Nature Story Kit + July 2024 Stories By The Month + OLW Mini Kit #3

I’m usually not one to complain but It’s really disappointing to see that we’re getting repeat cards from years past in the SBTM kits. I know I still have that Miranda July quote in yellow in the exact same design. I haven’t even been a subscriber for five years and I’m getting repeats. And many of the exact same sentiments are on the die-cuts from just a few months ago, specifically those half circles. It just feels disheartening to know that these kits aren’t being treated with the same care that they have in the past, especially since we’re putting trust into the kits by committing to paying without seeing. In the past I could always trust there’d be something new and fun but that’s no longer the case.

I don't feel comfortable complaining either, but I am just not enjoying the SBTM kits this year. It is just too much paper, I don't use many of die cut pieces. I really do not like the thin strips of paper with tiny printing on them and I find them difficult to even read. I miss getting items made from fabric, felt, cork and plastic to use as embellishments. In the past I have used up most of the pieces in the kits, but this year I have tons of left-over die cuts that I have no use for. I have signed up for the class on using your stash, in the hope that I get new ideas for these items. I am on the fence currently about subscribing in the future, which is sad as I have done so for many years.

i found it interesting reading the concerns about repeats. i was honestly just thinking how ii ENJOY the repeats when i see them (& i don’t think there are that many) seeing those nature tags & some of the sentiments i thought “OH! i could go back to my Rocky Mountains trip last year & use those very thoughts & they’ll fit in perfectly!” (started, but haven’t finished last yr’s vacay book. typical scrapbooker’s delay-no time to finish before starting your next project syndrome). i understand the concerns & the desire for new/different (and i am ALWAYS excited about your new products, designs, trends, alphas…cuz they’re so much FUN!) but just wanted you to know some people, well me, don’t mind some repetition &/or overlap i can usually find a home for everything and if it’s not my thing i donate it. anyway, love the old, can’t wait for the new & thanks for all the ‘stuff’ whether it’s paper, embellishments, my coffee mug!, a DD shirt, IDEAS, guests and videos. i enjoy them all!!👍🏼

Oh, in case some people don’t know i assume you can skip a month in SBTM as you can in Story Kit. i’ve done that on occasion when a kit didn’t strike my fancy. saves me money & i don’t lose out on kits. just a thought.

Hi,
I love all the red, white and blue in the SBTM kit! I have a SBTM stamp set question. Is it the same font as the #13 Alphas are Awesome set, only lower case? and if so, what is the measurement difference? I hope this makes sense.
Thank you!

Love the kit offerings this month! I subscribe to Story Class (Digital kit). If I sign up for the physical Story Kit and Story stamp for July, will I get the Digital kit for free? Then I just skip Story Class this month?

Just making sure I have that right!

Is it possible to have alternate digital cards for the main monthly card in SBTM. Some of us are in Winter and a lot of these cards reference summer. Unfortunately this monthly kit seems to really only be for customers who reside in America, usually there is a good balance of products no matter where you live. I love Ali’s products but I am disappointed with this release.

I realise I can skip a month but then what do I use for the month card and the repeated cards I am using to keep my album looking coherent?

Super disappointed with this kit on top of June's kit with so much reference to summer and America (including a 6x4 card with an American flag?) Surely you should be aware many of your customers are worldwide and can't use those cards - including the last two month cards referencing summer when its winter in Australia. My understanding when I committed to 12 months was that it was a "month" themed kit so Im now stuck with having to buy kits with many items I have to throw in the bin. Im also finding so many embellishments/die cuts are just too big for PL so I haven't been using them. Sorry to complain but this is the only kit I now subscribe to and am finding myself disappointed when I watch the reveals now rather than being excited. Thank you.

Thanks Ali for taking the time to respond, appreciate you taking feedback on board and appreciate where you are also coming from.

Just popping on to say that I really like the July kit. There are few pieces I can't determine a use for yet but who knows, that may change!! I do love these products as a jumping off point for my PL!! Understand everyone's comments just wanted to say its a cute kit for my needs!

I've been enjoying the monthly kits this year. I love the vellum. I've never been able to keep up in PL, this is my first year of completing it and not being behind. The kits spark excitement and I want to use them right away. The kits are consistent so I can keep a rhythm and have a loose formula with similar items in each kit release. My kids are summer birthday's, June and July, excited to pull out the Birthday Story kit and play that I've been saving. :)
I also received the stamps for the years, months and project titles, I'm going back through all my albums and making new spine labels and going back down memory lane of flipping through older albums.
Thanks Ali & Team.

I super love this SBTM kit! I have been loving them all this year so far. The American Flag was a favorite for me as well as the colors! So many uses besides July 4th. Thank you!

I'm loving the SBTM kit's this year and options. I would ask that designers be aware of pocket page sizes as some of the tags and embellishments are really big for pockets. I have been working around it by using punches to punch out parts of the tags so they are still usable.

I would also ask your shipping team to please don't just ship the kit in the envelope by just sticking shipping tags on the kit envelope. It makes it so you can't use can't use the envelopes in your crafting.

Thanks!

I discontinued my SBTM at the beginning of the year because I liked getting the 7x9 paper. I didnt like all the vellum pieces and thought the kit wasn't my taste. I really love July's kit though and would love to have some of the vellum pieces! Maybe people that live in places where the season is different now can save the seasonal cards for their warmer weather.🌞 I did subscribe to the Inspiration by the Month so I can print up a lot of the cards etc. Not sure about printing on vellum, but I'll experiment.😁 I don't mind having repeated sentiments, I have a LOT of years to catch up on!🤣

Some ideas that may help those who aren't in America - for the flag card, perhaps it can be shared with a crafter in your country who has visited (or for your trip, if you've come here, to use on a vacation page.) Or maybe a photo-less page where you document either an American recipe or tradition you've tried, a newsy or opinion type layout about your feelings towards what's going on in America these days, etc. The tag with the red, white and blue trim can be used like a postal tag ... the "here comes the boom" card can be used with any type of fireworks show and the card with the stars can be used for a starry night, a star student, something that "made me see stars" etc!

The SBTM kits have been wonderful this year. The products included have been enough to complete 4-5 double page spreads each month with some leftover. Occasionally I will dig into my stash for an additional item to use for the pages. The diecuts and flatter embellishments work well for my style. This is the first year in a long time that I have been able to stay current. Thank you for all the work that goes into making these kits!

I'm a long time SBTM subscriber and I too haven't been loving the kits this year. I'm okay with saving a themed card to use later but am so disappointed that the monthly cards are referencing summer when it's winter here. I want my album to be cohesive and feel that I shouldn't have to alter this particular card. I get that there will be cards that don't always suit where I live and I can choose not to use them but feel that the monthly card should be generic enough for all subscribers to use no matter where they live. I agree that the larger die cuts are hard to use in pocket pages and I find at the end of the month most of these have not been used. I do love the addition of the vellum in the kits and enjoy being able to use SBTM kits to put my monthly spreads together quickly. I don't mind some designs being repeated but do wish this wasn't done for consecutive months.

When will it be possible to subscribe to SBTM? On day one of availability it has been sold out for the past few months. I'd love to start a new subscription, but that doesn't seem possible right now. Will there be additional availability any time soon? Thank you for your help!

I am enjoying the kits here in the UK and plan to use the American flag vellum cut into pieces just as ordinary stripes and the rectangle of stars as a separate embellishment for a birthday. I like the vellum pieces very much as interest in my pocket pages and use them in a variety of ways without adding bulk, I hope these stay going forward. I post a couple of my pages in the SBTM class gallery every month showing how I have used the kit but other people don't seem to.
I don't do regular scrapbook pages anymore just pocket pages and I manage to use most of my kit in several spreads every month and just add any left over die cuts to my stash for use in other months or travel albums. I have used all the thin strip tags in 4x6 pockets or cut them into smaller label strips. I often use these to cover up a sentiment that doesn't fit for my month. I also buy the digital kit so I could print that card without the sentiment if I wanted to or resize a die cut to what I want. I don't mind repeats as long as they are spaced out in the year. 'These words' and 'these photos' die cuts are great in any month for me as it is what memory keeping is all about! Last time I used them separately this time I might group them together. The thing I don't use is the plain outline stickers, you could buy them anywhere, I have loads left from last year but apart from that, I am happy with the kits.
I let customer services know early on the patterned shipping envelope was not standing up to foreign postage arriving one month wet and ripped so I now order an extra cheap item to make sure it comes in an outer envelope to protect it. Celebrating Easter was in the wrong monthly kit but I just crossed it out and add my own box on the bottom of that card that we were celebrating that month. Sometimes I just cut the header off and add it to a photo, there are always ways around it! I just wanted to give my take on this years kits so far and offer some ideas for work arounds, it's hard to please everybody, I just assume as an American company most of your subscribers will be on home soil so I adapt. I am just grateful you ship international as we have very few pocket page supplies here.

Love the kits this month!! We just returned from an Alaska trip which the Nature kit will be perfect for! I love the SBTM kit too...everything July which is what should be expected when we're subscribing to a seasonal kit. :) Thanks Ali and team! You're doing great.