I don’t know about you but I love school kits. For me they’re the digital equivalent of cruising the aisles at the local office supply store; I just can’t get enough of all the pencils, graph paper accents and adorable schooltime elements!

But as a child-free scrapbooker I don’t exactly have a huge need for school kits and well, let’s face it, there’s only so many “first day of school layouts” you can really scrap. So what’s a scrapbooker to do?

Well here are six easy ideas for using school kits for non-school themed layouts:

1) Focus on matching colors

School kits are known for having bright, bold colors, so why not use them to your advantage? Rather than reaching for your school photos right away, look for non-school photos with colors that match the papers and elements in your kit, like Jacinda did in the layout below.

2) Look for versatile elements

The great thing about Sweet Shoppe Designs kits is they are packed FULL of goodies, which means even in a heavily-themed kit like a school kit, you can still find plenty of versatile elements like flowers, ribbons or buttons, to use on your non-themed layouts, like I did here on my August Faves layout. The best part is if you want to create a school-themed layout later, it’ll have an all-new look thanks to all the themed elements you didn’t use the first time.

3) Get crafty

School kits often include artsy type elements like pencils, scissors or glue which makes them perfect for layouts celebrating craftiness like Natalie did here.

4) Let the elements inspire your design

School kits tend to be full of fun labels and journaling blocks. Try using them to inspire the design of your layout like Jacinda did here.

5) Embrace the theme with a twist

School-themed layouts don’t have to be first day of school or even kid-focused layouts. There are lots of other ways you can scrapbook around a “school” theme, from lessons learned, to when I grow up, or even what Harry Potter school house you’d be in like I did here.

6) Think outside the box

With a little creativity, a well-designed kit can be used for pretty much any layout topic, so don’t be afraid to think outside the box with your school kits and use them in a different way like Steph did here.

School-themed kits don’t have to equal school-themed layouts. By focusing on colors and versatile elements plus a dash of creativity, you can create an awesome layout without anyone ever being the wiser you used a school-themed kit.