Scrap till your heart's content!

Two weekends ago I was able to leave everything behind and just work on my albums.  I try to go to two weekend retreats a year and it is something I truly look forward to.  One- it helps me get caught up on my own personal albums and two- I get to play with some of my favorite products and the new ones that just launched.

I try to set a goal for myself on how much I will get done.  Sometimes I overestimate what I can accomplish but this past retreat I was so excited, I finished all the pictures I brought, completed about 50 pages and my son's album is up to date. (Well it was until last weekend when we took more pictures :-))

These retreats are great for some well-deserved girl time with my mom, sister and sister-in-law but they also help me reflect on what's important in life and why documenting our memories is a gift that will last forever. 

I also took the opportunity to play with some of the new products and fell in love with the Custom Cutting System Jumbo Circle and new Jumbo Wavy Square.  There are so many awesome possibilities with these two shapes.  Here are a couple of the layouts I created using these new shapes.

 

If you've never been to a retreat before, I highly encourage you to attend one.  It gives you a chance to work on your albums, totally uninterupted for a whole weekend, and catch up with friends at the same time.  Plus it helps you realize the importance of preserving memories and telling the story behind the pictures.  And if you haven't yet, check out these two new patterns, you'll love the possibilities.

Have you been to a weekend retreat before?  What is your favorite part?

Comments

[Generic Viagra]

I think you are right when you say this. Hats off man, what a superlative knowledge you have on this subject…hope to see more work of yours.

[vinaz]

love the pages you did! please share tips for getting organized to go to weekend crops sometime...would love to see how you plan all your pages you do-sketches?

[Theresa Anderson]

I am a consultant and have done retreats with other customers and consultant only retreats for our team. However, the ones I love the best are my group of customers and friends who have all scattered across the country. The five of us get together twice per year and crop the whole weekend! We are such dorks we named ourselves "All Smiles" and we even got matching hoodies, embroidered with All Smiles and shirts to wear while we crop!

[Gerri Taylor]

I have done creative memories for a long time and still have some 12x11 1/2scrapbooks to complete. I need some advice, how many pages can you put together in a scrapbook.

[Bobbi Trisko]

I love hearing all the awesome retreat stories! Thanks for sharing.

I checked with Technology on suggestions for copy paper and here is their suggestion.

'I recommend that you choose a good quality photo copy paper (not just the cheapest in the store) 28 to 30 lb basis weight to photo copy your newspaper articles. The better quality papers will most likely be buffered.'

Hope that helps. Keep the great comments coming and have fun at your next retreat!

[Pat Zahn]

My favorite part about weekend retreats is the Camaraderie of the participants - a whole bunch of people working toward the same goal: creating legacies...

[Deb]

I love retreats! I've attended many as a customer and have held even more as a consultant. I have one in the spring along with my upline (this one is local) and then one in fall at a great house in Wisconsin Dells. I love the time to just work on layouts and chat. I usually either have my laptop up on the CM project ideas or have print outs to use - fun!

[Dinah Parent]

My very first retreat (10 years ago) was organized by my downline and I went as her customer. That was the best thing I ever did for my business! I left there energized and ready to organize my very first retreat for my clients. That was 14 retreats ago!!! I started doing one a year in the fall and then my clients starting asking about a spring and summer event. I love to organize these events and give my customers the great customer service they deserve! The hardest part although is finding just the right location that will accomodate our food needs, conference center(lighting, comfy chairs) so if anyone has any great ideas in the So. California area, please share. I currently have a great location for my Fall and Spring retreat but am looking for a summer spot...

[Renee Ertel]

Bobbi,
I attend weekend retreats as much as I can. I'm with you, I get a ton done and look so forward to the relaxation. I also try things I wouldn't otherwise. Share and pick up new ideas, etc. My husband is WONDERFUL (as we have 3 boys) he doesn't blink an eye about me working on my scrapbooks. Coming back to share all the stuff I did is tons of fun too. I am convincing my customers to do give the weekends a try. My upline and I are trying to get one together for the fall!! Wish us luck!!

[Linda Wright]

Hi Bobbi,
Three of my teammates from Creative Memories host an annual retreat every January, and it's a blast! We rent out three crop rooms at the same facility, all next door to each other, so we can mingle with each other's groups throughout the weekend. There's nothing that I look forward to more each winter than knowing that retreat is coming right after the holiday craziness ends! My favorite parts of the weekend are the quantity of work I can get done, catching up with old friends (some of whom I only see once a year at the retreat), and the much-needed "me time". :)

I love the layouts you did with the new jumbo templates and am also interested to know if you have suggestions about copying old newspaper articles (Cathy's question above).

Thanks for sharing your ideas!

[Cathy Baird]

A long time ago creative memories had copy paper, I was copying old newspaper articles that I needed for a scrapbook, and now they have discontinued that product and cannot for the life of me find a comp. product!! One thing someone suggested was hp presentation paper, but has to use an inkjet printer...also non existent. Any ideas??