Page Kitting

I think the most asked question people come to me with is "How do you know what to bring to a crop/retreat?" and "How do you not bring everything?" Well, the answer is simple. KITTING! Creating your own page kits can really cut down on the amount of things you need to bring to a crop or retreat and definitely increase your productivity. I have at times purchased the pre kitted page kits from places like Hobby Lobby or Jus Paper, but I'm going to show you how easy it is to create your own.

 

The first thing you need to do is have lots of work space. A clean table or clear open floor works great. I usually set up both my 6 foot tables so I can do 4 page kits at a time.

 

I start with my Patterned Papers. I gather "like" papers and make piles of them on the tables. Keep them spread out so you can really see what colors you're working with. I pull 10-20 sheets of patterned paper. Don't worry if they don't all go together. The idea is just to pull "like" items. Papers that have the same theme or color scheme.

 

Next I add coordinating cardstock. This is the easy part.

 

Last, EMBELLISHMENTS! The goodies. I go through my alphas, 3D embellies, stickers, etc. Anything that coordinates get put in the pile. I start thinking of page ideas that I'm going to do. Go through all your embellies. Pull things that are old or you bought and can't find anything to do with it. This is the perfect time to use up those odds and ends that have been around a while. Don't forget journaling mats and scraps!

With each kit my goal is to be able to make a minimum 10 layouts. I over stock the kits to make sure I have options. I can always put the embellies back away if I don't use them.

 

Here's an example of an earth tone kit I put together today.

 

 

When my kits are finished I place them in 2 gallon bags. These are just perfect for those 12x12 papers. And they are really durable so you can fill them up!

You don't have to use new papers either. This was a kit that was pre-kitted and was in my goodie bag at a previous retreat. And as you can see I really used it. There wasn't much left of it but a lot of scraps. I went through my other papers and embellishments and created a whole new kit.

 





 

I've included a few more samples of some kits I did this morning. I have 6 new kits ready to go. Some are pretty large where I'll be able to complete 20+ layouts or even a whole album from. Others are smaller or themed like Halloween or a vacation.

 

By kitting these together I have enough supplies, organized and ready to go, to complete over 100 layouts. For a retreat this is ideal. For a smaller crop like a day crop or something smaller, I'd just take one or two of the kits with me. I save so much room by not taking all my patterned paper and other embellishments. I force myself to use what I have there. And with the extra room I focus on tools and altered projects I can bring.

 

I hope this helps and for those who will be joining me in May at the Scrappin' Daisy Retreat I hope to see less "stuff" and more completed projects!

 

~Krista~