from break up to make up

About a year ago I decided to cancel my scrapbook kit subscription. While I liked most of the product, I felt overwhelmed by all the stuff I still had yet to use, not to mention all the boxes that I had not even opened. I also felt like choosing my own stuff might be worth the effort if it meant that I would end up with only the things I wanted.

That worked for about two months...and then I took a break from buying stuff period. At least paper crafting stuff. I think I just needed a really good purge and some time to figure out what I really wanted. My style had evolved so much. I no longer made traditional layouts and had more than enough supplies to support both my card and stamping habits...but what about my pockets?

Granted, my memorykeeping style is very simple. I place pictures in pockets with a bit of story and that's it. Would going back to a kit make sense for me? Well...this past month I did it. It's an experiment really. This time I chose a kit more in line with what I do. The Studio Calico Project Life® kit. I've been curious about it for a while. It's smaller...just enough bits and pieces to do a monthly spread and then some. Truthfully, not everything was my style. That happens sometimes with a kit. But this time I had a system. I use the elements for three main things...my pockets, minibooks and layouts. I separate out what I know will work for each one and put a rubber band around them.  Everything I know I will absolutely not use I place in a flat rate postal box. When it's full it's gone...I'll either sell it on my blog for a small cost, give it away, or drop it off at my local Goodwill.

If you're thinking about subscribing to a papercrafting kit...specifically a memorykeeping kit here's some things I've learned...

♥ Choose a kit that fits your hobby. If you don't make cards a card kit might not make much sense in the long run.

♥ Give yourself 3-6 months to just look at what's released. Look at projects made with those releases. If you can see yourself using a large percentage of the materials it might be a good idea.

♥ Make sure that the designs align with your personal aesthetic and challenge yourself to use items within a 30 day period.

♥ This may not matter to you but if the company has a design team that makes projects you like it can make a big difference. Sometimes all I need to get going is just a bit of inspiration.

♥ If you hoard more than you make, a kit may not be a good idea. If you have more than 1 or 2 boxes that sit untouched....don't be afraid to put the breaks on your subscription. You can always pick it up in the future.

♥ If you find the product or community not to your liking. Just. Stop. Subscribing. Use the product list as a jumping off point and curate your own kit.

♥ If you receive a kit you don't like, challenge yourself to use it in a different way...home decor, a minibook, recipe cards, make a notepad and stick it in your purse, love notes for your family or yourself, create a cute ephemera pack and send it to a friend who loves paper like you do. 

♥ You can't worry about missing out. I know that we all want everything...but that can make you crazy. After that major Target/Missoni nightmare I will never go nuts trying to buy anything online again. On reveal days...I get off the computer and I go and DO something...make dinner, knit, walk my dog, watch a movie, read. Sure, I may not get everything...but I get my kit, and that's enough:)

**this month I totally missed out on that cute 4x4 gold album. I ended up scoring it week or so later and received it way before my other stuff. Missing out gave me time to think about whether I really wanted it and come up with an actual use for it. I always manage to track down the things I must have and when I don't...there's always next month:)