Kit Review: Hip Kit Club

This is the second post in my weekly kit review series.  Last week I looked at the June Citrus Twist Kit Club scrapbook kit.  This week I'm focusing on Hip Kit Club.  I had the May scrapbook kit to play with.

The kit was a great mix of products and colors from Dear Lizzy, Pink Paislee, and Chickaniddy Crafts. I especially liked the addition of the Chickaniddy Crafts papers and embellishments, because it is a line that I rarely purchase.  Its always fun to play with something knew.    The kit came with two alphas - both a package of Thickers and a Pebbles mini alpha.  Since I am something of an alpha addict, I loved that.  And this kit also included Evalicious puffy stickers and wood veneer phrases.  I'm a huge fan of including small business products in kits and Evalicious is a favorite of mine.  This kit did not include a stamp (not a big deal for me but something to consider if you really love stamping.)

So the test - could I make a layout.  Here is what I came up with using only the main kit. 

design inspired by sketch at My Creative Sketches

The mix of papers, Citrus Bliss die cut pack, and the Evalicious wood veneer pieces worked perfectly with this picture of a favorite piece of beach glass (a heart made from a beer bottle - too cool right?).  I used pop dots and inked the edges of some of the die cuts to help create interest.  The layout came together quickly and I have lots of  supplies leftover.

The kit is $29.95 for subscribers and $34.95 for non-subscribers. Subscribers get a 15% discount on add-ons which is a great perk.  If you subscribe, the initial commitment is for 3 months (which is probably the right amount of time to decide if a kit subscription is working for you).  After the first 3 months, you can cancel at any time with 30 days notice.

Hip Kit Club offers a number of add-ons each month.  There is an embellishment kit that can really stretch your kit, a patterned paper kit which provides an extra sheet of the paper in the main kit and a cardstock add-on.  (The main kit doesn't include cardstock but I rarely use cardstock so that's a win from my perspective.)  They also offer a "Color Kit" which would be a great way to experiment with multi-media products and techniques and a project life style kit.

The kit was bright and fun.  I had a great time experimenting and the pieces I didn't use moved right into my stash.  The products were things that were versatile and that I would use.  It is definitely a great kit option, especially since you only need to make a 3 month commitment to get the lower price. 

I still have Studio Calico, Scrapbook Circle and Felicity Jane kits sitting here to review.  I am also looking at adding others to my list.  I love the suggestions you all have made.  Keep 'em coming. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Inspired by Paper

I don't think it would surprise anybody to find out that my "go to" for inspiration is a sketch.  But sometimes I find a piece (or 2) of patterned paper that I love and that serves as my design inspiration.  This piece from the Crate Paper Craft Market Line  is one of those papers.

I loved that sparkly gold corner and that rich green color.  And it came is the Jupiter add-on this month at Studio Calico with these papers from Shimelle and Dear Lizzy.

Shimelle - English Breakfast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Lizzy - Gleeful

I loved the way these three sheets worked together.  The pink really popped against the green and gold.  And the paper from Shimelle really tied them together.  But I couldn't figure out how to put to them into a layout together.  So I got them out and put them away and go them out and - you get the picture.

Then I decided to play off that diagonal design on the crate paper layout.  I cut a strip from the striped paper on the diagonal - it created a great pattern.  And I placed it where the gold and green met.  And I was off and creating!

I used the pink Dear Lizzy paper to mount my photos and built my photo block from there.  The B side of the Shimelle striped paper worked really well as I layered too. From there it was quick and easy - a couple of embellishment clusters a title and some white ink splatters and I was done.  And I love that I have a bright, fun layout that still looks a little girly - perfect for volleyball and Elisabeth.

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you have a great day.

Kit Review: Citrus Twist Kits

Note:  This series was in the works before the recently announced changes at Studio Calico.  

I celebrated my three year anniversary as a Studio Calico Subscriber this month.  In addition, the 36 main scrapbook kits, I've purchased tons of add-ons, card kits, and project life kits over that time.  I still remember how excited I was when that first kit showed up on my front step (it was So Cal).  And I still get that same thrill each month.  But it seems like there are many more kit choices these days.  And I have to admit to being curious about the choices out there - is Studio Calico still the best fit for me?  So I am beginning a weekly series where I will look at one of the kit offerings each Monday. This week I am focusing on the June offerings from Citrus Twist kits.

In an effort to make fair comparisons, I am going to focus on the main kit each week.  The June kit from Citrus Twist is just lovely!  The colors are bright and fresh and its a great mix of manufacturers/  There were patterned papers from Pink Paislee, Amy Tangerine, SevenPaper, and Crate Paper.  The mix of embellishments is great too - I especially loved the Evalicious puffy stickers and the frames (a partial pack from Crate Paper).  They also include exclusive wood veneer pieces and an exclusive stamp in their kits. 

For me the ultimate test of a kit is whether it is easy to work with.  Now I struggle with limiting myself to a single kit when I scrap, but I am making a real effort for this series.  Here's the layout I made - I added a piece of vellum from my stash but the rest of the supplies were from the Citrus Twist Scrapbook kit.

The kits was super easy to play with and lots of fun to work with.  And check out the glittery pink and orange stars.  They were such a fun touch!  I had tons of product left after I finished this layout too.

The pricing structure is based on different commitment levels ranging from $26 for a six month commitment to $32 for a one time purchase. Shipping is additional.

And while I'm focusing on main scrapbook kits (mostly) in this series, I wanted to mention the add-ons here.  I really loved the different kinds of add-ons and the choices it provides.  There is one traditional add-on, two different patterned paper add-ons (which I love since I am a bit obsessed with pretty paper), an embellishment add-on, a "sprinkles" add-on which is a mix of bits and pieces (often partial packs), a stamp add-on, and a couple of cardstock add-on choices.  I love that I could pick the kinds of products that would really help me stretch my kit within my style.  ( I got the traditional add-on, the sprinkles add-on, the embellishment add-on and both patterned paper add-ons).  But I rarely use cardstock or stamps, so I left those there.  Citrus Twist kits also offers a project life style kit.  (Yesterday I shared a layout mixing products from my entire CTK haul)

So I loved my Citrus Twist kits and actually made a 3 month commitment.  And I'm thinking about switching to a 6 month commitment.  Oh - and I should add - your 13th kit is free!

So I have stashed away kits from Felicity Jane, Hip Kit Club and Scrapbook Circle already.  And of course I will be reviewing a Studio Calico Kit.  But what others are you interested in or do you think I should try? There are just so many choices.  I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Sun-kissed

I love the colors in the summer themed lines this year - aqua, orange, citrusy yellow, blue and pink.  The are so bright and fresh!  So when I looked at the current sketch at Stuck!,  I knew I wanted to play with those shades. 

I was really inspired by all the vertical layers in this sketch.  I really focused on pulling those elements into my layout.  I was working with a single 4x6 picture (another old one from when my kids were small), so that element worked really well for me.  Here's what I ended up with.

I love those mason jars you fill from Crate Paper - and the way it added another vertical element to my layout.  And since I don't have a sewing machine, I used a little glossy accents to glue it closed.  It dries clear so you don't notice the glue at all.

Note:  I made this layout with a kit and add-ons from Citrus Twist Kits.  Tomorrow I am starting a weekly series of kit reviews with the Citrus Twist Kits June scrapbook kit. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Color Theory Labels

Happy Workspace Wednesday!  My real workspace (where they pay me)  is crazy busy right now, but I have dreams of spending more time in my fun workspace.  It's full of pretty things that make me happy - like this bowl full of color theory labels.

Thanks for stopping by.

Mixing Metallics

Metallics are a huge trend in scrapbooking right now.  And I'm all in - I love the shine and/or glitter they add to my projects.  But I've always used one metallic on a project - silver, rose gold, gold, bronze or copper.  I don't mix metallic when I am picking jewelry so why would I mix them on a scrapbook project?

But the challenge this week at Studio Calico was to pull together a simple project with new (to you) colors.  So I challenged myself to mix metallics.  (And as a bonus, my simple layout design was based on the Sunday sketch.)

Saturday my daughter printed some pictures from her freshman year of high school from her phone and gave them to me to scrapbook for her album.  Those photos are a gift since candids with friends are hard to come by when they are in high school.  And one of those photos were of a friend - Christian - she talked about all year long.  I am super excited to be able to incude that relationship in her album.

I had a tag from the Pink Paislee Atlas collection (LOVE!) sitting on my desk that started my design.  Then I pulled some scraps of my favorite papers from the Carolina Moon kit that happened to coordinate perfectly with the tag.  In the spirit of keeping it simple, I didn't trim a single piece of paper or mat my picture.  I just laayered the paper strips and tags one either side of hte picture.

The tag had silver accents and I attached a Heidi Swapp charm to the twine running through the tag to add  different element.  And I added some other little emebellishments, including copper hearts  (from the Galileo project life kit) and arrows (from Pretty Little Studio).  Silver stars and dots from the Bottle Toss project life add on last night added more shine.  And that big white acrylic word created a great title without weighing down the whole layout.  I really like the white on white.

I have to admit to linking the mix of copper and silver here.  Maybe I should try mixing metallics when I wear jewelry too?

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Pink and Yellow

I'm still spending most of my free time (which has been limited) on "The Big Purge."  But I am trying to squeeze in a bit of scrappy time too.  Yesterday I put together a quick layout pulling peices from the new Galileo kits at Studio Calico and my stash. I wanted to try a color combination that was out of my comfort zone so I pulled inspiration from the Pink Paislee Bella Rouge line - pink, yellow and black..

I pulled a piece from my stash that had all those colors and then looked for papers to add - I used the pink and gold from Dear Lizzy that is in the Saturn Add On at Studio Calico, a bright yellow sheet from the Elle's Studio Let's Eat line and a black and white stripe from my scrap pile.  I pulled a piece of white cardstock for my base.And then I was stuck - literally.

When I'm stuck I usually look for a good sketch.  I found this one at Stuck! sketches.

I cut my papers based on a loose interpretation of the sketch.  But I really wasn't loving the look.  So I switched to a subtly patterned sheet for the base - which helped a lot.  Then I shifted the design to one side and ended up with this layout.  It offered room for me to play with all those bits and pieces I love. 

Now I need to get back to my scrap room purge and reorg.

One more thing - I picked a winner for my paper giveaway a while ago. But I haven't heard from her.  If I don't hear from her this week, I will be picking a new winner on Monday.

Thanks for stopping by.


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