Today, I’m moving on to the second stage of packing for a crop:
Step Two: Packing the Totes
Of course, the overhead light would decide to take a nap while I was taking pictures. When I gather up all my totes, it always amazes me how many I have (and one isn’t even pictured here). I have a weakness for totes. Every time I’m done buying scrapbook storage items, something new comes out that will work better for an item, is cuter, and pinker and I find myself bringing home another one.
The dark green plastic tote with wheels (which can barely be seen in the pic) was the first scrapbook storage item I bought. I purchased it when I first started scrapbooking in 1997. All (yes all) my supplies fit in that rolling cart. Now, I have an entire room of crafting supplies…or as my family calls it my mini scrapbooking store. I love bringing this unit because it’s on wheels and the top is sturdy enough to place items on. It’s like having an extra small table. I decided to leave it behind as it’s hard for me to get into and out of the trunk of my car.
After I eliminate the storage items I won’t be bringing, the first tote I pack is my paper. It’s the most fragile of my supplies, easy to get torn or bent, and I have a method of packing that works great for me. I have some hard sided paper storage cases and sort my paper into them, placing regular color, neutral, and glitter cardstock in separate ones. Then I have one for pattern paper with has two plastic dividers. I separate the paper into two sections: theme and general designs.
For theme, anything that relates to cruise or Disney (since that’s the album I’m working on) goes into the theme section. Pattern paper in other designs (geometric, flowers, etc ) goes into the other section. The clear holders with the black zippered top hold my scraps for die cutting and also die cuts.
I have a three-drawer workspace organizer that I store my embellishments and letter stickers (Thickers), Washi tape, and other smaller items. Once I get to the retreat, I hang my embellishment packages on my wire spinning rack that fits into a wooden storage base. I use the three-drawer workspace to keep my Thickers, inks, corner rounder and Kiwi Design Templates in…basically anything I use frequently but don’t want left out on my work surface.
I use a Thirty One Pro Duffel bag as the carrier for my Cameo or the Cricut Expression, depending which machine gets to join me on the crop. In the side pocket, I keep the cord, and two other items just as important when bringing an electronic cutter with you: an extension cord and grounding adapters. 
I never know if the portable extension cords the hotels use will have a two or three prong outlet to plug into. If my extension cord has the wrong number of prongs, I can convert it. Another good item to bring (and not pictured) is a roll of duct tape to secure the extension cord to the floor. You don’t want to create a tripping hazard. And don’t forget to bring a cable to connect your Cameo to your laptop. (I emailed that last reminder to myself at midnight)
Now, all that is left is to load up all my scrapbooking totes into the trunk of my Malibu (along with the boxes of books for the launch).
Step one of my packing process can be found here: Packing for a Crop – Step One: Gather and Purge.
The Self-Rescue Princess 