Packing for a Crop

I thought I would do an extra post today about how I pack for a crop.

I always want my layouts to focus on the photos, so that is where I begin. Sorting through the folder on my computer for an event, I get a feel for how many photos I want to include on the page, what sizes, vertical or horizontal, whether I need to expand to a 2 page layout. If I don't immediately have an idea for how to arrange the photos on a page, I go straight to my sketch stash and start digging for inspiration. I love sketches from Sketches for Scrapbooking and Pagemaps but I also save the sketches from my Scrapbooks Etc. magazines and I bookmark or print any other pages online that catch my attention.

Once I have the sketch (in this case, I selected a sketch from Sketches for Scrapbooking), then I match photos to the sketch and print them in the appropriate sizes. The sketches are flexible, though, so sometimes I add or take away photos or change the sizing.

Next, I start digging through my stash to find papers, then embellishments to match my photos (in color and theme). Since I won't be in my scrapbook space to grab things as I develop my layout, I try to think ahead and pack papers and embellishments that can take the layout in a few different directions.

In this example, I used the blue paisley pattern as my main coordination point, but I selected both pink and purple supporting patterns to bring with me. I will most likely choose only one of those colors to play a major role in the layout as I don't want it to get too complicated. When selecting patterns, I keep in mind that I will need both small patterns and large patterns for balance as well as monochromatic and more colorful patterns.

After patterns, I pack solids sheets. I have a bin of scrap paper that I also bring with me (this is helpful for cutting out letters and embellishments) but I pack 12x12 sheets incase I don't have the right color scraps.

For embellishments, I just start looking through everything I have trying to find matching colors and themes. I love using journaling blocks so I try to pack some of those with every layout. Here, I grabbed a favorite set by Little Yellow Bicycle. I use my Cricut for the majority of my titles, but I also like to switch it up a little with chipboard, canvas, fabric, and other letter stickers. Here, I grabbed a new set of Thickers in grey with a stitch details. Because I'm planning to use pink or purple heavily in this layout, I wanted the grey to keep the layout from becoming a rainbow. Once I chose the grey letters, I also selected some grey button shaped rubons to continue the use of that supporting color. I have a huge stash (did I mention my husband has banned me from buying more?) of paper flowers and buttons. They take up too much room to bring with me, so I selected just some of each that match a few different colors in my layout to pack.

Finally, I throw all of these scrapbooking goodies into a 12x12 inch clear folder (they have them at Michael's) to bring to the crop!