~ THE 123'S OF ORGANIZING FOR A CROP ~

Want to know how to make the most of your cropping time? Laurie Neal and Stacy Venancio of 123 Crop, have provided some great tips on organizing for a crop.

The more organized you are, the more you will accomplish at a crop. Plan ahead of time, and you'll be the envy of all your friends when you leave with the most completed pages.

1. Preplan your layouts! To accomplish the most at a crop, it helps to preplan your layouts. Try to organize your pictures about a week or so before the crop. Place them in page protectors with coordinating papers, cardstock and embellishments. You can also separate them into 12"x12" paper takers, using one spot for each layout.

2. This is one case where less is really more. If you bring everything you own with you, it will be impossible to find what you need. Preplanning layouts cuts down on the amount of stuff that must be carted along. Cut down even more by planning with a friend and sharing tools. That way neither of you has to bring everything, you pack less and still have all the supplies you need!

3. Embellishment storage does not have to be fancy or expensive. Pick up the pill containers that have a compartment for each day. These are available at pharmacies and discount department stores. Simply separate your eyelets and brads and smaller embellishments by color, style, whatever system suits you.

4. Fiber Storage can be difficult. Who wants to arrive at a crop with a knotted pile of unusable fibers? Pick up an empty 3-ring binder and some of the clear pocket pages designed to hold baseball cards and such. Separate your fibers into color, or style, and place one bundle in each pocket.

5. Tackle boxes are a great tool for croppers. They are inexpensive, will sit on top of most rolling totes, and have lots of great little compartments. Keep your smaller embellishments and tools in here, and you'll never lose anything at the bottom of your XXL again.

6. Label, label, label! Putting your name on all of your supplies in permanent marker will ensure all your supplies make it back to you if borrowed and that you don't end up with 3 pairs of cutter bees when you get home.

7. Keep it simple. A crop is a great place to try out new techniques—after all, there are tons of great minds working together! However, a crop is not the place to create lots of extensive pieces of art. Keep in mind drying time, the number of supplies needed and the difficulty of bringing along the necessary tools.

8. Don't forget your camera! You would be shocked at how many people actually do forget their cameras at a crop. You would think scrappers would never go anywhere without this precious piece of equipment, but when you're thinking layouts and tools, the camera can be easy to forget. Put your camera on the doorknob or pack it first so you don't leave without it.

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