How I Pack for a Retreat : Step 3 - The Cart

When I was traveling, I always loved landing in a city that had an Ikea.  That is seriously my favorite store to shop in!  In fact, many of the organizational pieces and furniture pieces came from Ikea.  During one trip, I ran across the Raskog Utility Cart.  I loved the color and thought surely I could put it to use, but the cheapskate in side of me told me to hold off, so I did.

After I had seen the cart in the store I began seeing it all over Pinterest.  Crafters everywhere were using it to store everything from stamps to pictures to Project Lift.  Well, in late 2014 I was in Sam's Club and low and behold I see a cart strikingly similar to Ikea's Raskog AND the price was about 1/2!  So, I couldn't resist and I purchased that cart!

Now, before I get into the details of what my cart houses, I will tell you this cart stays packed ALL THE TIME!!!  I have a mini van and it fits perfectly in the very back so it's actually really easy to transport!  But having these items already organized and at hand really helps to streamline not just my packing but also my cropping!

I use it to house my Project Life stuff along with punches, little embellies and stickers/rub-ons.  Here's a look at the entire cart...



As you can see, it's pretty full!  Now, let's take a look at each tier individually.  Here's the top tray...



Thankfully I was able to find a few baskets and even a wire mail sorter that all fit perfectly in this tray together!  In the back, I have my Want2Scrap chipboard alphas, Thickers and long stickers.  On the front left, I have a divided basket and in the front I have words/phrases, middle is alpha stickers and back is rub-ons.  Then, in the basket on the right I have mini paper pads, larger embellishments and Project Life type cards and things.  As my collection of PL style items continues to grow, I will most likely move the cards and such into a larger storage system and incorporate ALL my PL cards together.  But, since my PL stash is still relatively small, I can still sort it all this way.  And lastly, on this top tier, on the far right of the tray I have some glassine bags.  These are filled with the Swag Bags from Paper Issues.  I kept each month together and can just skim through them if I'm looking for something to add to a project.

I also grabbed some of the plastic hanging organizers from Ikea.  These go with the rail systems but I found that they hang on the side of the cart perfectly.  And, they were only 99 cents each!



I have one cup for my Crop-o-Diles, one for sharpies and Wink of Stella pens, one for basic tools like scissors and piercer and ruler and such, and the last cup holds my labeler.

The second tier is where I have my Stampin' Up! Project Life cards and coordinating stamp sets, PL cardstocks and my We R PL card punches...



I like keeping my SU! stuff together for now, but again, as my PL collection continues to grow I may look at incorporating these with the rest.

And here's the last tray...



This tray has quite a bit of miscellaneous stuff in it.  The black bin on the right (also from Ikea) has punches in it.  Then there's my roller stamps and ink pad and wipes and then in the back there are two organizers...the smaller on in front with the jars inside holds my sequins and the larger one in the back holds open embellies like flair, clips and veneer pieces.

Well, there you have it.  That's how I pack for a retreat!  I also have my big Thirty One bag that holds my Silhouette, Ott Light and cords.  Do any of you go to retreats?  Do you have any other tips or tricks to packing for success cropping?