Kitting Around!

 (Sorry for the uncropped borders and awkward spacing in this post! This the third time I've uploaded pictures to this post only to have them disappear and I'm done tinkering with it! GRRRR...Blogger!)

I've had several classes to prepare for in recent weeks. I just finished "kitting" (yes, that's a word...at least in my circles!) for my December Graphic 45 card classes. I've been doing these classes monthly since March, with plans to continue on through next year. We've had a great time in class each month, and preparing the kits has certainly kept me busy! I'm not KITTING! (Couldn't resist that one...) 

 When I make kits, I plan for two days of work. Sometimes it takes less than that...sometimes more (depending on the number of kits) but that's a good average for most classes. That does not include writing instructions, which always takes me a few hours!

This time, since Bailey was home for Thanksgiving break, I decided to cut all of my paper at Memory Bound and bring it home to assemble. Even though she was super busy with projects all week, I wanted to be in the same room with her as much as I could! It's a Mom Thing. :)

 Here is the card set I'm teaching in December. We will be making six detailed cards in two hours time. In order to ensure that we complete our projects, many pieces need to be pre-cut.

  I started with a very long list of everything I needed to cut. There is nothing like checking off things on a list! I have been known to write tasks on the list just so I can check them off!

 After a few hours of cutting, I boxed it all up and brought it home. I know it may sound strange, but I love seeing all the cut pieces rubber-banded together!

 In addition to the big bags I planned to assemble, I prepared smaller bags for dimensional embellishments like ribbon, twine, and buttons.

For obvious (CAT-RELATED!) reasons, I usually avoid packing twine at home!

 First I organized all the cut pieces by card. I usually pack all the paper supplies for each card in an envelope, then stack them in the kit in the order we'll make them in class.

 I gathered everything for each card and assembled it. Here are the pieces for one of the six cards we'll be making in class.

 After I pack all of one card, I stack them all together. Here are three different cards, ready to go.

Meanwhile, I found a cat-free zone and finished the twine bags!

  A good old metal tray is very handy when working on kits. The tray keeps everything corralled and provides a portable work surface which can easily be lifted away from kitty paws. In this case, I was able to carry it over to the couch so as to sit very close to my daughter while she worked on her projects! :)

 After I finished assembling the cards, I stacked them for each kit in the order I plan to teach them in class.

I rubber-banded them together and tucked them into the large bag, along with the twine bag and a few other supplies.

Here's one of the boxes of completed kits! I get excited when I see them all ready to go! It's kind of like getting a new box of crayons or markers. LOL

 No "kitting" around: I'm looking forward to two fun classes! :)

Janet