Do you go to crops?

Yes, but I don't get the opportunity to get away like that often enough. The timing has always been bad for the ones that I've found closer to here, so my friends and I end up going to events farther away. I have a nice space here at home with room for friends to come over, so I have done that too and would like to do that more regularly once I get it organized a little better. I have visions of kicking out my family and pets for a weekend and having my scrapping friends come to a mini retreat right here!

I never have. I don't generally pre plan my pages enough to pack kits for crops as I like to look through everything I own when I create pages. I kind of like the solitude of scrapping at home too, it's definitely my "me" time.

I go to a 3 day retreat twice a year. I do not get a lot done but I love the location and we get awesome meals included. The organizers cap it to 50 croppers so we have plenty of space to create. I love spending the time with friends. I scrap at home the rest of the time since all the LSS nearby have closed.

I don't really enjoy the crops, but I love the multi day retreats. I wish I could find some scrappers in New Mexico who enjoy getting away to scenic locations. I am really in to renting vacation homes in picturesque areas those are always so inspiring for me and I get a huge amount done. I just attended a Creative Memories Suite Retreat where you scrap in your own room and then get together for events and social hour, if you take a roomie you have someone to scrap with, but I did not have a roomie, so I was on my own, but it was still fun and productive, I got 55 layouts completed. If any of you run across any New Mexico scrappers have them get in touch with me, I would love to find some folks to start a retreat group with.

I don't go away to crops, but the truth is, I think I'd rather stay home to scrap anyway.

I attend at least a couple of weekend crops/retreats each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. Sometimes an extra one or two if local gals decide to rent some space to get together.

I love the vibe of a crop, so much creativity in one place! Hate the packing and unpacking, but have that down to a pretty good system now. I don't pack kits for myself (by the time I select everything for a kit, I would prob just finish the page at home) But I DO select themes to go with the photos I want to work with.

My packing problem is that I like to work with options, and so I feel the need to take way more than I could possibly use in a weekend "just in case". Now I plan to purchase cardstock and embellishments on site, so don't feel the need to pack those so much. And I am working on my separation anxiety from my tools and pretty art supplies. Everything is pretty much in portable containers, but they can add up to ALOT of STUFF!! In a lot of ways, it is easier to just grab the whole container rather than search for stuff at home and then return it where it belongs when I get back. So yeah... I pack a lot of stuff...

I also love to scrap at home. I have a dedicated scraproom now, with lots of space to lay out pages in progress. And I use the top of the deep freezer in the basement for misting and molding and painting and such, so I often have pieces drying down there as well.

Love it when a friend can come here to scrap. Don't mind sharing my tools and supplies. I keep threatening to have a "Potlatch crop" where I invite people to come here with just their photos, trimmer & glue, and then use all MY supplies to do their projects.

The closest thing I have done to a one day crop is to pack up a bunch of photos and a few tools to hang out at the LSS while my car was in for an all day service call. Took an Artbin with papers and embellishments, but purchased whatever else I needed through the day. Did that a couple of times and got a lot done. Warning: running a tab at a scrapbook store may be as dangerous as running a tab at a bar... I kind of lose track of the total until closing time...

The best thing about scrapping with other people is the shared creativity. I often come home from a crop with my head swimming in ideas. Sometimes I get as many pages done the week after getting home as I did at the crop itself.

I used to attend organized crops and my scrappy group would rent a beach house and do a Thurs - Sunday weekend once or twice per year. Then everyone got busy and that was the end of that. I do get together with a friend for a card-making day a few times a year or an overnight at someones house at least once per year.

I used to love going to crops and went as often as I could. Then my kids got older and life got busy with activities and the crops started to disappear. These days I scrap alone at home or not at all.

I'd really like to know where you live to have this many crops to attend? Like seriously? There is hardly a crop left in my whole state. 

I'm going to an all-day crop next Saturday, and it's my first one in many years. I don't know any other scrappers in real life -- they all fell along the wayside over the years. I plan on working on my daughter's school book, so this morning I spent a couple hours putting together some kits. I'm a VERY slow scrapper, so five pages would be at a rabbit's pace for me. I want to finish her fourth grade, and start her fifth grade pages.
So here's what I'm bringing so far:

• I already had all the mementos (pictures, artwork, report cards) laid out with some notes on the back with ideas and dates.
  
• 5-6 cardstock colors for each page, 3 patterned papers, and a couple embellishments.
• A 12 x 12 school days pad (and the same in 6 x 6)
• Letter stickers and embellishments in the color schemes.
  
• My pen/scissors/ruler/markers caddy
• Paper cutter and cutting mat and perfect layers
• Plenty of adhesive
• I think I'll bring some dies with me -- the organizer said she has some different machines available to use.
• I'll bring some kraft paper and stickles and mists. And baby wipes for cleanup.

Southestern Pennsylvania still has lots of crops and some scrapbook stores.  We travel to CKC - well one is in Lancaster County, PA and the other is a new one that will be in Richmond, VA and Scrapbook Expo is near Washington, DC. 

The crops I go to though are held by churches - they have them for free as an outreach ministry.  The fundraiser crops are for things like Child Abuse Prevention, Making Strides for Breast Cancer,etc.  Those cost money usually and they are held at community centers and churches.

Then the retreats are offered by a few different 'companies' and the one I go to costs $200 and includes hotel and 2 meals.

If you are anywhere near the mid atlantic area Escape Scrapbooking is usually a vendor at CKC and they also vendor at various retreats and I follow them on facebook.  They always know what's going on in the tristate (PA/NJ/DE)

Yes, as a matter of fact I am going on Saturday.. I love going just hate packing for them..lol

Grammadee and I are scrap buddies. The LSS hosts a crop three blocks from my house twice a year. Dee and another friend stay with me and we scrap for the weekend. I also head out to her house a couple of times a year to scrap. I always overpack. I don't do kits. Lately I've gotten a bit better by picking a topic and gathering paper and embellishments that relate ( wedding or family or travel). I have a rolling toolbox that I love.

I do scrap at home as well, but I get more done at crops. At home I always think I need to clean and organize first.

There are hardly any crops here to go to where I live, and I live in a major metropolitan area. There isn't a single meetup group anywhere on my side of the Cities. There are some retreat houses around but they aren't close by either. It's just weird that in a place that over time was home to as many as 20 independent stamp/scrapbook stores and later seven huge Archiver's stores has NOTHING left, and many of the scrapbookers that supported all of those places seem to have vanished into thin air too.