1 to 3 Challenge (plus 1) with the ScrapRoom

The 1 to 3 Challenge is a scrapbook kit review. One of the Scrapstorian design team trials one scrapbook kit by applying it to three different sketch challenges in a month, and documents our experience, providing our thoughts on the kit company, the kit contents and how versatile it was for different challenges. We also talk about the sketch challenges.

For this 1 to 3 Challenge, I am going to tell you about my experience working with a kit from The ScrapRoom and the challenges of Stuck?! Sketches, Colourful Creations, and Let’s Capture Our Memories. Oh and I also accidentally  😉  did a bonus sketch – the one from The ScrapRoom that comes with the kit.

My experience with The ScrapRoom has been so much fun! Their website has a lot going on: blog, café club, a store, ideas, recipe cards (step by step instructions to create a layout), message board and more. Be warned though … poke around their site enough and you will be craving a coffee. They play on the whole café/coffee experience in a really great way that leaves you hankering for java.

The ScrapRoom kits come with a lot of variety and as I excitedly discovered are packed in almost little “mini kits” to form one large monthly kit. This made it very exciting; more to open and discover like multiple presents. Each “mini kit” is very different from the others. I had to stretch my usual style quite a bit to use one of the “mini kits”, but am I very glad I did – it worked out really well.

I usually spend quite a bit of time on each scrapbook kit website poking around to find the kit I like best. This time I decided to just go with the most current kit, and challenge myself to use whatever it came with. (Look at me being all brave!) So here I am with the The ScrapRoom March 2014 Café Club “Flavors of the Month” Kit ($27 USD, if you sign up for their monthly kits, you get coordinating coffee with your kit – fun!). The kit arrived about a week into March packaged well in a stiff bubble envelope and then further packaged into those smaller “mini kits”. The package included a print out list of the kit contents, the name of the coordinating recipe, and a suggested sketch.

Here is a quick snapshot of the kit goodness …

All right, I have my 1 scrapbooking kit (thank you The ScrapRoom) and now to showcase it in 3 … ok this time in 4 sketches, I couldn’t resist!

Sketch 1: Stuck?! Sketches – now that I have found Stuck?! Sketches, I cannot get enough. This may also be the time to admit I have a bit of a Laura Whitaker sketch addiction and I am loving it. lol Here is the Stuck?! Sketches March 15, 2014 sketch challenge:

Insta-love for this sketch! I tend to take photos in threes; it really works for a single 12×12 scrapbook layout if you take them in portrait view. This sketch screamed three photos to me. Couple that with the October Afternoon Snapshots pattern paper from the kit and I was off to the races.

Supplies from The ScrapRoom kit: October Afternoon Daily Flash Snapshots Focus and Compose pattern paper; October Afternoon Pop Drops; Lilybee Designs We R Family Home Sweet Home; Crate Paper Styleboard Dark Kraft Cardstock; Prima Wood Polaroid “Fun” Frame
Supplies from my own inventory: Simple Stories Daily Grind Stickers; Recollections large wood Polaroid frame

Sketch 2: Colorful Creations – I was not sure if I had the photos to make this sketch work for me this month, but after looking through what the Colorful Creations Design Team came up with I had to give it a go. Check out the link above and scroll down to Karen’s take on the sketch – hello, fabulous!

The photos I finally decided on for this sketch are ones I love! And as every scrapbooker knows … the more you love the photos, the harder the page is because you really, really want it to be perfect. I lucked out though the awesome green tie and shirt in one of the photos for some colour inspiration, and the kit from The ScrapRoom came through again!

Supplies from The ScrapRoom kit: Lilybee Designs We R Family Home Sweet Home, Sibling Rivalry and Family Portrait pattern paper; Lilybee Designs We R Family Journal Cards; Lilybee Designs badges; white cardstock
Supplies from my inventory: Close To My Heart Dimensional Hearts; Stampin’ Up! Crystal Effects; Creative Memories Chalking Ink (Olive Green); Echo Park Sweet Day Alpha Stickers; American Crafts Thickers Junebug (charcoal); and My Mind’s Eye Record It All Things Chalk Enamel Dots

Sketch 3: Let’s Capture Our Memories – you have seen me play along with this blog before; and I cannot recommend enough that you give it a try too. They have a really deep design team both in number, talent, and varied styles. A design team member style that every blog follower could say “hey that’s my style too”. Their March sketch challenge is actually a Becky Fleck PageMaps sketch and it is a good one! I have officially filed it in my “go to sketch” pocket page of my Scrapbook Smash Journal – that’s a big deal. Here is a peek at their March 2014 sketch challenge:

Another blog post admission … I am intimidated by, shy away from, and never use floral pattern paper, never. Not ever. Well part of the Scrapstorian 1 to 3 Challenge is using a sampling of the whole kit you purchase; and The ScrapRoom March 2014 kit came with a “mini kit” of floral paper. Like a good scrapbooker, I rolled up my sleeves (literally) and gave it a go! Part of the reason I liked this sketch so much for my floral challenge is that I could use small squares of pattern vs. full sheets. It’s all about baby steps right?

Supplies from The ScrapRoom kit: BasicGrey Fresh Cut Poppy Lane, Violet Garden, and Gardenia Row pattern paper; BasicGrey Fresh Cut Chipboard; Sage Bakers Twine
Supplies from my own inventory: Bo Bunny Double Dot Island Mist, Heidi Swapp Stickers, Martha Stewart Crafts Gesso; Heidi Swapp Color Shine (mustard); random wooden Polaroid frames; brad

Sketch plus 1: The ScrapRoom – we usually only feature 3 sketches for the 3 to 1 Challenge but the sketch challenge included with the kit was calling my name. So here is my plus 1. Ironically this sketch is also from PageMaps and is also a three photo sketch (my favourite). Here is the sketch:

I have these very fun photos from my iPhone (hence the wonderful quality) that I had to put to a scrap paper. Our family lives across a couple of provinces, and sometimes when you miss each other a silly text message with a photo is all you need. Well these are a sampling of how silly we can be.

Supplies from The ScrapRoom kit: Crate Paper Styleboard Sweet Collection and Daydream pattern paper; Crate Paper Styleboard Dark Kraft Cardstock; Crate Paper Styleboard Ephemera and Vintage Frames
Supplies from my inventory: Bo Bunny Stripe Ocean Stripe; wood veneer hearts; heart paperclip; washi tape; fun tickets; Snap! Sticker Letters

Overall a really great experience with The ScrapRoom – I would recommend it to any of you out there looking for a monthly kit subscription or a one kit for kicks and giggles.

Next 1 to 3 Challenge here I come, stay tuned – or try your own and tell us about it!