By: Chelsea Brunette
Algonquin’s Faculty of Arts, Media and Design held its third annual ladies-only Pyjama Crop for United Way on Oct. 12.
Held for scrapbook enthusiasts wanting to donate to a good cause, 45 women surpassed the $2,000 goal by $400— $800 more than last year.
The event was held at the college. Algonquin’s crops are slightly different in that they are held on Fridays, and last only eight hours and the ladies who attend are encouraged to wear their pyjamas.
“Usually they’re on a Saturday, say 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. or 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., they’re usually 12 hours long, and then what people do is they bring all their supplies, all the stuff they want to work on and they just set up,” said Carol Ann Steeves, support services worker in media studies and the coordinator of the charitable event. “Usually there’s lunch and snacks and goodies and there’s door prizes and all kinds of stuff.”
According to Steeves, in its first year 28 women attended the crop, 50 in its second and 45 this year.
With over $2,000 worth of prizes donated alone, such as gift baskets, jewelry, scrapbooking supplies and more, not only did they reach their goal, but they surpassed it by $400, beating the 2011 tally by $800.
This event was open to the public as well and ages easily ranged from early teens to mid-fifties.
It was a ladies only night where they had the chance to escape the routine of their day-to-day lives and complete some projects or just start something new.
And not everyone who attended this year’s crop were avid scrapbookers.
“My mom does a monthly card night with the woman who’s running it and she and my sister have come for the past [couple] years, with my cousin as well, so I just figured I’d get in on it this year,” said Megan Gilhooly, first-time scrapbooker.
“I like that we’re wearing pyjamas for starters and it just seems like a lot of fun because [I] get to see all the things that people who are better than I am have created and then just kind of get together and share ideas and have little competitions.”
Although the event is meant to scrapbook there were many little side projects going on throughout the night.
There were scrapbooking vendors set up, card workshops, silent auctions, card competitions, a pizza lunch and a little dessert break to energize the participants.
They also had the chance to create cherished memories for their loved ones.
“It’s partly the scrapbooking that I enjoy, but I also do mini-albums like for my grandchildren for their graduations and so on, and people seem to really like it,” said Gloria Sauve, a passionate crafter.
“I think the best part is giving them something you know they’ll treasure.”
Young, old, experienced or not, scrapbooking is something anyone is welcome to enjoy and for many people who do crops, it’s a great way to escape their routines for a short time, something many people would likely love a break from.