Pacific Northwest Scrappers

[swatkins56]

Just wondering if those in the Pacific Northwest (from Oregon to BC) would be interested in a laptop crop after the first of the year?

I'm in Southeast King County (Maple Valley/Covington/Kent area) and could book a room at a county library, which has free wi-fi. Or perhaps there's a more central location?

I'll soon have two children living in Portland, so I don't mind traveling.

Let me know what the interest is.

Sheryl

[JenniferG]

I live in Federal Way, WA... Cant travel too far because I have two small children (and cost, of course). Would go to the SLC crop, but I can't travel that far.

[Song Catcher]

Well, I'm in Tacoma and would be interested.

[Meg]

I'm in Eugene, OR... a bit far, but depending on the date, might be able to come up! I would love to meet some more scrappers!

[Seagal]

Another King County person here -- would love to do a crop! I live in Sammamish & work in Federal Way :)

[idtwinmom]

Well, I live in Woodburn, OR (just north of Salem). I would be interested, but would have to see about the dates. We would probably all have to come up and stay with family in Bellevue or Sammamish. Not sure DH would want to take the kids all by himself.

Meg, if DH decides to stay home, maybe we could carpool. We only have one vehicle and I wouldn't want to leave them with no wheels.

[JenniferG]

It'd be great to have a local crop. Hopefully we get enough people who want to do it and we can give it a go. My sister may want to come, too. She'll be moving up here sometime this month or early next month. We just have to get someone to watch 3 kids all under the age of 2... Wonder who'd volunteer for that sort of torture. LOL!

[swatkins56]

Sounds like there are a few of us.

I have a 15-year-old daughter I could bribe to watch a few of the kids - not sure about so many little ones, unless I bribed her best friend, too. It would be great if we could find a place with a separate room - and preferably some playground equipment nearby.

IDtwinmom, how many and what ages of kids are we talking about? (By the way, I can be bribed by anything from Burgerville!)

My other concern is weather, which can be dicey in January.

Why don't we in King County scout out locations and we can exchange ideas.

One thought for the kids, at least the ones over 3: the Kent Library is across the street from Kent Station, which has a movie theater. That might keep them busy for awhile!

[JenniferG]

Would it be a weekend thing? And what would the events of the day be? I've never been to a crop so I'd like more info.

[swatkins56]

I have heard of weekend crops, but have never been to one, and thus don't think I could pull off the planning.

I have not been to a digital crop, so I'll have to be in touch with the SLC scrappers to see how they do it. Likely we would reserve a space (i.e. Library community center) all day on a Saturday, i.e. 9-6, and folks would drop in when they can.

I'll check in with the SLC ladies and get back to you with more ideas.

Sheryl

[beryl]

Hi... I am in Southern B.C. I think I can get to the outskirts of Seattle in about 2.5 hours... depending on weather I might be able to come...

[logicgrandmaB]

I am in Renton and will be there. :love2: Can I help with anything? :wave: No car, but I can do phoning or internet stuff. :tup:

[Meg]

Lisa, if it works out that I can go, I'd be happy to carpool with you!

Sheryl, I can help with planning (and maybe even get Margie to send us some goodies), I went to the Las Vegas and San Jose crops. Mostly though, we just need a room with lots of tables and power strips!

[idtwinmom]

OK, if I can carpool and the only weekday I would be gone would be Friday, I might be able to come with no kids. Of course, that would be counting on my neighbor to take the kids on Friday or have DH take the day off. Also depends a little on whether I am still earning money. Right now, it looks like my day-care gig will go into January which would allow for my expenses.

Meg, how were meals handled at other crops? Did you all go someplace together, have lunch in the room, or what?

[Meg]

We brought food in: ordered pizza, Subway sandwiches, etc. If its just a small group, we can probably just have one person go out with a list or order something to be delivered. The space we have may limit that, however. If we end up meeting in a library, they may not want us to have food in.

[Seagal]

There may be some local churches that would let us use their space or.... I've also done paper-scrapping crops in the community rooms of friends' apartments. There are lots of options to explore :) One question is whether or not we "HAVE" to have internet access?

[JenniferG]

It would be really cool if we could get a designer to come too, so maybe scheduling it out further would work...

Just a thought.

[Seagal]

I know that Renee Bross is taking a break right now, but hopefully she will be back soon :pray: She is just over on the other side of WA, in Spokane I believe... maybe we could sweet talk her into making an appearance??

I don't know of any other designers that live on the west coast :think:

[scamptx]

sneaking in from Texas here...My son lives in Seattle. LOL--I'll watch for the date!

[JenniferG]

Don't know how soon Rene would be back, but maybe we can ask her...once we come up with a good time range... It'd be cool to have a designer, and she does live in Spokane. Dont think there are any other designers that live nearby.

And one should note that this crop is not just limited to us Pac Northwesterners. We'd just like to have a crop that's in our neck of the woods...or evergreens, so to speak.

[swatkins56]

I love the name "Evergreens."

Re, having it at a church, I could check to see if I could use ours (in Kent), but it would have to be later in February, as we have children's musical practice until then. Our libraries here are very nice, though.

One thing that makes me nervous is putting together a "big" crop right out of the gate. If we're going to ask folks to travel 100 miles or more, we need to be well-prepared.

Perhaps we could plan a smaller get-together, primarily for Seattle-area, but with others welcome to attend, so we can put the planning into being good hostesses?

As far as I know I am free except the weekend of Jan. 10 when I'm going to L.A. for my dad's 80th birthday.

You know what else would be fun is to schedule it when tulips and daffodils are in bloom. Mt. Vernon is a ways to go, but I know there are daffodil fields near Puyallup. We could take a two-hour break to take photos.

[Carma]

Hi, I am in Sammish for another week, and would love to come if I am back this way then, it is not likely though that I can, I will be in Spokane with my Internist there and the anticouglant clinic that I have to check in several times a week.But I can tell you what we did at the Las Vegas Crop......all of us brought treats, like Chocolate, chocolate or if you like it chocolate.....hehehe what ever you desired to take to share. Then we went out into the food court of the Hotel we were at and got what we wanted to eat and either ate out there or took it back into the crop room. They had drawings for prizes every so often, a kit, a tee shirt etc. There was a contest to see how many LOs we could get done in the day. One day we had aphoto shoot of the hotels and sites there. we displayed ideas on making calandars and pages etc. Most of all we got to meet each other and laughed and had a super good time.

[littlekiwi]

I know I would never be able to attend this event but if my memory serves me correctly Jennifer (photography mod) lives somewhere up there so maybe she might be able to attend and do something photography related at the crop

[Audrey]

Sounds like a great idea! I live in northern BC and would love to come, but I'll have to get a passport if it's in the US. I think I'll apply for one soon. I'll keep my eyes on this thread to see what's happening.

[idtwinmom]

Hey, if you guys are still looking for a place - check local Retirement or Assisted Living centers. They love having people come in and usually do not charge! We might even peak a few interested residents in getting started themselves.

[Audrey]

Just checking in to see if anything's in the works yet. Or is everyone waiting for the snow to leave? :p I think we've all had lots of the white stuff already! :)

[swatkins56]

Hi, this got put on the back burner owing to the snow and holidays. I can make a few calls next week about availability of libraries. I know the Covington Library best, but Puget Sound ladies, feel free to recommend others that would be more convenient owing to: 1) ease of freeway access; and 2) food and other amenities.

Sheryl

[Westina]

Hi Sheryl, my son Justin is still working for KCLS so he may be able to advise which south-end locations have the nicest meeting rooms, with easy access, plenty of parking and restaurant availability. One thing to keep in mind is that the meeting rooms can only be used during library hours, with the exception of the Issaquah Service Center.

Cheers,
Tina

[swatkins56]

Tina! So great to hear from you again. Yes, please ask Justin for good library options. We may have people coming from as far away as Salem and B.C., so I don't imagine we'd go into the wee small hours of the morning, anyway.

Thanks so much,

Sheryl

[swatkins56]

OK, I just posted a poll with five dates in February and March. Vote for all that would work.
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35968

When we have some location options, I'll also post them in a poll.

[Macwebgrrl]

Hi ladies,

I'm a designer and I live near the Supermall. There are a lot of Northwest designers in a variety of different online shops. We also have a Yahoo!Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/northwestdigiscrappers) for Pacific Northwest digiscrappers and designers.

We had a retreat in 2007 on the Oregon coast that drew gals from BC, WA, ID, OR, and even Nova Scotia and Texas! Misty Cato was the sponsor and it was organized by Trina Lankford. Some of the PNW designer gals attending were Amy Pearson, Dani Mogstad, Julie Billingsley, Amy Cheeseman, Rina Kroes, Kimmi Stewart, and Holli Dunn (the photographer). It was a fabulous weekend! Here's a link to the group photo and a few postings about it on my blog (http://catriona-macgregor.blogspot.com/search?q=retreat).

We haven't had another one, although many of us would certainly love to. We just need a real go-getter to organize it. Recently, one of the Yahoo gals, Michelle Johns, has been talking about doing retreats - great minds think alike, eh?

Anything I can do to help out - just give me a yell!

[Westina]

Hi Cat - thanks for posting. It's great to know that we have so many Pac Northwesters involved in digi scrapping. I took a look at the photos for the coast retreat. Looks like a great time. Wasn't there also a get-together a year or two ago in Sequim, timed to coincide with the Lavender Festival? I'll be checking the Yahoo group for updates on events. If there is anything local this year, I'd like to get it on my calendar early. I can appreciate how much hard work and effort goes into planning a retreat.

My son, who delivers books and media between King Cty libraries, recommended either the Bellevue library or the Regional Service Center in Issaquah as the nicest facilities of all locations for a one-day event. Bellevue has 5 meeting rooms that can be reserved. Easiest freeway access vote goes to Kirkland, Shoreline and Covington. Reservations can be made online up to 3 months in advance (verify) and he believes food can be brought into meeting rooms as long as they are cleaned up afterwards (confirm). Most of the libraries close at 5pm or 6pm on Saturdays. All have wireless Internet access. Food/restaurants neaby most sites.

If there's any additional info I can help with, just let me know.

Hi Sheryl! Good to be in touch again. Thanks for jump starting this!

Tina

[Roberta T]

Aw darn, I was thinking just maybe until I read Audrey's post about a passport. Argh, mine is expired and I don't think there's enough time to get another. I'll look into it though. Maybe we could carpool with you from Vancouver Beryl?

[JenniferG]

So is the 28th of Feb set? Seems it has 80% of the votes. I don't really need internet as I have clearwire. All I need is an outlet. Won't be able to stay real long as I'll have to get back to kids and DH. Unless the location is toddler friendly...

[swatkins56]

OK guys, sorry to drop the ball. I've had kind of a rough few weeks.

Clearly, there's not time to get anything together in the next few weeks. We can work on something for March; the only day I can't make it is March 14.

One wild suggestion: Is anyone thinking about going to CKC in Portland March 5-7? It's geared to paper scrapping. I don't even see any digi classes, as there were a few years ago:
http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=b652b1b4-2950-4faa-a593-67df6df79555

I can't afford to go to CKC, but wouldn't mind a chance to see my daughter. Of course, it would be up to the Oregon scrappers to organize.

If that suggestion is too far fetched, I'll see what dates are open at the Covington Library.

[idtwinmom]

I'm not registered for CKC, and really can't afford it anyway! Even if we don't have a crop, if you came to visit your daughter we could arrange some other form of meeting (I'm only 20-30 minutes from the south end of Portland).

I think since the Feb date is a no-go now, I may have lost my ride, but DH talked about coming and bringing the kids if we did it in March. He would need at least 2 weeks to get the time off from work. Since he would be visiting family, he would have fun too!

Is there anyone in the Belleview area that might give me a lift from our digs to the crop?

[swatkins56]

I'm not registered for CKC, and really can't afford it anyway! Even if we don't have a crop, if you came to visit your daughter we could arrange some other form of meeting (I'm only 20-30 minutes from the south end of Portland).

I think since the Feb date is a no-go now, I may have lost my ride, but DH talked about coming and bringing the kids if we did it in March. He would need at least 2 weeks to get the time off from work. Since he would be visiting family, he would have fun too!

Is there anyone in the Belleview area that might give me a lift from our digs to the crop?

I'm thinking the latter part of March, depending on venue. If it's in Covington, we're sort of on the way to Bellevue.

[swatkins56]

Boy, the libraries sure are booked!

I've made two reservations:
Date(s): 3/21/2009
Time: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Room: Meeting Room
Library: Maple Valley Library
(About a mile off of highway 18)

Date(s): 4/18/2009
Time: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Room: Meeting Room 1
Library: Federal Way 320th Library
Off I-5

Both requests are still pending.

In the next day or two, I will post more information and a poll to see which date works best.

[JenniferG]

What is CKC?

I could DEFINITELY do the one in April. Since It's a block or two away from me! Not sure about Maple Valley, though...

[swatkins56]

CKC is the big scrapbooking convention sponsored by Creating Keepsake. Typically, it's in Portland in the spring and Bellevue in the fall. It's geared toward paper, but before I was into digital scrapping I did see a class or two on it in the line up.

[swatkins56]

As promised, there's a poll here:
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/showthread.php?p=613780#post613780

[swatkins56]

Just got approval for the April date, as well. So we have a definite venue for both dates.

[swatkins56]

A reminder: Please go to the poll to register your interest in a get-together:
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/poll.php?do=showresults&pollid=768

[Song Catcher]

The vote poll isn't working for me, but I pick the Federal Way one in April.

[swatkins56]

Just wanted to make sure everyone has had the opportunity to weigh in. It looks like April is the date, but I wanted to give it a few more days to make sure everyone could weigh in before I canceled the March date.

[swatkins56]

OK, I posted a final thread. Please go here and post if you're in, may be in, or just want to keep up with what's going on.
http://digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/showthread.php?p=626848#post626848

Please post often so we keep it before our fellow members.

[swatkins56]

Hey all, what about getting together August 8 when the Adobe Crop is on?

[Westina]

Hi Sheryl, I'm open that weekend. Count me in!

[nafeesa]

I'm up in Washington now and am itching to get out and do something. I leave the area on Oct 12, and i don't know how long I'll be gone.

Anyone up for a gathering in the area somewhere before the 12th?

[swatkins56]

I am fully booked the weekend of Oct. 3-4. Our school's homecoming dance is scheduled for one of the September weekends (I have to be home to get photos to scrap, you know), but our teachers are on strike and I don't know when school will start.

Not very helpful, I know. Let me know what works for everyone.

[nafeesa]

I've seen strike footage on the local news. No idea when it may end, huh?

[swatkins56]

No, and it's very upsetting. I have friends who are teachers and others who are very much in support of it. But the teachers are breaking the law, which is sending mixed message to the kids about what is worth breaking the law for and what is not.

My youngest child is a junior and only has one class at the high school; she'll be starting at the junior college in two weeks. But I don't want her stuck in school into next summer just for her American sign language class.

[nafeesa]

oh that is heartbreaking, Sheryl, it really is. At some point the teachers will need to realize that they aren't teaching the kids any better by not being at work!