Non seasonal scrapping with seasonal products

well, Jennifer, I have the same situation as you. I live in Brazil, so the seasons are the opposite, and even worse, in my city it's never too cold, it's almost always warm/hot. So, when I have CT pages to create or even personal ones for my travel albuns to scrap using those kits, I try to match the colors with the photos I have, for example. Once I used a 4th july kit to a romantic page, and my shirt was blue, so I could use the red and white, blue combo. (can't post here because it's from another store).

And most kits, have wordarts that have more regular words like: "documented", "love this", "our life" so I can use those instead of the "love camping" for example.

so if I love a color combo, like this month's BYOC, and I'd go shopping, I'd search for products that I could use in that way, even if it's not fall here in my side of the world!

 

I look at the colors and basic pieces of seasonal kits to match my photos to use for non seasonal layouts.

 

I understand that if I'm working for a CT, it's better for my designer to have their products showcased as they are, but it's also important to show diversity...so, sometimes I gave myself the liberty to work my pages like this...

 

Here’s one from @amandaresende that uses seasonal BYOC for non seasonal.

 

I scrap non themed all the time. I feel like it gives the customers more options to stretch their stash and it actually helps the designers because they can sell to more people because the product flexibility is showcased.

 

I used a fitness kit for wedding pages. The fitness kit was exactly the colors of the wedding. Non specific elements in the kit were used as well. I then pulled wedding specific elements from another kit by the same designer that wouldn't clash with the colors.

And, I've been known to use more seasonal kits on general pages, just sticking with the papers and non specific elements.

 

this is mostly a halloween kit, we don't celebrate here, so I used for a travel page:

 

I’m on my iPad right now but there are quite a few BYOC products with basics that can be used for non themed layouts. Check the gallery for inspiration. I saw a ton yesterday when I was leaving comments.

Little butterfly wings, pink reptile designs, Designed by soco, Allison Pennington, Lynn Grieveson, Rachel Jeffries, NBK... Pretty much all of them if you look at the colors, the word art, or the flowers, button/basics you should be able to find something to work with just about any photo. Also don’t forget you can change your photos to black and white to go with more kits.

What I’m trying to say is if you love a BYOC kit that’s themed, don’t skip over it because you don’t have themed pictures. Look at it closer and see if there are things you can use with the pictures you have. If you have some BYOC kits in mind that you need non themed ideas to scrap with it let us know and we’ll try to help.

 

This one from @carrie1977 uses Rachel’s mixed media pocket art kit but it’s not pocket art or overly mixed media. even though it says September it could be any month.


hope that helps you see the diversity in some of these kits.

 

i made this one with the BYOC's kit of Just Jaimee:



My picture isn't an autumnal picture (taken this summer during a hike) but colors matches with it!

 

I'm on my computer now so it's easier to link to kits and layouts. Like you said Just Jaimee's storyteller is good for everyday life scrappin.

I think I remember you started school again and Designed by Soco's Change's kit and cards could work for documenting that, even though it was intended for changing to the fall season.

The word art - learn & grow, embrace the change, new beginnings, time for a change, then, now, a new chapter, etc.


the life is about change card or some of the others.

Pink Reptiles Unscripted BYOC kit is more happiness and life in general than Fall themed. I also love that her coordinating templates are almost like a quick page with the elements already added so you can just add your photos and papers, title, journaling and call it good if you don't want to add additional elements. But you can change them up with additional photos and element if you want. I think they would work well for the clean and simple design style I see in your gallery.




And of course like I mentioned above with the layout by carrie, Rachel's pocket art signature kit no 6 can be used with more than pocket pages and has word art and elements for documenting the little things and happy moments of life.



There's more but I hope these suggestions help get you thinking outside the box on how you can stretch your BYOC purchases beyond the initial theme of the kit.

 

Ditto.
I know I'm biased because I CT for her, but Valeria tends to do less US holiday-themed BYOC... probably because she isn't from the US? (Not trying to speak for you, @valeriapiemonte !)
Here's my page using her June BYOC, which she titled Hopes and Dreams:

I loved the colors and the WA was so fun. Perfect for everyday pages, like my kids being goobers on the hammock.

 

I think it depends on how you scrap. I tend to focus on the colors first to go with my photos. I actually really love BYOC because I can find lots of papers and things in a specific color scheme. Some kits are more theme focused, but I think sometimes if I don't think about the season, than it's not as theme focused. Like, Honey Hill by Amy Wolff. It may not be chilly season, but brisk can mean quickly too. Like a brisk walk. A golden sun works for any sun, especially a sunset. It's not autumn everywhere, but it's still September. The mushrooms would be adorable with a food layout with or without mushrooms. The heart, leaf, and home elements would work with many seasons and layouts. So, I think looking at the kit elements helps me see how it can be used in different ways.

I struggle with winter kits because my winter right now is not snow and cold. But, I also will pick up a winter kit and use it for photos from a previous year. I also find that looking at some designers with more similar weather or seasons- like Lynn G with her hot winters - has helped me find kits I want to use with my winter photos.

For this BYOC, I actually used Pink Reptile Designs Unscripted for my Weekly Project. I also used Notes from the Road for a summer trip. It wasn't fall, but the air in the mountains was more crisp than in Vegas.

Hopefully, that helps you see how I think when I look at a kit and generate some ideas for you?

 

I usually use a BYOC template and then 2 kits from different designers for BYOC, but this month I actually combined 2 templates (swl & prd) with the prd and rj kits. You might be able to use a mixed alpha title if you have alphas from different designers.

 

Lots of good advice already & yeah I'm climate/seasonal challenged too, but given I don't scrap chronologically, I just got in the habit of mostly scrapping photos & stories from our hot Xmas time around June & July when the summery kits are often released & vice versa.
Snow: (I know you said none ever but you would have seen more of than me! )I use the odd snowflake more symbolically. It still means winter to me.
Autumn? Well we don't really have that so I use any outdoor pics really with leafy stuff.

 

Same as our area & the cold isn't my cup of tea so we don't pay to holiday in the man-made snow fields here (although they got a fair amount of real snow for a week or 2 this year with the extremes getting more extreme). I kinda like fog, as long as I'm not driving in it!

 

These are all great ideas... many times there are things that do not work for me personally as I don't have children, or the like, but there are flowers and such in each that work for any season. I tend to scrap old photos as we do not have a lot of snow here either.. I had more when growing up so I chose old photos or the colors of the kits are some of my favs so I will get something based on that to scrap with. September's BYOC color scheme is a fav color scheme of mine so I am enjoying it immensely!