Kit It Out: Making the Most of a Kit Club Subscription

I like kit clubs. It's easy for me to keep track of my scrapbooking budget each month. I have an idea of what I will be getting, but somehow, when that box arrives, it's as though I just got an unexpected gift. If however, you aren't using the supplies you just got in the mail, then subscribing to the kit club is a waste of your time and money. Remixing your supplies is the answer to get the most of any kit.

I have been subscribing to kit clubs for a few years. I like how they freshen up my supplies with new ones. Making your own kits is also a great option. I have learned a lot from observing how various retailers put their kits together. You can get a lot more from you own supplies when you kit and re-kit what you have on hand. You have an understanding of what you have in your own supplies while you can also match current trends and interesting color combinations.

After working with a monthly kit, I find I  may have just a sheet or two of paper left. Sometimes, there are just scraps. I could break the remains apart and sort them into my other supplies. Instead, I choose to re-kit the leftovers. Many kit clubs work with the same manufacturers. This means that the patterned paper in each kit often works well with the patterned paper from another month's kit. Mixing and matching a few months of your kit clubs together results in some fun and interesting new supply combinations.

I have chosen to categorize the patterned paper from my JBS Mercantile kits into three categories: brights/ lights, jewel tones/ deep colors, and red/black extension ( a JBS exclusive line).  I store them in large zip loc bags. When I want a quick kit, I can grab one of these bags, select a few papers and then move onto the embellishments.

Typically, I break my kits apart after about 2-3 months( if they last that long). Sometimes, I end up with a lot of scraps pretty fast and the kits get broken apart sooner. I do mark my embellishments so that I know they came from a kit. There are often more embellishments in a kit than I can use up. Plus, just as the papers intermix, the embellishments can intermix with each other. It makes it easier for me to build my mini kits.

Here is an example of a mini kit I recently created. It mixes brights with a grey patterned paper plus embellishments from several of my kit club kits. I added doilies and the cat cameo from my supplies.










Whether you subscribe to kit clubs or not, making your own mini kits from your supplies is good for you. It's easier on your wallet than always buying new supplies. Re-kitting your supplies is almost like shopping for new ones.You will be acquainted with what you have stored while you keep mixing the supplies to keep the look of your layouts fresh. Try it and I guarantee that you will find older supplies exciting and new once again.

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