April's Review	Chris' Review	Renee's Review	Tammy's Review	Pomaika`i's Review

Review by April

The artist's hunt for inspiration is a never ending journey and is one that I take very seriously. Even if you scrapbooked every day, you are bound to have days where you are feeling less than inspired or ready to create. Sometimes you just need a little push or a starting point to guide you when you are ready to create. Claudine Hellmuth's new book, The Scrapooker's Creativity Kit, is filled with prompts and ideas to jump-start your layouts. I was excited to be included on this review and of course ready to play!

For this review I received The Scrapbooker's Creativity Kit by Claudine Hellmuth. The kit consists of an 80 page 6"x6" book, thirty 2"x3" color cards, & thirty 2"x3" word prompt cards. The book and the card decks come packaged in a 7.1"x9.1" box with an extremely smooth exterior, and an a plastic insert on the inside to hold the book and cards in place. The box is easy to open and the plastic insert can also be removed. The book included with the kit, also has a very smooth and pleasant to touch exterior and each of the pages are medium in weight, smooth, and very sturdy. The book includes a note about the author, a list of the design team and other project contributors, a section on how to use the kit, 71 pages filled with design team interpretations of six different prompts and gallery projects, design team bio's, and a source guide. Each of the project pages feature beautiful and exquisite project photos in full color, along with a supply list and notes about the design team's process. The color cards come with a different color on each side so you have a total of 60 colors to choose from. There are actually more if you count the outside perimeter of each color card because it is a shade darker than the main color on the middle of the card. The word prompt cards have a total of 4 different words each. There are two words on each side, one on top and one on bottom, and also several small graphics representing the word. You get a total of 120 word prompts and all of the cards have the same sturdiness as a regular playing card. The idea behind the kit, is for the owner to shuffle each deck and then choose one or two cards from the stack of colors, and also use the word prompt that is facing up after being drawn from it's deck. After drawing your cards, you try to create a project that has to do with the colors and word you picked. You can choose to portray the guides however you wish as they are meant to act as a starting guide.

The entire ScrapFriends review team decided to use the same set of colors and a chosen word for their first two projects. The first set of cards I had to work with consisted of the colors hot pink, an almost sea foam grey turquoise, and the chosen word was "Year". I dug through my paper stash looking for patterned papers containing these colors and to my surprise I had some great choices. I have to admit that I have a huge paper stash and I usually tend to reach for the new papers every time I create a layout. However, using these cards as my color reference I found papers I had long forgotten about so I thought it was a major plus right off the bat since the cards inspired me to use up some of my older products! I was also able to pick out page embellishments quicker than normal because I was looking particularly for items that matched my color scheme. I usually spend a while looking for papers and embellishments to use on a layout, however this layout came together very quickly. I was very happy with the end result and had I not been inspired by the cards I may have never thought to use these colors with my daughter's birthday pictures.

Title: Charlie's Five
Products used:
Inspiration for Layout (Memory Makers Books: The Scrapbooker's Creativity Kit by Claudine Hellmuth)
Patterned Paper (Luxe)
Ghost Letters (Heidi Swapp)
Dimensional Pearls (Ranger)
Pen (American Crafts)
Felt Butterflies (Heidi Swapp)
Rhinestones (Wal-Mart)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

The chosen word for our second set of cards was "Wisdom", and the colors were a navy blue and pea like green. I take a ton of photos during the year and save several of them in a folder called "2 Be Scrapped". I have never really scrapped in chronological order, I just choose a photo that inspires me at that moment or one that I have the perfect idea for. There are lots of photos I intend to scrapbook, but I often put them to the side because I'm not really sure what I want to do with them. I think the Scrapbooker's Creativity Kit is the perfect solution for this! I have been saving this photo of my husband and his grandmother on the 4 wheeler for quite a while because I couldn't figure out a good design or title for it. After looking through my "2 Be Scrapped" photos and keeping my colors and word in mind, it was almost like an "aha" moment when I came to this picture. It didn't take me very long to find patterned papers and embellishments that coordinated with my theme and the design of the layout seemed to flow easily. The words you choose randomly from the deck can be used or interpreted in a number of ways and in this case it really helped me convey what the picture meant to me.

Title: Wisdom...
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Inspiration for Layout (Memory Makers Books: The Scrapbooker's Creativity Kit by Claudine Hellmuth)
Patterned Paper (Daisy D's, & Cosmo Cricket)
Chipboard (Scenic Route, & 7gypsies)
Stickers (Basic Grey, & Making Memories)
Glitter Glue (Ranger: Distress Stickles)
Metal Clips (7gypsies)
Pen (American Crafts)
Jewel Brad (Karen Foster)
Rub Ons (American Crafts)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I got to choose my own colors and word for my third layout. The first two colors I chose were a rosy pink and soft purple. I am going to admit that I cheated a little with my word...the first card I picked had the word "Character" on it. Well I wasn't really feeling that at the moment, so I put it back in the deck, shuffled the cards, and then chose again. Guess what? The next card I chose was the exact same one! So then I figured okay I guess it was meant to be and I went to search my photos. Again I found a photo I had been saving for almost two years because I knew someday I had to scrap it, but it was slightly blurry and I wasn't really sure what I wanted to say about it. The word I almost neglected to use was now the most perfect word for this photo! The look on my daughter's face is exactly how I would describe her character which is as happy as can be. The colors I had chosen were very inspiring and I had this overwhelming sense of joy after finishing this layout.

Title: Happy As Can Be
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Inspiration for Layout (Memory Makers Books: The Scrapbooker's Creativity Kit by Claudine Hellmuth)
Patterned Paper (Making Memories, & Best Creations)
Rub ons (Scenic Route, & Hambly)
Die Cuts (Jenni Bowlin, & Daisy D's)
Rhinestones (Heidi Swapp)
Rubber Band (7gypsies)
Brads (Queen & Company)
Glitter Glue (Ranger)
Pen (American Crafts)
Clear Ribbon (Maya Road)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

Sometimes you have moments when inspiration just hits and you feel like you are on a roll. And then there are those times when you have free time to create, but maybe you feel like nothing is working...or like you have lost your creativity...or maybe your spouse, children, job, and housework have just overwhelmed you for the week and you would rather not have to think at all. In my opinion, The Scrapbooker's Creativity Kit by Claudine Hellmuth is the perfect solution to get your creative juices flowing. You just pick a color or two and a word card from the deck and all of the sudden you have something to work with. When you have a little direction it's amazing how much quicker your imagination starts to kick in. There are an endless amount of color combos you could create by using this deck and a ton of prompt words to interpret however you desire. I do wish that the plastic insert on the inside of the kit box was designed to hold the deck of cards in place a little better. The cards shift easily whenever you move the box so when you open it there are cards everywhere. However a simple rubber band around each deck will do the trick and it had no bearing on my opinion of the actual product itself. I enjoyed looking through the book and it was interesting to see how all of the artists came up with totally different takes using the same colors and words. I think this book would be beneficial to both beginning and advanced scrapbookers, and would I recommend it to everyone!

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Review by Chris

I cannot count the number of times I have wanted or needed to create something and been totally blocked. Many times I have heard the phrase "I've lost my mojo," spoken by many of my crafting friends. People ask what to do in that situation. I’ve heard many suggestions for inspiring creativity: skimming through magazines, looking at online galleries, doodling, just looking through supplies, to name just a few. But I’ve not always found them successful. Sometimes I know I need more specific direction and actually working with product to get those creative juices flowing once again.

Claudine Hellmuth’s new publication, The Scrapbookers Creativity Kit!, may be just the thing to get our "stuck" creativity "unstuck." This tidy little kit includes two decks of cards: one with 30 two-sided color cards and another with 30 two-sided word cards that contain a total of 120 different words or themes. I’ve never been very good at computing numbers of combinations of sets of items, but I do know that these two decks combine to give the crafter a LOT of creative choices. The idea behind this kit is to select, at random, one or two color cards and a word card. Then the crafter creates a project using those elements as a start-off point.

The kit also includes an 80-page booklet with detailed explanations and suggestions on how to use the kit as well as examples of how seven talented crafters used a given color/word combination to spark their creativity and a substantial gallery with samples from 24 other well-known scrapbookers. Intended to help inspire creativity, this kit is not meant to limit the flow of ideas. For example, the chosen word can be just a starting off place, leading to brainstorming concepts and links that will ultimately lead to an idea for a layout or project. The color cards work the same way. They are not meant to be limiting and if the crafter does not like a particular color, they are free to limit its use to a small piece on the project. The crafter also is free to incorporate other colors as desired once the project is underway.

For this review, the five of us were each asked to create something using the same two color combinations with the same word, to give our readers a better idea of exactly how this kit works. Then we were asked to deal out a third combination of our own. Please remember, it's not the intent of this kit that the user browse and select the colors and words, but rather to “deal” them from the deck in a random fashion and begin their project with what is given. The crafter is not limited to paper or any particular project. Other media, such as paint, fabric and ink can be used in the color scheme.

I began with the pink/blue combination. This color combination is way out of my comfort zone, but the more I looked at the colors the better I liked them. And I actually found paper in my stash that contained both colors. At I thought of the "year" prompt, my mind immediately went to birthdays and I decided this would make a really pretty birthday card. A little stamping with some coordinating colored pencils was all I needed to complete the card. This really got my creativity started and I made 3 more cards during this same session. I love the freedom that Claudine gives her readers - encouraging them to try the colors even if they are not quite comfortable and to brainstorm the word prompt until they arrive at a theme they can work with.

Here is my inspiration

Here is my card.

Birthday card
Products used: Inspired by Claudine Hellmuth’s The Scrapbooker’s Creativity Kit
Stamps (My Favorite Things, Here's the Scoop)
Ink (PrintWorks, Outliner)
Colored pencils (Staedtler, ergosoft)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech Permanent Bond Tape Runner)

The second set of inspiration cards included blue and green with the word wisdom. As I thought of wisdom, I thought of school and then I remember a photo I had taken of Matt walking away from me, still wearing his graduation gown. I created a layout using the colors given and an evolved theme of Dream Big.

Here is my inspiration.

Here is my layout.

Dream Big
Products used: Inspired by Claudine Hellmuth’s The Scrapbooker’s Creativity Kit
Patterned papers (KI Memories, Scenic Route)
Stamps (Hero Arts, Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous)
Ink (PrintWorks, Outliner)
Chipboard (Magistical Memories)
Ribbon (Offray)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech Permanent Bond Tape Runner)

Finally, I dealt myself my own cards: brown, green and the word "Horizon." I had to think about this for a while. As I thought of horizon, I thought of sunset, then sunrise and remembered how many photos I have taken of them. I always think of sunrise and sunset as a time for a new beginning, a fresh start, a new day. So I paired my photos with quotes about hope, change and new beginnings in a little coaster album. I happy to get all these photos gathered together in one place with some quotes that I really enjoy reading. I did not have the perfect brown to match the card, but I reminded myself it's just a jump-start to creativity and not a hard and fast rule. So I used a brown I liked and was happy with the outcome.

Here is my inspiration.

Here is my project

On the Horizon
Products used: Inspired by Claudine Hellmuth’s The Scrapbooker’s Creativity Kit
Patterned papers (Basic Grey, Eva collection)
Rhinestones (Kaiser)
Flowers (Prima)
Die cut alpha (Sizzix)
Ribbon (Offray, American Crafts)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech Permanent Bond Tape Runner)

I think everyone suffers from a creative block occasionally and many of us struggle with how to overcome it. This new kit from Claudine Hellmuth seems to me to be just the right thing! There is enough direction with enough latitude that anyone can create something, just to get the creative juices flowing again. I love the variety of words/themes - 120 of them. And although some of the colors may be hard to match exactly, that’s not an absolute requirement for success. I highly recommend that anyone consider adding this kit to their scrapbooking library. I know eventually it will come in handy!

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Review by Renee

When I say Claudine Hellmuth, what do you think of? My mind immediately thinks of hip, trendy collage art with bright, cheerful colors. In fact, her catch line for her products and artwork is “Hip Art for playful hearts!” which I find to be uniquely appropriate for her work. In fact, I have often wondered how I could capture a little of that playfulness in my own artwork. If you have you ever wanted to get a little of the mojo of hers into your artwork too, then I have the product for you.

Among the latest products in the Claudine Hellmuth line of books and DVD’s is a kit called The Scrapbooker’s Creativity Kit. This kit features two decks of inspiration cards and a companion book. One deck of cards has colors on both sides, while the other deck has inspiration words on both sides. The companion book explains the concept behind the cards and provides 60 pages of layouts and designs made by a number of artists including Rhonna Farrer and Donna Downey.

The concept behind this kit is that the scrapbooker using the kit will draw two color cards from the color deck and one word card. The word card has four words on it, one each at the top and bottom of both sides of the card. The idea is that you will use the two colors and the top word on the side of the card facing up, to inspire a project or layout. This concept is similar to the many challenges that you find throughout the net, except that the words allow you to think outside the box when creating projects. The companion book illustrates the concept by showcasing the artwork of several different artists, all interpreting the same two color cards and word inspiration.

For this review, the review team decided to do two projects using the same concept as the book and each interpret colors and words into our own projects. For my first project, I used the teal and fuchsia color cards and the year inspiration word to inspire a project planner for 2009. I have many different projects going on for the year 2009 and needed a location to house my plans and progress on all of them. After much thinking, the cards and inspiration words lead me to alter a regular notebook into a project planner. I was able to take the color cards to my stash and use two very old sheets of patterned paper that I have had for quite a while on my project.

Title: 2009 Project Planner
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Patterned Paper (3Bugs in a Rug and Paper Studio)
Flowers (American Crafts)
Flair (American Crafts)
Buttons (Bazzill Basics)
Die Cut machine and Cartridge (Provocraft Cricut)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

For my second project, I used the second combination for the team which was a olive green and blue shade along with the word inspiration wisdom to inspire a canvas for use in my scraproom that I am currently planning. I really had a tough time with this word/color combination. Initially, the word “wisdom” offered no inspiration for me. After looking at the companion, I decided that I really liked the canvases created by Claudine Hellmuth, and decided to create a project using a canvas for this grouping. I let the word gel in my mind a few more days and was inspired to do a bible search using the word wisdom similar to the ones that I did in a scrapbook bible study that I participated in last year. I ultimately found a scripture that conveyed the feeling that I wanted this canvas to be about. After that, the whole thing came together rather quickly.

Title: Scripture Canvas
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Patterned Paper (Prima Dude collection)
Paint (Delta Technical and Making Memories)
Buttons (Black is Bazzill Basics, White is from Stash)
Paint Pen (Uchida)
Marker (Sharpie)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

For my last project, the team was able to pick their own color and word inspiration cards. I had my daughter pull my cards and she arrived at a pink and brown color combination, along with word see. The inspiration word immediately brought to mind a photograph of the children just after they each got their new glasses. The photo is rather bright so I decided to use the brown color as my base, to ground the layout. I used one of the layouts in the companion book to inspire the colorblocked background in my layout.

Title: Perfect Vision
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Patterned Paper (Basic Grey Bittersweet)
Trim (stash)
Pen (Sharpie)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I really enjoyed working with The Scrapbooker’s Creativity kit. I loved playing with various color cards. I found them very useful for inspiring different color combinations that I would not have normally used. I liked working with the word cards, but do not think they will become a regular function of my scrapbooking. I loved the companion book. It had wide variety of layouts and projects in a number of different styles. Everything in the book was something that I would ultimately use for inspiration. Overall, I found the kit to be very inspiring and would recommend it to all.

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Review by Tammy

How many times have you started to work on a project but the inspiration just wasn’t there? You lost your mojo and you wonder how you will ever find it again.

Claudine Hellmuth, author of The Scrapbooker’s Creativity Kit, began using word prompts in college to help her jump start ideas. Since those years, Claudine has revised the word prompts a bit, but still uses this same idea whenever she needs to rejuvenate her creative energy.

The Scrapbooker’s Creativity Kit gives you all of the materials necessary to start you on a journey of never losing that creative inspiration again. The kit comes packaged in a handy 9 x 7 inch box that holds an 80 page instruction book and 180 color and word cards. The book is your starting point and it begins by telling you who the creativity kit players and gallery contributors are. Next you will find instructions on how to use this kit. Claudine thought it would be fun to find out how 6 other talented artists would interpret the same set of cards. The word card deck consists of 30 double-sided word cards with 2 different words on each side giving you a total of 120 word prompts to choose from in the kit. The color card deck consists of 30 double-sided cards with a shade of color on one side and the complimentary tint on the other side, giving you a total of 60 color choices. To begin the “game”, Claudine drew one word card and two color cards. Each of the players could only use the word and colors that were facing up. The first word/color combination you will find in this book is Food + Pink + Red. This combination evoked thoughts of sushi, daydreams, and a trip to New Zealand from the players. Throughout the book some of the artists struggled with a color combination and I enjoyed reading how they overcame that obstacle. It was also interesting to see how each person interpreted the word/color prompt.

When the review team received The Scrapbooker’s Creativity Kit we decided to play along just like Kal Barteski, Ashley Calder, Donna Downey, Rhonna Farrer, Claudine Hellmuth, Christina Lazar-Schuler, and Genevieve Simmonds did in the book. April Derrick chose our first two sets of word/color prompts from the shuffled decks and then we chose our own prompts for our final project.

The first set of prompts that I worked with was Year + Teal + Bright Pink. The color combination made me feel happy and as I began to think about these colors in combination with the word “year” it took my mind back to the happiest day of my life, the year I was married. That year had brought about many changes for me, all of which has brought me happiness today.

Title: the year 1992
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Velvet Print Paper (Michaels)
Patterned Cardstock (My Minds Eye Dreamy 2)
Phrase Card (My Minds Eye Dreamy 2)
Flower Transparencies (My Minds Eye Dreamy 2)
White Pen (Inksenssials)
Border Punch (Martha Stewart)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

The next set of word/color prompts were Wisdom + Green + Navy. The combination seemed to have a rich flavor and promoted a deep meaning. As I pondered on this combination I remembered a Bible scripture in Proverbs about wisdom. My mind then went back to a trip I took to Arkansas this past fall and the memories of this beautiful chapel. I wanted a rustic look to my layout so I used a torn piece of cardstock and painted it navy as my background paper. Then I used some ink and glitter embossing powders to add a bit of sparkle to the background. It all came together that easy.

Title: Chapel
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Patterned Paper (Cosmo Cricket)
Chipboard (Cosmo Cricket)
Acrylic Paint (Claudine Hellmuth & Golden)
Ink (Colorbox)
Stardust Embossing Powder (PK Glitz)
Torn Cardboard
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

For my last project it was going to be left up to me to shuffle the two decks and pick the cards. My word/color prompts were Song + Coral + Green.

I will just be honest, I wasn’t happy with my prompts and I was tempted to return them to the deck and draw again but that would have defeated the whole purpose of The Scrabooker’s Creativity Kit. I decided to work through the difficultly. I remembered that my son Michael wore a lot of Orange and Coral colored shirts and he was always making up funny songs about something. As I began to browse through my photographs I came across these photos of him being silly on his birthday. The combination worked!

Title: Singing Cowboy
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Shaped Paper (Bazzill)
Colorbox Ink (Clearsnap)
Stardust Embossing Glitter (PK Glitz)
Stamps (Autumn Leaves)
Flowers (Hero Arts)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

At the writing of this review, I have not seen how the other four members of our review team interpreted the first two prompts that were given. I am really looking forward to seeing all of the different projects that were created and I hope that you find it just as interesting. It was really amazing to see how the combination of word and color prompts got my mind to thinking in ways otherwise I might not have. Just like using coral with the green, I probably never would have used this color combination had it not been for me randomly choosing these colors from the deck. Of course, you are not limited to just picking one word and two colors, you could easily pick 2 words and one color or any variation. The Scrapbooker’s Creativity Kit is to inspire, not keep you locked inside of a box!

If you are like the thousands of artists that suffer from an occasional (or maybe more than occasional) creative block, then you need to get your copy of The Scrabooker’s Creativity Kit by Claudine Hellmuth and keep in your studio where you can easily pick a prompt, or two, or three….

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Review by Pomaika`i

Claudine Hellmuth, collage artist and teacher has been mixing photographic images with whimsical drawings for her unique signature style. She is the author of two collage technique books and three DVD workshops that inspire crafters and artists.

Her newest publication is “The Scrapbooker’s Creativity Kit.” When I found out that I was to review this item, I had no idea of what to expect. I received a book-like box 9 x 7 x 1” with a colorful cover that opens to reveal a moulded plastic case with spaces for a 6 x 6” book and two decks of 2 x 3” cards.

The Scrapbooker’s Creativity Kit is designed to provide an organized way to jump start your creative process. Claudine Hellmuth says in her introduction that she created this system for herself in 1995, and now refined, has offered it to the public.

The two decks of cards are the key to this system. Each deck has 30 cards. One deck has word prompts and the other color prompts. The word prompt cards are double sided with two different words per side for a total of 120 different possibilities. The color deck is double sided with a different color on each side for 60 colors.

The way the system works is that you shuffle the decks of cards (separately) choose two color cards and one word prompt for each project. There are no rules that you have to follow to create your project. A project can be a layout, card, album, or altered item. You can choose to use only the two colors you picked, or just use them as accents.

The word prompt is a starting point that can help you brainstorm ideas for your project. You can choose to use the word in the title, create a project around that word as a subject or compile a list of word associations to see where your train of thought will take you.

Now let’s talk about the little book that comes in your kit. It is 80 pages long, full color, and the cover looks like a black marble composition book (only smaller). Inside you will find inspiration through examples created by a design team of 7 artist and 24 gallery contributers. The book is a showcase of projects created by using the one word and two color prompts system.

These designers created a variety of projects for six sample prompts to demonstrate how different people can interpret the same prompts. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I agree that this is a genius way to demonstrate how to use “The Scrapbooker’s Creativity Kit”. Not to mention that the projects are eye candy and inspirational in themselves! The book is organized in to six different sections so that you can see all the projects created from the same group of prompts in one section.

One thing that I found difficult in using the kit is that the though the card decks fit into the moulded holes, you must make sure to open the kit flat so that the cards don’t fly out. Also, I had difficulty removing the bottom most cards from the storage holes. I solved this problem by taking the whole moulded insert out and pressing the cards out from behind. To solve both of these problems, I used a thin rubberband to hold each deck of cards together.

My first two projects were created from prompts chosen by April our Review Team Coordinator. My third project was created from cards I chose myself. I can’t wait to see what everyone on our team has created from the first two prompts. In fact I think that this would be a great group activity for a bunch of creative friends.

My first project word prompt was “year.” There were so many different ideas in my head stimulated by this word, but the one I ended up choosing was most relevant to the photos I had on hand. I cut an 8x8” square of patterned paper and mounted it as a diamond onto my background paper. I matted all my photos with the second “prompt” color.

Title: Through the Years
Products used:Cardstock (Prism)
Patterned Paper (My Minds Eye, Tinkering Ink)
Rub-Ons (Tinkering Ink)
Acrylic Paint (Claudine Hellmuth Studio)
Stickers (SEI, Flair, Joann’s Essentials)
Stamps (Inque Boutique, CK)
Pen (Sakura Micron)
Ink (Adirondack, Ranger)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

For my second project, the word prompt was “wisdom.” I knew right away that I wanted to create a canvas with one of my favorite quotes featured. I recycled a canvas by priming it with two coats of white gesso, then painted the background with one of my prompt colors (green). To embellish the canvas, I used a piece of patterned paper with my second prompt color (denim) on it. The dark green you see on the background is some foil that I transfered. To add texture, I stretched a piece of netting from an avocado bag. I printed my quote on the computer using the same denim prompt color and spelt out the important words with extra letters I had lying around. I added a ribbon to hang this canvas on the wall above my computer space.

Title: Wisdom to Know the Difference
Products used:Cardstock (Prism)
Gesso (Claudine Hellmuth Studio)
Acrylic Paint (Claudine Hellmuth Studio)
Gel-Medium (Claudine Hellmuth Studio)
Patterned Paper (Flair Designs)
Foil (Lisa Pavelka)
Stamps (Art Warehouse)
Acrylic Paint (Jaquard)
Stickers (Karen Foster, Creative Imaginations, Doodlebug, Stickopotamus, Fiskars)
Charms ( Karen Foster, Joann Essentials, Inque Boutique, CK)
Trim (Joann Essentials)
Rhinestones (Heidi Swap)
Brads (Joann Essentials)
Other (button, ribbon)
Ribbon (offray)
Ink (Adirondack, Ranger)
Adhesive (Joann Tacky Glue)

I randomly chose the word prompt “wings” for my last project. My colors were a sky blue and a deeper blue. Again, I knew right away that I wanted to create a canvas with another favorite quote by Jonas Salk. I primed my canvas with gesso again, and painted it with a coat of light blue. I used old sheet music and the peel-off distressing technique for the background. I printed my quote using the color from my prompt and accented with the darker blue of my second color. I had fun choosing the different letters for my key words.

Title: Roots and Wings
Products used:Cardstock (Prism)
Gesso (Claudine Hellmuth Studio)
Acrylic Paint (Claudine Hellmuth Studio, Golden)
Gel-Medium (Claudine Hellmuth Studio)
Stamps (Inkadinkado, Queen Kat, Tinkering Ink, Art Warehouse)
Letters and Number (Lil Davis, JoAnn Essentials, Stickopotamus)
Pen (Sakura Glaze & Gel Pen)
Rhinestones (Heidi Swap)
Brads (Joann Essentials, SEI)
Other (button, ribbon, fiber, rhinestone)
Ribbon (offray)
Ink (Stazon, Color Box)
Adhesive (Joann Tacky Glue)

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical as to how much this kit could really help me jump start my creativity. I found to my surprise that using these prompts were like playing a fun little game, and my resulting projects were different than I what I normally create, in a good way. I feel that this kit does help to jump-start creativity! I wasn’t able to match all the prompt the colors exactly, but I didn’t let that slow me down. I just used the best approximation. Remember the key is NO rules! I could see how this would be a great activity for an online group, or a group of friends to do as well.

The Scrapbooker’s Creativity Kit is a fun little tool that can be used with all types of media, thought it is marketed to scrapbookers for layouts. All level of artists or crafters will be able to use this kit. I recommend this kit to anyone who is interested in stretching their creativity, or anyone who is wanting to play a little with their art. I have a feeling that the next time I have a mental block, or just don’t know where to get started on my next project, I will reach for this useful kit.

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