Hello everyone!  If you are like me, you took full advantage of all the fabulous iNSD sales and picked up lots of new digital goodies.  But what do you do now that you have 5, 10, 15+ new kits to create with?  How do you prevent them from sitting on your hard drive and getting lost/forgotten with all the new digital goodness that comes out each week?  I am here to share a couple of tips with you for getting those new kits off your hard drive and onto your pages.

Tip #1:  Planned Photos

If you have specific photos that you want to use with a new kit, put those photos and the kit in a special folder on your computer (or your digital scrapping organizer program) so that everything is accessible in one place.  I use ACDSee to organize my digital products and I have a category called “Special Projects” where I include kits, specific elements, templates and photos that I want to use on a page or in an album.  I find this to be quite helpful when I am short on scrapping time and don’t have the luxury of  searching through my supplies to find the right kit and photos.  Think of it as a Page in a Box (or folder).

Tip #2:  Kits without Planned Photos

I’m sure you probably also picked up some amazing kits that you don’t have specific plans for too.  These kits are the ones that are most susceptible to getting lost in your stash.  I have a couple of suggestions for these kits.  First, you can put them in a specific “2 Be Scrapped” folder.  That way, when you have a general photo that doesn’t require a specialized kit, you can go to this folder and choose your favorite kit of the moment.  Once you have scrapped with a kit, I would move it out of the photo and back to the place where your other kits are stored.  Otherwise, the 2 Be Scrapped folder will become too large to be useful.

If you are just itching to create with that gorgeous new kit, but don’t have photos in mind yet – go ahead and scrap a page and leave a mask to clip the photo to later.  I have done this with travel albums before, where I create the pages before the trip and then add the photos, titles and journaling later.  This technique is even easier with general kits that don’t have a specific theme.  Once the pages are scrapped, definitely keep the layered version, and you’ll have it done and ready to go once you find the perfect photo.  (For more ideas on creating the perfect photos, see Tip #4, below.)

Tip #3:   Look for Inspiration to Scrap

Maybe you already have the photo/kit pairing ideas in mind, but you just need the inspiration to get started.  One of the best places to find scrapping inspiration is in the Challenge Pad.  There is nothing better than getting a guided design directive AND a reward for scrapping!  In addition to the monthly challenges, which net a global discount at the end of the month and a chance to win a $50 gift certificate for the Lilypad store, there are also designer specific challenges that give you freebies and a chance to win prizes from your favorite designers.  Never underestimate the power of suggestion to get your creative mojo rolling. :)

Tip #4:  Use Digital Kits as Inspiration for New Adventures

This one is my favorite tip of them all.  So far, I have talking about how to organize your kits/photos to help you get those gorgeous new digital kits out of their folders and onto a page.  But what about using the kits as inspiration for new life adventures?  Best of all – you will already have the perfect kit to scrap those memories!

Have you ever bought a kit (or considered buying one) that you just loved, but then realized that you don’t have any photos to go with it?  Raise your hand if you have ever staged a photo (including your choice of clothes, or your children’s outfits) to go with a kit that you wanted to use.  I see lots of hands in the air right now – my own included!  Did you pick up that adorably cute Lemon Squeezy kit by ForeverJoy Designs or Bella Gypsy’s Squeeze the Day collection?  Take the opportunity to find a recipe for homemade lemonade and spend some time in the kitchen making it with the kids or a special friend.  In addition to taking photos in the kitchen, also take some of the kiddos or yourself drinking it and then scrap them with the new kit.  Not a kitchen person?  Find the restaurant (fast food or otherwise) that has the best lemonade in your area and go there for lunch.  Want to take it one step further?  Make it a weekend project and set up a lemonade stand with the kids!  I think it is entirely appropriate (and actually kind of awesome) to use digital kits as inspiration for everyday adventures. :)

This suggestion also works with gorgeous general kits too.  If you picked up Etc. by Danyale’s beautiful Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong kit, it cries out for a tea party adventure or a selfie in a new patterned scarf that goes with the kit (yes, I just totally enabled you to shop for yourself).  Don’t forget about templates either.  Fiddle-Dee-Dee’s May Flowers set definitely inspires a garden photo shoot. :)

Don’t miss out on today’s SOSN kits either – Dawn Inskip’s Oasis Collection inspires a trip to a local nursery or park to take photos of Spring flowers and Allison Pennington’s Talk to Me kit is a great prompt to call someone you haven’t talked to in a while.

Whether you are scrapping to preserve memories, or using your creative urges to inspire new adventures – just scrap.  Don’t let all your new digital goodies sit in a folder and gather tech dust.  And make sure you share your fabulous new creations with us in The Lilypad Gallery!

Until next time ~
Judie (HeyJude)