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Post by crimsoncat05 on May 8, 2017 20:11:08 GMT
That's not exactly the term I want, but I don't know what else to call it-- that sense of depression or letdown you have after a really fun event is over with?
I went to a scrapbook retreat at a local hotel that lasted from Friday 4 pm until Sunday at 3 pm. It's a fun retreat; I've been to this one before: We each get a 6-ft table to ourselves, the hostess did mini classes, make-and takes, had a raffle, breakfast and lunch was included, and you could stay up as late as you want-- you can even work all night long if you want.
I took Friday off from work so I could pack (no planning ahead for me, lol); I took waaaaay too much stuff like usual; I sat across from a scrapping friend; the ladies next to us were really nice; everyone there had a great time-- my friend and I did some shopping, went to dinner, etc. On Friday night I stayed up working until 3:30 am and on Saturday night my friend and I stayed up until about 2 am.
While I was there I worked on a fair number of layouts and made some good progress on a very detailed mini album project. With all that said, you would think that I'd be really enthusiastic about continuing the momentum, wouldn't you? But I'm not! I rearranged some of my supplies last night to organize them better, but that's it- I don't have any real enthusiasm to continue my project or to start another one. Even though there are SO many photos I want to scrap, and I even have ideas for some of them already! But at home there's still a huge pile of boxes and supplies to put away n my craft room, and I don't want to do any of that, let along actually make a scrapbook layout.
Am I the only one who feels like this after a creative weekend or a creative episode in general? Sort of let down, disappointed, depressed / sad? I want to figure out how to continue the momentum to keep creating even after I get home from an event like that, but maybe 'real life' is getting in my way (mentally, at least). How do those of you who scrap at home keep up your enthusiasm even if you don't have hours and hours on uninterrupted time to devote to your projects?
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Post by mikklynn on May 8, 2017 20:23:50 GMT
I am sorry you feel that way. Your event sounds like the perfect crop to me, by the way!
I usually feel re-inspired.
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kitbop
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Jun 28, 2014 21:14:36 GMT
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Post by kitbop on May 8, 2017 20:30:56 GMT
I even get that feeling after a successful on-line crop. There is something encouraging about working along with other people, and sharing your work, that helps me keep pushing forward. And afterwards that piece of the fun is taken away and I feel much less motivated. I've been trying to participate in some of the challenges here to help keep me motivated...and it was good...until life got really busy and I've hardly scrapped at all.
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tiffanytwisted
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you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave
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Jun 26, 2014 15:57:39 GMT
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Post by tiffanytwisted on May 8, 2017 21:01:29 GMT
I hear ya. I think most of my 'letdown' stems from hating to unpack it all, lol. It's like a big roadblock between me & getting' my scrappy on. So, sadly, my supplies tend to sit in their rolling-tote-coffins for weeks until I force myself to unpack them. When my pal & I go on our long scrappy weekends (usually 5 days!) at her brother's beach house, I can tell you we are two shrews on that last day. The thought of having to pack the 10 tons of stuff we have overpacked is daunting. Knowing we have to exert the energy to load the card is depressing. Having to tidy up the house is annoying (OK, in the grand scheme of things, it is a small price to pay for the joy of using their house for free). Driving 2 hours home is long & tedious. And then there's the whole feeling of 'the fun is over and now it's back to laundry & cleaning & cooking . . . '. So, I totally get where you're coming from. You'd think your juices would be flowing and you'd be chomping at the bit to get back to it, but I just never seem to feel that way. We need mikklynn to tell us how she does it!
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Post by myboysnme on May 8, 2017 21:15:22 GMT
Absolutely. I start actually getting that feeling just as the crop starts because I know it will be over in a flash. Many times people start leaving early on the last day and my friend and I are there until the bitter end. The place is empty with a few lingering folks packing up, overflowing trash cans, just the aftermath of what was a room full of life and productivity.
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Post by grammadee on May 8, 2017 21:29:58 GMT
I think the transition from the make believe world of scrapping to reality is what does it. When we are scrapping--alone or with IRL or virtual friends--we are on an adventure where the "normal" rules of physics don't seem to matter. Life is good. Even the not-so-good times can be spun with humour or lessons learned or... We are in complete control. We get to put things in our own perspective, express our opinions, with no arguments. When we show our work to others, they cheer us on, and we feel like the central figure in a fantasy...
Then reality hits. We are interrupted with the mundane needs of the muggles around us. Our attention--and energy--is split ten different ways. Home and work break through the floor of our fantasy tower, and suddenly we fall back into the day-to-day. People dispute what we are saying: they each have their own "take" on whatever experience we are in.
I find that my right brain valiantly tries to continue on its glorious journey, filled with ideas and "what if's", but my left brain which has been shut in a dark closet for a couple of hours or a couple of days, asserts itself. I've said before: this gives me a HEADACHE! And until I can resolve the inconsistencies and readjust to LIFE, I am disoriented, tired, and I will admit a little bit sad...
But, hey, we may have a hangover; however, we have the pages or cards or other projects completed that show that we WERE actually in that magical place.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on May 8, 2017 22:02:44 GMT
Absolutely. I start actually getting that feeling just as the crop starts because I know it will be over in a flash. Many times people start leaving early on the last day and my friend and I are there until the bitter end. The place is empty with a few lingering folks packing up, overflowing trash cans, just the aftermath of what was a room full of life and productivity.^^^ I know, right? I start feeling like, "I don't wanna leave!" (read that like a whiny 3-year old) but as people start to pack up, it just doesn't feel the same, so I usually end up packing and leaving about an hour before it's over. And the 'aftermath of what was a room full of life and productivity' is part of where the sadness comes from, too- darn it. I do know that part of my issue is not being organized in my scraproom at home; like tiffanytwisted said, my stuff can sit in a pile for weeks, often, before I finally feel like unpacking it because it is such a huge task. I also really enjoy the group setting and motivation of talking with the other attendees and discussing scrappy stuff with like-minded people. "The fun is over" is a good way to sum it up! I don't really feel quite as pathetic as it sounds, lol, but still- I want to figure out how to continue the scrappiness at home in between cropping events. ETA: I find that my right brain valiantly tries to continue on its glorious journey, filled with ideas and "what if's", but my left brain which has been shut in a dark closet for a couple of hours or a couple of days, asserts itself. I've said before: this gives me a HEADACHE! And until I can resolve the inconsistencies and readjust to LIFE, I am disoriented, tired, and I will admit a little bit sad... B ut, hey, we may have a hangover; however, we have the pages or cards or other projects completed that show that we WERE actually in that magical place. grammadee, your whole post is spot-on! I love what you wrote about 'that magical place' where the normal rules don't apply... and that applies to both the events we're remembering as well as the crop experience itself- I can eat junk, stay in my jammies all day, stay up late (all night if I want), eat chocolate and snacks while I'm being creative, etc. and no one needs dinner cooked, no cats steals the ribbon or hops on the table, no laundry needs doing, etc.
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Elsabelle
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Jun 26, 2014 2:04:55 GMT
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Post by Elsabelle on May 8, 2017 22:41:33 GMT
I don't go to crops but when I have a free day to scrap in my jammies, my family has been told they can fend for themselves, and I have several hours of quiet time alone I am sad when it's over. Or rather I'm annoyed that my break from reality is over. The introvert in me loves the solitude and uninterrupted time.
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Post by lisacharlotte on May 9, 2017 0:32:26 GMT
I mentioned a week or two ago about how Sunday afternoon at a 3-day crop gets depressing. The vibe of the room most definitely changes as people pack up and leave and I become surrounded by a sea of empty tables.
I feel the same way about weekends. I love Fridays at work and the whole anticipation of the weekend. Sundays come with the letdown that the fun's over. I've always felt this way.
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Post by mamastone on May 9, 2017 0:33:26 GMT
Yes! But mine is more about the lack of time I have when I am home! Haha....
I just went to an amazing crop, and by myself for the first time. I grew frustrated with trying to make plans with scrappy friends that kept falling through, schedules not aligning, etc. I loved it so much that I'm going back in the fall.
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Post by scrapaddict702 on May 9, 2017 0:54:25 GMT
You know what's funny (in an ironic sort of way) to me? I have (in theory...with small kids afoot, it's debatable) time to scrap being that I'm an at home parent, but I get caught up in the time suck of the internet and am not nearly as productive as I could be or as I want to be. But if we're super busy? Scrapbooking is about ALL I can think about...I find that I can't do hours and hours of sitting. Even when I do something start to finish in one sitting, I stop for snacks, to change videos on YT, reply to FB messages, etc. I get bored easily and find myself happier when there is an interruption (of my choosing, specifically...not necessarily screaming children) when I have a lot of time to scrap...but I also enjoy the 5-10 minutes of working on a project that is out on my desk right before we are set to walk out the door. I am actually more productive in spurts (those 5-10 minutes slots of time are usually when I work on the journaling cards that I've put off because I can't think of anything to say when I'm being creative) because I have an end time in mind and therefore don't get distracted as easily.
The idea of a multiple day crop doesn't appeal to me at all. I would love to get away and be with 'my people' for a few days, but I just don't think I could sit still and scrapbook that long as much as I'd like to. I think I'd prosper better with classes where I'm following directions versus depending on my own motivation to try and get a lot done in a short period of time.
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Post by grammadee on May 9, 2017 2:56:49 GMT
scrapaddict702, I didn't think I would like crops. I was afraid I would be distracted by everyone around me and not be able to concentrate on my own stuff. (I have been a mom for over 40 years, a teacher for longer, and a gramma for almost 18 years: my focus is always outside myself!) And now that I attend at least two per year, and scrap with friends at other times, I enjoy it. But transitioning goes both ways. At the beginning of a crop, I don't get much done: I am chatting, checking out the store, trying to figure out what to do, and when I do decide which project I will be starting, I still am not sure how to start it. And even when I had the weekend alone here, I got the least amount done on the first day. It was hard to make decisions. I would second guess myself, start over,... Then by the second day, the ideas were flowing and it all seemed really easy. Even when I got myself into a huge mess and kept losing my scissors and having trouble using my trimmer because of all the trimmed stuff piled up beside it! I think of it like inertia. We tend to keep doing what we are doing in the way we are doing it. And creating is very different from what we do from day to day. I think the difference is: when I am switching into creative gear and it isn't working, I feel frustrated; when I am switching back into everyday mode, I feel sad.
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Post by crazy4scraps on May 9, 2017 4:10:00 GMT
I'll validate you too crimsoncat05. I have a huge wonderful studio. I have a big stash of way too much stuff that I've been collecting for over a decade that I love. In spite of all this, I have the hardest time focusing when I'm here unless I have friends over to scrap with me. Then I can sit down there and work on stuff. What sucks is that even when I kick out my family for a weekend to have people over, it seems like everybody wants to bail at about 6:00-8:00 pm--right when I'm finally getting into my groove and starting to get stuff done. Once everybody leaves (even if they're planning on coming back the next day) I can't force myself to stay down there and continue working. Once I'm alone, I totally lose all my motivation and my mojo. I tend to get way more done when I'm away at a crop, probably because the people I'm with feel like since they're paying for it they want to make the most of their time at the event. People don't seem to feel that same way when they're cropping at my house for free.
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Post by dasmith2 on May 9, 2017 9:01:25 GMT
I even get that feeling after a successful on-line crop. There is something encouraging about working along with other people, and sharing your work, that helps me keep pushing forward. And afterwards that piece of the fun is taken away and I feel much less motivated. I've been trying to participate in some of the challenges here to help keep me motivated...and it was good...until life got really busy and I've hardly scrapped at all. I feel the same. I don't go to crops, and in real life I'm pretty shy- so this is where I come hang out to socialize and scrap. When everyone has to get back to their lives, I feel a little lost lol
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Post by mikklynn on May 9, 2017 11:57:27 GMT
crimsoncat05 and tiffanytwisted Don't get me wrong - I hate putting my stuff away after a long weekend. Yuk! But, the one thing I always do is take Monday off. Then I have a day to put things away and catch up on reality, like laundry.
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Post by grammadee on May 9, 2017 14:06:39 GMT
crimsoncat05 and tiffanytwisted Don't get me wrong - I hate putting my stuff away after a long weekend. Yuk! But, the one thing I always do is take Monday off. Then I have a day to put things away and catch up on reality, like laundry. And once I decided I liked crops, I invested in portable containers for my supplies that basically go from the totes that travel in the vehicle to the shelves in my craftroom. So while it means I may lug more than I need to the crop, it also means a minimal disruption to my craft space. The only supply that gets disrupted is paper (although it is still in the bags with collections &/or themes together in each), and I leave my leather rolling tote in my craftroom with the paper collections I took to the crop in it until I am ready to take the time to put them away.
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Post by ScrappyGlue on May 9, 2017 14:12:40 GMT
Am I the only one who feels like this after a creative weekend or a creative episode in general? Sort of let down, disappointed, depressed / sad? I want to figure out how to continue the momentum to keep creating even after I get home from an event like that, but maybe 'real life' is getting in my way (mentally, at least). How do those of you who scrap at home keep up your enthusiasm even if you don't have hours and hours on uninterrupted time to devote to your projects? This is me. Everytime I go to a crop I am sad when it's over. I can tell myself, "OK, this Saturday it's all ME time to scrap all day" and I'm not motivated, at all like I am at a crop.
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Post by scrapaddict702 on May 9, 2017 15:03:53 GMT
scrapaddict702 , I didn't think I would like crops. I was afraid I would be distracted by everyone around me and not be able to concentrate on my own stuff. (I have been a mom for over 40 years, a teacher for longer, and a gramma for almost 18 years: my focus is always outside myself!) And now that I attend at least two per year, and scrap with friends at other times, I enjoy it. But transitioning goes both ways. At the beginning of a crop, I don't get much done: I am chatting, checking out the store, trying to figure out what to do, and when I do decide which project I will be starting, I still am not sure how to start it. And even when I had the weekend alone here, I got the least amount done on the first day. It was hard to make decisions. I would second guess myself, start over,... Then by the second day, the ideas were flowing and it all seemed really easy. Even when I got myself into a huge mess and kept losing my scissors and having trouble using my trimmer because of all the trimmed stuff piled up beside it! I think of it like inertia. We tend to keep doing what we are doing in the way we are doing it. And creating is very different from what we do from day to day. I think the difference is: when I am switching into creative gear and it isn't working, I feel frustrated; when I am switching back into everyday mode, I feel sad. Oh, I completely agree with the inertia aspect. The more I make, the more I want to make. I pushed myself really hard to make sure I didn't lose that motivation to be creative after our vacation, but things that interrupt my routine kill my mojo. When my Mom or MIL visit, I have no problems sitting at my computer (it's within eyesight of my door) but moving to my scrap area that isn't visible from the entrance (you have to come in to talk to me) leaves me struggling to sneak off there to scrapbook and it usually takes another week or two after they leave to get back into the flow of things (this is why it took me almost 2 extra months to finish my November album...both of them visited that month so it took even longer to get back in the swing of it). Same thing when I was ill for about a month straight...I tried working on the layout I had at my desk before I got really sick here and there...but it still took me a while to get back into it. But when I am feeling great about what I'm accomplishing, I tend to want to jump into new projects as soon as the current ones are finished. I used to hate walking away from a project in the middle of it because I felt like I'd lose my train of thought and not do what I had intended. I've long since changed that mentality because I find that when I walk away (for a few hours, for a few days...depends on the project and my level of business) I come back to the project rejuvenated. In a crop setting, I'm fairly certain that the idea of 'having' to be creative will cause me to lose my mojo OR if I'm feeling particularly creative, everything I want to use right then will be stuff that I've left behind. Hence the benefit of a class. I have direction and the necessary supplies to complete the specific project being taught. Having never actually cropped, though, that's all theory based on how I feel I work best at home.
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Post by mikklynn on May 9, 2017 15:04:18 GMT
Am I the only one who feels like this after a creative weekend or a creative episode in general? Sort of let down, disappointed, depressed / sad? I want to figure out how to continue the momentum to keep creating even after I get home from an event like that, but maybe 'real life' is getting in my way (mentally, at least). How do those of you who scrap at home keep up your enthusiasm even if you don't have hours and hours on uninterrupted time to devote to your projects? This is me. Everytime I go to a crop I am sad when it's over. I can tell myself, "OK, this Saturday it's all ME time to scrap all day" and I'm not motivated, at all like I am at a crop. This is so true. I am always distracted by "I should"...I should throw in a load of laundry, I should vacuum, etc.
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nicolep
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Jan 26, 2016 16:10:43 GMT
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Post by nicolep on May 9, 2017 15:14:29 GMT
I have not read all the responses but I have only been to one crop and I hated it lol. I've never been to another since then and that was 12 years ago! I prefer to scrap alone or with my sister and BFF.
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Elsabelle
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Jun 26, 2014 2:04:55 GMT
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Post by Elsabelle on May 9, 2017 15:44:06 GMT
I feel the same way about weekends. I love Fridays at work and the whole anticipation of the weekend. Sundays come with the letdown that the fun's over. I've always felt this way. DH calls it the Sunday blues. I try to remind him that he has all day to relax or do something fun but the thought of going back to work still looms like a dark cloud.
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msliz
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The Procrastinator
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Jun 26, 2014 21:32:34 GMT
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Post by msliz on May 9, 2017 15:49:35 GMT
I'll let you know. I'm going to my first crop in years in just a couple of weeks I think I'll be carrying some of the excitement home with me, or at least some new goodies to play with
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Post by LisaDV on May 9, 2017 15:53:53 GMT
Sorry you feel this way. The couple of times I've been to a crop, after getting home it was hard to do anything, but for me it was that I had to take time to put my stuff away. Packing and unpacking is the worst in my opinion. Hope you get your mojo back soon.
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tiffanytwisted
Pearl Clutcher
you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave
Posts: 4,538
Jun 26, 2014 15:57:39 GMT
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Post by tiffanytwisted on May 10, 2017 14:55:04 GMT
crimsoncat05 and tiffanytwisted Don't get me wrong - I hate putting my stuff away after a long weekend. Yuk! But, the one thing I always do is take Monday off. Then I have a day to put things away and catch up on reality, like laundry. I have learned that after any trip, I need at least a day to catch my breath & regroup. I'm not working outside the home, but I still let my family know that I will be out of commission the day after I get home from a crop!
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Post by caspad on May 10, 2017 15:47:05 GMT
when I come home from a weekend retreat, usually I don't even unpack until the next weekend I need some time away from scrapping!
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tduby1
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Jun 27, 2014 18:32:45 GMT
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Post by tduby1 on May 10, 2017 16:14:59 GMT
That's not exactly the term I want, but I don't know what else to call it-- that sense of depression or letdown you have after a really fun event is over with? I went to a scrapbook retreat at a local hotel that lasted from Friday 4 pm until Sunday at 3 pm. It's a fun retreat; I've been to this one before: We each get a 6-ft table to ourselves, the hostess did mini classes, make-and takes, had a raffle, breakfast and lunch was included, and you could stay up as late as you want-- you can even work all night long if you want. I took Friday off from work so I could pack (no planning ahead for me, lol); I took waaaaay too much stuff like usual; I sat across from a scrapping friend; the ladies next to us were really nice; everyone there had a great time-- my friend and I did some shopping, went to dinner, etc. On Friday night I stayed up working until 3:30 am and on Saturday night my friend and I stayed up until about 2 am. While I was there I worked on a fair number of layouts and made some good progress on a very detailed mini album project. With all that said, you would think that I'd be really enthusiastic about continuing the momentum, wouldn't you? But I'm not! I rearranged some of my supplies last night to organize them better, but that's it- I don't have any real enthusiasm to continue my project or to start another one. Even though there are SO many photos I want to scrap, and I even have ideas for some of them already! But at home there's still a huge pile of boxes and supplies to put away n my craft room, and I don't want to do any of that, let along actually make a scrapbook layout. Am I the only one who feels like this after a creative weekend or a creative episode in general? Sort of let down, disappointed, depressed / sad? I want to figure out how to continue the momentum to keep creating even after I get home from an event like that, but maybe 'real life' is getting in my way (mentally, at least). How do those of you who scrap at home keep up your enthusiasm even if you don't have hours and hours on uninterrupted time to devote to your projects? I don't but I go to two retreats a year and I plan them both, six months apart. So the day after one is over, the planning for the next is underway and don't do any scrapping in between save kit making.
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Post by 950nancy on May 10, 2017 17:39:29 GMT
We have a big crop (12 hours) every three months. There is often another company that has one every 3-6 months too. We have one in town that has one every month. I also live about 2.5 hours from Estes Park and there are many retreat places there. I feel like I have the opportunity to go to crops. I also have the opportunity to scrap at home since my boys are now quite large. It just is one of things I want to do or I don't. I usually go with a good friend and I do miss spending time with her when I can't go to a crop.
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Post by lostwithout2peas on May 11, 2017 0:54:26 GMT
Yes! I know exactly how you feel. It's like when you come back from a vacation and feel depressed that it's over and your home. I'm gonna call it post-retreat depression 😁
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Post by workingclassdog on May 11, 2017 17:53:44 GMT
I'm the same way, I usually don't scrap for awhile after a good retreat!! Usually because my brain is tired.. lol
I always try to extend my retreat days to arrive on Thursday evening.. so I feel like I can get more done. I have only come across one time I couldn't arrive early.. I always feel coming in on Friday is just a tad not long enough! But if I start Thursday, it's perfect.
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Post by mikklynn on May 11, 2017 19:04:49 GMT
I'm the same way, I usually don't scrap for awhile after a good retreat!! Usually because my brain is tired.. lol I always try to extend my retreat days to arrive on Thursday evening.. so I feel like I can get more done. I have only come across one time I couldn't arrive early.. I always feel coming in on Friday is just a tad not long enough! But if I start Thursday, it's perfect. Most of our group does it this way, too. I leave work at noon. If I am there by 4, I am unpacked and ready to go by 5. It feels like gaining a whole day.
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