My BFF Theresa and I are thinking about starting a scrapbooking club (one that meets once per month to fellowship and share our love for scrapbooking; a time to relax and get away) and wondered what your thoughts were. I am not referring to a club that puts scrapbooking kits together, but rather a meet and scrap type club. A bunch of crazy ladies, schleping their scrapping stuff to a meeting place once a month where we can crop, chat, eat some great foods, laugh and make friends.
Do you have any ideas, suggestions, experiences (good and bad) that you would like to share? I tried to do a paper arts club once and it had limited (and I use that term loosely) success. I know these things can go very well or they can fail painfully and miserably, but we are willing to give it a shot.
So what are your thoughts? Leave me some comments about the do’s and don’ts, blood and gore or wine and roses of scrapbooking clubs and I will randomly pick someone to be the recipient of my very first blogging giveaway!!! Yep you heard right. You have until Friday night 6PM (Central time) to tell all your friends. I will post pictures of the prize to be given away tonight. Now hurry, leave me some comments. Go on. You know you want to. Really. Is anyone there? Hello?
Fruit Punch
1 year ago
27 comments:
Heidi you are so funny, and I love the title to your blog. I can give you my two cents. I have not had the guts to subscribe to a scrapbooking club yet but I have gotten some monthly kits. You know what gets me is when they showcase a lot of samples using the kit. If I feel like it's something I would use then I get it. Not too much help but I wish you all the luck in the world.
Don't enter me but I am telling people and will post it on my blog tonight :)
I emailed you last night about my thoughts on the scrap club, too :)
I haven't even joined a monthly club. It always seems like my tastes and needs run different from everyone else. I would like to be in a group that encourages each other to use what they have and not be afraid to try the new things. Like, I am so afraid to do doodles and swirls free hand. I feel like I have to be as good as everyone else and not happy with what I do. Does this make sense ?
sorry, ive not been a part of a scrapbooking club before, but if i were i would like for it to widen my views on scrapbooking, teach me new techniques.
I love scrapbooking clubs, but I agree you end up with alot of stuff you might not need, unless you find one you really feel is your style. I just found one called scarlet lime. Strange name
but I was looking at their stuff and it was pretty cool. Never ordered, but I noticed they sell out fast.
Now if you are trying to start one. Make sure you give ideas. I have to have something to get me started or I fail miserably lol.
Good Luck!
Andrea
I would love to do this!
This is my first time visiting (Jenny told me too). Love your blog. It brought a smile to my somewhat stressful day!
Don't start the club in conjunction with a store. There will be conflict for sure. BarefootProf@bellsouth.net
Fiskateer #4936
I agree with Sondra.
I founded a group called the Fellowship of Scrapbookers. We meet twice a month. First Saturdays all day and Third Thursday mornings. We actaully attrach different people to both dates. Since it is hard to get everyone together at the same time this seems to work. I'm usually at both, but when I can't we have a Board that decided who will be there. We generall just scrap, help one another, share tools and such. I have taught classes during our crops and they are well received. We've had parties and hosted a huge crop for NSB Day. It is fun...but it takes time. We've been meeting since September 2007 and we still keep plugging away. I find it a great joy. BTW: everything we do is FREE. If I hold a class individuals cover the materials only and that goes for the person who teaching card classes. Well, this was more than you wanted. LOL
i have never herd of clubs before, are you talking about a kt club of a club like where you get together and crop?? sounds cool. wish there was somthing around here like that
Don't let the mean people in!
Heidi, if I was starting a scrapclub, I'd be exclusive and invite the scrappers I want to get to know better and ones I know that aren't overcommitted in other areas of their lives.
And the theme would be circle journals like what Lead Cheryl blogged about with the Lucky 13. Of course, that's too big. But each month someone different would pick the question they want everyone scrap/journal about.
I had done this in the past and the 1 person who was more excited than anyone ended up dodging out. And after a couple months it fizzled. And we stopped. And I have kept a relationship with only 2 of the original group. So that's why I'd be a little picky, I hate to say.
we have a bunch of ladies that meets every month and we have too much fun. We have done several programs like a recipe club, atc swap, pizza box swap and others but my favorite is Dinner and a Lay. We get together at a resturant (usually one that has a back room)..we all have dinner togehter and then we complete a layout. We always find something to do and it is never lacking for fun, friendships, and yes even food. We have been meeting for more than two years and still going strong.
I think that to have a successful scrap club like you have in mind is to find a group of people that are as enthusiastic as you are. I would keep the group fairly small...about 6 maybe.(That many people could fit into most people's homes and you could have a revolving hostess). Make sure that these are people that want to make the club a priority and not something they would try to squeeze in between cooking dinner, caring for children, or a varied work schedule.
Fiskateer #4437
Gosh, it sounds like a great idea. My main thoughts are keeping it simple, small and possibly limited to those you know who are dependable. I know sometimes gals get all excited in the beginning and then they fizzle out.
Also , maybe having a small different project each meeting.
Sorry I'm not more help!
Patty , Fiskateer #2832
I have been a member of many different groups the one thing I learned it do not have people selling - and I don't mean if your having a tupperware party you can't tell anyone I am talking about those people who sell scrapbook stuff and join a billion groups just to sell their stuff! I have dealt with that and its so tiring I wanted to show up laugh and scrap and those people are shoving there stuff at me! then you get more then one and its a contest it just gets ugly!
Marcie fiskateer 5111
sharing tools and supplies is great(with ideas of course) i like others imput on layouts
stedis@sbcglobal.net
Wine and more wine, the key to success! Hee hee!
I was president of our local stamp club for 6 years. We did a project each month. For anyone who wanted to arrive early we did a mentoring program where we show cased a technique or product.
You can pass your goodies on to someone else - I have way too many empty albums as it is ;)
I was part of a group that gets together once a month and rotates the house. It was a group that also bought SU products and rotated who got the benefits. The group knew the coordinator through work and it actually worked well, but only 3-4 tended to show consistently (the others would still contribute to the orders though). I stopped participating because the time they meet wasn't working well for me. But I was in for over a year though and had fun :)
So I guess you need to decide when would be best for the 2 of you and find others who could commit to the same times. I would say keep it small but also allow flexibility - life happens and you can't get everyone there every time. But make it clear from the beginning how often someone can miss with it still being ok.
The meeting place is tough. Depending on the group, you might all like rotating. For some people, that doesn't work well. If you have access to a "club house" that many subdivisions offer, maybe everyone could pay a monthly dues fee to rent it out. Or find a scrapbook store that would allow you do to the same with their crop room (we are so lucky to have several crop rooms locally!).
Food is good to have - but you need a plan for that as well. Order in from one place? Pot luck? The duty rotates?
And what scrappinnelly said above - AMEN! (but don't expect much quality scrapping to get done! lol)
Hope that helps!
OHHHHH. I do belong to that type of "club". We are a city wide group that have many choices of LSS to meet at monthly. I would have to check into it for you. I don't really know how they get the places for free each month. The store knows we will be spending money while we are there :=)It is a fun time, when I can go.
Turtlelady #1715
I am part of a "scrapbook club". There is 8-9 of us that meet once a month at the LSS. (no one has a space big enough for all of us and our supplies LOL). Everyone paid their own fee that the LSS charged and each month we took turns bringing dessert. Each of us put a dollar up and a name was drawn each month for a "door prize" to spend that nite. It is a lot of fun. During the month of Christmas we each brought a dish and a gift.
Heidi,
I would love to be in a scrapbooking club. I like getting help when I'm stuck on something and learning new techniques. Let me know what you decide to do.
So this sounds like it would be like a CROP? I think that is a great idea your right it is a time for us to get away, like when the guys go fishing, hunting, golfing etc. We not only love to do our scrappin at home but we would love to share it with others face to face I went to my very first crop last month and I loved it I can't wait to do it again.
I would think that you could run it the same as a card club. I used to attend one and our format was:
Each clubmeeting, there would be one person who would be responsible for the idea to be used for that meeting. (eg) Each member would take a turn at coming up with an idea for a card/layout, using a technique or product that had not been used before. That way, each person contributes an idea and everyone benefits from that. We used to collect a fee each meeting from each member ($2-$3) and then the person who was going to do the next meeting, would get some of the money (a set amount) to purchase supplies for their meeting idea (Ie paper, embellishments etc). The extra money would be accumulated and when enough was there, we would bring a special guest in, to teach a class or use the money for a party or even go on a road trip together.
The one thing I would caution you about is to make sure EACH PERSON is willing to take their turn, otherwise, you will have the same people doing it over and over again and they will burn themselves out.
You could take turns at member's homes or meet at a church or other venue that you can get for free or for a nominal fee (library).
Hope this helps.
I think a scrapper's group is an awesome idea--I've been looking into it here in the Akron, OH suburbs quite a bit.
It would be a great chance to share ideas, support one another and get out of the house. I think that sometimes, working around other people is like therapy because you just need to talk, but other times you get done because you're feeding off of each other's energy and it can be a very positive thing.
You could even meet in public at a cafe or something on occasion. I know there are places with wifi here that let you do almost anything just as long as you buy drinks or sandwiches or something. And you can stay as long as you want.
Good luck!
I think it's better to go somewhere other than someone's home, because it's less distracting, and it's not such a burden on the person providing the home.
A friend runs one of these using a room we get for free from a public library. The rule from the library is that it must be free, and no selling at the meeting.
I prefer just having scrappin time as opposed to having techniques shown, etc, because I find it too overwhleming, and then get distracted, and have a hard time getting anything done.
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