I went to two different stores on two different days and found 17 different kits in all- total score!! And, since these regularly retail for anywhere from $14.99 to $17.99 it was quite the steal, too! I had no problem picking up every kit I found since I knew they were good quality and I would like them. I've reviewed Basic Grey's kits on the blog before- a look at the Origins page kit is here, and you can see the Nook and Pantry card kit here and the Sugar Rush kit here.
I found 5 card kits in all, including Olivia and Curio...
...Out of Print (I was shocked to see something so new in the closeout bin!) and Hello Luscious...
...and Oxford. I am sooooo glad to have some masculine cards to add to the mix!
I also found 12 different layout kits including Life of the Party and Green and Heart...
...Pyrus and Jovial...
...Out of Print and Sweet Threads...
...Hopscotch and Hello Luscious...
...Max and Whiskers and Oxford...
...and Capella and Oliver.
I was one very excited chickie when I got home with these!!
You may be wondering exactly why I was so excited to find these kits when they're nowhere close to the style of page that I design now (see my Style Reboot series for more on that), and I'm happy to assure you that I didn't just buy these to stockpile them- I actually plan to use them all!
There are lots of reasons I like these kits:
- The cards. I am not the world's best card designer- not by a long shot! So having a pre-designed card kit actually de-stresses me a bit. Okay it de-stresses me a lot!
- The 4x6 layouts. Even though I mostly print 4x3 and 2x3 photos these days, I still have a pretty good stockpile of 4x6 photos that I've printed over the years that are just waiting to be scrapbooked. The layout kits will be a quick, easy, and fun way to get those photos into albums.
- The value. I mentioned before that these were only $3.99 each, meaning that each scrapbook page (if you count the 2-page spreads and two separate pages) are a mere dollar each. Each card kit makes 8 cards, bringing them to 50 cents apiece for gorgeously designed, beautifully embellished cards. You just can't beat that.
- The design. Just because I don't design my own layouts to look like these doesn't mean that I don't like them. On the contrary, I tried for years to emulate this style with no success before figuring out that I just can't wrap my brain around it well enough to design it on my own. The layout kits take that headache away and just leave the fun part behind.
- Sometimes you just want to make something. Like I said in the last point, the kits have taken the guesswork out of the design. Because sometimes I just want to sit down and stick stuff together, darn it!