I will spend a bit of time trying to rearrange everything this week, but for now, tell me everything you can about patterned paper. For me, I hate BIG patterns. I'm so sick of the flower that's 3/4 the size of a 12x12 pp -- what the hell am I supposed to do with that? Basic Grey is the biggest offender. While I love to look at BG, I have the hardest time using it, and frankly, despite being an intermediate/advanced scrapbooker, it makes me feel stupid. I don't dig stupid.
Tinkering Ink is another company I find hard to work with. The colors are so freaking garish that you can't find any picture to mix with any of them. I always have to resort to changing my picture to black and white just to use the paper. And yeah, I admit, I bought a bunch of it -- it looked great in the store.
Chatterbox -- oh how I miss you. The real you. The Chatterbox before you started doing what everyone else was up to, before you went to the chunky patterns and badly drawn "doodle" look. The smaller patterns of yesterday, the tiny floral prints, the thin stripes, the three or four color scheme plaids, ah, you were my favorite.
There are so many papers out there -- from simple patterns to themes to speciality papers such as mulberry and suede and velvet, and well, you get the picture. Lately, though, my favorite companies all appear to have taken a heavy dose of LSD before designing -- I mean, what the hell am I supposed to do with oddly sketched birds, owls, and satanic looking bunnies??? I try my best to make magic with them, but alas find myself really wanting to cut them into squares and give them away as a toilet paper substitute because they really look like . . . yeah, that.
So tell me what you're thinking. What kind of trends are you seeing that make your eyes cross and your stomach turn, and most importantly, tell me what you REALLY think about these companies and the stuff their churning out at rapid speed. For me, it's a small world after all, and I want my small patterned paper back, pronto!
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34 comments:
I miss the old Chatterbox too. Good thing I have a ton of it to keep me happy until they return to their old self.
Can't figure out what to do with some of the LUXE papers. Some are okay, others are just nutty big.
Lots of companies are distressing the crap out of paper - I'm all for the distressed look, but please STOP before it looks so dirty!
I'm not crazy about many of the new papers coming out, but I've only seen sample of them online. I'm sticking to my oldies but goodies for a while, as I have stacks of it to use. So I really don't know a whole lot about the new. I really do HATE Tinkering Ink and the BamPop stuff.
Chatterbox -- oh how I miss you. The real you. The Chatterbox before you started doing what everyone else was up to, before you went to the chunky patterns and badly drawn "doodle" look. The smaller patterns of yesterday, the tiny floral prints, the thin stripes, the three or four color scheme plaids, ah, you were my favorite.
Exactly!!! I like some of the Basic Grey -- solids, and the smaller patterns too.
Daisy D's are "iffy" as are "We R Memory Keepers"
I like much of "My Minds Eye" some are fab, and others so-so. Again, the smaller patterns and solids.
Scenic Road, Bam Pop and Luxe papers I guess are great if you are into cutting edge "edgy" stuff.
I used to live for any new KI Memories releases. Anymore though, it just doesn't do it for me. And the Love Elsie lines just are way to bold and "out there".
I used to be a big fan of Chatterbox too. I am just hoping this trend of big bold colors will die quickly!
OMG. I could have written your post. I agree with everything you said. I, too, will miss the Chatterbox look as it was not already altered, had simple prints, and color schemes that matched photos from the 20s-modern times. Even those bad 70s photos looked so much improved on Chatterbox paper. And the linen texture...don't get me started.
I posted this on the last thread and it definitely applies here:
Rockstar stack from DCWV-I just bought this and I have to say that the quality and thickness of the paper is great. The designs are fun. The foil and flocking suck. It makes some of the papers look really cheesy instead of cool.
WRMK keeps getting better. I just hope they stay away from the pre-distressed trend. They might actually be able to fill the Chatterbox void if they do.
Tinkering Ink, Luxe, Piggy Tales, SUCK!
Tinkering Ink, Luxe, Piggy Tales, SUCK!
I too agree with your post! I love CBX, despite all the drama. I can't stand bam pop and all the skull paper.
I love SEI and Heidi Grace papers. They are easy to use and easy to match up with other papers.
I am also a fan of the distressed papers.
Totally bored with BG.
Great room and billiard room were my absolute favs for brown 60s-70s photos. They also worked well for scrapping older men, like my dad. And I could distress them if I wanted too. Or not. It was nice to have that option.
Bam-Pop is my least favorite, I can't imagine using it for anything but maybe one layout for a boy's birthday or Christmas with picture of opening the gifts.
The big designs thro me too, where do you place the photos? I use those for altering items, covering journals, etc.
I love the older BG the newest, is too dirty looking.
DaisyD I bought ALL their vintage Christmas papers and love them.
I'd love to see the patterns with big honkin' flowers go the way of the dinosaurs. I just don't see how I'd use them.
Love Daisy D's, Christmas papers from last year I absolutely love.
I miss Chatter box too. But I also have a good stash of them
Basic Grey. Although I love the older lines. I am not too happy about the newer ones. Stella Ruby is about the only one of the newer lines I like.
American Crafts I am liking too.
Never cared for Luxe, BamPop, Tinkering Ink and all the other really weird ones to me
Scenic Route (most, but not all) is one of the few paper lines I can use almost any of. The good thing is that, even if there's a crazy print on one side, the reverse is usually a good pattern.
I loved Chatterbox prints/patterns, but I have to say the thinness of the paper always bothered me because it seemed to wrinkle easily. I always wanted all the papers to be printed on heavier cardstock weight paper. I bought them anyway, though, because I liked the patterns.
Good God, I am in the minority here. I HATE Chatterbox papers - old and new. They are thin and flimsy and the patterns are just plain boring!
Although I do hate the really BIG patterns on papers - I mean the ones where it looks like you are just supposed to plop a photo on the page and be done - I do love the big patterns and fun colors that are out now.
Bam Pop!, Luxe, and Tinkering Ink are some of my favorites right now. You just need to use them sparingly.
Used to be a HUGE BG fan, but I think they've run their coarse and had better change their style soon or they will soon be extinct!
I prefer not to have pre-distressed paper. I think that years from now people are going to look at my albums and think that the paper got ruined.
I hate how a lot of the new PP's have the new generation of "borders."
And Bam Pop is just flat out TRASHY.
I use to use KI for everything. I loved their bright colors, and the designs were easy to work with. Now everyone is copying that banded theme paper look. It was all over CHA. Although it is a bit dating itself it is still one of my favorites.
Piggy Tales look tired to e. All those drab colors, they just don't do it for me.
I'm iffy on CBX, I liked their stripes, but the flowers went a little too far.
I have to agree about BG. It's had it last ride for me.
Thanks for the blog!
I'm one of those who always had to buy every sheet of BG ever printed. No more. The last 6 releases I've liked maybe 2 sheets of each line, sometimes none at all. I don't scrap one-photo LO's and can see no other use for the huge prints by any co. I also Loved the vintage Daisy D's Christmas prints and bought 2 of every sheet.Find them very hard to use though. I think they remind me of my childhood actually. Must use!
Never liked CBX at all. Do love American crafts,Heidi Grace, Scenic Route and KI. Not a Luxe, Bam Pop, Crate, Piggy Tales fan at all. Did like Cosmo Cricket but think they are going way overboard on the distressed look. As is BG in my opinion.I'm one of those who buys almost all the DCVW Stacks but never rips out one single sheet. No idea why!Would love to see less distressing and smaller prints and SOMETHING besides flowers. I love flowers as much as the next person but have hundreds of sheets of flowered pp. And way too many Primas and other flower embellishments.
Don't care for an owl on anything. Lived through the 70's. What's next the tired old geese? Also don't get the skulls unless your kid was something creepy on Halloween.
Daisy D's rocks! Classic timeless and good quality. CB paper does not cut clean every time and it is not my paper cutter. Heidi Swapp needs less bling and ghosts. American Crafts is solid never had anything from them that was bad. I like anything that does not show up on QVC after I buy it.
I'm a fussy so and so when it comes to PP
I HATE the retro/ funky Sassafras Lass/ Urban Lily type stuff with a vengeance - or any pattern which overwhelms the page due to Huge pattern overwhelming colour etc....
heres a clue, if it looks like a rainbow threw up on it then there is not much creative processes that are gunna make it look good. besides.....we do want to see the photos, don't we?
While I am a fan of the LUXE, Tinkering Ink, and Urban Lily lines (b/c honestly, I love B&W photos, and those lines are perfect for them), I absolutely detest Basic Grey. It all looks so dirty! I understand that distressing is 'big,' but not everything needs to be distressed and BG is overkill. Then there is the issue of their pattern and color choices - bland and boring. Just gross.
I'm not a BG fan either - I used to be but I'm so over it now.
I prefer brighter, smaller-patterned papers now.
I just stocked up on PP recently - lots of nice bright colours; Sassafrass Lass (love their polka dot prints), Doodlebug. Some not so bright ones I still love are MME (not big patterns though), Crate Paper - I don't find these are overly distressed. I'm not a big fan of Love Elsie, but I have bought a few of her papers for the ledger side.
I haven't bought or used any CBX in a while - I do have a huge stash of it though. I think I just got a bit tired of it, but it is timeless and I'm sure I'll go back to it one day soon.
I also am missing the old chatterbox... great designs you could work with, and not be overwelhmed by!!
I think the KI Memories line was way better than the Elsie line. Same general concept but with much better execution. I could draw much of Elsie's paper lines myself. I do like her stamps, however.
Whoops. I am the 11:42 poster. I meant to say KI Memories Pieces of Me line was way better than the Elsie line.
I have so much damn pp that I bought but is absolutely no good for me to use for a scrapbook page. How frustrating is that? For example, BG urban coture and MME Bohemia.
There is just so much of a huge picture that there is no where to actually put your own picture. What ARE you supposed to do with that anyway?
I second the sassafrass lass awesomeness :)
You would second the sasafrass comment, since you work for them. Your anonimity is blown, it seems there is a very suspect one line sasafrass praise on every post!!! Spend less time with your "anonymous" posts and start designing some paper that was not some cheap knock off of the crap on the walls of my dorm in the 70s..
Sorry for the rant, it is geeting old. I love this post!!! I have been really disapointed in the same big flower/design been through a flood looking paper. I miss the old Chatterbox too!! I am not sure if we will ever see it returning. I disagree with the Piggy Tales comments. My friend agrees and gave me some of her PT, but after using it, the patterns go so well together. I also love love love Crate Paper. They have never made anything I do not like.
I agree with the Tinkering Ink comments, they are a great example of what happens when a bla company gets in with all the CK and simple staff. Please!! Did CK try and use this crap before they started promoting it!!!!
I liked sass until the summer releases. I mean, I do think owls are cute but an owl skeleton is just plain creepy to me. I like the original bam pop and have used it for all sorts of layouts (sparingly) but the colors in it are just awesome to me. I haven't bought any bg since they started doing the giant patterns last year some time. I also feel like cosmo is over distressed, the colors in it are so yellowish they make all pics look bad. I don't mind the tinkering ink colors and I do believe these colors will be around for awhile since they are all over in non-scrapbooking. I think my current faves are AC - not too many colors on one sheet competing for attention. I love color but I want to be able to come up with my own color combinations, thank you very much.
I too lament the loss of the old Chatterbox. I used to use more of it than any other brand. I don't like big patterns - in life or in scrapbooking. I prefer the soft, subtle papers as I find them easier to work with and they don't overpower the photos.
BG used to be a favourite, but has left a lot to be desired in some of the last two releases.
I love:
Basic Grey
Luxe
We R Memory Keepers
Scenic Route
I do love that Basic Grey has the small 6x6 pads and they are shrunken versions of the big prints. Good for cards. I wish they all did that.
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