couple questions?? (scrapping related)

First question: for people who like to layer papers on their layout: Do you use templates to figure out how you want to layer them or do you have a particular way to figure it out? I dont know if that makes much sense...what I mean is when you have like paper strips under your photos or over them how do you decide how big to make them (or how small) and which one goes on top/bottom etc. I love layering papers but I sometimes play with the layering sizes etc for hours and cant get them to look right.

Second question: How many times do you suppose you will use a kit to make a layout? Not just one or two items for a special touch on a particular layout but to use a kit almost exclusively for a layout? I see some people say they only use a kit once maybe twice and whi,le I admit some kits get tossed for me after a layout or two but that is mostly because I no longer really think it fits my style or it becomes a little outdated. Some of my kits Ive used for five or six layouts though. I reallly like to get my money's worth.

Third question: Do you think there are kits that you have never/will probably never use that you have purchased? For me I know there probably are some. Its not that I dont love them just that I cannot seem to find a photo to use and when I bought it it was because it was on sale, something I thought I would eventually use or something I really loved that I just could not pass up.

(yes im kinda bored tonight and just felt like asking some random scrapping questions LOL)

1- When I do a LO, I use the shape tool first to place the papers and the photos. The layers are all figured out usually before I even choose the papers. Then I play around if I don't like it, adding or substracting layers. In the end, I place the embellishements.
2- My record is three LOs with a kit. The kit is Fun Land by Dani and Jacque Larsen. Usually, I'll use a kit once or maybe twice. So no, I'm not getting my money's worth, lol!
3- I have plenty of kits that I'm sure I will never use. I bought them because they were so beautiful, and I was thinking that I was going to figure out how to use them...

I just can't sleep tonight...must be why I am stalking the forum...nor can I find any mojo to scrap at the moment....so...on to ur questions.

Question 1->I am curious also...I am a big template whore...too much going on IRL for me right now to be original.

Question 2-> I don't mind using a kit multiple times..esp since I don't scrap in chronological order....so who would really know if the same kit was used on a playdate page AND a page featuring my nieces/nephews.

Question 3-> I too buy because of sales...and have tons of kits that if IRL my hubby would stub his big to on. Some I love until I open them and just get frustrated with because they did not live up to my expections or I realize that I only bought it cuz it was a deal.

On the upside, I do now have an unused Kits folder and am determined to actively shop it when the shopping bug hits and will also now only buy kits unless I have a specific set of photos for it. At least that's the plan...LOL!

I can't answer #1--I'm layering impaired. I need templates.

#2-With a few exceptions, I only buy kits that I could use for many LOs. In reality the number of LOs I do with them varies. I'd say I do 2 LOs with most kits. Some I've used a lot more. If I get rid of a kit it's because it is no longer my style or looks dated, not because I've hit a certain number of LOs done with it.

#3-Not my SSD kits. The ones I've bought and end up never using are usually $1 deals from other sites. They're kits I wouldn't have bought at full price.

1. I just use NeeNee's templates. She takes care of all that paper/element layering business for me. :thumbup:

2. I try to use kits I've purchased at least twice. I don't always succeed.

3. I definitely have a few older kits (2 years or so) that I just HAD to have when they were released, and now they're sitting on my HD unused years later. I still plan to use them, just for the principle of it. I figure my kids/family won't care if the kit is outdated when they look at the page.

1. I (generally) only use templates that come from my CT's, and I usually only use them as a starting point, but that's because I tend to add about a bazillion things to my layouts, LOL. Templates are a great way to start using items in a different way than you normally would, IMO! What I do for adding multiple papers is I pick all of the papers that I think I MIGHT want to use, and I add them to the background before doing anything else (sometimes it's 2 papers, sometimes its the entire kit's worth). Then as I go along, I'll use the shape tool (like someone else mentioned) to add a little something (circles, squares, strips, whatever) and then use the clipping mask to clip one of the papers to the shape. I usually do this with patterned papers. But like I said I tend to 'over add', LOL.

2. I usually only use a kit once for a layout. There have been a couple of times that I've used a kit twice, but I rarely do that. What I DO use some of them for are hybrid projects! I love using kits in that way.

3. I have SO.MANY.KITS. that I've never used that I've purchased, it's really a little obnoxious. Again like someone else said, I'm trying to go through them now instead of purchasing more kits, but that doesn't seem to stop me from picking up a kit here and there when it's on sale!!! My biggest problem is that I LOVE girly kits, but I have 2 boys and no girls. LOL.

1. Another template user...When I don't use templates I don't have a game plan

2. Right now I have so many unused kits I just want to use them once...I would like to use them twice (some kits I have used twice)...

3. When I first started scrapping I would buy kits because I saw someone else's layout that I liked...it's crazy because I didn't use half of them because they just didn't work for me...they are all on my hard drive and I've been thinking I should try to use them one day...

the reason for question #1 is I just dont get that much use out of papers. I love pretty patterned papers and will layer them under my main backgrounds and let them peak out and I do use the patterned papers for the main background but I love the look of paper strips being used and paper blocking but I just cant always get them to look like they should and get kinda frustrated. I use templates sometimes too but I wish I could get more usage out of the background papers. I tend to use the elements alot though. I wish that a designer could make just templates for layered paper strips. Or maybe there are some and I just dont know LOL I looked for an example of what Im talking about but could not find a really great example. Might have to look again though.

1 - i *love* layering patterned papers, but i don't use templates very often anymore. what i usually do is grab all the papers i want to use so i know how many layers i want. then i start with a blank canvas and play around with my shape tool. i just wing it. i move stuff around, rotate it, resize, etc until i like it. then i clip my papers to the shapes and get to work. photos are next (normally i've already made places for those too), then elements.

2 - i usually only use a kit once...once in a great while i'll use it twice. rarely will i do more than that. there are just too many great kits on my EHD and not enough time!

3 - yeah, but i try to purge them now and then.

1. Do you use templates to figure out how you want to layer them or do you have a particular way to figure it out?
Hmm, I always start with a general picture in my head of what I want the finished layout to look like. I can't just open a canvas and play around; it doesn't work at all for me. Once I have an idea I create the basic design similar to a template using the shape tool and the grid in Photoshop. If I want an imperfect shape (wave, scallop, etc) then I often use shape templates because they save me a lot of time. But I usually figure out the majority of my layering and design before I ever add any papers or elements to the page.

As far as sizing, I think some of it is just playing around and you'll get better at it with practice, but I usually start with how big I want my photo or how many photos I want. I use my grid for drawing out shapes so I can know exactly what size they are because I like them all to be on grid lines. (I'm weird like that ) I also use the shape tool on the fixed size a lot so I can put in 1.5x1.5 for a square and get that exact size.

I also use the History palette a ton whenever I make major changes to the design. I just take a Snapshot (the little camera icon at the bottom of the palette) so that way if I do something and hate it, I can go back to what I already had done. I often have 5+ snapshots by the time I'm done.

2. How many times do you suppose you will use a kit to make a layout?
Once. I tend to use so much of a kit, especially papers, the first time around that for me it's not worth it to use it again. I may use a kit more than once if I really really love it but that's very rare for me and I don't put any pressure on myself to do so.

3. Do you think there are kits that you have never/will probably never use that you have purchased?
Yep. And most of them I've already deleted. I actually don't allow myself to buy kits anymore unless they are beyond amazing because I simply don't use them when I have so many amazing CT kits to choose from.

Hmm Linz...I layer all my elements on the layout like that and move/resize til I get something I like but it does not seem to work out when I try to do it with papers.

Oh and Lynette I LOOOVEEE how you use b/g papers on alot of your layouts!! Like the one with the country in all different patterns? I think that was your page anyhow LOL

First question: Do you use templates to figure out how you want to layer them or do you have a particular way to figure it out?
I use paper strip templates/block templates some of the time but I layer my background papers more than I layer on the actual page (as far as papers go). I think the more you do it, the more comfortable you feel doing it. I think it's just a matter of getting used to having more than one pattern on a page.


Second question: How many times do you suppose you will use a kit to make a layout?
I'm one of those that usually only uses a kit (exclusively) for one layout. There's too much to choose from out there that I love. I need to spread my love. LOL

Third question: Do you think there are kits that you have never/will probably never use that you have purchased? I've adopted a buying strategy lately...to cause myself from spending unnecessary money. I stole the idea from Sara I know that I'm not active in any forum other than SSD so it's VERY rare that I buy a kit from anywhere else. I'll buy element packs, alphas, templates, etc., but I know in the end that if it's a full kit, odds are it's not going to get used.

1. Sometimes I use a template but most of the time I just wing it. Sometimes I don't even have a clue what I'm going to do when I start, I just start layering things in different shapes and sizes around my photos and play with it until I think it looks good.

2. I have no problem using a kit more than once, but I have so many that I rarely do. I'm trying to now buy kits that I know I could get a lot of use out of.

3. I have several I've never used. If they're not my style any longer, I delete them. Otherwise I try to use them.

jessica31876 said:

I wish that a designer could make just templates for layered paper strips. Or maybe there are some and I just dont know LOL I looked for an example of what Im talking about but could not find a really great example. Might have to look again though.

Click to expand...

If you have some templates with layered strips you like, you could save duplicate copies of just the strips to make your own collection of layered strip templates.

1. Do you use templates to figure out how you want to layer them or do you have a particular way to figure it out?

I do use templates a lot but if I'm not using a template I just open up the papers that I love..which is usually most of them in a kit lol! and use my shape tool. It is impossible for me to use just one paper.

2. How many times do you suppose you will use a kit to make a layout?
I'm so lucky with my CT's that I don't shop much anymore at all. But even with CT kits I tend to use them at least 2 times..unless it's very themey and I only get one page out of it.

3. Do you think there are kits that you have never/will probably never use that you have purchased?
I've gotten much better about this..mostly b/c I don't shop much anymore so anything that I download is CT related and those are easy to use b/c I love them so much lol. I do have a folder with about 20 or so kits though that I've had for over a year at least that I'll probably struggle to use if I ever do. I bought several at a dollar sale a while back that had great elements, but when I unzipped them the papers were awful...just drab neutral colors that totally ruined the kits for me. I need vibrant loverly patterened papers

1. Depends...sometimes I start with a template to get an idea, other times I just start making shapes with my shape tools and start clipping papers to them and keep adding, turning and twisting until I like what it looks like.

2. I created a whole album with a kit once...so I guess my record was about 20 pages.....I wanted the same kit for our trip to the Children's Museum....usually I try and use it 3 times...but there are time I only use it once or more than 3. It depends if I really like the kit.

3. Most definitely...especially when I first started out...I would buy a kit b/c it was super cheap and there it sits. I also do lots of challenges here and at another site so if I buy kits from outside those two sites I doubt I will use the kits.....sad I know that is why I have just stopped looking elsewhere. With CT and scrapping for challenges I don't have a lot of extra time to just scrap so I haven't used those extra kits yet....hopefully that will change! I also buy a kit b/c it's pretty (but I have 3 boys so those kits don't get used that often!!) I am hoping for a girl so I can scrap with those pretty kits I have sitting on my EHD!!!

Question one - layering and templates
I have to say that I go through spurts... if I'm feeling really guilty at how behind I am in scrapping (like now) and I'll pull out the templates. Yet, that is really for photo limiting and placement... I play with the rest. If I'm scrapping without templates, I find myself using more elements than paper... that is what draws me in a kit.

Question two - many uses for kits I have great intentions to use the kit multiple times, that is one of the reason why I love digital... but unless I'm designing a theme book, I just don't pull that off...

Question three - unused and never to be used? Ugh... If I moved all the unused kits I have into one folder, I think I'll be physically sick! Every month I say... that okay, after this purchase, I'm going to hault on spending and use the kits I have... then a designer brings out a stunning kit or I have a photo that needs a particular kit and I'm talking to myself all over again. What I have to stop doing is purchasing at other sites!! I had a goal that I would at least scrap one layout from a designer not at SSD once a week (who is not a CT)... when I try to do that, I feel guilty... so I stop.

1- I sometimes use templates as a springboard but more often than not I justplay. I need layering lessons from Laura(emmasmommy) though! She's the queen of it

2. I've used some kits 40 or 50 times. Average is 3-4 layouts per kit, depending on what the kit is for and who makes it.

3. Nope. I try to use everything at least once if I pay for it. Free stuff is another story, lol.

#1 - I use templates fairly often for the overall look, but I move stuff around & add & subtract stuff. If I am not using templates then I decide if I want circles or rectangles & then start cutting & move things around. I usually cut large & downsize the paper as needed.
#2 - If I can't see myself using it at least twice, I don't buy the kit. Just like I don't buy dresses, shoes or purses unless I am sure I am going to get a certain amount of use out of them. Two layouts is my minimum.
#3 - The reason for that is I used to have a lot of kits I bought & never used. I purged the unused ones from my HD a couple years ago & have been fairly good at getting two uses out of most of them. I think I only have 5 kits currently in my unused folder and they have all been purchased in the past 2.5 months. I've got about 2 dozen kits I have only used once so far but they rotate out fairly quickly.

Do you use templates to figure out how you want to layer them or do you have a particular way to figure it out?
Well, yes and no. LOL I have templates for when I want the paper to have fancy edges etc. If I want the papers to be rounded on the corners or different sizes, then I'll use the shape tool.

How many times do you suppose you will use a kit to make a layout?
I won't use it more than once unless I'm making a special book with a theme. Right now, I'm working on my pregnancy albums and I'm using Traci's kit for two of them, and planning on using Dani's new kit for the other one. I have also used a lot of Kristin's kits for my heritage albums that I made my brother and sister for Christmas.

So, I will reuse a kit - but only if it's for an entire album. I prefer to buy elements, papers and alphas separately. For some reason I use them over and over again when they aren't in a full kit! LOL

Do you think there are kits that you have never/will probably never use that you have purchased?
Oh most definitely! That's one reason that I haven't spent near as much money this year as I have in previous years. I have SO many kits that I have bought that I have never used and I realized as I was tagging them that I will never use them.

Templates or not? I only scrap with templates about 50% of the time. The rest of the time, I use the shape tool, the polygonal lasso tool, and shape templates to cut my papers into shapes. I use the polygonal lasso tool if I want uneven paper strips behind a photo, like if I want one end wider than the other or want them to be kind of "off," kwim? After that I just play with things, move them around, resize and delete until I like the look.

Kit Use:
I don't have a set number of times that I want to use a kit. Everything will get used at least once, but after that I use it when it strikes me. There are kits that I adore and are really flexible that I've used on 5 or 6 layouts. There are others that have a specific theme or that I've purchased for a specific reason that I've only used once. I do single lo's and don't scrap chronologically so even though I'll recognize the same kit in multiple layouts when I look through an album, I don't think it's likely that many other people would.

Unused Kits:
I am pretty good about using the kits that I buy. I really only shop from a couple stores so what I buy I love. The exception would be some of the kits that are in something like The Digi Files occasionally that aren't my style or taste. I don't have a problem letting those go. The thing I have the hardest time using are element packs. Not stitching packs but other things like separate alphas, bows and ribbons, buttons that aren't part of a kit. I forget about them and get involved in making a lo and forget to check my stash for other things that might mix and match. I've pretty much stopped buying element packs other than stitching for that reason. They just don't work with the way I scrap.

1- Templates or no: I generally don't use templates because for me I have a hard time changing things unless it is a template I created, it is some weird mental block with me. I generally have some sort of an idea of what I want to do. I usually place my photo on my page first and then build up behind it. I use the shape tool to get my big pieces set and then just marquee pieces of papers and paste them in and play around til I like it.

2- Number of Uses of a kit: This is a really hard question for me to answer because I almost never scrap exclusively from one kit unless it is for my CTs. But if I had to guess I would say 3-4 if I really love the kit. Just depends on the subject matter and colors of a kit.

3- Unused Kits: I have very few unused kits anymore. I used to buy all the time because it was on sale or I just loved how it looked. And it sat unused for a long time. Then I deleted them. So now I only buy what I love and think I will use in a relatively short period of time. I usually scrap with something right away. I just can't justify buying something I don't think I will ever use.