Setting Up Your Own Scrapping Retreat with MagsGraphics

Hey MyMemories Friends!
This is Mags from MagsGraphics - here to share some scrappy fun with you!

All of this quarantining is making me stir-crazy. My small group of friends cancelled our mini scrap retreat that had been scheduled for April, but we plan to reschedule it this fall. Our group of four have been doing our own Weekend Scrap Retreats for over a decade, and I think we’ve pretty much perfected it. I thought I’d share how we set it up - with large groups of people discouraged, a small group of your closest friends scrapbooking for a few days might be just the rejuvenation you need!


I do recommend a total of 4 people. It’s easy to manage with your food and lodging. Here is what we do:
    1. Check out your local hotels and apartment-style lodgings. You don’t have to go too far away - who wants to waste time driving when you could be scrapping?! We visited quite a few locations before settling on one that would work. Right now, we use the Staybridge Suites - they have affordable 2 bedroom units. What we want are two bedrooms that sleep four people and a large living room with a big TV.
    

    2. When we get there, we move the living room furniture to make a big space. There is usually a kitchen table & 4 chairs in these suites. One of our gals brings a folding, 4-foot table. ASK the front desk what is available; once we discovered that our hotel had a 6-ft table we could borrow, we didn’t have to bring one ourselves. Walmart also sells these wonderful folding, 3-foot tables. They are under $25 and if everyone brings one, you all have enough room to scrap! While I’m digital (of course!) and all I need is my laptop, cords, and external hard drives, my friends are all still scrapbooking with paper. They still have plenty of room with our arrangement. We’ve used a combination of the kitchen table, 4 foot table, and 6 foot table- you just to adjust them to the space you have. Another trick - Use the IRONING BOARD! It’s sturdy enough to hold a few things - and has an adjustable height!

    3. I am in charge of the Blu-Ray/DVD player (and every possible connector cord for a TV - you never know what you’ll need). Often, accommodations have one, but I bring my own. All of us stop by our local library and borrow 8-10 movies each.

    4. We book our weekends Friday-Monday. We call that morning to see if our room can be ready early, and we’ve never had a problem checking in by 10am. Likewise, we ask for the latest checkout time on Monday - which usually gives us until 1PM.

    5. After we unpack and set up, we plan the menu (aka dining out). We scout out the restaurants nearby and make a plan for where we will go for each meal (hotels usually serve breakfast). By doing this right away, we don’t have to waste time wondering where to go each meal time.

    6. All of us have also brought snacks - which are lined up in the kitchenette for anyone to enjoy.

Now we are ready to enjoy 4 days of scrapping time and endless movies! My record of completed layouts is 74 in a 4-day period. Here are some of my favorites layouts:

 

These use the Playful Pets and Winter Retreat Collections

 

These use the Look Who’s Driving Collection along with Corvette images I found on the Web.

 

These layouts use The Old Ball Game Collection.

Start scouting around your area for a good location, grab a few friends, and borrow some movies. You’ll have your own weekend retreat set up in no time! Be sure to let me know how yours goes and if you have any suggestions to make our even better!