Scrapbook Generation Review
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:23 pm
I posted some layouts in the gallery, but I purchased several more kits than that. One kit that I purchased made 6 finished pages (two double-page spreads) and was $18. I had some materials left over, and was able to make several cards. Everything that came in it was flat - all papers and a die cut sheet. And there were three sketches with a set of cutting instructions, and a printed color photo. Not bad for the money.
The next one I put together was one of the two-page layouts from a monthly kit. It was the "generations" page kit, which appears to be seasonal or holiday themed. This kit was $13. It contained two 12x12 papers, one 12x12 scalloped paper, two half sheets (12x6) and one smaller. And there was one die cut. The resulting layout was cute, but for $13, I didn't feel as good about the price. This one came with a sketch, cutting instructions and a photo also, but I still thought the cost was a bit steep.
The next one I got was even more expensive, as it's also a single two page spread, and it's $15. But I haven't opened it to see if there's more to it. The last kit I got was the November "super sketch" club offering, which was $20, and definitely seemed like the most bang for the buck. It will make 5 two-page spreads. There still wasn't any more than paper items in the kit, but you get more pages out of it, which I like.
The upside for me: I tend to not use a lot of dimentional stuff on my layouts, because it makes the book not hold as much, and it makes dents in facing pages. So the fact that there aren't flowers or whatever doesn't really bother me. I've got more than I need of that stuff. Also, I love the style, for the most part. I've never been able to pair down photos to just one on a layout (unless it's a single photo/portrait someone gave me). So I love a layout that will hold 4-5 or more photos.
The downside: BANNERS! While at first glance, the layouts all looked wonderful, closer inspection of their web site has now revealed that 3/4 of the layouts have banners as the primary design element. Once in a while, that's fine. But they're way too prevalent in these sketches, and I did not have a good time cutting and inking all of these tiny strips. And I'm sure there's an order to the strips that is the most visually appealing, and it was a pain to make sure I cut each of the patterns to the right length and got them ordered properly on the layout.
Will I order from them again? Absolutely. As a matter of fact, I did go ahead and join the super sketch club, along with the generation layout add on. I know I said I wasn't thrilled with the amount of "stuff" in the generation layout, but I don't need a ton of holiday layouts, and I'm thinking that having just enough to make a single layout for any given holiday or to mark a season is good for me. It should get me just what I need to keep the special occasion stash from getting out of control. I just need to figure out some variations on the whole banner glut.
The next one I put together was one of the two-page layouts from a monthly kit. It was the "generations" page kit, which appears to be seasonal or holiday themed. This kit was $13. It contained two 12x12 papers, one 12x12 scalloped paper, two half sheets (12x6) and one smaller. And there was one die cut. The resulting layout was cute, but for $13, I didn't feel as good about the price. This one came with a sketch, cutting instructions and a photo also, but I still thought the cost was a bit steep.
The next one I got was even more expensive, as it's also a single two page spread, and it's $15. But I haven't opened it to see if there's more to it. The last kit I got was the November "super sketch" club offering, which was $20, and definitely seemed like the most bang for the buck. It will make 5 two-page spreads. There still wasn't any more than paper items in the kit, but you get more pages out of it, which I like.
The upside for me: I tend to not use a lot of dimentional stuff on my layouts, because it makes the book not hold as much, and it makes dents in facing pages. So the fact that there aren't flowers or whatever doesn't really bother me. I've got more than I need of that stuff. Also, I love the style, for the most part. I've never been able to pair down photos to just one on a layout (unless it's a single photo/portrait someone gave me). So I love a layout that will hold 4-5 or more photos.
The downside: BANNERS! While at first glance, the layouts all looked wonderful, closer inspection of their web site has now revealed that 3/4 of the layouts have banners as the primary design element. Once in a while, that's fine. But they're way too prevalent in these sketches, and I did not have a good time cutting and inking all of these tiny strips. And I'm sure there's an order to the strips that is the most visually appealing, and it was a pain to make sure I cut each of the patterns to the right length and got them ordered properly on the layout.
Will I order from them again? Absolutely. As a matter of fact, I did go ahead and join the super sketch club, along with the generation layout add on. I know I said I wasn't thrilled with the amount of "stuff" in the generation layout, but I don't need a ton of holiday layouts, and I'm thinking that having just enough to make a single layout for any given holiday or to mark a season is good for me. It should get me just what I need to keep the special occasion stash from getting out of control. I just need to figure out some variations on the whole banner glut.