Kit Me!

One of the reasons I started this blog was as an encouragement to use up my stash.  I've posted before about purging my scrap room (and in a few weeks, I'm hoping to do another purge...but I'll get to that in a minute), but I still had a ton of product left over.  And I don't know about you, but sometimes having too many choices is way more difficult for me than having just a few.  So I have all these amazing supplies, and they just sit there because I don't know where to start.  (Please tell me I'm not alone in this!)

This is where kits come into play.  I recently subscribed to Studio Calico after taking a few year break from kit clubs.  I like the variety in their kits, and I really like the way they'll break up embellishments so there's just enough for a few pages, but not so many that you end up adding to your stash (aka, where scrapbook products go to die).

I'm a bit pokey getting through the kits, but I'm actually using them, which is more than I can say about some kit clubs I've belonged to in the past.  And as I was working on a layout last week, it hit me - I need to start kitting my stash (and here's where I'll bring it back to my next purge).  

In my free time (haha!) this summer, I'm going to create my own kits.  At the same time, I'm going to do another purge.  If I don't like a product enough to kit it, I'm not keeping it.  I want to use my stuff, not just let it sit around and collect dust (because, honestly, who likes dusting?).

With a kit, I just dump everything on my desk and work exclusively from that pile (note: this also appeals to the lazy side of my personality...it's a win/win).

Due to another personality quirk, I then want to use up everything on my desk surface, which encourages me to scrap.  It's a beautiful cycle. 

Here are a few layouts I've created using the same Studio Calico pile:

The little word embellishments started life as pins (you can see the holes in the bottom where the stick pin used to live).  I used pliers to pull out the stick and then misted + painted these accents:

I even made a rare-for-me double-page spread:

I used a Basic Grey acetate photo frame as an embellishment:

As a way to use up some scraps and speech bubbles (which are just not my style), I created this layout:

The solid colored circles used to be the speech bubbles.  I used them all on this page!

I also created the layouts featured here, here, and here from that same pile (and I'll probably make another 2 or 3 pages before I'm done!).

How do you feel about kits?  Do you belong to any kit clubs?  Do you make your own kits from your stash?  I'd love to know what helps motivate you to create!