Make Mine to Go, Please

In my home, I am fortunate enough to have an entire room dedicated to my scrapbooking hobby. I tend to be fairly organized so I arranged things in places that made it easy to move from one project to the next. But in the past, whenever I would leave my space for an evening crop or weekend retreat, I would find myself feeling unorganized, uninspired and not very productive.

Over the years I have tried many different approaches to getting everything I thought I needed to a crop. I have recently come to believe that the Boy Scouts have it figured out when they say that preparation is the key. First, you must determine what it is that you really need to take. Most of the items you bring along will be determined by what you use to scrapbook. Obviously, paper, a cutter and adhesive to glue it all down are going to be a priority. The rest should be items that you use consistently in your layouts. Embellishments, ribbon and ink are some examples.

After you know what to take, there is always a question of how to carry it without making fifty trips to the car to unload. There are many wonderful products on the market that can help you get your supplies to your destination without losing your stash (and your sanity) in the process. Here are the ones that I currently use:

• Page Packets: I generally have five to ten packets made up at all times. With my papers and embellishments held together in the back and my photos in the pocket on the front, they are ready to go at a moments notice.
  
  
• Ribbon Jar: I bought my jar at Target, but any jar or container will do the trick. I simply mix a bunch of colors together, screw on the lid and away I go.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Baskets: I use two baskets. The first one is for embellishments. Depending on what I will be working on, the contents get rotated around from a dresser in my scrapbook room where they are usually stored. The other basket has a high back so I use file folders to organize things like letter stickers, rub-ons, sticker sheets, punch-outs and layout ideas. I use the shorter space in the front to store tags, frames and other various flat embellishments.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Spice Jars: I use spice jars to hold all my little embellishments like brads, eyelets and buttons. It is nice to be able to tuck them in here and there without taking up much room. They are the perfect size and travel very well.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Rolling Cart: A total blessing for my back, I love how much stuff will fit into a rolling cart. I can fit most all of my things inside and then stack one of my baskets on top. The telescoping handle helps to balance the basket as I wheel it along. As an added bonus, the cart folds up for easy storage when I am not using it.
  
  
  

Generally speaking, I have observed that most people, including me, bring too much stuff to a crop and then spend a majority of their time digging through it all to find the "right" item. Be reasonable with yourself when you think about how much you will really accomplish. If it takes you three hours to complete a layout, don't bring enough stuff for ten and expect to get it all done in one night. Also consider the social aspect of a crop. Sometimes it is easy to get more involved in a good conversation than with a page w(Which is certainly not a bad thing).

With a little preparation and some traveling organizers, you too can be going places in no time.