Randi's Review	Andrea' Review	Rachel's Review	Cathy's Review	Melanie's Review

Review by Randi

The Kit Kafe is owned by Tracey Olson, who was the owner of (the former) Fibers By The Yard. The Kit Kafe is not your usual monthly kit club in that it is a monthly mini-book kit often concentrating in the area of the altered arts. I received a March kit which was a giant tag book with the theme of "All About Me." The Kit Kafe sells their mini-book kits for $19.99 plus $5.50 shipping and handling. "All About Me" was a pretty impressive, all-inclusive kit containing:

• 1 - 12 page Giant Tag Book with Pre-Punched Holes and spiral binding
  
• 18 - 6 x 6 Pattern Paper - Sugar by Three Bugs in a Rug
  
• 16 - 6 x 6 Solid Bazzill Cardstock
  
• Three Bugs in a Rug Monograms & assorted Three Bugs in a Rug tags
  
• 2 each chipboard "ME" letters & 4 Silk Flowers
  
• 1 sheet of unmounted "ME" stamps (created especially for Kit Kafe!)
  
• ColorBox Cats Eye Chalk Ink - Charcoal
  
• 10 Fibers - 18" each & 10 Ribbon - 18" each

I decided to take a little different approach to my "Me" book, addressing it instead to my almost four-year-old daughter. All about "Me" became All about "Mom," which was the title for my mini-book.

All About Mom, cover
Supplies included in kit except where noted:
Giant Tag Book cover, Kit Kafe
Pattern Paper - Sugar by Three Bugs in a Rug
Solid Bazzill Cardstock
chipboard "ME" letters & Silk Flowers
"ME" stamps by Mother Rubber Art Stamps
Charcoal Cats Eye Chalk Ink - ColorBox
Ribbons
not in kit: Brads; JoAnn ScrapEssentials, Burnt Orange Lumiere Paint; Jacquard, Circle Punch; Marvy Uchida

Here are some samples of other pages. I invite you to the ScrapFriends Kit Kafe Gallery to see more pages from my book.

I am a Cheer Coach
Supplies included in kit except where noted:
Giant Tag Book, Kit Kafe
Pattern Paper - Sugar by Three Bugs in a Rug
Solid Bazzill Cardstock
Silk Flower
Three Bugs in a Rug Monogram & Three Bugs in a Rug tags
"ME" stamps by Mother Rubber Art Stamps
Charcoal Cats Eye Chalk Ink - ColorBox
Ribbon
not in kit: Brads; Karen Foster, Just Right Upper Case Stamper, EK Success letter punches

Betcha Didn't Know
Supplies included in kit except where noted:
Giant Tag Book, Kit Kafe
Pattern Paper - Sugar by Three Bugs in a Rug
Solid Bazzill Cardstock
Three Bugs in a Rug Monogram & Three Bugs in a Rug tags
"ME" stamps by Mother Rubber Art Stamps
Charcoal Cats Eye Chalk Ink - ColorBox
Ribbon
not in kit: Brads; Karen Foster, EK Success letter punches

In order to run the paper all the way to the edges of the book it is necessary to cover the holes through which the spiral is threaded later. I found repunching the holes to be easier by using a Clikit by Karen Foster Design. Any smallish hole puncher would also work. I was concerned that threading the spiral through these holes would be tricky when the book was finished. Once I got past the first few holes it was actually pretty easy and came together quickly.

If you are looking for an out of the ordinary kit, this is it. You have scrapping and stamping all in one, including the ink! Not only that, but with this kit a new, unique project is created each month. These mini-books would make great gifts, too. While I do recommend these kits, I have a couple of suggestions for improvement. I'd like to see a little more paper and embellishments included for those of us who are matting/embellishment crazed. The addition of brads and/or stickers would make a good kit even better. Run on over to Kit Kafe today and see the selections that the chef is serving up this month. You'll be glad that you did.

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Review by Andrea

The Kit Kafe offers a neat spin on the monthly kit club - no membership! Monthly mini book kits are offered in themes with coordinating products, so when it's available on the site, it is ready to be ordered. No kit is shipped automatically to you allowing you to order only the kits you want. There is usually one theme per month with two options. The kit we reviewed was the March 2006 "All About" kit offered in "Me" or "Us" options. I found it refreshing to have two options for the kit instead of just one offered by so many other monthly kit clubs.

The material that came with the kit is high quality and from some of the hottest manufacturers in the industry today. All of the products coordinated beautifully, even across brands. I could see that this book was going to have a very coordinated look throughout which is of high value to me. The large tag book is very neat just on it's own! It's about 6" x 7" in size with sturdy chipboard type covers and heavy weight cardstock for the 12 internal pages. The covers were an ivory color with the pages on the inside were black. The spiral binding comes unattached from the pages which makes it easier to work on each page. When the pages are completed, the spiral binding simply inserts into the ready-made holes along the edge of the pages and spun so that it neatly enters each consecutive hole. No fuss!

The kit contained a small sheet of unmounted stamps to match the theme. The 25+ stamps were mostly word or phrase stamps that can be combined into a complete phrase or title. The included ribbon and fiber ranged in size, shape and style - all making terrific accents. A couple sets of "US" die cut letters were great to include here and there throughout the book. The chalk ink was the perfect aging tool for all the edges and stamping. I used some of my punches to accent the book also.

The following images are the front and back covers then the first two sets of pages. Please visit the Kit Kafe ScrapFriends Gallery to see more pages not included in this review.

Title: All About US
Products used from the Kit: Tag Book
Cardstock (Bazzill)
Patterned Paper (Three Bugs In A Rug, French Country line)
Tags & Monograms (Three Bugs In A Rug, French Country line)
Ink (Colorbox Fluid Chalk, Dark Brown)
About Us Rubber Stamps (Mother Rubber Art Stamps)
Ribbon, Fiber & "U" and "S"
Products not in the Kit: Punches (McGill and EK Success)
Watch Bezel Stamp (Starving Artistamps)
Date Stamps (Stampin' Up!)
Gold Marker & Pen (Creative Memories)
Embossing Powder (Stampin' Up!)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Glue Runner & The Glue Tube)

I really enjoyed working on this project! I found that I spent a lot of time on the covers and first couple of pages with the rest filling in rather quickly. I used only 10 of the 12 internal pages, mostly because my embellishment style used all of the cardstock, patterned paper, ribbon and fiber! This was totally ok with me as the book was getting a bit stuffed anyway and I didn't want to strain the binding. I think that I would have liked fewer rubber stamps and a couple more sheets of paper for this specific project.

I think the Kit Kafe has a big hit with the monthly mini book kits. The "no commitment" option is a flexible one allowing the customer to make the ultimate buying decision. The quantity, quality and type of material included with the kit was very reasonable for the $19.99 price tag. I can see more projects being created from the stamps in this kit, offering a longevity many kits simply don't possess. This one is a home run!

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Review by Rachel

WOW!!! That was the first thing I said when I placed my eyes on the “All About Us” kit. WOOHOO!! Very nice colors! The hard work of matching was already done, plus they sent stamps! Oh Yeah, that I can get excited about!

Included in the kit is:

18 – Sheets of patterned papers from Three Bugs in a Rug – French Country Collection
16 – Sheets of coordinating colors of Bazzill
26 Monogram Letters
2 sets of chipboard Letters in “u” & “s”
2 wedding charms
1 set of unmounted stamps
Miscellaneous bag of fibers
Miscellaneous bag of ribbon
Bag of coordinating tags from Three Bugs in a Rug
1 Fluid Chalk inkpad – Dark Brown – Colorbox
1 Giant Tag Book
1 spiral book binder

Okay, I have to admit though. I was intimidated by the beauty of the kit. I was scared to death I was going to mess it up. Well, within five minutes of playing with the kit, the fear and intimidation melted away and inspiration took hold. I was soon running for photos and adhesive and paper started flying. My pages came together so fast because the only major choices I had was what patterned paper I wanted to use where and what kind of gorgeous ribbon did I want to use on what page. Yep, those are intimidating decisions!

The Giant tag book measures 7 inches wide by 6 inches deep. It is actually bigger than I thought it was going to be. Both covers are made of a heavy book board and the pages inside are all lightweight black paper. This book is very sturdy! There is a hole in each page already punched. I chose not to use that hole, so in my pages that hole is covered with patterned paper.

The patterned paper is from Three Bugs in a Rug. It is their beautiful French Country Collection. This paper comes already cut into 6 x 6 squares. This makes it so easy to use. Just cut the corners for your tag book and you are ready to assemble your pages. It is beautiful paper, already distressed, and the colors are a beautiful burgundy, green, cream and black. The paper is a heavyweight 65#. It is a very nice quality and so fun to use. The paper names include: Fleur de Lies, Trellis, Bon Bons, Tiles, Amour, Font, Bonjour, and Family.

Cover Page:

Products used:
Patterned Paper: Tiles – French Country – Three Bugs in a Rug – Kit Kafe
Cardstock: Bazzill – Kit Kafe
Chipboard Letters: Kit Kafe
Acrylic Paint: Burnt Umber – Deco Art
Ink: Dark Brown – Colorbox – Kit Kafe
Stamps: Kit Kafe
Ribbon: Kit Kafe
Flowers: Unknown
Brads: Mainstay – Walmart
Embossing Powder: Bronze – UTEE – Suze Weinberg
Adhesive: Permanent Glue Runner & PVA Glue – Adhesive Tech

Me & You:

Products used:
Patterned Paper: Amour – French Country – Three Bugs in a Rug – Kit Kafe
Cardstock: Bazzill – Kit Kafe
Ribbon: Kit Kafe
Monogram: French Country – Three Bugs in a Rug – Kit Kafe
Ink: Dark Brown – Colorbox – Kit Kafe
Stamps: Dot Script – Walmart
Tags: French Country – Three Bugs in a Rug – Kit Kafe
Pen: Zig
Adhesive: Permanent Glue Runner & PVA Glue – Adhesive Tech

The French Country Monograms coordinate perfectly with the paper and the tags. They measure 3 inches x 3 inches. They are made out of 80# heavyweight paper. One can even stamp on these monograms without a problem. The French Country Tags are incredibly easy to use as well. They coordinate perfectly with everything in the French Country collection.

My favorite part of the kit is the unmounted stamps. I am a stamp addict! I love the stamps! They are a very high quality, and exclusively designed for Kit Kafe by Mother Rubber Art Stamps. Do be very careful when cutting them out though because some of the phrases are placed extremely close together. Go slow and you should be just fine. I would have liked to have seen the words “me” and “you” included in the “All About Us” set because I did have to supplement those words with a different stamp set. You also have the option of buying the stamp sets separately. That is too cool! Some of the words included in this set are “us”, “unconditional love”, “together”, “family”, “parents”, and many other words. There is also a photo corner and a cute artsy heart.

Our Families:

Products used :
Patterned Paper: Family – French Country – Three Bugs in a Rug – Kit Kafe
Cardstock: Bazzill – Kit Kafe
Stamps: Kit Kafe
Ink: Dark Brown – Colorbox – Kit Kafe
Pen: Zig
Ribbon: Kit Kafe
Adhesive: Permanent Glue Runner & PVA Glue – Adhesive Tech

Kit Kafe offers a new monthly mini book kit each month. Each kit is $19.99 plus $5.50 shipping and handling. I loved this kit. All the work was essentially done for me. All I had to do was pull my pictures, plan my book and then get to work. Kits like Kit Kafe mini books just make things so easy. You have that sense of accomplishment for finishing something so fast and it is beautiful as well. Everything in the kit is high quality and coordinates perfectly with the paper, including the fibers and the ribbons. I love that unmounted stamps are included in every kit. I HIGHLY recommend this kit to beginners and advanced scrapbookers alike. Oh, and the best thing is that you can buy a kit one month but not have to buy the next month if you don’t want. There is no subscription or membership needed. If you are going to order a kit, be sure to do it quickly because there are only a limited amount available. I think this kit is well worth the money...lots of product, a mini album completed and product left over, who can ask for more? Be sure to check back to the Kit Kafe gallery to see each of our finished mini albums.

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Review by Cathy

The Kit Kafe' is a monthly kit club that offers a new mini book kit every month. The club is run by the former "Fiber's by the Yard" owner. The (March) Mini-Book kit that I received contained a giant tag book, unassembled; a bag of coordinating ribbons; a bag of coordinating fibers; a monogram alphabet; patterned paper cut to a 6 x 6 inch size; cardstock to match in a 6 x 6 inch size; rubber stamps; black ink; flowers; tags; and chipboard letters. The theme of this month's kit is "All About Me". This kit is a really great start to any album and would make a really nice gift. Let me say, I loved the Three Bugs in a Rug, patterned paper selection, it is a brand new line of paper and very easy to work with.

First I assembled the tag book. It went together easily. Next I used the patterned paper, ribbons, and ric rac to decorate the front cover of the book. The kit comes with a generous amount of patterned paper, cardstock and embellishments.

The rubber stamp set comes unmounted and has high quality images. The black ink pad is easy to use with the rubber stamp set. The words are great for journaling. They include: Who, What, When. Me, I Love and more.

The fibers, ribbons and flowers all coordinate perfectly with the Three Bugs in a Rug patterned paper. The chipboard mini letters spell Me. I was really impressed with the assortment of ribbons. They were beautiful and very rich looking.

I choose to create a tag book as a gift to my daughter for her recent vacation photos. The book was a snap to put together and my daughter's friends all said they would love to create a tag book like this for their vacation pictures.

The cover contains the beautiful purple ric rac and lots of extras.

Supplies:
Kit Kafe': March Kit- Three Bugs in a Rug patterned paper;
Kit Kafe': March Kit- Ribbon Assortment;
Kit Kafe': March Kit- Flowers;
Magic Mesh: Large Weave Pink;
Doodlebug Design: Alphabet Stickers;
Kit Kafe': March Kit- Tag Book; and
Adhesive Tech: Permanent Glue Runner.

The inside cover and first page show off the patterned paper assortment and the monogram letters.

Supplies:
Kit Kafe': March Kit- Three Bugs in a Rug patterned paper;
Kit Kafe': March Kit- Ribbon Assortment;
Kit Kafe': March Kit- Flowers;
Magic Mesh: Large Weave Pink;
Doodlebug Design: Alphabet Stickers;
Prima Flowers;
Brads: Unknown;
Making Memories: Kids Collection- Alphabet Stickers;
Kit Kafe': March Kit- Tag Book; and
Adhesive Tech: Permanent Glue Runner.

The kit comes with a generous paper assortment, making matching pages possible.

Supplies:
Kit Kafe': March Kit- Three Bugs in a Rug (Patterned Paper);
Kit Kafe': March Kit- Three Bugs in a Rug (Tags);
Kit Kafe': March Kit- Ribbons;
Kit Kafe': Rubber Stamps;
Magic Mesh: Large Weave- Pink;
Kit Kafe': March Kit- Fibers;
Doodlebug Design: Alphabet Stickers; and
Adhesive Tech: Permanent Glue Runner.

I really love this kit. The tag book is absolutely an easy project that contains only the finest paper and embellishments. The ribbons and fiber assortment match perfectly. I give the Kit Kafe' my highest recommendation, as I will be purchasing another kit for a gift I am making. The idea of a "Book Of Me" is intriguing, but this kit can do much more. The Kit would make a beautiful baby girl, teenage girl, friends, birthday or other small album. Kit Kafe' you definitely have a winner with the mini book kits.

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Review by Melanie

Mini books are so very popular for a number of reasons. They make great gifts, and they can usually be completed faster than larger albums. Kit Kafe is a new kit club that is all about mini-books. This club is a no-membership club, (that means you don't have to join for a certain length of time) and the kits ship when you purchase it. That's good news for those that want it "now".

I received an "All About Me" giant tag book kit that was one of the March kits. This kit contained large (6" x 7") pages for the book, plus 2 covers. There were 12 pages which means if you used all the pages, you will have 24 pages! The book came with a black spiral binding that you assemble when your pages are finished. But that is just the beginning. There was a large assortment of patterned paper (from Three Bugs in a Rug), matching Bazzill cardstock in a variety of colors, and tags (also from Three Bugs in a Rug), coordinating ribbon and fiber, flowers, chipboard "me" letters, a sheet of unmounted stamps and a Cats Eye ink pad. The theme for the stamps matched the "All About Me" theme of the kit with words and phrases such as "where", "when" "me" and "betcha didn't know".

I was happy with the challenge to create an "About Me" book. I usually scrap photos of my children and rarely do things about myself. I decided to start from the beginning on my "me" book. Below is the cover of my book without the spiral binder. I included one supply list of all the pages shown below since most of the supplies used were from the kit on all pages.

Title: About Me Mini-Book
Supplies for all pages:
Minibook pages: Kit Kafe
Patterned Paper: Three Bugs in A Rug (From Kit Kafe Kit)
Cardstock: Bazzill (From Kit Kafe Kit)
Ribbon, ric rak and flower: Kit Kafe Kit
Stamps: Kit Kafe Kit
Tags: Three Bugs in a Rug (from Kit Kafe Kit)
Stickers: Three Bugs in a Rug
Ink: Clearsnap (charcoal chalk ink) from Kit Kafe Kit; and lavender
Stickers: Sonburn
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech Permanent Glue Runner and Adhesive Tech A Fine Line...PVA Glue

Below are the first few pages of my book.

In summary, this was a fun kit. I like the selection of papers and embellishments. I especially liked the unique tag book. I'm happy to know that once I complete this, I will have a mini-book that I will treasure. From what I can tell on the website, you can choose from two different kits each month. There is also a gallery of items created from the kits for added inspiration. If you are looking for a unique kit and want to create mini-books, I highly recommend this kit club.

For more information visit The Kit Kafe