For those who love to scrapbook, a crop party is a fun event to take part in. It is a great time to gather with friends and other scrapbooking enthusiasts, to share creative ideas, and just have a whole lot of fun.It is a time when you can learn new techniques, and try various new products before deciding to purchase them. It is a place where you can get refocused on your projects, and get energized as many creative minds are working together. Many scrapbook retailers host cropping events once or twice a month. For a small fee you can join others and work on your current projects, or sometimes they will have a specific project for everyone to work on together. If you are not close to a scrapbook retailer you may wish to hold your own crop party with your friends and family. Here are a few ideas to host a successful crop event.
When hosting a crop party it's essential that each person has adequate space to work on their projects. If there are only a few people, your home should work just fine. If you are planning a larger event, consider using your church, local library or community center. Once you have settled on your location, reserve a specific day and time.
Now that you know when your event will take place, now it's time to send out invitations. This can be as simple as sending out an email to designing your own unique invitations using scrapbook techniques that you have already learned.. Let each person know to bring their photos to work on and any needed materials that won't be provided. If this is your first time hosting consider having a scrapbooking representative teach at your crop party. In most cases they will supply everything that is needed. There are several independent scrapbook companies that have representatives. Check your local phone book or online.
As the hostess you should have your own project prepared in advance. Make sure you have all your desired photos ready to be cropped, and any needed supplies are handy. The last thing you want to be doing is searching through all your supplies in a back room while your guests are all sitting out in your kitchen around a table. If you've ever been to a cropping event at your scrapbook retailer, you are aware that this is what is expected when you arrive.
It is a good idea to have some snacks available, especially if your cropping event is going to last several hours or all day long. Choose foods that are not oily or that leave residue on your hands. I was shocked once while I was at a cropping event and one of the snacks was Cheeto's. I cringed at the thought of orange food crumbs getting on my page layout. When serving your snacks, have them placed on a separate table AWAY from everyone's work space. It would be tragic to have something spill and ruin everyone's work.
The whole idea of gathering fellow scrappers for a party is to have fun. Yes, the goal is to complete a project, however that may or may not happen depending on the amount of fun and laughter that is going on. Consider playing a few fun scrapping games or have a couple contests that people can win such as, who completed the most projects (or none at all), to the most creative or funniest page layout. Another fun activity would be to hold a door prize or a raffle drawing for some scrapbook supplies. If you have a scrapbook representative teaching your crop party she will usually provide games and prizes for you. When you host a party for an independent representative you will also earn credit to purchase your own scrapbooking items from her.
Hosting your own cropping event is both fun and rewarding as you see your completed projects. It's a great time to spend with friends and share many ideas. When your event is over, consider asking your friends if one of them would like to host a crop next month, thus creating a monthly event. Each crop event is as unique as the individuals that attend; anywhere from the very simple to the simply outrageous. Have fun scrapping!