Do you make kits from your stash to scrap with?

If I plan to scrap one event (a vacation) or one topic (hockey, or birthdays, or...) alot during a month, I will collect the supplies that go with those photos. When i am actually scrapping, I start with the photos. I like to have choices right up until the last piece is added to a page, so I always have more in my "kit" than I need to scrap that stack of pic's.

These gatherings of themed papers and extras often become a revolving bin for when I have similar photos, so I add to that bin when I see collections I think will work for me in the future. Some get so oversized that way that I need to winnow out the specific supplies I will be needing in the near future. For example, I went through what has become a huge "Travel" kit to select what I will need to scrap the trip ds & family took to Hawaii in December/January. Hope to scrap that adventure starting iNSD weekend.

Yes, I sometimes make kits, but not for an entire month's worth of scrapping.

I'll grab an event's worth of photos, grab paper that i want to use with it, then grab an assortment of embellishments that i might want to use with it, plus any odds and ends embellishments that i want to use up.

I make kits for the entire month. I’m not a chronological scrapper. I’m also not anywhere near “caught up”. I also print from home and have a stash of photos from one year. In 2016 I printed monthly so I’m working on those.

So about my kits. I usually pick a piece of paper to use to build the kit around. I do think I have a pretty strong style so I’m usually pulling links and florals. I’m felicity janes target client. I think this helps with my kits. They usually tend to be somewhat seasonal feeling. Last months kit had rainbows and spring colors.

After I pull the kit I go through my photos and pick out a bunch that will work. I will also print new photos as I get inspired. I’m probably scrapbooking 50% new and 50% old.

Through the month sometimes I don’t have something in my kit I want or I need a coordinating paper. I just grab it. I try to use the kit up in its entirety so I usually have it for 1.5-2 months.

Ask questions. I’m in a spending freeze and using my stash. This method has worked really well for me. It also helps me use up my scraps because I’m trying to use the kit in its entirety and it all kind of goes.

This month my kit revolves around a chipboard sheet. It’s the first time I did that. It was camping themed so I pulled photos from the one time I go camping a year. Then I used the papers which don’t have a theme to do other pages with them.

I have made kits for challenges or for big projects.

When's it's for a challenge, I use the same method as ecvnj58 - I start with a multi colored inspiration piece and add items that coordinate with it or would help balance it on a page. Toss in some lettering that matches and embellishments, etc. I reserve the right to add something missing which would usually be a specific color of cardstock or things like enamel dots. For me, it's easier to make decisions when I am only looking at 15 pieces of paper instead of 150. I love everything in my stash so I am happy to see any of it on a project. I may have pictures in mind but I don't really scrapbook by theme so most of my stash works with most of my pictures.

For larger projects, I tend to work with coordinating collections where the manufacturer does all the heavy lifting with papers, embellishments, letters, etc. I usually just add some cardstock.

I generally only make kits with photos in mind. I only started doing this when I started going to more crops and found it is easier. I usually have an idea of a collection I want to use and will pull a few pieces of pattern paper, then coordinate some other papers, and if there is any specific embellishment I will add it. But generally my kits are just paper to get started.

I have had collections or papers I want to use, so I will put it aside with some coordinating elements and wait for a right photo for it.

I scrap what I feel like in a loosely chronological way, so I don't think a kit like that would work for me. I think the way I separate collections into certain categories, it's sort of like a kit to work from depending on the photo topic. I prefer more mixing and contrast of elements versus matchy matchy.

cannmom, you may even realize as you pull photos they have a common theme or look. I like your idea of pulling a kit for the men in your life. I’m sure you will find tons of ways to use it.

I'm the same way! I just made a comment about that on the hoarding thread. The bigger themes I have are in Iris Cases. Once they are full, I don't buy anymore. It works for me. Plenty to choose from, but not too much.

I kind of do this but what I want to do but keep putting off is take the piles of photos I have had printed since January and separate them into layouts, then pull from my stash the things I have to scrap them.  Really if I would sit down on the floor in my bedroom I could knock out quite a stack.

Many of them I have separated into page protectors but haven't yet pulled the supplies.  I don't think I could do it the other way around.

I tried that method especially when I was going to day crops but it did not work for me. I have changed things up and use organized storage bins by either manufacturer or by designer (Paige Evans for example). Anything else goes into their own type of container such as a one of those four inch wide refrigerator containers for packaged embellishments. Patterned paper goes into my vertical Cropper Hopper files. Cardstock is in horizontal storage shelves by color. My AC and other white card stock is in its own cube in a Kallax unit. I can pull from these as needed to supplement a collection. I keep my Hip Kits together ( I hope to get some Alex drawers from Ikea to store them) and sort them into a collection or my “ other” than containers once I have used up a lot of the kit.

This works for me and really helped reduce my stress with having so many supplies everywhere or in large kits.

I make two kits each month and also scrap from my stash.
The first kit I make is a recipe that I follow and pull things out according to that recipe.

The second kit, I grab something and make a kit based on that one item.

Then, I also just scrap from what is in my stash. I also reserve the right to add to any kit with the stash.

Basically, I do what I want. 🤣