Crop Talk, my PaperCrafters Corner Article

What is a crop?  
When I did a google search, "What is a Crop?" here are a few things I found...

A crop is a muscular sac found commonly in birds.

Crop circles are patterns have been created in wheat, barley, canola, trees, ice, rice paddies and linseed.

A crop is a non-animal species or variety that is grown to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, fuel or for any other economic purpose.  

 blah blah blah.. totally not the Crop I want to talk about!
A paper crafter's crop is so much more interesting than the above definitions.  Here is my personal definition:   A crop is an event! 
Yep.. an event.  You and your other papercrafting friends pack up what seems like everything you own, load up your vehicles and head out to the crop destination. To some this is a vacation, some do it more than others, and some are going for the first time.
Besides being called a crop, some refer to them as; Scrap Aways, Scrap Camp, or  Weekend Getaways.  I personally can't wait to get away to scrapbook or craft.  No kids, no cleaning, no preparing meals, no laundry, and  no unwanted distractions.  At crops you will find women, (sometimes a few men) scrapbooking, card making, creating invites or something else craft related.  This is "Our TIME" to get caught up or time to get away and get inspired.   
At a crop.. you are not alone scrapping, you are with a room full of other crafters.  You can share ideas, take photos, talk "crop" talk with people who actually know what you are talking about...  and just enjoy doing what you love!   You will be surprised at how a room full of crafty girls can scrap from 8 a.m till 2 a.m and be back in the room at 8 a.m for another full day of scrapping.
As great as a crop is there are a few things I look for in a crop before I go. These are just a few things you might want to check into before you go to your next crop.
10 Things to Consider Before Going To A Crop

1. Crop Space How much table space do we  get?  Can we buy more?
2. Lighting High ceilings/floor lamps/windows
3. Food  What is included, nearby restaurants, drinks/snacks?
4. Music  Bring your own or is the hostess bringing music?
5. Temperature is it typically a cold or hot room? Fans?
6. Electrical outlets For personal electronics
7. Tool Center Is there a shared table for punches, Cricuts, etc...
8. Price/Time  What's included? Overnight accommodations price per night?  Day time price?
9. Products for Sale Paper, Adhesives, Punches, Albums...
10. Freebies: Drawings, Raffles, Prizes, Contests...

If you want to go to a crop check out http://www.papercrafterscorner.com/   for  your state listing for Crop Events in your area (and Retreat Locations for planning your own events) and get to one soon!  Crops are SO much fun.

*This is a post that I wrote for the PaperCrafters Corner. 

Kimberly Congdon aka Scrap It Girl lives in Wisconsin and covers PaperCrafter's Corner of Wisconsin for us. She is a full time SAHM who also works as a paper crafting instructor in her home classroom and at local stores.  Kimberly has been scrapbooking for 22 years and has completed 78 scrapbooks.