A couple of weeks ago I posted What the Heck is a Scrapbooking Workshop Kit? to introduce the concept of these kits from Stampin’ Up!. With the closure of Close to My Heart due to the owners’ ill health, SU have welcomed the CTMH demonstrators some products into the SU family.

When I posted about these kits, I said I would do an update after I had used the kit. So, this is that update! And wow, am I glad I got the kit! It made a huge difference !

I’ve had a bunch of photos and prize certificates from my entries into agricultural shows sitting in a box for years (dating back to 2018). I’ve been wanting to do something with them for so long but wasn’t sure what. Finally, I decided to try scrapbooking. After all, I’m really good at making cards, so it can’t be much different right? Wrong. Read on!

Attempt #1…

My first attempts weren’t great. I used existing SU 12×12 cardstock and DSP that I had, and existing stamps/dies/etc. Still, I wasn’t thrilled with my first attempt and knew I needed some help.

I had a limited supply of Stampin’ Up! 12×12 cardstock on hand… and it was the old stuff… not the beautiful smooth two-tone cardstock they stock now. This meant that of the colours I had, I only had 1 or 2 sheets in the same colour. Ugh. I used some retired DSP and other cardstock for mats and decorations. But, honestly, really not happy.

Attempt #2….

I looked at the scrapbooking kits available but none of them seemed to fit the agricultural show theme. So I tried going it alone again. This time I used a retired stamp and die bundle, and some retired DSP that seemed to match the theme of the blanket being featured. This was my very first agricultural show that I entered – Ballarat Show 2018. The blanket is a pattern called “Arizona”. I’ve always been deeply drawn to Native American history, folklore and art, but never really understood why. I just knew I had to make that blanket (and in fact, I’m curled up under it on the couch right now as I type this in 2025!). So the southwestern patterned paper, stamps and dies seemed to go with it. But the only 12×12 I had that also went with it was the grey tartan (which is currently available under ‘last chance items’). Again, not real happy with the outcome. None of it really works together well. Sigh.

On a side note… I was adopted at birth and when I was 40, my birth mother found me. What a joy! I mentioned my unexplainable draw toward Native American things and she said that she was pretty sure her grandmother was Native American but didn’t know anything about her. Well, in 2021, as a result of DNA updates on Ancestry, I discovered that I am a descendent of the Choctaw Tribe. I look as white as they come and never would have guessed. But maybe there is such a thing as ‘genetic memory’ after all! It does explain a lot…my being drawn to art and artforms, my intolerance to wine, and why I’ve suddenly started learning horse archery at 56 years old. A story for another time… back to the scrapbooking.

Attempt 2 – still not happy.

Attempt #3….

And yes, there was a third attempt. I bought some very cool DSP – Need for Tweed – from SU that was all woven textures. Perfect for an Ag Show scrapbook layout right? I even saw an email from SU that had a cool idea for cutting DSP into diagonals for a scrapbook background layout. So I ordered the paper and did my pages, then embellished them with stamps and die cuts from my stash. I went for a bit of whimsy to offset the ‘seriousness’ of the tweed. One of the stamp sets I used was a new one that featured, of course, a dachshund – Long Time No See.

I was much happier with this layout, but also knew it didn’t have that polished look that says “I’m good at scrapbooking”. I honstly didn’t realise how much different it was to card making. Sigh.

Attempt #4…

So, what’s a girl to do? I needed help. So, I looked at the Scrapbooking Workshop Kits one more time and decided to buy one that had colours I liked and hope for the best. I got the Everyday You and Me kit that was on sale.

That’s the one I demonstrated in the previous post. Was it a perfect fit? No. Did it work really well? YES! YES! YES!

I was suprised to find that some of the sentiment stickers that I really didn’t think fit the ag show theme, did, in fact, work well, as did the embellishments and papers. I’m super happy with the outcome.

The instructions were great but my photos and certificates were different sizes to the ones suggested by the kit and there were more of them. Many more. So for the first 2 pages, I stuck as closely to the instructions as possible, especially for the embellishments, but did what I thought best with my certificates and photos.

For pages three and four, I mostly stuck to the plan, but had to vary it considerably due to my photos and certificates. This is where I really learned a few valuable lessons:

1. Don’t cut everything in the kit according to the instructions first! Cut what you need, when you need it. I needed mats for the photos that were larger than what was suggested. And more of them!
2. As a result of lesson number 1, I also learned it’s a good idea to have some spare cardstock in colours that are part of the kit. Thankfully I did!
3. Lay out your photos and certificates first on the plain 12×12 cardstock base. This will help you decide what you need to modify from the instructions and how it will look. Take your time to really play here with different layouts.
4. Build the base layers on your cardstock – the big pieces to get the basic background. Then play again with your photos/certificates and make sure it all works together.
5. Add the embelishments – stickers, sentiments, chipboard pieces, die cuts, etc LAST. If you think you’re going to tuck some of these behind a photo/certificate/mat, then plan ahead and leave that part without adhesive until you had the embellishment. If all else fails, use your Take My Pick to lift a small part up to slide the embellishment under.

The kit I used had layouts and instructions for 6 pages. I needed 8 pages for this project. So, having some spare cardstock and spare 12×12 two-toned sheets helped me here. I found that there were extra embellishments in the kit so I spread them out across the last four pages.

In the end, my pages don’t look exactly like the ones in the instructions but the instructions were invaluable in helping me get to the finished product. I learned so much by using this kit that I can now apply when I want to try ‘freestyle’ scrapbooking again.

That said, I’m ordering some more kits today because I love how simple it makes it and how everything coordinates. Even when you don’t think the ‘theme’ is right, it turns out you can still make most of the elements work if you like the colours and some of the embellishments!

Interested in trying Scrapbooking? I highly recommend getting your hands on one of the Scrapbooking Workshop Kits from Stampin’ Up! There are some amazing new ones being released on 5 September, 2025 when the new September to December Mini Catalogue and some new Online Exclusives go live. I’ve included a supply list below with the currently available kits…. Some of them are even on sale right now! I’m off to check the website and order some more for myself!

Current Scrapbooking Workshop Kits

Prices and availability are correct at the time of publication, but are subject to change. You can browse these and other coordinating products at bridgeta.stampinup.net.