To Buy or Not to Buy
 

What do you look for in a scrapbooking kit that determines if you purchase?

What is something you'd want to know before purchasing that you can't tell from a preview or description??

I always look at the pattern papers first. If there is a gorgeous stand out pattern paper then there is a good chance I will buy.
It needs to be a good mix of pattern and bi-color patterns and solids of course.
I also want the flowers and foliage to look a certain way.

I look at the foliage and flowers first, then the papers. After that I'll check out the rest. If there is wood or mixed media included chances are I will be 85% sold.

Hmmm? Good things to look for.

I definitely look at flowers.

Lea, how do your flowers need to look? Are you looking at realistic flowers, or flat versus more 3d?

I'm a patterned papers gal! I have a problem with plaid- I find them irresistible! ;) I've been know to make a plaid paper out of a striped one before because the kit didn't have one! lol! I'm also a sucker for pretty floral papers and fun word arts!

Flowers and greenery are a must for me, and then solid papers. Some kits (not too many, but there are a few) don't have solid papers, and I find it hard to scrap without them.

I am a word art person so normally the word art will sell me on a kit

I like variety. Here are the things I look for:

• Flowers (non repetitive CU)
• Unique non-flower elements
• Foliage/leaves
• Ribbons/bows
• Cards
• Banners
• Frames
• Tags
• Brushes / paint splatters / stamps
• Scatters
• Buttons
• Fasteners: staples, stitches, etc
• Word art
• Beautiful patterned papers
• Complementary colors
• Theme (I like versatile kits)

The most important thing I look for is if it is something I already have photos I can use for it.... I TRY really hard to not purchase kits just because I love how they look.

WOW these are all great.

I'm a sucker for flowers and scatters. And pretty unique butterflies. I don't care about fasteners ...because really, how many staples and stitches do I need. I can always pull one from another kit or 20 to use. ROFL

For me, it's theme! I love unique themes, especially if I have photos that will work for the kit! The hardest are probably Holiday kits, because they're so normal and non-original. "feelings" kits are difficult for me too. I don't scrap as feelings, as much as travel and everyday moments.

Once the theme is fun and interesting (fits my needs), then I look at colors/patterns (both papers and elements), flowers and foliage, word art, and unique elements.

Ha, ha, I'm a lazy kit scrapper, I like everything at my fingertips :D:p

I buy what is visually appealing to me. I look at the layouts. Do they use the same elements over and over within the example layouts? If they do, is there enough other elements to support the product and the purchase?

Another thing that gets me is if it's a subject that I have been looking for--like any military kit, chances are I buy them up! They are so few, far between! So subject matters.

Can I scrap more than one layout from the purchase? Ideally I'd like to scrap at least 2 layouts, if not more with the collection.

ROFL I am too...but fasteners don't count:D:D:w00t:

Good ones!

Flowers for me as well. I need at least 5 different flowers I like.
Secondly, I look at the colors. And a kit must have solid papers as well.

Color scheme is huge for me - if I don't like the colors, then it doesn't matter to me what's in the kit!

LOTS of flowers, striking colors that are my taste, a few unique papers, plenty of word bits, and something different that catches my eye... I especially love vintage bits, themed elements and original & unique illustrations.

Lots of flower choices preferably not the paper kind, authentic looking foliage, a really good mix of papers (floral, woodgrain, stripes, etc and one that I can absolutely use as a background paper. I dislike plain backgrounds but I don't want too busy either). Scatters of some sort--- paints or sequins/beads preferably. Stitching, butterflies, at least 1 journal card. Premade titles and word art is always great too!

Flowers and solids mostly. Sometimes it's just because I'm in the mood to buy. :)



It would be nice to know before hand if the alpha is on sheets or individual pngs. I'm not a fan of the sheets.

I don't like sheets either

I'm being nit-picky, but I do have a few kit turn-offs :p

Kits that have things that would realistically be fastened to the page if they were paper scrapped, but there is no corresponding piece in the kit. Banners for example, shouldn't just be "floating" on the page IMO. I know I can absolutely get fasteners from another kit, but it seems like they should be included.

I also get really annoyed when there is a corresponding template that has something like a doily, but the kit doesn't contain one.

PNG alphas sheets where the alphas are so closely spaced that you can't use the rectangle marquee tool without overlapping an adjacent letter.

Word strips that have no real estate at the ends to tuck under something. You can always trim them, but making them longer is a huge PITB!

I totally agree with you, Sheri!!

I'm drawn to bold palettes. I shy away from pastels.

I definitely want variety in flowers - not all the same shape... meaning I like to have some "roundish" and some "pointy" some that I can use as "small" and big bold ones. It helps make for more interesting clusters. I also mostly use realistic foliage and like to have more than one to use.

I like unique patterned papers. I don't know if there is anything new under the sun, but it makes me happy to see patterns that I haven't seen before (or maybe just don't remember!). I also like a variety in patterns - some big, bold patterns, and some smaller patterns. And, please, don't leave out solids!!

I like themed kits that are not so completely themed that they can also be used off-theme.

LOL! Am I asking too much?? :p :wub:

Oh I never thought about the word strips with enough space on the ends. Good one

This for me as well!

Color is the most important thing for me. I like deep, saturated colors, and I like lots of different colors. Monochromatic is hard for me. I also love lots of realistic foliage, paint, and ribbons/strings. Word art also catches my attention. And I need a little bit of something black, or at least dark navy, to be really happy. I love black elements!

If that's the case I just make the darn solid myself! lol

oh yes that too! Colors are important. I'm not sure what attracts me but the colors needs to be appealing. I don't usually go for too vibrant.

I like to replace the doily in templates by paints. But if there aren't any paint splatters either then... I'm screwed! lol

I guess I don't like flat paper flowers, I don't like real flowers because shadowing them is always so hard.
So I like realistic 3D paper flowers? I've never really thought about how those flowers are made.
I also don't like to shadow flowers that just look like a circle.

Definitely makes sense!

I replace stuff in templates all of the time too. More often than not, when I use templates they are ridiculously modified :D With that said, I still think it's good when a template is marketed with a specific kit, that they complement each other. If there is a ribbon on the template, the kit should have at least one ribbon. If there is a doily, the kit should include one. If there is greenery on the template, the kit should have leaves/greenery. Really, it doesn't happen too often and I'm almost always able to make it work, but occasionally I abandoned pages.

It's difficult because often we are making the template at the same time the other designer is making the kit. So, elements don't always match up. For me, I try to add a variety and use commonly used elements in my templates so there is bound to be something there that's in the kit. And, ribbons in a template can always become paper strips. Doilies in a template can be used as a paper shape, also, if you clip a paper from the kit to it. Etc, etc.

Absolutely and totally get it Brook and that's exactly why I said I usually make it work just fine :wub: It's just something I appreciate when I don't have to think about it. I do a lot of substitutions based on my own preferences regardless of whether the template is marketed with the kit. I use templates as inspiration, but always enjoy adding my own personal touches. Obviously ribbons and papers are easy to interchange ... doilies can be converted to paper circles, you can add a different type of element in place of foliage. I guess I just assumed the coordination on collaborations was the same for templates as it was betweens for colors, elements, etc. I absolutely don't expect designers to change their processes based on my preferences, it's just an observation :wub::wub::wub:

It's a completely valid observation, and I wish I could make it happen but it doesn't always line up. Which, ugh. I know it probably does irk some people. It does help when the designer shows me previews along the way. Like right now, I am making coordinating templates and staring at a partial preview so I'll do my best to include some of the things I see so far. You know I love your opinions, Sheri!!! :wub:

Ok, everything's important but I really like kits that stand out. Like, I won't really purchase a kit that resembles a few other kits already released. The three most important things for me are theme, flowers + greenery, and word bits/word art, Those make me buy it or not. Then come unique elements and colors. If all five are present, I just go ahead and make a purchase :)

Great system!

Flowers, overall look/color scheme, wood grain backgrounds are a few of the things I look for. I'm not generally a kit scrapper, so a kit gets bonus points if it will mesh well with the rest of my stash. :)