Two weekends ago I went to a MUCH needed girls scrapping getaway weekend. It was a gift from a friend so I had no expectations, had never been to the place before, but I walked in to the door of Scrapbook Creations in Spartanburg, SC and was TOTALLY blown away. So I'm going to tell you all about it!
Scrapbook Creations is a 10,000 sq ft (yes - you read that right!) store located just a few minutes off of I-85. If you are familiar with the Gaffney Premium Outlets or the Gaffney water tower (aka the big peach butt) then you are not too far away. Don and I lived in Georgia for many years and we traveled 85 often to visit our families, and I had NO idea this place existed!
The store is amazing. They have the latest products, a huge section of Bazzill paper, an entire wall dedicated to individual embellishments and ribbon by the yard, the staff is incredibly knowledgeable and friendly, and they always seem to have something fun going on. Check out their calendar and you'll see what I mean! Did I mention they have an ice cream/coffee/sandwich shop in the building? AND a section with man tools so your husband has something to do while you shop? GENIUS! Free wifi is also available throughout the store.
only ONE side of the wall o' Bazzill
embellies and ribbons galore!
fabulous eats at the ice cream/coffee/sandwich shop!
If you are looking for a place to crop - for the day or for the weekend - then this is the place for you! Let's start with the crop room. It has room for 48 croppers - with everyone guaranteed at least 4' of cropping space. There are a variety of tools available to use, including punches, dies, a journaling computer, a 12x12 printer, and a Silhouette - which the staff will work for you! They also have on-site photo printing in case you didn't have time to get your pics printed beforehand, need duplicates, etc.
cropping area
It is an easy, comfortable, creative environment to spend the day or evening, but if you REALLY want to treat yourself - come for the weekend because...
They have a retreat house ON SITE! Yes my friends - you can literally walk across the parking lot and arrive at a 4 bedroom (two double beds in each room), 2 1/2 bath cottage with a little kitchen area. The beds are comfy, the showers are good, and - if you sign up for the weekend crop package - a continental breakfast is included! The house is locked at all times, and each bedroom is locked as well, so you don't have to worry about your personal belongings while you are up at the store. Scrapbook Creations makes it SO easy for you - you can leave all of your scrappy stuff in the store at night, and if you don't want to cook at the cottage or go offsite to eat - their ice cream/coffee/sandwich shop is DELICIOUS. I ate four meals there during the weekend (and too many snacks to count) and everything I had was fantastic. My favorite? The house sandwich - turkey, lettuce, tomato and pimento cheese on grilled wheat. Hello!
front hall of cottage
one of the bedrooms
A few other random thoughts:
You are going to have to take a shower and put on normal clothes. :) I have been to a few retreats where people wear their pajamas for 48 hours and look like they've just rolled out of bed. That is TOTALLY fine if you are at a private house or cabin or something - anyone who has ever cropped with me knows that I am describing myself. HOWEVER - you will be in a place of business and there will be people milling about who will wonder why there is a crazy homeless lady standing in line to buy a strawberry smoothie. Don't be that person. Take a shower and put some clothes on before you head over to the store to crop.
If you are there for a weekend retreat, you have to leave the store at midnight and can come back at 8am the following morning. For those of you who are night owls and like to scrap all night - there are a few small tables in the cottage so you can bring some things back and work on them, but you aren't going to want to drag everything over to the cottage each night.
Along those same lines - there is no tv in the cottage, so if you like to stay up until the wee hours, bring a book or your ipad.
If you are sleeping four to a room - remember that you are only there to sleep. The bedrooms can geta little crowded - so leave all of your scrapping stuff up at the store.
There is no alcohol allowed either in the store or in the cottage. I know a few of us like a glass or two of wine while we're scrapping...that isn't happening here.
If you do want to cook while you are staying at the cottage - you will want to bring your own pots and pans. They have plates and silverware and glasses and such...next time we'll probably bring paper/plastic because there is no dishwasher - and who wants to waste precious scrapping time doing the dishes? :)
So if you live in the GA/SC/NC (maybe even VA) part of the country, I would love for you to head on over and check out Scrapbook Creations next time you are passing through. There are far too few independent retailers left in this industry, so I am excited to find one that knows how to do it right. If you are interested in a weekend crop package check out their website here - and don't forget to invite me! :)
Disclosure - Scrapbook Creations did not give me anything for this review. They did not know who I was (what I do for a living) until I called them the day before I arrived and offered to do some MnTs. They don't even know I'm writing this - so you can rest assured that this is totally unbiased!
No al-kee-haul??? Dang, there goes my mojo and my Mojitos too! Looks like fun...adding it to my bucket list!!! GP
Posted by: Pam | April 12, 2012 at 10:28 PM
So jealous. All our LSS, both in Anchorage and Kenai, have gone out of business.
Posted by: Kari Hudson | April 11, 2012 at 02:48 PM
'sounds like heaven!! thanks for sharing the details and photos too!!
Posted by: Ruth Pearson | April 11, 2012 at 02:10 PM