Workshops & Retreats
Most of the workshop or retreat fees are used to cover expenses.
For instance, the rooms we use to crop in are LARGE and we take up A LOT of space… we need large TABLES…in fact, each of my guests at all of my retreats receive an ENTIRE 6 ft table to themselves with 2 chairs. One for your body and one, for your most dipped in scrapbooking bag, so you don’t have to lean over to search for something. Scrapbooking princesses do NOT lean over!
Although I COULD do a workshop in my home for a lesser fee, I would not be able to have very many attend, and it would not be the same experience. For this reason, I do have to pay rent at all of my facilities and the fees help to cover that.
At the large retreats, the fees are higher to cover your cost for your hotel room and meals. There are always small amounts added to the fees to cover my time. This is a business for me and I seldom come to the workshops to work on my own personal projects. Instead, am there to serve you!
As a consumer myself, I appreciate this question and do want my croppers to feel that their fees are money well spent, so I do provide ONE no-cost workshop for any newbie to check it out to see if this is for you. To take advantage of this, Contact Me to let me know which event you’d like to attend for free.
Each guest will get their OWN standard size 6 ft table (6 by 2.5 ft) with TWO chairs: one for your body and one for your most dipped in scrapbooking bag so you don’t have to lean over to search for something. Scrapbooking princesses do NOT lean over!
Well, most obviously, BRING YOUR PICTURES! 
If you are wanting to do a digital scrapbook, bring your laptop and drive where your photos are stored.
If you already have some scrapbooking supplies that you want to use, BRING THEM. If you don’t, NO WORRIES! I have everything ON HAND for my shoppers so you will be able to shop while you are there.
On a budget? Let me know in advance. Sometimes I have tools you can borrow while you are building up your supplies. Plus, my other scrapbookers are often willing to share their tools as well.
Some people think they will save money by shopping elsewhere first. Often times, they discover they’ve paid MORE for things they don’t like as well as our products. Creative Memories products are TOP OF THE LINE and competitively priced. Since we do not have a store front, (just a small manufacturing warehouse in St. Cloud MN) we are able to offer higher value products for less cost. We also guarantee our products!
If you are bringing a laptop, Cricut, or other device requiring electricity, let me know in advance so I can do my best to put you close to a power outlet. However, for larger retreats, I suggest bringing a power cord and power strip.
Yes, I do assign you a seat. However, that is to make everyone feel the most comfortable. I like to try to seat people with others they will have something in common with, so if it is your first time coming, the more you tell me about yourself, the easier that makes it for me. 
If this is your first event with me, you will notice NEXT time that you will see familiar faces. My scrapbookers call themselves FRIENDS because the relationships build over the years. They LOVE NEW FACES TOO and are welcoming. You will love our fellowship.
Some people bring their own lunch. The kitchen at the facility I use has a full-size fridge, stove/oven, and microwave. We have an ice machine, too. I provide coffee and often there is a snack of some sort that we share.
Prior to meal time, we brainstorm on where we want to eat (for those who don’t bring a bag lunch) and then we browse the menu online and I collect orders and money and dash out and grab it for us. Then, we break for a quick lunch at separate tables (assuming space allows it).
We use a variety of local eateries and my croppers will tell you that meal time is one of the things they look forward to.
My workshops are well attended but not a large group. Typically we have between 10 and 15 ladies. We have a great sound track of music that we play which pulls from all genres.
We will break for 1-2 meals depending on the length of the session and also break for a demonstration of some sort.
Each guest always gets a free colored idea sheet to spark creativity that some like to save for future use. At the end of each session, we do door prizes. You can definitely expect to make friends and to leave full of motivation!
I have two large retreats each year: one in the fall and one in the winter. They are typically held either in Virginia Beach, VA, Nags Head, NC, or Williamsburg, VA.
I also offer about 2 workshops each month that are 6 to 12 hours long.
Another fun thing that I do, periodically, is dinner out with those that are interested. After dinner, we make cards.
Lastly, I do private classes for you and your friends at your home or other places like Panera, Starbucks, or the break room at your work. Contact me to book your private scrapbooking class!
Products & Purchases
All my tips for scrapbooking newbies can be found on the Get Started page of my website.
You can get started with my recommended album bundle for around $100!
Check out the Shop page on my website for my favorite tools.
Use this link when you go to shop and you should be good to go:
https://www.creativememories.com/user/beckiebelote
However, if you get to Checkout and you are prompted to search for an advisor, enter my information as follows:
First Name: Beckie
Last Name: Belote
State: Virginia
Screenshot:
Scrapbooking How-To's
YES. Of course, it depends on what type of album you want to do, but albums don’t need to be time consuming. I have done entire albums in less than two hours and no one would be able to guess that!
One of my favorite products for people that want the scrapbooking look but don’t have the time or creativity, is our FAST2FAB™ album line. There are oodles of themes in this line of albums that basically look like they have ALREADY BEEN SCRAPBOOKED because they have been digitally created using all the same supplies that our traditional scrapbookers use in their albums. The layers look so real, you would have to run your finger across it to see whether or not there are cut pieces of paper on that page or not!! All you need to do is add your pictures and maybe some journaling and, Viola! You are DONE. Oh, and this method is also super economical, too.
Another option for super-quick books is a safe slide-in style album called PicFolio (see these under “Pocket Albums”). These books hold tons of pictures with vertical and horizontal options on every page! Plus, we have variety mat packs in different themes that you can journal on and slide into the spaces or even use them for decoration.
For some, choosing our digital option is fast but that depends on your level of computer savvy (note: ours is very user-friendly, but I run into many that don’t even know how to cut-and-paste. If computers are devils to you, this is not a fast option. For others, you may really like it!
Our digital books and pages are very durable. In fact, they are made from same materials as our traditional albums and pages and will definitely last and hold up against little hands.
Sure! Most people make this way too hard! First, pick the pictures you want to use. Themed books are easier because they typically have a beginning and an end! For instance, your trip to Cancun!! When you go on a fun trip, if you’re like me, you take way more pictures than usual and it is a time you really would like to remember and show off to others! No matter what type of album you choose though, remember it’s not about putting EVERY SINGLE PICTURE IN. Just because you TOOK the picture and PRINTED the picture, it doesn’t mean you need to use it. I am PICKY. If the photo doesn’t do one of these things, it is either tossed or put in a box and stored in the top of a closet in case I ever need them:
- Does it take my breath away?
- Does it fill me with joy , gratitude or have something in it that makes if of great historical value?
- Does it have an amazing story that I want to pass down to generations?
Keep in mind, we typically take oodles of pictures in order to get that PERFECT ONE. KEEP THE PERFECT ONE in each group. Instead of filling a page with tons of pictures, if you weed them down to 2-4 per page and add a little story about the group of pictures, you’ll love the way your book looks when you are done and you will LOVE how fast it can be done this way.
I am passionate about journaling dos and don’ts. Some people feel they have to go to EVERY picture and put a caption. That MAY or may not be needed!! If you have a picture of your daughter, Jane, in her pink onesie with a big pink bow, is it really necessary to put a caption: “ Jane, in her pink onsie with big pink bow”? For me, journaling is about catching the smells, the emotion, the things that happened that you DIDN’T catch with the camera! I may do a few captions or none at all, but what I like best is to include one journal box that tells the story for the day. The details that are not so obvious that bring back the memories that we would otherwise forget.
Some argue that they HATE their handwriting and that is why they won’t share their memories. Keep in mind that you may hate your writing but everyone knows that writing is YOURS and it warms someone’s heart. So Write, Write, Write.
If you want to get better at it, JUST DO IT.
YES. I specialize in making page layout ideas using ONLY Creative Memories products. If you mostly use our products, you are in luck. Simply reach out to me. I regularly post oodles of ideas on my closed, client-only Facebook page.
Becoming an Advisor
To get started with Creative Memories, it is $49 a year. You can earn as little or as much as you want.
Creative Memories has an excellent website that you’ll have free access to. Every time a friend orders from your link, you will get paid directly to your checking account.
If you think you’d like a business, I’d be happy to speak with you to see if this may be a good fit. Contact me!
I wish there was a magic answer for this. Some come on board that I think are going to do fantastic, only to find they struggle. Others come on board thinking they are just doing it for ‘fun’ and next thing I know it, they are at the top-earning level. The things I feel are most important when you are considering starting a business are:
- Love for the product line. You have to USE the products and LOVE them in order to “sell” not be PUSHING but by SHARING.
- Have a heart for learning. Anytime you try something new, there is a learning curve. Do you do well with change? Can you take some stumbles while you are learning and realize that setbacks are normal? Are you fine with sharing your struggles and being open to tweaking things? Will you be open to coming to team meetings or listening in to team training calls? (They are recorded!
- A servant spirit. I find those that are most successful in my business GET it that we are helping others. It’s not just about selling. It’s about CARING. Caring that your clients WILL use the products that you are offering and you are there to HELP.
- Being BUSY. The greatest thing about busy people is they have a LOT of contacts and can do business along their ordinary life.
To be clear that what they are signing up for IS A BUSINESS. This business can be run the way you want it, when you want it. However, if you don’t work it, you will not be a successful business person.
Understand that, like any business, it is not a get-rich-quick scheme. The first year will involve lots of No’s (some from your own family and close friends!) because not EVERYONE wants what we have. However, there are plenty that DO, and it is my goal (and yours, if you choose to join me) to find the ones we can serve.
There are NO PENALTIES for deciding this business is not for you. Simply notify ME and our home office. Since we do not have monthly, quarterly or even yearly minimum requirements, you have nothing to lose by trying. One thing to keep in mind if you are one of my locals, my crops and retreats are client events. If you love coming to those and being served by me, and don’t see yourself hosting events of your own, this may not be for you. But, I will say that our advisors LOVE the perks and really enjoy hosting our events and seeing and using the products first and taking advantage of advisor only goodies 😉 It is not second best to be an advisor. It is THE BEST. 😊 You will love creating your own community of friends that love you. 😉 Plus, you will make a whole other group of advisor friends that are over-the-top in love with Creative Memories, just like you. PLUS, you will make some money at a job that doesn’t feel much like work most of the time!
