6 foot table. Oh no way. I was appalled. They said, "You can bring an extra side table." No, I am not hauling my own table to your crop that I pay for. I also am not sharing a room except with my friend. Forget it.
Contests - I really feel those days are over. The one I go to has a page contest and people enter kits, projects they copy of pinterest, mosaic moments templates. The winner is always someone who built a graphic 45 project or used a kit. Even when the crop hostess says no kits, they still get entered. Just forget it. And don't have tickets for everyone as they complete a page. There is too much diversity in sizes and complexity. Just don't.
Door prizes - At the retreat I go to now there is a table full of stuff from 31 Bags to iris cases. Hostess pulls out a name and you get to choose in order. So as your name gets lower and lower on the list, some people are getting gifts worth $50 and some are getting gifts worth $3. Forget that. I prefer a grand prize of a free retreat next time or 50% off and give everyone a $10 off the next retreat coupon instead of buying stuff on sale to put on a prize table.
I LOVE having a free table and sale table. I love having vendors. Some people love classes. I never partake but it seems vendors like to give a class. However, at the retreat I go to they charge for the class. I don't like that.
Have an info sheet with crop rules on the table at each place as people arrive. Enforce the crop rules and walk around. Some people would say, oh hell no! Forget the crop police. But some things ruin the crop for others. These 2 things in particular: People who play music and videos and won't use earbuds, and people who insist on being on face time or speaker phone. If you walk around and hear someone on speaker phone, gently ask them to take it outside the crop area. If someone is playing music, or watching videos with the volume on. gently ask them to use earbuds. At my last retreat in the same room as me I had 3 people on video chat, 2 people listening to a hockey game, one watching a you tube video and one older lady who had a ring tone so loud that she refused to turn down. She was asked to and said, "No." Then she left her phone in the crop room and it rang and buzzed non stop. Here's another rule - if your family is staying with you, visit with them outside the crop area. Your spouse bringing in your 4 kids from the pool is disruptive. These things can all go on an info sheet. Don't make it a mommy and me crop. Have an age limit, like no one under 12 in the crop area. There is one lady who lives very close to the venue, always at our crops who brings her young daughter, and then her friends come by all weekend and sit and chat with her. One brings her knitting and they yack for hours. Friends don't pay to be there. Then her husband brings her two boys by about 20 times a day. Can you tell she is always one table over from me? My friend and I suffer in silence because we love our crop spot that we always get.
Time: I like a 24 hr crop room but at our retreats everyone is gone by 1 am. So if you want to close it down, that's fine. Have one crop hostess up at 8 am and one to close it down at 1 am. Crops go from 10 am Friday to 4 pm Sunday. People leave at various times Sunday depending on their drive but we only live an hour away so we are home by 5 pm.
Room temp: I always bring a fan because I am fat. My friend is a tiny waif so she brings a jacket. Our spot is right next to the heater/air conditioner so I get to control that for the whole room (it's a small room) and no one else even knows it's there. I am always very aware of whether people are saying they are hot or cold and adjust without letting anyone know. I lent my fan to an older lady who sweats profusely and she aimed it blowing right on my waif friend. when we asked her to turn it she got mad, unplugged it and gave it back.
Cost: The retreats we go to are $200 and the hotel offers breakfast. They offer a meal Friday night and a meal for lunch Sat. They have snacks and drinks. As I said, I would much rather have meal vouchers or a slight discount for no meals. $200 is a fantastic price. Worth every penny.
I am going to come back on here as other people's responses remind me of something.
This pretty much sums up my thoughts exactly!!! Especially about the noise... |
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Post by kiwigirl on May 7, 2018 12:59:42 GMT
myboysnme I have always liked you but reading that, I think I love you! I love that you're straight to the point, no fannying around! I love it! Also, I have to know, how the heck do you not do any cooking or cleaning at your house? I need to know, I need to start implementing your methods here..... 
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Post by myboysnme on May 7, 2018 13:03:36 GMT
Also, I have to know, how the heck do you not do any cooking or cleaning at your house Haha!! My husband does all the cooking and kitchen duty. If you ate my cooking you would know why. Cleaning - well that is hit or miss. I work all week so when I'm home I have projects I work on. Each person in my family does their own laundry. Everyone has a bathroom to keep up. I do sweep the floor especially when I'm watching TV and see it needs it. But I hate dirty dishes and so that is the bulk of cleaning at my house which DH took over many years ago. |
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kelly8875
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,390
Location: Lost in my supplies...
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Post by kelly8875 on May 7, 2018 13:14:56 GMT
I go to weekend retreats a couple times a year. We check in Thursday and out on Sunday. Some come on Friday for a reduced price. All meals are included, water/coffee/tea is free, pop is cheap to buy (and she donates what she earns off of the pop to a charity she is close to, so she doesn’t actually make any money from that). The space is kind of limited in this location, only getting 4’ or half of a table. But I’m so used to it (I’ve been going to these for 15 years). We get to stay up as late or early as we want, there is always someone up. The radio is on a variety station.
Day crops: I only really go to one right now. It’s usually from 9-6, and that’s about right for me. Sometimes lunch is included in the crop fee or we’re free to go out. It’s always clearly stated what’s included. It’s held in our high school study hall room. We each get a table, but they’re a little smaller, but it’s usually not so full that we can each pull another table up.
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Post by myboysnme on May 7, 2018 14:51:44 GMT
Here's a few suggestions for you as organizers: decide what your financial goal is. The ones I go to most the crop hostess wants to make enough to get a free room for herself, her mom and her aunt. Usually a hotel will comp you some rooms if you get enough people to reserve a room. So decide if you want to make money, cover your expenses or work for free. I would not work for free but our crop hostess doesn't want a profit she has to pay taxes on.
The crop hostess always reserves all the rooms for us. We just tell her we're coming and who we are rooming with. She has prices for if you are alone, sharing a room with one person, or more. It is not just divided. I think a one person cost is $275 but a 2 person cost is $200 each.
Lastly (for now) you may be picturing a lovely time of people happily crafting. How many people are you talking about? Our crop has about 50 people. Let me just say this. You get all kinds and I do mean, ALL KINDS. nice, mean, shy, rowdy, rude, sweet, obnoxious, drunk, fussy, people with various phobias and pathologies and idiosyncrasies, people that don't wash their hands, people that steal, people that encroach, people that are polite, loud talkers, close talkers, people that smell, people with irritating voices, the ones that need their handheld by anyone and constantly ask for advice (which they promptly ignore),the list goes on. In other words, crafters are people with all of the good and bad qualities in a shared space.
If you don't like being irked or bothered and expect people to be mature and work things out, FORGET IT!! And don't be the crop hostess that ignores this stuff either. You may end up needing to put the worst offenders on a waiting list because they ALWAYS sign up!
For an informative read, revisit the crop nightmares thread from the archived 2peas posts! |
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scrappington
Pearl Clutcher
in Canada
Posts: 3,139
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Post by scrappington on May 7, 2018 16:32:34 GMT
I would start with a day crop first. get the feel for it.
work out the kinks and go from there.
rent a hall...make sure you can bring your own food in.
6 foot tables . and start small like 25 people. or 24...do 6 groupings of 4 tables.
when you have a sign up ask if they are attending with someone and to list who they like to be seated with.
Now you will get all kinds of food issues. gluten, lactose, soy...etc
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Post by 950nancy on May 7, 2018 18:25:16 GMT
My friends host a crop and it has 50-200 people depending on the month. They have moved it to a church basement that is newly remodeled and really an awesome spot. One thing to consider is having to rent tables and chairs. Another is clean up. That can be pretty awful.
I have only been to one crop where people were hard to sit next to and the lady just talked and laughed to herself the whole time. The room was hot and when someone tried to turn on a large fan the lady had a meltdown because she is bothered by the vibrations. (I do believe it was an actual medical issue.) Other than that, people are generally pretty decent. Minor issues like hot and cold are hard to deal with because we all are so different with what is comfortable. I generally wear layers.
If you want to do a raffle, perhaps offer a free crop for the next gathering. I have also seen crops where gift certificates for crops are sold and husbands (and other relatives) are encouraged to buy those and the ladies love that. Having a few vendors that sell adhesive or paper can also be good thing.
The minimum age at one of the crops is either 10 or 12. Personally, you don't want your kid sitting next to me because I can be salty. I do reign it in because I am in a public setting, but a bunch of women scrapping can get a little rowdy. Maybe make a kids' area if more than one signs up.
I go to maybe 8 crops a year. I often get a hotel room close by and the crop hostess will get us a special rate. The one I go to (2 hours away) gets us about 50% off.
Trying to feed people will be the hardest. So many people will not eat certain things that even when you try to accommodate, you just can't. Perhaps offering a meal price and a non meal price for the crop might help and let people know what you will be serving. I go to one crop that is small and everyone pairs up and does a meal and I like that. One meal (I make it before I go) and clean up and I am done. I am also sure to get one meal that I like. Larger crops are a crap shoot. People who don't like to cook will bring frozen lasagna and salad. The clean up for that is about 15 minutes.
You can't please everyone, so think about what would most people happy. One crop I went to had a feedback form early on. They got some wacky feedback, but looked at the general thoughts of the group and went with that.
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Post by workingclassdog on May 7, 2018 18:34:58 GMT
Not a fan of renting a big house someplace and everyone take a turn with a meal. I don't cook at home and I sure don't want to cook at a retreat. Hosts always say, well you can order pizza or takeout. No, I can't. How about you as the crop hostess just charge a tiny bit more and you order it?
And please do not ask me to clean up meals. Oh no. I am there to crop and I don't even clean at my own house.
So when we used to rent a house (it was set up for scrapping) it was awesome. The first time we took turns cooking which was fine. There wasn't really takeout available because it was in the mountains and not close to anything. Everyone had a list of items to bring so that we didn't have tons of food. But that never worked. Everyone brought WAY more than we needed. So we switched it up a bit. One of my friends would go but she didn't scrapbook. She was there to get away from her family and she loved to cook. So we would cover her cost of the rent and then in return she cooked and cleaned the kitchen (we did chip in on cleaning.. not rude about it and it only took a few minutes extra) for us. It was even better. So that was our solution for the food problem. Now that said we all thought we would have to bring a ton of snacks.. LOL... |
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Post by stinkerbelle on May 7, 2018 18:50:53 GMT
having never been to an actual retreat and having not gone to a crop in eons, take this with a grain of salt important not just to me, but anyone i'm with...i snore. and when i say snore, i mean bring the roof down, everyone thinks there's a bear snore. no one would want to room with me and i would be horrified if my roomie got no sleep and hated me the next day. so individual sleeping accomodations would be a must. i'm a picky eater and guarantee i would not be happy with provided meals. i also don't like leaving to get food, but would be perfectly happy to bring my own snacks. 24 hour access to crop area would be a must. i'm a night owl and could literally scrap all night. i'm pretty much on game with everyone else's ideas about electricity, cell phones, children, games, goodie bags, etc. good luck! |
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Post by kiwigirl on May 7, 2018 19:08:32 GMT
Also, I have to know, how the heck do you not do any cooking or cleaning at your house Haha!! My husband does all the cooking and kitchen duty. If you ate my cooking you would know why. Cleaning - well that is hit or miss. I work all week so when I'm home I have projects I work on. Each person in my family does their own laundry. Everyone has a bathroom to keep up. I do sweep the floor especially when I'm watching TV and see it needs it. But I hate dirty dishes and so that is the bulk of cleaning at my house which DH took over many years ago. You have them all trained well, I could learn from you master! Hahaha! I met my partner 5 days before I left the UK, so we spent a few days together and then I left and went home to NZ. I was there 6 months and I did do a lot of work convincing him that I couldn't cook in our conversations/emails. Unfortunately when I returned to the UK and moved in with him I worked out quite quickly that he literally couldn't cook, if I wanted to eat, I had to take over. All that work was for nothing! |
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Post by Prenticekid on May 7, 2018 20:10:55 GMT
Hi all!! My bestie and I are looking to start hosting our own scrapbook/craft weekend retreats... we have a love for anything crafty and would love to bring people together to relax and scrap/craft away. For those who HOST retreats: how did you get started?? What is the best way to get the word out? For those who ATTEND retreats: what are the top three things you prefer/look for in a retreat? Favorite game you have played? Favorite gift/giveaway you have seen/received?? Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions!! How seriously are you considering this and what do you think you have to offer? What price range are you looking at? Where are you located? Where are you going to have these retreats? What kind of financing do you have? Our answers don't really matter unless you have some sort of core plan. |
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Post by myboysnme on May 7, 2018 21:12:28 GMT
I worked out quite quickly that he literally couldn't cook, if I wanted to eat, I had to take over. All that work was for nothing! My DH is a good cook and likes to cook. He tasted my stuff and decided quickly he would take on that task, and I gave him the entire kitchen. I take care of bills and finances and that type of stuff. |
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Post by myboysnme on May 7, 2018 21:16:57 GMT
She was there to get away from her family and she loved to cook. What a great way to address that issue! I love it! Like stinkerbelle, I snore badly but my friend sleeps like the dead and it never bothers her. If it ever does I will be mortified. |
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Post by workingclassdog on May 7, 2018 22:55:02 GMT
She was there to get away from her family and she loved to cook. What a great way to address that issue! I love it! Like stinkerbelle , I snore badly but my friend sleeps like the dead and it never bothers her. If it ever does I will be mortified. It was an awesome setup.. and it was during basketball playoffs which is her favorite! lol Snoring.. I snore too, sometime louder than other times... but we made it work cause there were other snorers and ones that slept through train horns.. we had one lady who we gave her own room when we could, she was a bit older and just wasn't comfortable sharing and usually it worked out that she could have her space (she wasn't pushy at all and it didn't matter to the rest of us). God bless her.. I miss her too.. she passed away late last year.  |
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Post by jameynz on May 8, 2018 6:10:39 GMT
I go to different crops over the course of a year.
CAMP 1:
Provide your own breakfasts, snacks, dribkies
Lunch, dinner, tea & coffee provided
We bring a plate of cookies etc to share for cuppa tea time
Meals are cooked, with some help from camp attendees,but we take turns doing dishes, cleaning up
She offers a main meal, with a vegetarian option
No kiddies- but one lady does have her DH and kiddie pop in for an hour
There is a store on site for basics, but we also pop out to go shopping elsewhere
Sleeping is bunk beds (it's held in a scout camp) however, there is enough rooms/ beds that no one ends up sleeping on the top bunk
Crop room is seperate from food room
Crop is from when you wake up to the last one goes to bed - you lock up, turn off the light
Held 2x a year - capped at 18 people, there is a waiting list if a regular cannot attend
It is the same 18-20 people so we all get on well and gel together
If Someone has stopped scrapping so brings their knitting, quilting, sewing machines whatever crafts they are working on
1/2 table each.....plenty of power points, room etc
Goes from Thursday afternoon to Sunday afternoon
CAMP 2:
Held once a year
Share room 2 people max
1/2 table each - scrap room is crowded though 30 people
Food is provided -we help clean up
Bring a plate of cookies for cuppa tea time
Bring your own drinkies/snacks
Food room is seperate to scrap room
Limited power points
Bit more 'clicky' with the attendees as they are more serious scrappers and take it seriously (I feel out of place)
On site scrap store
Lovely organisers....and I do mean that! They are lovely ladies
Goes from Friday night to Sunday afternoon
Same price for both camps....
Both have NO classes but both offer a box - if you no longer want your stuff, leave it here for others who may want it for free....
I also go to a monthly crop from 6-midnight - do our own things no classes, on site basic shopping, dinner provided with tea & coffee, and she will bring cookies, and sometimes others will do so as well.
As much table as we like - in a huge hall with oodles of tables and good seats
Room can get a little cold in winter but nothing stops us wearing slippers and having knee blankets. There is a heater there, but coin fed
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Post by 950nancy on May 8, 2018 18:00:05 GMT
Not a fan of renting a big house someplace and everyone take a turn with a meal. I don't cook at home and I sure don't want to cook at a retreat. Hosts always say, well you can order pizza or takeout. No, I can't. How about you as the crop hostess just charge a tiny bit more and you order it?
And please do not ask me to clean up meals. Oh no. I am there to crop and I don't even clean at my own house.
So when we used to rent a house (it was set up for scrapping) it was awesome. The first time we took turns cooking which was fine. There wasn't really takeout available because it was in the mountains and not close to anything. Everyone had a list of items to bring so that we didn't have tons of food. But that never worked. Everyone brought WAY more than we needed. So we switched it up a bit. One of my friends would go but she didn't scrapbook. She was there to get away from her family and she loved to cook. So we would cover her cost of the rent and then in return she cooked and cleaned the kitchen (we did chip in on cleaning.. not rude about it and it only took a few minutes extra) for us. It was even better. So that was our solution for the food problem. Now that said we all thought we would have to bring a ton of snacks.. LOL... Which one did you go to? I have been to several in the Denver(ish) area. I think Pine Cone Cottage was the only one that didn't have food close by, so we went to the local bar up the mountain, and boy was that a treat! All of the walls were covered with one dollar bills shoved into the spaces of the building's logs. |
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Post by workingclassdog on May 8, 2018 18:24:21 GMT
So when we used to rent a house (it was set up for scrapping) it was awesome. The first time we took turns cooking which was fine. There wasn't really takeout available because it was in the mountains and not close to anything. Everyone had a list of items to bring so that we didn't have tons of food. But that never worked. Everyone brought WAY more than we needed. So we switched it up a bit. One of my friends would go but she didn't scrapbook. She was there to get away from her family and she loved to cook. So we would cover her cost of the rent and then in return she cooked and cleaned the kitchen (we did chip in on cleaning.. not rude about it and it only took a few minutes extra) for us. It was even better. So that was our solution for the food problem. Now that said we all thought we would have to bring a ton of snacks.. LOL... Which one did you go to? I have been to several in the Denver(ish) area. I think Pine Cone Cottage was the only one that didn't have food close by, so we went to the local bar up the mountain, and boy was that a treat! All of the walls were covered with one dollar bills shoved into the spaces of the building's logs. Originally I joined a group that went to Bailey at the Farmer's Union (or something like that) it was in a big A-Frame building. Then a group of us rented a place called Chocolate Moose Lodge up past Breckenridge.. There was a couple of other places that we went to once or twice but I can't remember the name. There is a place in Estes that a lot of people I know go to, but it is kinda pricey so I never went. Right now I am joining a group trying to find a place cheap enough at a hotel up north of Denver. I will be a newbie to this group and looks like I will be alone unless I find someone.. This will be in Oct. (If you are interested I can send you the info) |
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Post by 950nancy on May 8, 2018 22:43:26 GMT
Which one did you go to? I have been to several in the Denver(ish) area. I think Pine Cone Cottage was the only one that didn't have food close by, so we went to the local bar up the mountain, and boy was that a treat! All of the walls were covered with one dollar bills shoved into the spaces of the building's logs. Originally I joined a group that went to Bailey at the Farmer's Union (or something like that) it was in a big A-Frame building. Then a group of us rented a place called Chocolate Moose Lodge up past Breckenridge.. There was a couple of other places that we went to once or twice but I can't remember the name. There is a place in Estes that a lot of people I know go to, but it is kinda pricey so I never went. Right now I am joining a group trying to find a place cheap enough at a hotel up north of Denver. I will be a newbie to this group and looks like I will be alone unless I find someone.. This will be in Oct. (If you are interested I can send you the info) Not sure where you are from (exactly), but Windsor, Colorado has a store called NOCO Crop Stop. They have lots of weekend crops in the store. I live two hours away, so I stay at the AmericInn when I go. They have a room rate for $85 bucks a night (if you tell them you are with the crop). The weekend crop rate is $45 unless they have a special crop with classes and an instructor. I have gone to the Estes Park one and it was fantastic but not cheap. There was also one outside of Black Hawk. If you join Colorado Paper Crafters on FB, sometimes the owners of the places will have extra spaces in their weekend crops. A Picture Perfect Place in Estes and Mojito Creek often post on this site. I love A Picture Perfect Place's setting (with a pool). |
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Post by workingclassdog on May 9, 2018 14:39:00 GMT
Originally I joined a group that went to Bailey at the Farmer's Union (or something like that) it was in a big A-Frame building. Then a group of us rented a place called Chocolate Moose Lodge up past Breckenridge.. There was a couple of other places that we went to once or twice but I can't remember the name. There is a place in Estes that a lot of people I know go to, but it is kinda pricey so I never went. Right now I am joining a group trying to find a place cheap enough at a hotel up north of Denver. I will be a newbie to this group and looks like I will be alone unless I find someone.. This will be in Oct. (If you are interested I can send you the info) Not sure where you are from (exactly), but Windsor, Colorado has a store called NOCO Crop Stop. They have lots of weekend crops in the store. I live two hours away, so I stay at the AmericInn when I go. They have a room rate for $85 bucks a night (if you tell them you are with the crop). The weekend crop rate is $45 unless they have a special crop with classes and an instructor. I have gone to the Estes Park one and it was fantastic but not cheap. There was also one outside of Black Hawk. If you join Colorado Paper Crafters on FB, sometimes the owners of the places will have extra spaces in their weekend crops. A Picture Perfect Place in Estes and Mojito Creek often post on this site. I love A Picture Perfect Place's setting (with a pool). I'm in Brighton.. Never heard of the store in Windor!! Shoot.. lol... I'm sending you a PM  |
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