Kitspirations Product Review
October 2005 Kit
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| Andrea's Review |
Melanie' Review |
Lynn Anne's Review |
Catherine's Review |
Eli's Review |
Review by Andrea
Monthly kits are a great package of coordinating scrapbook supplies that arrive at your door. They range in amount & type of product, themes and price while usually containing enough supplies for at least a couple of layouts and other projects. The products included in the kits are exclusive to that company or are a compilation of brand name manufacturers the coordinate together. Many kit companies include idea sheets on how to use the products or page sketches for a more general interpretation that can be used again and again.
Kitspirations offers Monthly, Specialty, Album and Challenge Kits to suit almost any taste. There is no minimum monthly commitment required by Kitspirations. You can sign-up for the monthly kits at any time and with 5 days notice, the membership can be cancelled. The kits are charged when they are shipped Priority Mail at the middle of the month.
The monthly kits have two themes included in the kit with enough paper and embellishments to complete several projects. The October Kit has 8 1/2 sheets of patterned paper, 4 sheets of cardstock, a large cardstock sticker sheet, a package each of brads and Dropz embellishments with a two foot piece of ribbon to "wrap" it up. The papers are by Carolee's Creations and Junkitz in Fall and Halloween themes. All of the kit contents were indentified on a packing list included by Kitspirations. The embellishments were packaged separately from each other and all arrived in great condition. Everything coordinates by color and theme - wonderful! I enjoy not having to run around a store looking for the different items individually. It's really nice to have a complete package delivered to your door!
I started using the Fall themed papers first on a layout about the simple pleasures in life. Some of my favorite colors include the fall shades of browns, greens, yellows and reds. The Junkitz papers had these lovely colors in the patterns so I used two of the patterns to coordinate the layout. The papers were heavier quality and tore nicely to expose the inner white core. The embellishments included with the kit and a little extra fiber from my stash really helped the layout come together. The edges of the layout were shaded with bronze ink to further enhance the fall theme and rustic nature of the papers.
Products used:
Paper (Junkitz Retro Squares & Earth Hoops, included in kit)
Brads (Junkitz Earth Tones, included in kit)
Gum Dropz (Junkitz Fall, included in kit)
Hemp, Stamps & Tag (Stampin' Up!)
Ink (Tsukineko Brilliance, Graphite Black and Colorbox Bronze)
Fiber (Great Balls of Fiber)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Glue Runner)
There were enough Junkitz fall colored papers to also complete a 12x12 two-page layout with even some left over for another project. Using some of the solid colored cardstock for matting and as a base for a page helped merge all three patterns together. The ribbon that was included in the kit added a nice touch of texture for the papers.
Title: Crop-A-Palooza, September 2005
Products used:
Cardstock (Memories-Moss & Red Rock, included in kit)
Patterned Paper (Junkitz-Earth Hoops, Earth Petite Plaid & Spring Seeds,
all included in kit)
Ribbon (included in kit)
Fastenator Staple Bars (EK Success)
UTEE (Ranger, Green Zinnia)
Font (Baby Kruffy)
Sketches (www.123-Scrap.com)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Glue Runner)
After using the Fall themed part of the kit, I decided to try the Halloween papers and embellishments to make some cards. The remaining cardstock was perfect for the card bases and the patterned papers coordinated SO well! The sticker sheet had a wide variety of sizes, shapes and graphics all in the Halloween theme. I picked some of my favorites and used them to create the following cards. There are more in the Kitspirations Gallery at ScrapFriends. Take a look!
Title: Haunting and Creepers Halloween Cards
Products used:
Cardstock (Black, included in kit)
Patterned Paper (Carolee's Creations- Spooky Stripes, Orange Dot O's, Brigth
Dot-O-Dots; all included in kit)
Cardstock Stickers (Carolee's Creations, Trick-Or-Treat, included in kit)
Ribbon (Great Balls of Fiber)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Glue Runner)
Title: Cauldron Halloween Card
Products used:
Cardstock (Black & Moss included in kit)
Patterned Paper (Carolee's Creations- Bright Dot-O-Dots, included in kit)
Cardstock Stickers (Carolee's Creations, Trick-Or-Treat, included in kit)
Ribbon (Great Balls of Fiber)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Glue Runner)
So far, I've created two 5" x 7" pages, two 12" x 12" pages and 5 cards with the material from the October Kitspirations kit. I estimate that there is enough material left to make at least one 12" x 12" page and 5 more cards or tags by using some cardstock from my personal stash. I would say that you get your money's worth at the $16.95 (plus shipping) price tag for the Monthly Kit!
Kitspirations gets my vote for a fun and reasonably priced Monthly Kit Club. The materials that are included are some of the latest products available on the market, the papers and embellishments are coordinated for you AND it arrives at your door in a complete package! This would be a great gift to yourself, especially if you're limited on shopping time. What about the friend who has everything? Give Kitspirations a visit today to see all the wonderful kits available.
Review by Melanie
Kitspirations is a monthly scrapbook kit club that includes enough paper and embellishments to create several scrapbook pages. The kit ships on the 15th of every month, costs $16.95 and there is no monthly commitment. You can cancel at any time. Scrapbook kits are very popular among scrapbookers. Most people like the idea of having coordinated paper and embellishments coming to their door. I know I do! Kitspirations posts the kit contents on their website, so you know what you are getting (unless you don’t peek and wait for the box to arrive). When I received the October Kitspirations kit, I was immediately inspired. The kit had a combination of Carolee’s Creations and Junkitz papers with a Fall / Halloween theme as well as coordinated cardstock, brads and Fall Dropz by Junkitz and ribbon.
In my first creation, I used the rust colored cardstock that came with my kit as the background. I used the plaid patterned paper along with some grey cardstock from my stash, a title and a quote to accent my daughter's fall photo.
Title: His Beauty
Supplies
Cardstock: Memories from Kitspirations Kit (Red Rock, Moss); Prism Exclusives
(Ferro)
Patterned Paper: Junkitz from Kitspirations Kit; Crossed Paths (title)
Rub On Letters: Making Memories
Brads: Junkitz from Kitspirations Kit
Ink: Ranger
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech Permanent Glue Runner
The kit included a ½ sheet of patterned paper, which was the right amount to create this simple layout. I used yellow cardstock from my stash and added a title.
Title: Happiness
Supplies:
Cardstock: Prism Exclusives (Onice); Carolee’s from Kitspirations Kit (black)
Patterned Paper: Junkitz from Kitspirations Kit (Earth Retro Squares, Spring
Seeds)
Boshers: Bazzil
Rub On: Making Memories (Title)
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech Permanent Glue Runner
For my Fall Playfulness layout, I combined several of the patterned papers as the backdrop for my daughters photos. I matted them with the black cardstock from the kit. My journaling tags were made from the “moss” kit cardstock and accented with the Fall Gum Dropz.
Title: Fall Playfulness
Supplies
Cardstock from Kitspirations Kit: Memories (Moss); Black (Carolees)
Patterned Paper from Kitspirations Kit: Carolees (Orange Dot O's); Junkitz
(Earth Hoops; Spring Seeds)
Junkitz Fall Gum Dropz and Brad from Kitspirations Kit
Vellum Quote: Memories Complete
Rub On: Making Memories
Ribbon: Offray
Stamps: My Sentiments Exactly
Ink: Ranger (Nick Bantock Charcoal Grey)
Sticker: Junkitz
Other: button
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech Permanent Glue Runner
There was enough cardstock left after making several layouts to create a card. I matted the cardstock stickers with cardstock and accented with ribbon.
Supplies
Cardstock: Black Cardstock from Kitspirations Kit
Stickers: Carolee’s Creations (Tingalings) from Kitspirations Kit
Ribbon: from Kitspirations Kit
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech Permanent Glue Runner
I still have enough leftover from my kit to create several more pages. For people that create double page spreads, there is plenty to do and still have leftover paper. The items in this kit coordinated well. Another thing I like about kits is the element of “surprise”. There is usually something in the kit I may not have seen at my local scrapbook store, or would have even thought to purchase on my own. Kits force me to come out of my “box” and create things that I may not otherwise have created. Scrapbook kits also appeal to people who do not have local scrapbook stores to shop at. Kitspiratons takes the guesswork out of shopping online and “hoping” that your items coordinate. They do all the work for you, and you have the fun of opening the kit when it arrives at your door. I was well pleased with the quality AND quantity of the Kitspirations kit. For only $16.95 per month (plus shipping), you can’t go wrong. If you have been bitten by the scrapbook bug - then you need to try this kit club.
Review by Lynn Anne
Belonging to a scrapbooking kit club is a little like hiring your own personal shopper: someone else pounds the pavement for you, looking for items you’d like, choosing your coordinates for you, then delivering them to your door. All you have to worry about is adding your own personal touches and ‘wearing’ them in a way that showcases your own unique style. In the scrapbooking-kit world, this time saved shopping around can be spent scrapping! No wonder kit clubs are all the rage. Kitspirations is a new kit club that offers (among other things) monthly kits, shipped the fifteenth of each month. Consisting of cardstock, papers and coordinating embellishments in two different season-appropriate themes, fresh kits arrive every month to challenge your creativity and inspire you to get more photos scrapped.
Each monthly kit currently retails for a discounted subscriber price of $16.95 plus shipping, which to my home clear across the country from their operation is under $5.00. I got to work with the October 2005 kit, which included one set I’d label ‘Fall,’ and another for Halloween.
When I saw the relaxed, earthy fall Junkitz papers and embellishments, I immediately remembered a set of photos I’d taken on my college campus ages ago, but hadn’t gotten around to scrapping yet. Sure enough, the rusts and greens coordinated beautifully with photos of the campus’s striking fall foliage. I used just about every pattern included in the kit for a two-page layout. I was also happy to see a package of Junkitz’s fun new Gum Dropz embellishments included in the kit, since I’d been wanting to try them. I was puzzled by the inclusion of only a half-sheet of the Earth Retro paper.
Supplies:
Paper by Junkitz (Earth Hoops, Earth Petite Plaid, Spring Seeds, Earth Retro)( Kitspirations October 2005 Kit)
Gum Dropz and Brads by Junkitz (Kitspirations October 2005 Kit)
Cardstock by Bazzill (Kitspirations October 2005 Kit)
Wholy Cow Rub-ons by Basic Grey
Pens by Stampin' Up! and Zig
Permanent Glue Runner by Adhesive Tech
The second theme in the October kit was, perhaps inevitably, Halloween. What gorgeous supplies – colorful, distressed-effect papers and stickers by Carolee’s Creations, with a two-foot strip of a lovely black and white reversible satin ribbon. The papers featured orange, purple, black, green and cream – Halloween colors, but in non-holiday-specific patterns to make them a little more versatile. The stickers, on the other hand, were very specifically Halloween, which made them more difficult for me to use. We haven’t really gotten into ‘doing Halloween,’ and it was nearly impossible to find non-Halloweeny ways to use these. The first layout I created with this set was inspired by a sign I spied at the Garden State Garlic festival we attended recently. The sign read, “You are entering a vampire-free zone.” (Garlic is famous as a mythic vampire-repellant.) It seemed like a good theme for Halloweeny papers and photos of my daughter enjoying the spoils from our trip. I used one ‘bat’ border sticker at the bottom of the journaling block, and a “Happy” sticker at the top of the page. I especially loved using that fabulous black satin ribbon, and of course the fun patterned papers.
Supplies:
Cardstock by Memories (Kitspirations October 2005 Kit)
Ribbon from Kitspirations October 2005 Kit
Paper by Junkitz and Carolee's Creations (Kitspirations October 2005 Kit)
Stickers by Carolee's Creations (Kitspirations October 2005 Kit)
Letter stickers by Karen Foster (Honor Our Troops collection)
Rub-ons by Lil Davis and Autumn Leaves
Tile by Loersch (bright orange! The scan lies!)
Black webbing spray by Krylon
Ink by Stampin' Up! (Eggplant Envy)
Computer Font Dactylograph
Permanent Glue Runner by Adhesive Tech
After finishing the garlic layout, I realized that I did indeed have Halloween photos in my collection. I had recently ‘rescued’ a number of photos from college and graduate school days from their rotting magnetic photo albums, and I suddenly remembered seeing a few photos of friends dressed for the holiday. Now I was excited! Not only did I get to use all those gorgeous Halloween stickers (though I supplemented with a sheet of Prism cardstock, since I didn’t have enough left after the first layout), but I was getting more of my older pictures safely onto scrapbook pages. That’s one of the biggest pluses to me about using the Kitspirations kit, where I’m not the one choosing the papers and embellishments. When a collection comes along with a theme like Halloween, whose use is not initially apparent to me, I’m forced to think outside the box for ways to use it. In this case, I discovered that ‘out of the box’ really means ‘out of the box of old photos, and into my scrapbooks!’
Supplies:
Cardstock by Prism (black)
Cardstock by Memories (black)( Kitspirations October 2005 Kit)
Patterned paper and stickers by Carolee's Creations (Kitspirations October 2005 Kit)
Rub-on letters by Junkitz
Ribbon by Really Reasonable Ribbon
Permanent Glue Runner by Adhesive Tech
My impressions of Kitspirations based on the October 2005 kit: whoever’s putting these kits together has great taste in papers and embellishments. The cardstock and papers are accompanied by two embellishments for each ‘theme,’ which means enough product to make at least two 2-page layouts (or four one-page layouts) from each monthly kit, with scraps to spare for cardmaking or other projects. The specific holiday theme in a holiday my family doesn’t really observe has me wondering if Kitspirations will include other kinds of holidays we can’t easily use, such as Christmas or Easter…but on the other hand, wanting to use these pretty Halloween embellishments challenged me to pull out long-forgotten photos and finally put them into albums. Overall, I was very happy with the quality and style of the items included in this kit, and I’m very interested in seeing what they’ll put together next.
Review by Catherine
I must admit, I am addicted to monthly scrapbooking kit clubs. One of the reasons that I enjoy kit clubs so much, is that I enjoy the fact that someone else does all the work for me when I buy a kit. It’s nice not to have to pick out papers, cardstock, and embellishments that are perfectly coordinated. When I received my kit from Kitspirations, I was not disappointed. I love the colors in this kit! Of course, I am very partial to fall colors and fall is my favorite season, so this kit is right up my alley.
The Kitspirations October kit is filled with new, fun stuff. The Kitspirations kit is essentially two kits in one, with both Halloween inspired papers and stickers from Carolee’s Creations, and basic Fall inspired papers and embellishments from Junkitz. In this kit I received eight and a half pieces of patterned paper, four pieces of cardstock, one sheet of stickers, 2 feet of ribbon, and other fun embellishments. I was very excited to use the papers in the kit for several layouts that I had in mind.
One of my favorite patterned paper companies is Junkitz, so I broke into this part of the kit right away. I used the Junkitz paper in the kit to create a layout with one of my favorite pictures of my youngest son from last year. I added metal and acrylic alphabets, and a few extra embellishments to the contents of the kit for this layout.
Perfect Pumpkin
Products used:
Cardstock: Prism Papers
Patterned Paper: Junkitz (Included in Kit)
Acrylic Letters: KI Memories
Metal Letters: American Crafts
Scrapbook Tape: Heidi Swapp
Brads: Junkitz; Little Black Dress
Metal Words: Making Memories
Flowers: Prima
Stamps: Technique Tuesdays
Ink: Staz-On ; Tsukineko
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech Permanent Glue Runner; Adhesive Tech A Fine Line...Beads,
Glass, etc. Glue
For the next layout, I used some of the Carolee’s Creations Halloween Papers that were included in the kit, along with the stickers from the kit. I love these papers for Halloween and pumpkin pictures, and I was very happy they were included in the Kitspirations kit.
Jack*O*Lanterns
Products used:
Cardstock: Memories (Included in Kit)
Patterned Paper: Carolee’s Creations (Included in Kit)
Cardstock Stickers: Carolee’s Creations(Included in Kit)
Metal Rimmed Tags, Rub-Ons: Making Memories
Metal Letters: American Crafts
Alphabet Stickers: Doodlebug Designs, Inc.
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech Permanent Glue Runner; Adhesive Tech A Fine Line...Beads,
Glass, etc. Glue
I decided to use the Junkitz patterned papers in the kit for the next layout. I used several strips of these papers to highlight the things I enjoy about Fall. I had been wanting to use the Junkitz Gum dropz embellishments, so I was excited to see they were included in the kit along with the papers.
I Love Fall
Products used:
Cardstock: Memories (Included in Kit)
Patterned Paper: Junkitz (Included in Kit)
Gum Dropz: Junkitz (Included in Kit)
Alphabet Stickers: Arctic Frog; Creative Imaginations
Stamps: Leave Memories
Ink: Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink; Clearsnap
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech Permanent Glue Runner; Adhesive Tech A Fine Line...Beads,
Glass, etc. Glue
I really enjoyed receiving the Kitspirations October kit for review. Most of the products included in the kit are among some of my favorite product lines, and I appreciate the fact that the kit contains some of the newest products on the market. I would recommend the Kitspirations kit club for any scrapbooker who is addicted to kits, like me, and for those who appreciate having products coordinated for them.
Review by Eli
Welcome to Kitspirations, a relatively new online scrapbook kit company started by two friends in California. Their tagline is “Kits that inspire your creativity.” And I definitely agree with that.
In my “October Kit” I received 8 ½ sheets (yes, one was a half sheet) of 12"x12" patterned papers, four sheets of cardstock, ribbon, stickers, brads and a set of Fall Gum Dropz embellishments.
One of the fun things about this kit, and all their monthly kits, is that they include two themes, generally featuring items from two well known scrapbook companies. October, for example, features Junkitz and Carolee’s Creations. The two themes for this month consist of a traditional Halloween theme with fun stickers and patterned papers and a lovely fall grouping with patterned papers and embellishments.
I thought the elements in the Halloween theme were definitely fun and inspiring so I chose photos that would coordinate. I wanted to show our Halloween tradition…well, the adult side of it, anyway. Here is the result…
Title: Trick or Treat Traditions
Supplies:
Kitspirations October Kit Elements
Black cardstock
Patterned paper and cardstock stickers (Carolee's Creations)
Brad (Junkitz)
Not from Kit:
Letter Stamps (EK Success)
Colorbox Burnt Sienna chalk ink (Clearsnap)
Prismatics Majestic Purple Medium and Exclusive Papers China cardstocks
(Prism)
Imperial Blue VersaColor pigment ink (Tsukineko)
Chalks (Craf-T)
Ultra-fine black pen (Sharpie)
Permanent Glue Runner and BORDERLine rectangular glue stick (Adhesive Tech)
Sandpaper
Next, I mixed up the elements from both themes to create a Thanksgiving page. Check it out!
Supplies:
Kitspirations October Kit Elements
Orange Dot O's patterned paper and cardstock stickers (Carolee's Creations)
Turkey "Gum Dropz" tag, triangular ring and long bradz (Junkitz)
Earth Retro Squares patterned paper (Junkitz)
Red Rock Cardstock (Memories)
Not from Kit:
Small and large Corner rounders (EK Success)
Safety pin (JoAnn's)
Permanent Glue Runner and 3-D Design Blocks (Adhesive Tech)
Red and brown pens
sandpaper
Finally, I wanted to create a fun and somewhat cheeky invitation for a Halloween party. I used a couple of stickers and papers that were included in the kit, hand-printed the sayings and tied on a ribbon. Voila, instant card!
Supplies:
Kitspirations October Kit Elements
Cardstock stickers (Carolee's Creations)
Earth Retro Squares patterned paper and brown bradz (Junkitz)
Moss cardstock (Memories)
Not from Kit:
Ribbon (Robert Stanley Collection)
Brown Ultra-fine pen (Sharpie)
Permanent Glue runner (Adhesive Tech)
I felt that this was a very well-rounded kit. I created two pages and a quick card and I still have plenty left over for more projects. The two themes meshed beautifully which provided a ton of options for designing. With the offering of papers and embellishments, it would be easy to use the kit with just some adhesive and a journaling pen. Or for more options, combine the elements with your own stash. I appreciate the quality of the items that Kitspirations shared with us. This site is definitely worth a look. Recommended.
For more information visit Kitspirations