How Many Pages Can You Get Out of a Kit? - Tallying Up the Pages!

So I've pretty much killed the Scrapbook Circle August kit.  I have no 12 x12 papers or even strips that are 12 inches in length.  No larger chunks of paper that could be used for photo layering, no cut-a-parts left.  I do have a few of the white puffy heart stickers, one of the leather badge embellishments and a good portion of chipboard alphas and seven completed pages! 

You can see more from this kit on previous posts, but here's the last three. 

I did use some plain white cardstock as a page background and a piece of older Basic Grey (even though I cleaned out a substantial amount of papers before we moved, I saved a stack of Basic Grey "antiqued" or mottled solid color papers because they make great backgrounds--I use them as though they were solid color cardstocks). 

And I did use some alternate alpha stickers for some titles, as well as some wood veneer pieces, a doily or two, a small sticker or tab, and vellum for layering.  I also made use of the stencil provided in the kit and paints, sprays and colored pencil.  (Loved getting a stencil with a great all-over pattern like this wonky triangle!). 

Oh, and I totally scrap-lifted a page idea from the Scrapbook Circle blog. 

Now, not having a working sewing machine did stop me from stitching all along these cut strips, and I did add the cut-a-part words from the provided strip of them; but the overall design---a straight scrap-lift!  I appreciate having creative and straightforward page ideas to peruse and the Scrapbook Circle blog does a great job! 

The September kit that is on its way to me is totally different in both color and in design.  I can't wait to get a hold of this next one!  Another good sign of a good kit club.  You finish everything off, and are feeling done and over it...and w.h.a.t.?  You glimpse the next coming kit and can't wait to get it! 

Seven pages done with the August Scrapbook Circle kit.  Hoping to get the new kit later in the coming week, fingers crossed! 

Nine pages done with the June Gossamer Blue kit.  The Gossamer Blue September kit looks divine as well and their add-ons are really hard for me to pass over this month--but I am not testing those, so am forcing myself to not look at them!! The unfortunate thing is that both Gossamer Blue and Scrapbook Circle have included the very same sticker sheet in their September kits.  H-mmmm, may have to start a give-away stack. 

Here's how the clubs stack up so far:

Scraptastic                   Kit #1    9 pages          Kit #2:  4 pages
Studio Calico               Kit #1    5 pages          Kit #2:  4 pages
Gossamer Blue            Kit #1    9 pages
Scrapbook Circle         Kit #1    7 pages

More to come!  Yippee!  More to come! 
Cheryl
 

How to Get the Most Out of a Kit?

Still working with Scrapbook Circle's August offering and as I have said before I was gonzo for this kit.  Most of the pages created were of scenic photos... which are usually problematic for me. 

But what I really wanted to talk about a little bit was how to actually work with your monthly kit club offering to get the most out of it.  I was able to make seven pages from this particular kit.  I got nine pages from the one Gossamer Blue kit I experimented with.  How does this happen? 

Gotta slice those papers up.   Just.  Have.  To.  Cut.  Them.  Up.  

And this is what it looks like. 




Often there is a print on BOTH sides of the paper that I particularly like and that I want to use.  So why choose between them?  Slice it up and use a bit of both...on the same page even. 

That wonderful Native American type print on the dark woodgrain background is simply gorgeous, but I also liked the gray hash mark print on the opposite side.  And I felt that as much as I loved the white and dark wood grain native print, it would be just too, too much if used as a full background.  By slicing it and flipping the larger middle piece over I got to use both sides. 

I did the same thing with the small triangle/mixed color stripe paper; loved both sides, so just slicing them into strips and flipping them over allowed me to see and use both sides.  Then I re-assembled the strips and glued them onto a 12x12 background piece that I am not likely to use at all.  That piece came out of a pad of paper and I knew I wouldn't miss it. 

Add photos, title and just a bit of embellishment and here you go. 

The photos are (kind of) a panoramic out over the canyon, so I just trimmed them up and put them side by side.  They really aren't on full layering pieces of paper; it's just little leftover strips and pieces tucked in to appear as if there is a larger piece behind the photo. 

As I said I mostly attacked  photos of a canyon park that we did a little side trip to on our trip along Route 66.  Palo Duro was very pretty, but it wasn't easy for me to scrap.  Not until I got this kit.  I have more photos of the canyon, but I think those will go into a Project Life type photo page and then I will mix that right into the travel album alongside regular 12x12 pages. 

And, as much as I have loved working with this kit, I am (as they say) over it now.  Ready to move on.  Also, I think the sign of a good kit--- that you burn right through it--exhaust it really and then you are ready for something else.  Which is exactly what will be coming in my next kit! 

I will have a couple more pages to post from this particular kit, whilst I await the arrival of the September kit(s).   

later all!
Cheryl

How to Choose the Right Kit Club (for you)

So you've decided to join a monthly scrapbooking kit club.   But now you are frozen wondering which club is going to give you what you want, if the value is there.  Yup, been there, done that! 

But I am well on my way to choosing and committing to a kit club.  Right now I am "researching" (i.e., having a great time making pages!) Scrapbook Circle.  Why had I not heard of these folks previously???   Heard about the club on a SB facebook page, hopped on over to the club's website, checked out the current kit, took a peek at their blog and quickly decided to give them a try and boy am I glad I did! 

It's a personal choice.  There is no way to proclaim one club the best or better than another one.  Each one has a flavor or direction all its own.  I can only report what works f.o.r.  m.e.   Make a list of kit clubs you've heard about.  Visit (often) each club's website, blog and maybe their facebook page.  

1.  Look good and hard at the products offered in past kits as well as current kits. 
2   Add up in your head what the value is.  
3.  Look at the blog and the ideas there.  Do the pages appeal to you?  Is the subject matter something
     you can relate to?
4.  Buy a kit or two a la carte to see how they work for you.  If you struggle to make pages with it, it's
     not the right one for you. 

This particular club only requires a two-month commitment to receive their discounted pricing, so I signed up!  I'm trying out two kits from each club anyway. 

Now, what is it exactly that appeals to me about this kit selection?  It's outdoors in feeling without having a camping, woodsy, or at the lake theme going on.  See, I have scenic shots to be scrapped... and just like everyone I have weak areas in scrapping. Scenic photos are my Achilles heel.  I want to do the photo justice, not overpower it.  It's just something I struggle over.  This kit has been truly perfect for several photos that I've just kept pushing off on the corner of my desk.  Love that! 

next time! 
Cheryl

Picking a Monthly Kit Club.. a continuing saga

I ordered my first kit from Scrapbook Circle last week Monday and received it on Thursday!  This
was their August kit and it so far has been a real peach!  The patterns and colors are lending themselves to outdoors-y, scenic photos and these are just the types of photos I often struggle with! 

So many times, I find summer themes to be strictly camping or beach related.  H-m-m-m; I don't camp, and we live inland so I truly do not have a need for much of these sorts of themes.  But I do
have scenic, outdoors-y photos that do need a scrappy home!  Happily, this kit really came through with flying colors!  Love, love, love it! 

The papers relate to each other very well, without being too match-y, match-y.  They are camp-ish, without being too cutesy and themed, perfectly suited for scenic outdoors shots, have a nice mix of small muted backgrounds and vibrant prints that lend themselves to cutting apart (thereby giving me the opportunity to stretch the papers and get more out of them!).   I. Could. Not. Be. Happier.    So let the "research" (i.e. happy scrappy page-making) continue! 

Just to do a quick review; I am conducting some research (for myself) on choosing a monthly scrapbooking kit club.  I selected a popular group of monthly kit clubs and will order two kits from each of them to work with.  My criteria is:

1.  How many pages can I produce from just the main kit?  (I'll probably order add-ons
     from time to time, but I want to know I can produce pages without having to
     always buy those extras every month.) 

2.  How do the supplies relate to each other?  (How easily do the pages come together?) 

3.  Is there a good balance of feminine and masculine prints/designs? 

4.  What sort of embellishments are included in the kit(s)?  (I don't use a lot of stickers, but
     I do like enamel dots, washi, cut apart phrases, sequins, flair badges, die cuts.) 

5.  What type of letters for titles are included?  (I don't mind some "flat" alpha stickers, just
     would also like to also see some Thickers or chipboard.) 

6.  Really not interested in all-exclusive papers, etc.  I am looking for a kit club to give
     me a taste of what's new, things I'll not find in Michael's or Hobby Lobby. 

7.  Is shipping done on a timely basis? 

8.  And finally, does the club provide an active blog/facebook group?  A place to share
     pages, gain ideas, fresh perspectives, and encourage each other. 

Your own test criteria may be different than mine...in fact it should be!  Your own criteria should be based on what you like to work with, what sort of photos do you have to scrap, and your own preferences on supplies and embellishments. 

Make a list, see what's out there, and I encourage you to try a kit or two before you commit to any club. 

next time,
Cheryl