Packing for a Crop: Airplane Edition

I spent a lovely weekend at the end of January at a crop. The kicker? I had to fly to get to my crop weekend. I flew to Atlanta and scrapbooked with two of my friends from my days working in a scrapbook store and two new-to-me people.

If at all possible, I try to not check luggage. It is one way I can save money when I fly. This presents a challenge when flying somewhere to crop.

Toiletries and Clothing

• Prioritize toiletries. I travel for both work and fun close to once a month, so my toiletries are already travel sized and I know exactly what to take with me to save space. I brought only the absolute essentials on this trip. The flat iron and clear nailpolish stayed at home.
• Simplify clothing. I wore my Ugg boots. These work great for travel, but the added bonus is that they serve the same purpose as slippers, so no need to bring any other shoes. I left home on Friday and returned on Sunday. The only jeans I had were the pair I wore on Friday. I brought pajamas, but the pajama bottoms could be worn as lounge pants if I was tired of wearing my jeans. I made sure that the cardigan I wore on Friday worked with my clothes on Sunday as well. The point is that I took the bare minimum of clothing. The bulk of my suitcase included my scrapbook supplies.

Now, what scrapbooking supplies to bring?

First, are any scrapbooking tools banned by the TSA? Yes! I had to leave my scissors at home. No worries, though. I just made sure that someone attending the crop would bring an extra pair for me to borrow. I also brought a thumb tack instead of my paper piercer.

One way to reduce your need for supplies is to focus on projects verses random pages. I had two main projects to complete:

1. I needed to add my photos to my travel books from our trip to Seattle and Portland last summer. I also had memorabilia to sort through from this trip. The book was done it just needed these items. So, I did not need to take additional embellishments for this project. Once I finished the book, I threw away the extra bits of memorabilia that I did not use in the book (less to pack on the return flight!).
2. My second project was from our trip to Cincinnati. These pages go in a book of visits to Cincinnati (we have family there and visit about once a year). To keep it simple, I focused on using pattern paper from one kit. Then, I selected embellishments that went with this color scheme.

Then, I selected an assortment of other photos and paired them with pattern paper. I was concerned I might run out of things to scrapbook. I finished both projects and had time to scrapbook a few random pages, too. I’m glad I brought a few random items just in case.

I brought a selection of cardstock. The cardstock was either neutral, went with a project color scheme, or would work with the random pages. The retreat cabin sold cardstock so I wasn’t worried about bringing too much.

Finally, I sorted through my embellishment and ribbon bins. Attending this crop helped me dig deeper into these bins and actually use up some of my stash. All of my embellishments fit into one gallon-sized ziploc bag. My ribbon fit into a second gallon-sized ziplock bag. Neither bag was stuffed to the brim. Nothing was brought in original (and bulky) packaging. I take my embellishments out and put them in tiny ziplock bags (think the bags buttons come in on clothing–I reuse those bags). Bring a selection, but don’t overdo it. You can always add embellishments later. Going through my stash helped me realize what I did have on hand so I could better make those decisions about adding something later. This is also a time to see what other people might have that you can also use, but I usually just made a note of it and moved on. My thought was that I could easily finish the page once I got home.

What about other tools? 

I brought my paper trimmer, markers, and adhesive. Sticking to a couple of projects enabled me to limit the number of markers I brought to those colors that went with the projects, plus some neutrals.

I normally use Scotch CAT 085 Advanced Tape Glider, but this would not work if space matters. I opted to bring my Tombow MONO Permanent Adhesive Applicator and Mono Adhesive Refill. I used all of the refills. Partially, this was due to one of my projects. The Seattle/Portland book does not use page protectors, so I used more adhesive than I might otherwise use. I also brought Glue Dots Mini Roll and Glue Lines.

Depending on where you stay for your crop, adhesive may be more or less of a priority. We were in the Georgia mountains, so I knew I would not have many options to buy adhesive. I also knew that the place we were renting has adhesive for sale. So, I brought what I thought I would need, but I didn’t overdo it because I knew I could buy some at the cabin if needed. Adhesive, however, is a bigger priority than some other items, like embellishments.

Do you need to bring everything? 

I didn’t bring any stamps. Because everyone else was driving, they were able to bring more stuff. If I needed a stamp, I knew I would be able to borrow one.

I brought washi tape but spent some time using this washi tape travel tip from Amy Tan ahead of my trip so that I would have variety, without bulk. I also use this tip to send some of my washi tape to my sister. I’ll never use it all, so it’s an easy way to share your washi tape, too.

I left behind my spray mists. It was not worth checking a bag just to have my spray mists. It was not worth them leaking out all over my other materials and clothes just to have them.

I had the supplies I needed and did not have a single moment of regret over leaving a particular item at home. It is possible to attend a crop that you have to fly to and not check a bag.

The Take Away: 

Focus on projects over randomness if possible. Be sure to have enough adhesive. Be realistic about how many pages you can actually complete over a three-day weekend. 

Sorry, this post has no photos of my actual packing. Please forgive me. I went on an out-of-town retreat between snowstorms (my plane did have to be de-iced and it snowed on the day I didn’t have to travel) and during my semester. Photos of the packing process were not a high priority.

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