12 hour crop... what to take?? WWPD?

I make kits. I pick what photos I want to scrap and grab cordinating papers and some embellishments. I would not take everything I owned, I have also taken one big project to a crop before to complete and just brought the bare minimal to finish it. I can always add something else at home if I forgot to bring something.

Would you be content just colouring for card making. If so why not just take that for your first-back-at-it crop. Get your feel for it.

I like to bring a kit - sometimes I make my own, but usually I bring a commercially bagged/boxed kit to shorter crops. Once I even brought one of the Anna Griffin card kits that has everything included - I didn't even need a paper trimmer or adhesive! I think I'd need more for a 12-hour crop, though. You need to decide whether your priority is socializing (with a side of scrapping) or scrapping (with a side of socializing).

When I crop, I usually make cards.

I used to waaaaaaaay overpack, just taking the things I thought I would like to work with. Well, I should KNOW I'm not going to get through even a dozen stamps sets, so why I'm taking more than that's beyond me. So I had to reform my ways, because I always had to make two, sometimes three, trips out to the car for my stuff.

First of all, I have a large rolling tote from CTMH that fits some storage boxes they had. I have one large box that holds practically all of the embellishments I would use, plus two small boxes with ink cubes and stamping blocks. Those always get packed, plus my sequin boxes, a floss box with memento ink drops, my trimmer, and my scoring board. I also have a little caddy that has a bunch of my most-used tools (scissors, adhesives, pens).

You don't necessarily have to make up kits, but I would recommend that you start with a list of projects you want to accomplish. So, for instance, if I know I need to make a set of lawn fawn cards for a swap, I've considered which set or sets I might use, so I grab those. Then I think about what paper will go with them, and I pull that out. (Sometimes, I have bought paper specifically for a project, other times I grab a stack/pad or pack.) Then, I take a look and see what cardstock matches that paper, and I pull out colors, kind of holding them against the paper until I find two or three that I think will go with the paper. If i think I will do a special technique, like heat embossing, I grab those tools, too.

ETA: Reading this back, I realize that sounds a lot like making up kits. I think of kits as being really specific-- these are the two pieces of cardstock, three patterned paper sheets, etc., right down to the specific embellishments.  When I am grabbing the stuff above, it's with the intent to be a little looser about it, while focusing on a couple of projects to bring supplies for.  I just grab the whole paper pad or pack without deciding on which patterns I'll use, grab a bunch of cardstock and decide later which colors to use, just bring my whole box of embellishments to go through it later, etc. 

For a 12 hour crop, I know I'm unlikely to complete more than four projects, so I try to choose accordingly. After I pick my project specific items, I usually add a few multipurpose options, like some My Favorite Things blueprint dies or nestabilities and some neutral cardstocks. I don't usually pack ribbon, so now is when I will grab it if I think I might use it.

Then I do often toss in a paper pumpkin (Stampin' up) kit just in case I amaze myself or there's a rip in the space-time continuum and I get more than I planned completed.

I've never once run out of things to work on, and now the only reason I make multiple trips to the car is so I don't spill my Starbucks.

I usually make paper kits for the groups of photos I plan to work on. I try to just start as many of my pages as I can at the crop, and then finish them with embellishments, jewelry, and alphas later at home. That way I don't have to pack everything I could possibly want to add to a page. 

So, I really only bring background papers and matting and layering papers, and any special embellishments that I have a plan for. I usually have a big stack of photos to work on, and I'm happy just getting the pages started and then moving on to the next.

I try to make up kits with PP and matching cardstock. If I have a new collection, I try to take that.

I also keep Post-It notes on hand. I use those to note what I want to add later.

I always take too much!

This is me! I don't have any day crops that I go to any more which is good because it's hard for me to pack light. I've never been one for page kits, but if I didn't have a specific project for a short crop then I would probably have to make time to make up some kits.

I am a kit cropper. I use my Silhouette on almost every layout I do. And I am usually either in a design and cut mood or a arrange and glue mood. I choose my photos, choose my papers. choose embellishments and make all my cuts. Then all of that goes into a 12x12 zip lock. I have a rolling case that I keep packed with duplicates of all my basic tools plus basic inks and chalks. I add an Iris case of my kits and I'm ready to go.

I'm much more productive at crops since I started doing this. What I don't complete at the crop is ready for me to work on at home.

I do a very general kit, or kits. I tend to pack a paper pad/collection, some coordinating embellishments or stamps, and then a few sets of photos that I think will work with the paper. In 12 hours, I don't think I would complete more than 3-6 layouts, so enough photos to do that. I found that since I started packing for crops like that I would get more resourceful and use a collection pack or paper pad more creatively.

I always take a post-it pad too, so I can write down what I need to finish and stick it to the LO. That way I remember when I get home and I don’t have to stress at the crop that I forgot to bring something.

I love this idea.

This is all such good advice! Based on this, for the crop I am going to this weekend I did:

Took my trip to CA photos and divided them all up into pages
Picked base paper and a sheet or two of matching paper for the pages
Chose embellishments and made some cricut cuts and titles for each page
Layered them all up in an IRIS 12x12 box.

Packed: some blank tags, ribbon, vacation stamps and tim holtz ink.
brads, flowers and basic cardstock in a variety of colors
cutter, tape runner and pop dots

I am excited-I think this will go pretty smooth!

i just went to one this past weekend. I took a Graphic 45 monthly kit (which I barely touched) and my laptop. I spent a lot of time organizing and sorting silhouette files - it's hard for me to do at home so I actually got a lot done. My friend completed her Graphic 45 kit, and the 2 other ladies at our table made cards. Our table had no drama - unlike the table next to us so I was happy for that!