Bethany:
"Make your kit storage/display pretty! Find fun ways to display and store your kit and you will be more likely to use it up during the month.
I love to use these 12x12 colorful plastic envelopes to hold any paper, stickers or flat embellishments for my kit. Everything else gets displayed on one or more of my cute collection of plates.
I also really like the 12x12 Iris cases (I get mine at Michael's when they go on sale)...especially the glittery ones. Everything fits in it so neatly and they stack well. Plus, they are clear and I do enjoy seeing peeks of what I am planning on using. That is very inspiring for me."
Mise en place is a French phrase that basically means 'put in place'. When a top rated chef begins his/her daily work, the chef will start with organizing all the tools needed, prepping the food and sometimes cutting and measuring so that everything is ready to go and exactly where they know it should be. It is an essential philosophy for the best run kitchen.
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| Picture from Bon Appetit |
I love to apply the chef's strategy and pull items before I begin to work on my projects so that they are ready as I work on my design. There is a whole psychology behind starting with a clean and organized set of tools and ingredients. The more I practice these principals, the more I enjoy the process to creating my layouts, cards or other paper based projects."
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Jemma:
"Whenever I put together a counterfeit kit I start by finding my favourite part of it. This is the thing that will seed the ideas for the rest of the kit.
My next step is to search my supplies for patterns, journal cards, alphas and embellishments to match the starting elements ... without looking too closely at the original kit.
To finish a forgery off I look back at the kit-to-copy and check that I've included enough of the embellishments to get a feel for the original. I don't worry about counterfeiting each individual piece ... which ensures that my kit size stays manageable and is more likely to get used up before I get bored with it!"
Julene:
"Know your stash and organise it so you can find things easily. I have places where I keep each type of item. My papers are organised by colours."
Leslie:
"GO ROGUE!
Make it your own - one that you will use. I frequently deviate from the inspiration with the color scheme or overall feel of my kit. I almost always begin with the papers and attempt to stay true to the mix of pattern types. All of the other bits & bobs just need to play along nicely :-)"
Lisa:
"Don't feel like you have to match up the kit completely or make a kit that's full of pink, for example, if you use every colour in the rainbow other than pink! Find something that speaks to you and work from there. Make a kit you know you will use that is "inspired" by the original and don't be afraid that the kit-making-police will drop by your door. (Ps: they aren't really real, just in case you were worried - LOL) You are the one who will be using the kit so make sure it is something you will love using. For example, I always add way more embellishments into my selection than the original because that's what makes me happy. And don't feel you need to forge all the elements in your kit that you don't have if that's not your thing. Creating parts of the kit is a whole lot of fun if that's what you like to do but if the idea of hand-stamping a full sheet of 12x12 fills you with trepidation, try a smaller scale for example, or simply marvel at the creations you see in the CKC team and find something in your paper collection which fits, then move on!
Another tip would be to watch how you use your kit for a few months and see what gets left in the bottom of the box when you realise you are done with it. It's likely that these items just don't rock your boat any more and maybe it's time to give them a new home with someone who will love them more than you do. I've really streamlined my whole stash - reducing my total by about 50% in the process - by letting go of those items which just don't get used through the kit. That way, I now know that what I pull from my stash makes me happy and is more likely to find its way onto my pages. It's definitely a win-win for me and my niece who gets all my donated items."
Leslie:
"GO ROGUE!
Make it your own - one that you will use. I frequently deviate from the inspiration with the color scheme or overall feel of my kit. I almost always begin with the papers and attempt to stay true to the mix of pattern types. All of the other bits & bobs just need to play along nicely :-)"
Lisa:
"Don't feel like you have to match up the kit completely or make a kit that's full of pink, for example, if you use every colour in the rainbow other than pink! Find something that speaks to you and work from there. Make a kit you know you will use that is "inspired" by the original and don't be afraid that the kit-making-police will drop by your door. (Ps: they aren't really real, just in case you were worried - LOL) You are the one who will be using the kit so make sure it is something you will love using. For example, I always add way more embellishments into my selection than the original because that's what makes me happy. And don't feel you need to forge all the elements in your kit that you don't have if that's not your thing. Creating parts of the kit is a whole lot of fun if that's what you like to do but if the idea of hand-stamping a full sheet of 12x12 fills you with trepidation, try a smaller scale for example, or simply marvel at the creations you see in the CKC team and find something in your paper collection which fits, then move on!
Another tip would be to watch how you use your kit for a few months and see what gets left in the bottom of the box when you realise you are done with it. It's likely that these items just don't rock your boat any more and maybe it's time to give them a new home with someone who will love them more than you do. I've really streamlined my whole stash - reducing my total by about 50% in the process - by letting go of those items which just don't get used through the kit. That way, I now know that what I pull from my stash makes me happy and is more likely to find its way onto my pages. It's definitely a win-win for me and my niece who gets all my donated items."
Lynnette:
"You may be counterfeiting, but treat your kit like the real deal! Name it - just like a pet! LOL! Photograph it with a prop or two. Have it accessible in a box - just like how you would receive it from one of the fancy kit clubs. Treating it as such will give you a crush on it and inspire you to USE it!"
Margie:
"My tip would be check your stash before you buy anything new-or even counterfeit anything! When I first started counterfeiting I was making all sorts of embellishments to exactly match the kit to copy, and then I found that I was having lots of leftovers, like die-cuts, etc, and I already had packages of beautiful pre-made die cuts that were going unused. So, fast forward to today, when I am making my kits, I always check my stash to see if I either have something I have been dying to use or something similar to the inspiration kit before I make make anything. Of course, if I absolutely love what's in the kit, and I want to make a knock-off, I do, but, make them in much smaller quantities now.
Just enough to fill the craving.
"You may be counterfeiting, but treat your kit like the real deal! Name it - just like a pet! LOL! Photograph it with a prop or two. Have it accessible in a box - just like how you would receive it from one of the fancy kit clubs. Treating it as such will give you a crush on it and inspire you to USE it!"
Margie:
"My tip would be check your stash before you buy anything new-or even counterfeit anything! When I first started counterfeiting I was making all sorts of embellishments to exactly match the kit to copy, and then I found that I was having lots of leftovers, like die-cuts, etc, and I already had packages of beautiful pre-made die cuts that were going unused. So, fast forward to today, when I am making my kits, I always check my stash to see if I either have something I have been dying to use or something similar to the inspiration kit before I make make anything. Of course, if I absolutely love what's in the kit, and I want to make a knock-off, I do, but, make them in much smaller quantities now.
Just enough to fill the craving.
Susanne:
"Know your scrap kit sweet spot, both when making up and breaking up a kit.
After making a few of your own kits, or based on your experience with kit clubs, you will soon find the right size kit for your best productivity, for some that is large with lots of choices and for others it is small. It may vary from month to month or project to project. When you feel you have scrapped the best part of the kit, don't necessarily feel committed to completely use it up, if you find using the last bit and bobs more of a chore than a challenge. Know when it is best to break up with that kit and get a new one. (Sounds like advice to the lovelorn, doesn't it?)"
We hope you find all our years of experience useful and helpful :-) and we'd love to hear your own top kit tips. Why not leave us a comment below?
