To begin with you need to take some time to really think about a few things relative to YOU!
What do you typically scrap?
1. children... male or female children... or both?
2. lots of vacation photos? city scenes or outdoor-sy?
3. events? weddings, holidays, parades, parties, sports?
4. everyday, non-event moments... cooking, gardens, shopping, comic situations?
Analyze some of your own favorite pages! (Go ahead, I'll wait, go find 'em...)
1. do you like to use a lots of pattern paper, all on one page?
2. do you like to fussy cut paper and use it as accents too?
3. are you more drawn to pages that are chock full of embellishments?
4. or, are you more partial to clean and simple with smaller touches of embellishments?
5. are there colors that you seem to gravitate toward?
6. do you turn most of your photos to black and white or do you use color photos more often?
7. do you routinely re-size your photos, or more often scrap basic 4x6 photos?
Does it matter if supplies are club exclusives or products that are out in the marketplace?
What's your budget?
1. are you ok with buying a main kit and lots of add-ons every month?
2. or, do you see yourself buying mostly main kits and adding from your own stash?
3. are you more of a beginner scrapper with a limited stash?
4. or a seasoned scrapper with plenty of things to supplement a kit?
Do you like to throw in some mixed media on your pages?
How interested are you in a kit clubs' blog, website, or facebook page?
Now, is your head already reeling? Mine kind of was when I began looking at clubs.
For ME (not you---just me now), this is what I came up with.
I scrap my grandchildren, my adult children (when I can get a photo of them!), everyday moments more than events, not a lot of vacation photos--but more outdoors shots.
I am a pattern paper person. I like to layer it, fussy cut, mix it all up. I am not so concerned with receiving solid cardstock; I have a lot in my stash and it's relatively easy for me to find locally. I'd rather receive more pattern paper.
While I like embellishments, I tend to use smallish clusters, enamel dots, tags and labels. I am not a cute-sy, pa-tootsie person. That is, cartoon type critters, dolls, kids; not so much.
I also hate that white halo around stickers and die cuts... sometimes it is useful to make the item stand out against a like colored background, but I am just not a fan. I'll use them here and there, but more often than not I will place them against a plain white background so the white halo kind of disappears. (Or I have been know to sit with scissors and cut the halo off altogether. I know, I know... kind of nutty.)
I think I should be able to make several pages out of a main kit only. I don't mind buying add-ons every so often, but I simply cannot afford to purchase all of that each and every month.
I like to add some mixed media stuff in and I like simple easy and quick pages... so I have a split personality!!!
And since we moved out of our home state and out into the country... I look forward to a friendly FB page, sharing my projects and seeing other people's work.
This was the criteria I used when trying out various clubs.
Please remember,that your style may change over time. A kit club's style may change too! What works for you at one point in time may very well change. And then you'll be right back to making another decision. So what? This is what keeps everything interesting folks!!!
So, drum roll please, I joined.....
Gossamer Blue!
I found things I truly loved about each club I tried on for size. And I will probably go back and order kits, from several of the clubs, a la carte, from time to time. But, for me, right now, Gossamer Blue seems to fit me, my style, and my subject matter.
Your choice will (hopefully) be made based on criteria that you have chosen for yourself and I'd love to hear about your process and decisions!!
best,
Cheryl
Just purchased my first ever kit :0
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