If you like to include a ton of flowers and ribbons on your pages and fill the paper edge to edge then you're never going to be happy with designers like Paislee Press or One Little Bird no matter what. Saying "They should scrap to stay in touch with what customers want" is an ignorant suggestion, because if you've ever looked at the galleries of these designers - who are also really talented scrapbookers, by the way - you'd see that they really are designing the type of products they use on their own pages.
-->So my point is that I think it's unfair to say things like the kits are smaller for the money, they're really not. A lot of these big monster kits are just stuffed with a bunch of filler CU items in that you won't use anyway and that don't have a whole lot to do with the actual kit.
Unfortunately you used the ONE store example (Sweet Shoppe) that makes this fact. SSD are one of the very last stores that still allow designers to put "11 flowers" in their kit contents when it actually contains 1 flower recolored 11 times.
I was told to always look at the product list to see what's in a kit, but SSD is the opposite: they want you to look at the pileup of elements on the preview to determine what's in the kit.
when a designer wants you to use only their product for the LO (which is fine) but not one staple or stitched line can be found anywhere...any kind of fasterner...it gets frustrating.
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So? Do you shoot your designers an email and tell them what they need to add to make a decent kit?
There are lots of CU kits & designers popping up everywhere now.
Do you think selling CU digi supplies is the new way (only way?) to make good money as a digi designer? Are designers who sell regular kits (not CU) a dying breed?
It seems everyone who digiscraps for awhile turns into a designer. Are there too many "designers" now, & not enough customers to support regular kit designers(not CU) in the industry?
As a spinoff to the store reviews... are there certain designers you'd like to see reviewed? Maybe one that has gained your interest but you hesitate to try because they are new? Or others that seem so popular yet put out crappy product? I think the store reviews are great, but they can take so much time to do. Maybe this would be a good compromise? Just a thought.
If you like to include a ton of flowers and ribbons on your pages and fill the paper edge to edge then you're never going to be happy with designers like Paislee Press or One Little Bird no matter what. Saying "They should scrap to stay in touch with what customers want" is an ignorant suggestion, because if you've ever looked at the galleries of these designers - who are also really talented scrapbookers, by the way - you'd see that they really are designing the type of products they use on their own pages.
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Important to clarify that when I made the comment about designers losing touch with end-users' needs if they don't scrap, I was referring to the inclusion of basic elements (fasteners, etc.) in kits... not to the inclusion of 10 identical ribbons in the kit colors. I completely agree that Liz (Paislee) and Peppermint (OLB) design in a minimalist/white-space style that doesn't lend itself to the "fill a page completely" way of scrapping, nor should it. They've both found a great niche, and do very well in it. If I were them, I wouldn't change a thing. That said, I do think there are a lot of designers out there who don't include any basics in kits because they're not thinking like their customers (scrappers), and then they wonder why they don't get repeat customers. And to them I would say that it's probably because the kits aren't well-thought-through, and not very scrap-friendly. KWIM?
Also, to whoever asked for my e-mail: piersunhacked at gmail dot com
If you like to include a ton of flowers and ribbons on your pages and fill the paper edge to edge then you're never going to be happy with designers like Paislee Press or One Little Bird no matter what. Saying "They should scrap to stay in touch with what customers want" is an ignorant suggestion, because if you've ever looked at the galleries of these designers - who are also really talented scrapbookers, by the way - you'd see that they really are designing the type of products they use on their own pages.
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Another way of looking at this issue of "to include multiple recolored versions of items or not" (and its sister issue, "whether to include multiple ribbons, stitches, buttons, etc. even if they're each different):
I think it depends on the type of scrapper your customers are. Some people buy a kit, make a page (or two), and are done with it. Others actually try to get more use out of a kit, and are using products to create coordinated albums as just one example. Now, the first type of customer only needs one ribbon, or one tag, or one button. Especially if they're a minimalist scrapper. But the second type of customer wants/needs more than that, so they're not forced to use the same ribbon or button or what have you on EVERY page of their project.
In the end, I don't think this issue has a right and wrong answer. I think it has more to do with what the customers need, and to appeal to both types you have to include more items/variety in your kits. There's no harm in doing it either way, but I see no harm in broadening my customer base by including multiple ribbons, etc. so that I appeal to more scrappers. I don't fault those who don't, either. I am sure they know their customers and what they're doing is working for them, or they wouldn't be selling.
I don't mind recolors, but what drives me crazy is when they rotate the item 90 degrees to make it look different, which makes the light source opposite on the 2 of them.
If you open a book, place it in your lap and look carefully at the light source, you will see it is not all in the same direction across the two pages. So for scrappers who do double page layouts, or print for books, having different light sources is not a bad thing.
Well, you see, the thing is, I don't use ribbons, fasteners and stitches, so I wouldn't include them in every kit, simply because I don't scrap that way. They may turn up in the occasional kit, but not every single one.
There are lots of CU kits & designers popping up everywhere now.
Do you think selling CU digi supplies is the new way (only way?) to make good money as a digi designer? Are designers who sell regular kits (not CU) a dying breed?
It seems everyone who digiscraps for awhile turns into a designer. Are there too many "designers" now, & not enough customers to support regular kit designers(not CU) in the industry? -----------
Um, seeing as this question was asked around four years ago, I'd say clearly not.
In the end, I don't think this issue has a right and wrong answer. I think it has more to do with what the customers need, and to appeal to both types you have to include more items/variety in your kits. -----
And then you start getting a degradation in quality. In trying to satisfy too many people, you end up doing stuff you don't want to do. So you lose existing customers because you aren't producing the kits they love you for and the quality has gone downhill and any newer customer may not repeat purchase due to the quality issues.
You cannot please all of the people all of the time, so don't even try. Best to stick to what you know.
And then you start getting a degradation in quality. In trying to satisfy too many people, you end up doing stuff you don't want to do. So you lose existing customers because you aren't producing the kits they love you for and the quality has gone downhill and any newer customer may not repeat purchase due to the quality issues.
You cannot please all of the people all of the time, so don't even try. Best to stick to what you know.
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Um, and why the sudden degradation of quality? Just from trying to include basic elements (fasteners/etc.) in kits? Your comment makes no sense. Nothing we have talked about up to this point has anything to do with quality, it's had to do with variety and has been a discussion of "what should be in a kit", not "how good will those items be".
This is interesting to me - I've been saying for years that all a designer needs to do is have a "toolkit" included in the TOU file. In it are some emergency fasteners - a string, a staple, and a couple or three "x" stitches. The same ones every kit, designer's choice.
I got this idea because I started at DSP and I kept buying kits that needed a damn fastener but they didn't provide one in their "4 papers & 4 elements 4 $4.00" kits".
IMO, when I'm selling a kit, I intend for the scrapper to be able to scrap a page using it, without having to dig into their stash to find other pieces to make the page work. I assume that this is why the customer is purchasing a kit, as opposed to picking and choosing paper packs and element sets.
That means that good quality basics as well as the more fun and unique items need to be included in every kit. I wouldn't put out a kit with all patterns and no solids because it would be really difficult to use on it's own that way. Nor would I put out a kit that didn't included at least one fastener, frame, ribbon, etc.
I don't see why it's so hard for the average scrapper to make their own tool kit folder and therefore avoiding the whole 'dig through the stash' scenario.
Most of them tag the stuff in the first place, which I don't do, but I do have a tool kit folder.
yep, I have a working tool kit, of my fav staples, stitches, fasteners, photo overlays, and such that I have picked up over the last few years. Some old faithfuls! Makes life easier, kinda like having a stapler on your desk, instead of filed in a box out back but then I don't get the need for 4 different colors of the same flower, couldn't ya warp a petal or something? Just make it a bit different?
I explained why the degradation in quality, please read it again.
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No, you really didn't, and I'm not even the poster who responded to you. The whole scenario may have made sense to you in your own head, but your train of thought got majorly derailed before it left your fingertips on the keyboard.
yep, I have a working tool kit, of my fav staples, stitches, fasteners, photo overlays, and such that I have picked up over the last few years. Some old faithfuls! Makes life easier, kinda like having a stapler on your desk, instead of filed in a box out back but then I don't get the need for 4 different colors of the same flower, couldn't ya warp a petal or something? Just make it a bit different? -------
Exactly. I really don't care if the average designer puts flowers, ribbons, fasteners etc in very single kit, just make the damn things different for every single kit.
Sigh. Not everyone is into the so called basics of stitches and buttons etc. Please see your point (b) in reference to your point (a). Those basics, for me, are crap. I make a quality product, one that represents me, which isn't the basics.
I'd be curious to 2 see a review of stores like Jessica Sprague, Two Peas in a Bucket, and Design House Digital (maybe even Designer Digitals). Those designers always seem a little hoity-toity and I'd be love to see if they are as superior as they/others seem to think they are. I have a feeling their shit stinks too.
Jessica Sprague, Two Peas in a Bucket, and Design House Digital (maybe even Designer Digitals).
^^ Don't think of any of them as hoity-toity. JS - teaches others - whether they learn is their business. TP - whatever - overpriced. End of. DHD/DD - blah blah blah. As a scrapper - never shopped there. Found most of their stuff to be crud/done already/boring
I've never paper scrapped, but I'm assuming that everything that goes on a paper page isn't self-adhesive. So when you are paper scrapping, does every kit you buy come with a stapler, roll of tape, glue dots, a needle and thread, etc. or do you have a tool kit full of those things because you know you will need them to make your page? I don't see why digi should be any different, you shouldn't expect every kit to have the tools you need to attach your embellishments.
If you are like me and prefer to have basics and kit specific elements in your kits then you will purchase more from designers that do that. If you don't want to buy from designers that provide basics along with kit specific elements then you will buy from designers that don't do that or you will just ignore the elements you don't need in other kits. Whichever. There is a market for both as there are scrappers that want kits both ways. Find your niche and go with what works for you.
I've never paper scrapped, but I'm assuming that everything that goes on a paper page isn't self-adhesive. So when you are paper scrapping, does every kit you buy come with a stapler, roll of tape, glue dots, a needle and thread, etc. or do you have a tool kit full of those things because you know you will need them to make your page? I don't see why digi should be any different, you shouldn't expect every kit to have the tools you need to attach your embellishments.
^^^^
Perhaps so for staples, and yet, as a scrapper, I'd much rather not have to hunt through gigs and gigs of kits for a staple ... I keep kits together in a folder so I want what I need to be easy to find. And as for ribbons, stitches, brad, strings, and flowers ... YES I do buy them to match specific page kits. That way I can just stick it all down.
I think it is really about how you scrap - style wise and skill wise. It's not that one is wrong and the other is right. I don't think it's right to say that basics are 'crap' if the quality is good. They aren't crap, they are just not something you personally value in a kit. COLS, now, THAT is crap.
I'd much rather not have to hunt through gigs and gigs of kits for a staple ... I keep kits together in a folder so I want what I need to be easy to find -----
If you already put things in a folder, what's so difficult about putting all your staples and other basics in a folder so you don't have to hunt through gigs and gigs?
If you already put things in a folder, what's so difficult about putting all your staples and other basics in a folder so you don't have to hunt through gigs and gigs?
^^^^
It's not difficult ... but other than metals, other things all need to be recolored. I just don't want to be bothered. I don't have a lot of time when I scrap. I want to open the kit and have everything I need in there. And let's be frank here - I'm the consumer, I want what I want and I'm willing to pay for it, so why judge? Yes, It may seem lazy - but this is my hobby, I do it for fun, and if I want to be lazy about searching for stuff, that's totally up to me.
I'm paying you for your stuff - if I like it, I come back for more - if I don't find I can scrap with it easily, I don't.
It seems to me it's kind of ridiculous to sit here and judge what you think your customers 'should' want and 'should' be able to do themselves. If Starbucks judged everyone who wanted a decaf 2% half sweet mocha, they wouldn't be in business. People want to be pampered. Stop judging and give them what they want.
I'm paying you for your stuff - if I like it, I come back for more - if I don't find I can scrap with it easily, I don't.
It seems to me it's kind of ridiculous to sit here and judge what you think your customers 'should' want and 'should' be able to do themselves. If Starbucks judged everyone who wanted a decaf 2% half sweet mocha, they wouldn't be in business. People want to be pampered. Stop judging and give them what they want. ------
The only one judging is you. I didn't judge you, I asked you a question and I get a sermon in reply. So, why don't you stop judging, okay? Thanks very much.
I perceived a lot of judgment - whens someone says 'whats so hard about that?' they are judging you for choosing not to do it. Then someone went on to say it was absurd.
I do know I'm not the only customer, I also said earlier that different people obviously want different things from a kit. I'm can agree that different people want different things without calling it 'absurd' or 'crap.'
The only one judging is you. I didn't judge you, I asked you a question and I get a sermon in reply. So, why don't you stop judging, okay? Thanks very much.
^^^
It's a sermon why? Because you don't like what I said? Sorry but you were the one calling names. I merely defended my position. I did no judging at all.
Let's see, shall we, here are some random quotes over the last few posts about this: _____
* Creativity is great, yes, but there comes a point where people really do need the basics in each kit, even if it seems boring.
* Personally I do want stitches and ribbons in every kit - not in every color, but at least one or each. I don't want to be recoloring as I scrap.
* So including all the 'extra packing peanuts' is helpful for them and a time saver for others.
* I've been saying for years that all a designer needs to do is have a "toolkit" included in the TOU file. In it are some emergency fasteners - a string, a staple, and a couple or three "x" stitches. The same ones every kit, designer's choice.
______
Sounds like expectations to me, but I could be wrong.
It's a sermon why? Because you don't like what I said? Sorry but you were the one calling names. I merely defended my position. I did no judging at all. -----
What name exactly did I call you? Please point it out me. You were the one that told me I was judging and absurd.
What name exactly did I call you? Please point it out me. You were the one that told me I was judging and absurd.
^^^
Must have been a third person then who said this: 'Exactly. Which is why I think it's absurd for some customers to expect all or most designers to provide the basics.'
I wasn't talking specifically to YOU or any one person either, I was talking to the people who are arguing against providing basics as if it's a ridiculous thing for customers to want.
I don't want them, and I can't be alone in that. To me, it is ridiculous. Sorry if that offends you, but there it is. I've stopped buying from certain designers because I'm sick and tired of the same old basics in every damn kit.
It doesn't offend me that you don't like them. It offends me that you call it ridiculous. It's not ridiculous, it's just different tastes than your own. I have stopped buying from more designers than I can count for not including basics with every kit. Obviously different people want different things. I'm quite sure you aren't alone in what you want, nor am I. I see very successful designers who do and don't include basics.
I don't think it's right to say that basics are 'crap' if the quality is good. --
I never said they were crap, I said they were crap for me. Do you see the difference? How is that wrong? It's my opinion.
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Actually if you are the original poster (from WAAAY up above) who started the convo about "if you don't like something, when you make it the quality will suffer"... you DID refer to quality. You WEREN'T just talking about an opinion of whether you want something or not (i.e. you did NOT say these items were "crap to you" because you don't want them... you DID say, though, that if you didn't like them and had to make them, then the quality would suffer).
Maybe someone can then suggest to designers "please, try to include some kit-specific basics like staples, strings, stitches, etc." and maybe suggest that some of the basic basics (like staples or 3 x-stitches) do not count in the total of "44 elements" just like it is suggested not to count the 12 recolored flowers. Invite the designer to do the recolor for the basics, and if you are one who do not care for the "little toolkit included" simply delete it. Then, maybe most scrappers will be happy and CT will have less of a hard time scrapping "with only the supplies in the kit" as some seem to be required.
The funny thing is that even after all of this discussion/arguing, it's doubtful that I (or anyone else, for that matter, I am guessing) will actually change what we put into kits. My guess is this discussion has been more about convincing everyone else that each of us are right, or do it the best way, than about actually improving any business practices. Come on, you know I'm right... ;-)
Hope that folder thang is sorted.... Can I just say that I just got an add from the Frenchies (that's what I call Digital Crea) and what do they do there? Is it like a store requirement that all designers use strictly the same CU?. My word that stuff looks as if it's been in a look-alike machine. Apart from that: THANKS for the all your time and work put into the reviews. I dl'ed the Brine kit from the DSA contest and didn't keep it. That's all. I do not want the rest. I am always looking for good papers (big time) and elements but they seem harder and harder to find. Is it just me having seen every bow and every flower? Or is it something else?
I think we should all agree to disagree here and move on already. Some scrappers like it one way and some the other. There's nothing wrong about that. There are soooooooooo many designers in the market catering to sooooooooo many styles of scrapping. If you don't like how one includes/doesn't include basic tool in her kits, stop buying from her and try others.
In my opinion, the only people directly affected by all this are the CTs who have to scrap using only the elements in the kit. Other scrappers can look at the list and previews and see for themselves whether there are enough basic tools for them to scrap with, then they have a choice to buy the kit or just walk away. Simple.
^^^^^ Oh! Sorry! Just saw now that we've moved on already. Good. LOL
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Oh thank god, I was reading your first comment at 9:42 and sitting here thinking, "how interesting, a blind designer!" and wondering how you are able to recolor things to match a palette... LMAO
Um, seeing as this question was asked around four years ago, I'd say clearly not. ----------------------- So just because people talked about CU designers 4 years ago, no one can talk about it now? According to your logic, it sounds like there wouldn't be anything to talk about here because almost every topic has been discussed at one point before.
I don't think that's what that poster meant. I think she was just saying that people thought the same thing was going to happen 4 years ago also and it has not happened.
I don't think that's what that poster meant. I think she was just saying that people thought the same thing was going to happen 4 years ago also and it has not happened.
________
Yes, this. People worried years ago that if everyone started selling CU, that everyone would become a designer and there would be no market left (to sell PU to scrappers). Years later, I'd say that there are definitely more designers than before, but I don't think PU sales have suffered a lot. Well, that depends on who you are maybe. Shops close up left and right every day, but the old standbys all seem to be doing fine, and new shops pop up all the time, too, and seem to be doing OK.
Want to hear something funny/ironic? I buy kits way more often now that I design than I ever did when I started out. So IMO even if lots of new designers pop up, I think that overall they'll still be consumers too.
I don't think that's what that poster meant. I think she was just saying that people thought the same thing was going to happen 4 years ago also and it has not happened. ---
So just because people talked about CU designers 4 years ago, no one can talk about it now? According to your logic, it sounds like there wouldn't be anything to talk about here because almost every topic has been discussed at one point before. ----
Actually if you are the original poster (from WAAAY up above) who started the convo about "if you don't like something, when you make it the quality will suffer"... you DID refer to quality. You WEREN'T just talking about an opinion of whether you want something or not (i.e. you did NOT say these items were "crap to you" because you don't want them... you DID say, though, that if you didn't like them and had to make them, then the quality would suffer). -------
It wasn't and even it was, those two conversations seem unrelated, except that they are talking about basics.
I am always looking for good papers (big time) and elements but they seem harder and harder to find. Is it just me having seen every bow and every flower? Or is it something else? ------
Depends on what kind of papers you want, but I agree entirely about the flowers and ribbons. I said this almost three years ago.
That means that good quality basics as well as the more fun and unique items need to be included in every kit. I wouldn't put out a kit with all patterns and no solids because it would be really difficult to use on it's own that way. Nor would I put out a kit that didn't included at least one fastener, frame, ribbon, etc. °°°°°°°°°
Cheers. I much rather pay a buck or two or three more to have a kit go a long way, for an album that is. Throw in all the cardstock, in all the colors, throw in staples, stitches and so on. Hate it when the kits have 7 papers and no cardstocks, not even offered as an add on. I could make that myself but what is the point in buying a kit/ collection then?
mscraps. I love all their kits, but the designers are all very cliquey. what do you think about them. ^^^^^^^^
I am under the ever so increasing impression that if Paislee Press comes out with something about 2-3 weeks later Anita or Sabrina have been somewhat 'overinspired' ;) by that, too... Scooty is another one of 'those' overly inspired people. Hinting at a template album she cranked out lately that was a direct spin off of a very classy and unique thing by Roadside Designs (not involved with her at all, just happened to buy Roadside's template set and saw the direct spin off shortly after I had bought the original). All in all the store doesn't really cater too much to originality as there are so many of these a.m. designers. I feel I have seen most of their kits somewhere else already.
Jessica Sprague, Two Peas in a Bucket, and Design House Digital (maybe even Designer Digitals).
^^ Don't think of any of them as hoity-toity. JS - teaches others - whether they learn is their business. TP - whatever - overpriced. End of. DHD/DD - blah blah blah. As a scrapper - never shopped there. Found most of their stuff to be crud/done already/boring
Scooty is another one of 'those' overly inspired people. Hinting at a template album she cranked out lately that was a direct spin off of a very classy and unique thing by Roadside Designs (not involved with her at all, just happened to buy Roadside's template set and saw the direct spin off shortly after I had bought the original).
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How is a basic blocked template set "unique"? Don't know if I agree w/ you on this one. Janet Phillips does blocked template sets. Biograffiti does blocked template sets. It's summertime, and people are always looking for travel journal templates this time of year. Show me a few other examples of Scooty (and Anita/Sabrina, for that matter) "stealing" ideas, and I might buy into your theory. Right now, though, I don't think you can accurately say that one person made a blocked template set for travel that happens to resemble another one in another store.
BTB #41-50 (per request)... please note that I've stopped DL'ing because I have no need for any more freebies, so these reviews are based on previews alone unless otherwise noted (if I DL to check quality):
41. Designs by Angel: A visually cohesive kit. She deleted a couple of colors from the palette to calm things down, which I like. The doodled style flows throughout almost all of the papers/elements w/ exception to the strangely-shaped tag w/ real string (I would have gone w/ a doodled tag instead, to match the rest of it). For scrapping purposes, I would have liked to have seen the pattern on the flowered paper a little smaller and more frequent (so the pattern could be seen when just pieces of the paper are used on a layout, since the pattern is very cute). All in all, this is a generally good entry.
42. eNKay Design: Her site bandwidth is exceeded right now, so I can't get to her blog. I will mention that I did see her portion a week or so ago when I did my first round of reviews: it had some cute doodled elements, and a pleasant color combo. I remember liking it. I just can't pick it apart any further right now, other than to tell her that she probably needs to find a new web host...
43. Digilicious Designs: She muted the palette colors & left out the brown (with exception to a few color pops using it), which was a good idea. I don't like her method of previewing the papers, though, as I really can't see them (this is too bad, because they look like they might be nice, but how is a customer supposed to be able to tell by looking at a tiny corner on each paper?). The kit is called Piece of Cake, but this surprised me because after looking at the papers I figured it would be a gardeny-themed kit (lots of flowers, not much cake). The elements are also half-garden-y and half-cake-y, so I think her kit theme could use some de-mish-mashifying. Shadowing on the preview is off; it's not realistic to have a frame that thick w/ the same basic shadows as flat pieces of paper. Same goes for the rolled flowers = shadowed incorrectly.
44. BZB Designs: She also got rid of the brown and used it as just an accent color on elements; the result is nice. This is a well-previewed portion, with shadowing that makes these papers/elements look realistic (though I would have deepened the shadows on the bird, the leaf, and the brown tag; these 3 seem sorta flat). My only real problem w/ this one, if you can call it a problem, is that there's nothing really unique here. For blog train passengers, I know it's good to get a portion w/ some basics now and then, to use w/ the rest of it, so I'm not really complaining. I just don't know that there's anything included here that would bring someone back to her again in the future because this kit's probably not making a lasting impression on anyone. Although... now that I think about it, in this particular blog train, doing something simple and basic (and even boring) does sorta set you apart from the crap, so maybe I take that back.
45. In The Small Things: She says her portion is a mini, but it's 19 elements and 11 papers in 3 DL's. To lots of designers nowadays that's a full kit, LOL. Due to use of all of the palette colors, this one is busy and hurts my eyes (in fact, even the preview design is busy). The 3 patterned papers in the middle (butterfly, flowers, flowers) look cute and simple, and I wish they were previewed separately w/ a few solids and without any of the dark brown, and with maybe 5-7 of the flower elements instead of this entire mish-mash of items. The preview looks blurry to me; I'm constantly amazed by the sheer number of blurry previews I run across all the time. How do designers not understand the importance of a preview? I'm guessing these designers are the ones who buy fruit in the grocery without picking it up and feeling it/looking at it first.
SOrry for all of the extra commentary, I'm feeling extra wordy today. I'll be back later with #46-50, as long as I can force myself to review "Connie's" portion that she had no part in creating, because what I really want to do is skip it out of principle...
If only. I promised someone #41-50, per request, and then if I never see another orange/pink/blue/green/brown blog train minikit again it will be too soon.
After that, I plan to do SO/SSD per someone else's previous request, so my take can be compared/contrasted w/ Simon's/Randi's/whoever else's.
Then I'd personally love to delve into mscraps, oscraps, catscrap, etc. They all seem to be in a different realm, style-wise, from some of the stores we've been focused on (the SO's and SSD's).
Can we get back to making fun of designers? It is more interesting to read.
August 10, 2011 2:52 AM
----------------------------- And this would make you not only immature, but pretty pathetic, as well.
I've personally enjoyed the recent turn towards honest (although sometimes brutally so) reviews of designer's WORK, without the need to "make fun of" people. I hope it continues.
46. Designs by Connie Prince: I've decided not to review this one, in order to make a point. Shari, it's time to get your own blog and then I'll review your contribution next time. It's doubtful you're the one who requested that I review #41-50 in order to get your own portion reviewed, anyway... but if, by chance, it was you who asked: maybe this will teach you a lesson. It's time to stop riding your mentor's coattails, and fly out of the nest into the big, scary designer wild. The fact that you've been designing Connie's blog train minis for the better part of the past year has been irritating to a lot of people (it's been brought up on this blog multiple times before), and I've now jumped onto that bandwagon, as well. Next!
47. Daybreak Scraps: Please, please, please get a blog design that supports 600x600 previews! Actually, it looks to me like this one does/would support it, so I'll cry foul on user-error for failing to have a larger preview (and/or the option to click on the preview to see a larger version). From what I can see, however, I will say that this is a pretty good preview of a seemingly average product. The shadowing is good, the elements look realistic, and the kit theme is cohesive. I hate the color combo, however, and want to gouge out my eyeballs any time I see brown and orange together on a paper or an element, let alone both. It would appear that the actual design execution is pretty good here, but oww those colors. Additionally, would anyone EVER use those 2 patterned papers together for anything? Ever? Ick. She would have been better off leaving out the brown paw-print paper, or else keeping it and pairing it with neutral solids instead of a multi-colored stripe pattern. Just saying.
48. Robyn Pali Designs: Who is this? I've never heard of her before, but my first thought when I visited her blog was that her logo is cute but was cuter the first time around, when it was Thaty Borges' logo. This has nothing to do with my review, but it's strange nonetheless and worth mentioning. As for her blog train kit preview, it's blurry and the preview itself is muddled and confusing. It would appear at first glance that the large papers stacked behind everything are included in the kit (especially b/c they match the palette, somewhat). It's just the 6 paper strips in the front, though, which (although blurry) look relatively nice. Exceptions: I despise the texture used on the brown solid (it might be nice on another color paper, but for a brown that dark it just looks... off), and again w/ hating the brown/orange color combo w/ reference to the paper on the right (a neutral cream/offwhite would have worked better than the orange). As for the elements, they all look pretty nice except for anything that includes the color orange: her orange doesn't seem right to me (too dark/almost bordering on Halloweenish and depressing). It makes the ribbon look almost metallic, which I doubt was intentional. The sign-post is cute. The blurriness on the preview makes it appear that the button has massive jagged edges or strays, so I DL'd to look closer and it's actually fine. Let this be a lesson (again!) about the importance of a preview. A customer would never have paid to check that out, they'd have simply moved on to another shop.
49. Aprilisa Designs: This one's well done. She pared down the number of colors in the palette, and muted them enough that the mini has a calm feel to it, even w/ the inclusion of orange (which is not a serene color). The elements look realistic, the preview is well-done, and the shadowing is good. The only thing noteworthy about it is the fact that there's nothing noteworthy about it. It's plain, basic, and unmemorable. But she's probably established enough (compared to most of the people I've reviewed, that is) to be able to get away with lacking a "wow" factor for a blog train submission.
50. MaitriScraps: Oh dear. It took me a minute to figure out what should be said about this one. First, there appear to be no patterned papers. Not the end of the world, but I do think you're supposed to include at least a couple, per the blog train rules. After reading her post, though, I fear that there actually ARE patterned papers, and that they're supposed to be sparkly. It's honestly hard to tell if the sparkles on the preview are on the papers or just separate elements (scatters). I think it's the latter, since her theme was something about a starry night. Strange theme, IMO, because the paper/element colors do NOT channel "starry night" to me (maybe if she had gone w/ just the greens, blues, and browns in the palette). The remaining elements all look excessively digital to me, especially the ribbon, staples, flair, and beads(?). It would seem that everything was created with an action, which isn't my style. I would go so far as to say that it isn't anyone's style (and instead just a mistake made by newbie designers), but I see it so often in the digital scrap world that I actually believe there must be a market out there for it. But mark my words: you will never see this style of product in one of the top stores.
This ends my reviews of this month's blog train. If yours didn't get reviewed but you wish it had, I am sure you can go back and read what we've all written about the other submissions and gather a lot of ideas about what's good, what's bad, and what's just downright ugly. Something that's been said above surely applies to yours, too.
I'm excited now to move on to other shops, as requested.
Piers - fyi, Maitri scraps isn't a newbie. Been around almost 2 dang years now.
and...for my info? you keep saying "blues" in the palette. There wasn't any blue. Two shades of green. or...is my monitor that off (which it isn't because I calibrated it recently)? just wondering.
Will anyone be reviewing Scrappity Doo Dah? I almost applied at the design call they just had, and I'm very glad I did not. Look at who they have in their store! They were doing good with Inspired by Dominic, that's what made me want to join. But then I saw they added that fatass loud mouth sweet mistake. iVomit.
and...for my info? you keep saying "blues" in the palette. There wasn't any blue. Two shades of green. or...is my monitor that off (which it isn't because I calibrated it recently)? just wondering. __________________________________
I have a blue and a green on both of my computers. I was curious and checked it on my ipod too, it was still a green and a blue.
and...for my info? you keep saying "blues" in the palette. There wasn't any blue. Two shades of green. or...is my monitor that off (which it isn't because I calibrated it recently)? just wondering.
I considered it blue, but it was a very green blue, so I can see what you are saying. It was darned hard to work with it and that muddy orange IMO.
Piers - fyi, Maitri scraps isn't a newbie. Been around almost 2 dang years now.
and...for my info? you keep saying "blues" in the palette. There wasn't any blue. Two shades of green. or...is my monitor that off (which it isn't because I calibrated it recently)? just wondering.
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Didn't say Maitri was a newbie. Read again. I simply said that using actions for EVERYTHING when creating elements seems to be something newbies do more often than seasoned designers do. Doesn't mean it's a rule to live by, and there are exceptions (as we can see), but... you don't tend to see a lot of those types of super-digital looking elements in the top tier stores. Will I get harpooned for being snooty by saying that? Probably, from some of you. But that doesn't mean it's not true.
As for the blue, yeah, it's a very greenish blue or else a very bluish green. Either way, it was just easier to refer to one of them as "green" and one of them as "blue". Otherwise I would have been writing "the bluish-green this" and the "greener-green that" all day long...
Piers - fyi, Maitri scraps isn't a newbie. Been around almost 2 dang years now. __________________
Oooh touchy, and full of random facts about another designer. Sounds like maybe you're the one who requested that Piers review that last group and now you're offended that she didn't like it and doesn't know your design history,..
Will anyone be reviewing Scrappity Doo Dah? I almost applied at the design call they just had, and I'm very glad I did not. Look at who they have in their store! They were doing good with Inspired by Dominic, that's what made me want to join. But then I saw they added that fatass loud mouth sweet mistake. iVomit.
Will anyone be reviewing Scrappity Doo Dah? I almost applied at the design call they just had, and I'm very glad I did not. Look at who they have in their store! They were doing good with Inspired by Dominic, that's what made me want to join. But then I saw they added that fatass loud mouth sweet mistake. iVomit.
^^^^^^^^^^^
I agree about sweet mistake (hee, love that BTW). She's all googly eyed with the owner - or one of them.
Her 'designs' are basic at best and Dylabel and that returning "Monkey" chick. SHUDDER.
and...for my info? you keep saying "blues" in the palette. There wasn't any blue. Two shades of green. or...is my monitor that off (which it isn't because I calibrated it recently)? just wondering. ------
Two greens here and my monitor does not need to be calibrated.
But then I saw they added that fatass loud mouth sweet mistake. iVomit. --
Grow up. I don't even know who you are referring to, but your comment is very childish. It's probably about time your kids went back to school, you are starting to sound like them.
Grow up. I don't even know who you are referring to, but your comment is very childish. It's probably about time your kids went back to school, you are starting to sound like them.
August 10, 2011 5:41 PM
This. I do know who they are talking about and I happen to think she is a very nice person. If you don't like her designs that is one thing, but the personal attack screams of some sort of personal issue.
Other topic: Does it matter that much if someone calls it blue?
for real, about the blue/green thing. who effing cares, people? do you really care whether someone else calls a blue-green or green-blue color "blue" or "green"? why does this matter? we must be *really* bored here on this blog today, wow.
My hesitation to apply to a Scrappity Doo Dah designer call has very little to do with other designers and everything to do with the hideous site. You could upload anything to that site and it would still look like garbage...if anybody even bothers to look past the ugly site to shop there.
for real, about the blue/green thing. who effing cares, people? do you really care whether someone else calls a blue-green or green-blue color "blue" or "green"? why does this matter? we must be *really* bored here on this blog today, wow.
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I think it mostly matters because they are reviewing stores and calling color palettes "gross" and "blinding" which may not even be the designer's fault if their monitor is causing the color issue. (Although, I still say most of the reviews are dead on, so if they said your colors were gross, they probably still are.)
^^^ point well taken, except I think we all know that the blue/green in question was a hue that could easily be called either thing, depending on personal preference (not the best term, but I can't think of a better one). In other words, any time something is a mix of two colors (teal, for instance), some people call it "blue" and some call it "green" but we all know it's a hybrid of the two colors. That doesn't mean the people are idiots or wrong, it just means they simplified it by calling it one or the other, and we all know that will end up being 50/50 in the end, based on personal preference. KWIM?
I think the reviews have been pretty spot-on thus far. Monitor issues or no monitor issues.
I do calibrate my monitor, and while it is a very greenish blue, it is so much bluer than the green that I feel it functions as a blue in this palette. However, I think this just shows the inherent difficulty in that particular set of colors. But that is just my opinion. :)
for real, about the blue/green thing. who effing cares, people? --------
If you are a designer, you should care. Color palette is very important. If you are just a scrapper, it doesn't matter a bit.
It's most definitely in the green range, and it has nothing to do with personal preference. Yes, I was anal enough to check the hex # from the original palette.
I don't blame her for doing it that way. It takes a lot of time to write rejection letters and it is hard to tell people no. Especially if you don't want to send everyone the same form rejection letter. At least she noted up front that there won't be rejection letters. A lot of designers/store owners just don't respond at all and don't tell you that they aren't going to either.
It's anyone's prerogative to hire or not hire designers for their CT. I know plenty of designers + stores who won't. If you want to use the products so much, buy them. Or go on a designer's team that allows it. As a designer, I will hire a designer for my CT in some situations - but a) just can they can design doesn't mean they can scrap and b) they're WAY more flaky than just scrappers as they have their design commitments come first before CT.
^^^ I've actually had the opposite experience. I have a team of about 10 or so, and 2 are designers. Both are among the best scrappers on my team, and both are more reliable than a majority of the rest of the team (I've always assumed it's because they understand the business and know not to commit if they can't do a LO).
How do you figure she's a scatterbrain? Explain, please.
August 11, 2011 11:29 AM ----------- Likely the op is a designer who applied to Lizzy's store and was turned down.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Nope, I wouldn't want to work for that shop. Have heard too many not great things about her and the store. (How many original designers and the new designers that were accepted from their designer call have left??) You can tell she's a flake from her forum posts and from her Facebook posts.
I just read the comments about colors & it reminded me about an online hue test that I read about on another forum. There is no way that I'll ever be a designer to begin with. After taking this test twice, I couldn't believe how bad I scored. Just another reason that I won't ever design,ha! It's my challenge to you to take this test. http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=77&Lang=en
that was fun to do, thx for posting it! I did well, though, which is probably why I liked it. and the results validated what I said above, which is that the color on this month's blog train palette was/is a greenish-blue, and can be called "blue" for short, regardless of what everyone else's monitors say.
I'm VERY surprised that Charmed City scored so low and Jen C, Luv Ewe and Key of D scored so high. I'd agree with the top three in the established category, though.
There are too many in the new designer category for me to remember.
Charm City extracted pieces of flowers - but the carnival stuff is all Miss Tiina CU. I don't like Jen C's papers, but took a look at her extractions for the lavendar - and they were clean - even if the mini isn't my style. Luv Ewe's is generic - but the palette is interesting. Key of D - meh - not for me - to quote "Simon" - too mishy mashy.
I just read the comments about colors & it reminded me about an online hue test that I read about on another forum. There is no way that I'll ever be a designer to begin with. After taking this test twice, I couldn't believe how bad I scored. Just another reason that I won't ever design,ha! It's my challenge to you to take this test. http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=77&Lang=en ----------------------------
That's a fun test. I am a designer and I scored 12. I thought that wasn't too bad, although I did think I was better than that. LOL
The hue test was fun, even if it made my eyes cross a bit. Thanks for sharing! Didn't think I'd do quite as well as I did - but I'll take my score of 8.
I was surprised Dancing Princess and Little Bird scored as high as they did. Yuck. Key of D was a bit of a shock, too. I'd love to see how the judges actually scored it.
How were Charm City's extractions? I thought her stuff was cute. I thought they could use CU, and it seems like she changed it up at least.
so i took the test and got a 4. I didn't read it right away and was embarrassed...then i read that you want a low score...oops. helps to read the WHOLE thing LOL
Wow.. I surprised myself. I scored a zero! I <3 color yay!
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I got a zero, too, but wasn't going to post it here because I figured nobody would believe me anyway. I thought I was going to go blind doing that test, though, LMAO. It was fun.
Wow.. I surprised myself. I scored a zero! I <3 color yay!
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I got a zero, too, but wasn't going to post it here because I figured nobody would believe me anyway. I thought I was going to go blind doing that test, though, LMAO. It was fun.
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Ha! Go us! Seriously though it did make me feel a bit cross eyed!
I scored a 4. I am not even a designer, just a scrapper, but it explains why color is the first thing I look for when shopping for kits.
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First thing I look for when shopping for kits, too. Probably the case for a good majority of customers, as well, which is why I am always stymied by all of the designers who choose these wacky ass color palettes for their kits. I would never even click on the preview for most of them, to see them larger/up close, but I guess they must sell to someone or else people wouldn't be making them?
DSA Challenge 2 Just looking through the New Designers real quickly before breakfast. Some are truly gross. That cowboy paper pack and the Mexican Vacation pack.
maybe just maybe they are making the kits for us losers that scored high and have no idea of hues, we just like to scrap pics of our really bad photos too!
Okay, a very low score here. LOL My half-hearted attempt got me an 85! Dang, do I have to confess that to the designers I CT for? Good thing I never want to become a designer.
I did pretty well overall, but my green-blue scores sucked. Now I know why I kept looking at that blog train swatch and wondering how anyone saw any green in that obviously blue color, LOL!
I'm the OP that posted the link to the hue test last night. I had a high score & it made me wonder about something I remembered. When I was little my mother could not distinguish blue from green. I always had to correct her on those two colors. She was never diagnosed as color bind but looking back I'm sure she had to be. I'm wondering that was a genetic thing passed to me.
Maybe store owners and designers might consider giving that color test before hiring them as designers or CT members? I wonder if it would be a reasonable "requirement"? Maybe it would help in the color choices and color use/combinaisons for kits? Just wondering.
I got a 4 - the yellowish greens were where I made my mistakes.
Odd, maybe, but I don't like color palettes at all and I buy from Mish Mash designers who don't appear to even have a palette.
My house is like that, too. I wonder if the matchy-match people have matching end tables for their sofas, matching chairs at their kitchen tables, and matching bedside tables? Just curious.
I thought the blue flax flower extractions by SunshineArtz were the very best of the extractions on the contest. I need to go back and see how they say she did.
The test does show whether you can tell the difference between colors, not whether you have good color taste. Just saying. And no, I didn't get a high score. However I do think that showing skill in this area would help you make sure your pieces match the palette.
"Odd, maybe, but I don't like color palettes at all and I buy from Mish Mash designers who don't appear to even have a palette.
My house is like that, too. I wonder if the matchy-match people have matching end tables for their sofas, matching chairs at their kitchen tables, and matching bedside tables? Just curious." -------------
This is a very interesting thought on style preference. I don't mind the "mish mash" kits, either, as long as there's some cohesion in a kit...and my house/furnishings/decor are all a little mish mashy, too...Would be fun to test that theory!
Ok, here are my reviews of DSA Round 1 (New Designers Only). Yes, I downloaded all of them and looked through every kit, which I can say I probably won't do again..ugh!
LadyBug Designs - The preview isn't really very appealing. The elements (especially the stars) are poorly recolored and the ribbon is almost digital looking because of the recolor. The papers are almost washed out looking (yellow paper) and the texture isn't consistant.
Sweet Sunshine - I actually like most of the 'plain' papers because they have cool looking grungy textures...but - the elements are awful. They are jagged and poor quality and the patterned papers are not very good. The preview is flat and not clustered very well.
Whimzi - The preview is not done very well, with elements all over the place. The plain papers are ok, nothing great, but not horrible. The patterned papers are filled with jagged edges and what seems like missing pixels in the color fills. Some of the patterned papers are also very heavy on the gunge. The elements are FULL of jagged edges and the extractions are really fuzzy around the edges and not colored very well.
Kat Designed - The idea is cute, but not very well executed. The papers are ok, the peach seems really washed out looking though and one of the textures has a very obvious repeat in the pattern. The elements are bad - jagged edges on the doodles, poor extractions, and for the elements that she didn't extract, they were poor quality too (and not very well recolored either).
Digital Harmony - I like the color palette and the preview is done pretty well. The papers are a little plain, but the textures are good. Some of the elements are nice but some need work (like the frame which seems washed out). The extractions are good and the overall quality of the elements is good (no jagged edges or blurry spots).
Penny H Designs - The clustering on the preview is ok, but there are no shadows! The papers are colored poorly and the texture isn't blended well. The extractions are very jagged and the strings are so brightly colored that there is no texture left.
Made by Me Inspirations - The preview looks weird and needs better shadowing. The 'Happy Birthday' paper is kind of cute, but like all of the other papers it isn't textured well at all. A few of the papers don't have any texture at all. The elements are really beginner quality and very, very digital.
Bonnie Blue - The preview seems kind of fuzzy. I don't really care for this color palette. The flower papers are sort of cute, but some of the other papers seem overly textured (very heavy feeling) and the yellow/white paper is way too bright. A lot of the flower elements are very bland. The flower cluster with the vine is cute, but not great. Overall not very impressive.
MHK Scraps - I really like the color palette and the theme is very original. The papers are nice with good textures and I love the touches of glitter. The extractions could be a little cleaner, but overall the elements are uinque and done well.
3 Little Monsters - Just out of curiosity, is adding 5 or 6 little 'color palette' circles to your preview the newest trend? I've seen it pop up a lot lately. The papers are good with good textures and coloring. The elements are pretty good overall, although I don't care for the gray tag (the texture seems blurry) and the green string (bad coloring). The paper pieced pea pod (haha) is my favorite.
Brenda Neuberger - The preview is ok, but I'd rather see more of the papers. The patterns on the papers are good, but they have no texture at all and are completely flat. The bee element is cute. The brads/flairs are oddly colored. I like the two tags, but again the elements are lacking any texture.
Ohana - Some of the papers need more texture, they look rather flat. The red bow (extraction) seems to have a bunch of stray pixels and jagged edges. The rest of the elements seem ok, but nothing is really great or stands out as interesting.
In the Small Things - The preview could be clustered better, it looks messy. The patterns on the papers are nice, but the texture makes them look fuzzy. The paper flowers are really ugly and the curled ribbon is poor quality.
Star Traveller - The preview could use more shadowing and I would have made the frame much smaller. I really like 3 of the papers (blue/green swirls, brown/bluegreen 'stripe' and blue/green watercolor) but the other papers are really blurry looking. I like a lot of the elements as far as uiniqueness. I think the painted textured pictures are much nicer than the plain ones (except the glitter star).
Sherry Lynn - I don't like the preview at all, it's not very appealing to look at. Some of the papers are missing texture on certain colors (bad coloring). Most of the elements are very, very digital.
DreamyNest - The two tan papers are ok, but the rest are over saturated or badly colored. All of the elements seem really tiny. I prefer larger elements so the quality doesn't get really bad when the element is enlarged. The extractions don't seem too bad, better than some of the others I've seen, but it's hard to tell with the small images.
Foosa Moon - The preview is ok, not bad but not really great. I'm not a fan of any of the papers, the patterns are kind of ugly and the texture is lacking any depth. The extractions are really bad - a 'natural edge' is not the same thing as jagged, which is what most of these are.
2 a.m. - I like the colors of this kit and also the geometric look of the kit. The papers are rather flat as far as texture (which I know some people like, but I prefer a little more depth to the pages). The lace is really blurry, but the button extraction seems good. As far as extracting a leaf/petal shape - that seems rather basic. I like the little circle elements with the pictures (sun, camera, etc.) in them. Overall it's nice, but could use some quality improvements.
Digital Monsoon - The preview is blurry. The plain and damask papers are much better than the patterned papers, which are very beginner looking. The extractions are really bad with jagged edges everywhere and poorly recolored. The other elements are too digital/fake looking.
Truman Studio - The peview is ok, but I don't really like the 'wonky' paper look. The colors are good for the kit theme. These papers over overly textured for me. I like the painted tags and splatters. The popsicle sticks are blurry.
Rhonda Sunflower Designs - The preview looks ok. The papers are either over saturated or lacking texture (but have too much grunge) or both. The elements are not good quality. I do like the color palette.
Sunshine Artz - I don't like the big white block behind the elements in the preview. Most of the papers are ok with good textures, but 2 are very saturated looking. They are rather boring overall though - no patterns anywhere. The blue flowers are extracted well and look good and I like the scatter with the butterflies, but the rest of the elements don't really do anything for me. The frames are fake and blurry.
Brine Design - I like the color palette, it's pretty without being 'girly'. I like the patterned papers, but they don't really have any texture. The elements are good except for the excessive use of the dew drop and the stitch (both in the button and by itself - it's pretty poor quality).
Christina P - Overall I like this kit. The colors are nice and the papers are colored well with good texture. The elements all are colored well an are good quality. I don't care for the word art though (and it's style doesn't seem to match the rest of the kit).
Pamla Klenczar - Very beginner kit. The preview is too small and not very appealing. The papers are really bland with no texture to them and the patterns don't look good. The elements are all stuck on one page and the extractions are really poor quality and not extracted well at all (jittery looking).
Farynars Wings - I'm not a fan of the color palette or extracting just buttons (if this was an extraction challenge you shouldn't pick 2 of the exact same (simple) shape to extract) and I don't really like the button papers. But, the textures on the papers are good and the overall quality of the elements is good, I just don't find anything interesting about this kit.
Fran B Designs - Another beginner kit. This color palette is all over the place. I like the pink flower paper - it looks kind of embossed and puffy, but the rest of the papers are very good - with poor coloring mostly. The extracted button is a jagged mess and the rest of the elements are poorly colored and/or poor image quality, except the bead spill which looks pretty good.
Kim Hackworth - The preview is missing all drop shadow so it looks bad. The papers aren't too bad with some interesting patterns on some. The extractions have really rough edges on them and the color on the elements isn't very good at all.
Rumki Designs - The preview looks rather flat for so many '3-D' elements. I'm not impressed with any of the papers, but most do have decent textures. The extracted items have a lot of rough edges but I like the unique elements in the kit. None of the layered elements have any shadows on them which makes them all look weird.
Damsel Designs - The elements in the preview are not shown off very well. The papers have some cute patterns, but overall the papers aren't very good, again with texture and coloring issues. Although I like bright color palettes, a lot of time the colors here look over saturated and out of gamut. The string extraction is messy and poor quality. The elements have cute ideas, but not executed very well.
Paper Capers Designs - I like the color palette and the theme for this kit. The tan paper is nice, but the rest aren't colored very well (if you have a single texture it should show up on all the colors). The elements are mostly cute in idea, but just really badly colored, either overly saturated or so bright they hurt my eyes. The shadowing/depth is lost on a lot of them.
JulieEnriquez Designs - Another flat looking preview. The 'plain' brown and green papers are nice, but the rest aren't very good. The elements are horrible. Bad quality, bad extractions, bad colors.
Lilacs in Bloom - The preview is very cluttered looking. I like the color palette. I don't like the embossed papers. Most of the elements are pretty cute and the extractions are bad. I don't like the fake stitches or the digital-looking staples. With some adjustments it could be a pretty cute kit.
Digi Deborah's Designs - The colors are actually much prettier than the preview makes them look. The papers are good with both patterns and texture. The extractions seem pretty good, except the staples, and most of the elements are good except one of the frames. This kit is actually much better than I thought it would be based on the preview.
Paper Garden Project - I wish the papers didn't have the white 'glow' all around the edges. I really like the sunflower doodles and most of the elements are really nice. I don't care for the fuzzy ric rac, but the extractions are good.
Jennifer Z - The preview isn't bad, but could use a little more pop with shadowing. The paper patterns are nice, but the textures are flat and fuzzy. The extractions are really jagged and the coloring on most of the elements is super bright.
Studio Cinco - The preview is really messy looking. The dark papers are nice, but the light colors are too bright. The doodled elements are cute but I don't really like the shiny/puffy look on everything. I don't know what was extracted, but they all seem ok, except I don't like the coloring on the yellow ribbon.
Designs by Jellebelleke - I like the colors, although they remind me more of Fall than of Summer. The papers are just not very good, missing textures, flat, fuzzy, etc. The elements aren't as bad as a lot of the others I've looked at, but they also aren't great. I don't care for 'real-life' elements in general, even if they were perfect quality.
Keep in Touch Designs - I like the color palette. Most of the papers are lacking in quality, as are the elements. Everything in the kit just has a poorly colored, blurry feel to it.
Penny - The polka dot papers don't have any texture at all, although the texture on the other papers isn't very good anyway. I like the hummingbird, but all of the other elements are very fake looking. I think the color palette could have been nicer if it had revolved around the hummingbird.
Now that I've finished that, my next reviews will be for some stores.
Don't forget your monitor calibration effects your results on the color test too. My laptop isn't well calibrated as it doesn't have much control and I got a 12 on it, but on my desktop which is better calibrated although admittedly with a yellow cast I got a 4. My discrepancy was in the mustard yellow area, which would coincide with the monitor calibration. I am getting a Spyder soon so will do it again once my monitor has been calibrated better again.
Star Traveller - The preview could use more shadowing and I would have made the frame much smaller. I really like 3 of the papers (blue/green swirls, brown/bluegreen 'stripe' and blue/green watercolor) but the other papers are really blurry looking. I like a lot of the elements as far as uiniqueness. I think the painted textured pictures are much nicer than the plain ones (except the glitter star). ---------
Thanks. I debated about making the frame smaller but then it's easier to down size a larger frame, than up size a small frame. I'll take a note on the shadowing.
Star Traveller - The preview could use more shadowing and I would have made the frame much smaller. I really like 3 of the papers (blue/green swirls, brown/bluegreen 'stripe' and blue/green watercolor) but the other papers are really blurry looking. I like a lot of the elements as far as uiniqueness. I think the painted textured pictures are much nicer than the plain ones (except the glitter star). ---------
Thanks. I debated about making the frame smaller but then it's easier to down size a larger frame, than up size a small frame. I'll take a note on the shadowing.
------------------------------- Just smaller for the preview because it kind of takes over the whole things. I agree with the keeping it bigger in the kit though b/c it is always better to make something smaller than to try and enlarge it and lose quality.
Fran B Designs - Another beginner kit. This color palette is all over the place. I like the pink flower paper - it looks kind of embossed and puffy, but the rest of the papers are very good - with poor coloring mostly.
---------- Very good, but with poor coloring? That makes no sense. Unless you're a fan of poor coloring.
I would be interested in seeing what Simon has to say bout DSP designers too.
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Why? In addition to the kits being ugly, the designers with the most longevity there have such bad quality.
(But if you want to see some really bad templates, go to the freebies section and download any template with pieces that have obtuse or acute angles. That's the same quality they sell in the shop.)
Randi said... 3 Little Monsters - Just out of curiosity, is adding 5 or 6 little 'color palette' circles to your preview the newest trend? I've seen it pop up a lot lately. The papers are good with good textures and coloring. The elements are pretty good overall, although I don't care for the gray tag (the texture seems blurry) and the green string (bad coloring). The paper pieced pea pod (haha) is my favorite.
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Thanks for the honest review.
About the little color palette circles... honestly the only reason I put them on there was because I needed something to balance my logo. On my store packaging, I use the store logo, but I didn't want to use that this time.
The green string is what the judges mentioned to me too. I worked with that string for 2 or 3 hours, I think! That was one of my extracted items, and it was originally white. Does anyone know of any tutorials, or have any tips on how to recolor whites? I probably should have just left it white, but I didn't think it went with the kit very well when it was white.
probably lots will disagree with me on this - but, when I'm working with whites, I use my brightness and contrast to get it darker while keeping the texture. works for me, and I've never had any complaints.
Fran B Designs - Another beginner kit. This color palette is all over the place. I like the pink flower paper - it looks kind of embossed and puffy, but the rest of the papers are very good - with poor coloring mostly.
---------- Very good, but with poor coloring? That makes no sense. Unless you're a fan of poor coloring. --------------------------- **aren't (just a typo...but after staring at all of those kits I'm suprised there are not more).
The green string is what the judges mentioned to me too. I worked with that string for 2 or 3 hours, I think! That was one of my extracted items, and it was originally white. Does anyone know of any tutorials, or have any tips on how to recolor whites? I probably should have just left it white, but I didn't think it went with the kit very well when it was white.
------------------------------ I usually just try to avoid scanning or photographing anything white or black when I want to extract. It's too hard to get the right lighting to make them look good for extracting and recoloring.
Wow, Rachael's quality has REALLY gone downhill. Jagged edges on pretty much everything.
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Did you actually buy it, and are posting because you've seen the files up close? Or are you judging from the 100% shots in additional images in the store? Just curious.
Either way, I think her strength has always been in her extracting (which is usually flawless), and I wouldn't ever buy element templates from her anyway. When it comes to extracted elements, she's usually awesome. JIMO.
Why? In addition to the kits being ugly, the designers with the most longevity there have such bad quality.
(But if you want to see some really bad templates, go to the freebies section and download any template with pieces that have obtuse or acute angles. That's the same quality they sell in the shop.) ----------------------------
You can't really go by the freebies, most of them are REALLY old. Not a current reflection of the current store quality. A few of the designers have facebook freebies, I think they are a better indicator of quality as they are current.
Why? In addition to the kits being ugly, the designers with the most longevity there have such bad quality.
(But if you want to see some really bad templates, go to the freebies section and download any template with pieces that have obtuse or acute angles. That's the same quality they sell in the shop.) ----------------------------
I don't find them ugly at all! DSP designers are generally REALLY good. You may not like digital over scanned, but that doesn't make it ugly. That is taste, not quality. I would love to see some of the new designers around create things from scratch like DSP designers do and compare THAT!
Wow, Rachael's quality has REALLY gone downhill. Jagged edges on pretty much everything.
Not sure what you are seeing but I don't see less quality. Did you buy this kit. Appears that these are extractions as she has cloned out all the name brands!! If anything she has extracted stuff that probably is copyright. I think a lot of her stuff is probably stuff that shouldn't have been extracted due to copyright or trademark issues. That's what I have a problem with.
I don't find them ugly at all! DSP designers are generally REALLY good. You may not like digital over scanned, but that doesn't make it ugly. That is taste, not quality. I would love to see some of the new designers around create things from scratch like DSP designers do and compare THAT!
August 13, 2011 3:11 AM ^^^^ ITA! Nicole Young is one of my favorite designers.
You can't really go by the freebies, most of them are REALLY old. Not a current reflection of the current store quality. A few of the designers have facebook freebies, I think they are a better indicator of quality as they are current. August 13, 2011 3:09 AM
--------------- Quality is determined by everything you have in your store. If it's old and doesn't reflect good quality or your current style, then get rid of it. If it is in the store, it is MOST CERTAINLY indicative of current store quality.
I agree that some of the DSP designers are very talented artists. A lot of them consistently create amazing things, and are really creative and unique. Too bad they aren't allowed to put whatever they like into their kits. Imagine how cute some of their kits would be if they were allowed to make them in a decent size, and mix some cute realistic elements into them rather than all digital. Sorry to the DSP designer who constantly posts here, but I just don't like the look of a digital bow/ribbon. It's so obviously fake, and it ruins a kit for me.
Does the owner there still trap her designers with that ridiculous 6 month non-compete contract?
I am just an average scrapper, not a designer. I am not active on any CT's, although I have been in the past. I am not active in any "scrapbook community", I don't post on the message boards, and I don't post my layouts online anymore. I read the Digi boards for entertainment, and am constantly amazed at what people share on the internet. I freely admit to reading the scrapbook smack blogs, it is a guilty pleasure.
You can email me at: DSTHallofFame@gmail.com
2,374 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 401 – 600 of 2374 Newer› Newest»If you like to include a ton of flowers and ribbons on your pages and fill the paper edge to edge then you're never going to be happy with designers like Paislee Press or One Little Bird no matter what. Saying "They should scrap to stay in touch with what customers want" is an ignorant suggestion, because if you've ever looked at the galleries of these designers - who are also really talented scrapbookers, by the way - you'd see that they really are designing the type of products they use on their own pages.
Piers unhacked... do you have a contact email? (sorry if you've already posted it somewhere..i looked but cant find it)
-->So my point is that I think it's unfair to say things like the kits are smaller for the money, they're really not. A lot of these big monster kits are just stuffed with a bunch of filler CU items in that you won't use anyway and that don't have a whole lot to do with the actual kit.
Unfortunately you used the ONE store example (Sweet Shoppe) that makes this fact. SSD are one of the very last stores that still allow designers to put "11 flowers" in their kit contents when it actually contains 1 flower recolored 11 times.
I was told to always look at the product list to see what's in a kit, but SSD is the opposite: they want you to look at the pileup of elements on the preview to determine what's in the kit.
when a designer wants you to use only their product for the LO (which is fine) but not one staple or stitched line can be found anywhere...any kind of fasterner...it gets frustrating.
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So? Do you shoot your designers an email and tell them what they need to add to make a decent kit?
Why not? Isn't that part of your job?
There are lots of CU kits & designers popping up everywhere now.
Do you think selling CU digi supplies is the new way (only way?) to make good money as a digi designer? Are designers who sell regular kits (not CU) a dying breed?
It seems everyone who digiscraps for awhile turns into a designer. Are there too many "designers" now, & not enough customers to support regular kit designers(not CU) in the industry?
As a spinoff to the store reviews... are there certain designers you'd like to see reviewed? Maybe one that has gained your interest but you hesitate to try because they are new? Or others that seem so popular yet put out crappy product? I think the store reviews are great, but they can take so much time to do. Maybe this would be a good compromise? Just a thought.
If you like to include a ton of flowers and ribbons on your pages and fill the paper edge to edge then you're never going to be happy with designers like Paislee Press or One Little Bird no matter what. Saying "They should scrap to stay in touch with what customers want" is an ignorant suggestion, because if you've ever looked at the galleries of these designers - who are also really talented scrapbookers, by the way - you'd see that they really are designing the type of products they use on their own pages.
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Important to clarify that when I made the comment about designers losing touch with end-users' needs if they don't scrap, I was referring to the inclusion of basic elements (fasteners, etc.) in kits... not to the inclusion of 10 identical ribbons in the kit colors. I completely agree that Liz (Paislee) and Peppermint (OLB) design in a minimalist/white-space style that doesn't lend itself to the "fill a page completely" way of scrapping, nor should it. They've both found a great niche, and do very well in it. If I were them, I wouldn't change a thing. That said, I do think there are a lot of designers out there who don't include any basics in kits because they're not thinking like their customers (scrappers), and then they wonder why they don't get repeat customers. And to them I would say that it's probably because the kits aren't well-thought-through, and not very scrap-friendly. KWIM?
Also, to whoever asked for my e-mail: piersunhacked at gmail dot com
I sell CU and kits. My CU sells very well, but so do my kits. I think there is a place for both.
If you like to include a ton of flowers and ribbons on your pages and fill the paper edge to edge then you're never going to be happy with designers like Paislee Press or One Little Bird no matter what. Saying "They should scrap to stay in touch with what customers want" is an ignorant suggestion, because if you've ever looked at the galleries of these designers - who are also really talented scrapbookers, by the way - you'd see that they really are designing the type of products they use on their own pages.
___________________
Another way of looking at this issue of "to include multiple recolored versions of items or not" (and its sister issue, "whether to include multiple ribbons, stitches, buttons, etc. even if they're each different):
I think it depends on the type of scrapper your customers are. Some people buy a kit, make a page (or two), and are done with it. Others actually try to get more use out of a kit, and are using products to create coordinated albums as just one example. Now, the first type of customer only needs one ribbon, or one tag, or one button. Especially if they're a minimalist scrapper. But the second type of customer wants/needs more than that, so they're not forced to use the same ribbon or button or what have you on EVERY page of their project.
In the end, I don't think this issue has a right and wrong answer. I think it has more to do with what the customers need, and to appeal to both types you have to include more items/variety in your kits. There's no harm in doing it either way, but I see no harm in broadening my customer base by including multiple ribbons, etc. so that I appeal to more scrappers. I don't fault those who don't, either. I am sure they know their customers and what they're doing is working for them, or they wouldn't be selling.
I don't mind recolors, but what drives me crazy is when they rotate the item 90 degrees to make it look different, which makes the light source opposite on the 2 of them.
so, rotate it back. you're capable.
What a about a folder named "Recolors"? If they make multiple zip files those who don't want them can skip the altogether.
If you open a book, place it in your lap and look carefully at the light source, you will see it is not all in the same direction across the two pages. So for scrappers who do double page layouts, or print for books, having different light sources is not a bad thing.
Well, you see, the thing is, I don't use ribbons, fasteners and stitches, so I wouldn't include them in every kit, simply because I don't scrap that way. They may turn up in the occasional kit, but not every single one.
There are lots of CU kits & designers popping up everywhere now.
Do you think selling CU digi supplies is the new way (only way?) to make good money as a digi designer? Are designers who sell regular kits (not CU) a dying breed?
It seems everyone who digiscraps for awhile turns into a designer. Are there too many "designers" now, & not enough customers to support regular kit designers(not CU) in the industry?
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Um, seeing as this question was asked around four years ago, I'd say clearly not.
Saying "They should scrap to stay in touch with what customers want" is an ignorant suggestion,
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Clearly. If the are continuing to produce the same kind kit month after month after month, they are obviously satisfying their customers.
In the end, I don't think this issue has a right and wrong answer. I think it has more to do with what the customers need, and to appeal to both types you have to include more items/variety in your kits.
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And then you start getting a degradation in quality. In trying to satisfy too many people, you end up doing stuff you don't want to do. So you lose existing customers because you aren't producing the kits they love you for and the quality has gone downhill and any newer customer may not repeat purchase due to the quality issues.
You cannot please all of the people all of the time, so don't even try. Best to stick to what you know.
And then you start getting a degradation in quality. In trying to satisfy too many people, you end up doing stuff you don't want to do. So you lose existing customers because you aren't producing the kits they love you for and the quality has gone downhill and any newer customer may not repeat purchase due to the quality issues.
You cannot please all of the people all of the time, so don't even try. Best to stick to what you know.
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Um, and why the sudden degradation of quality? Just from trying to include basic elements (fasteners/etc.) in kits? Your comment makes no sense. Nothing we have talked about up to this point has anything to do with quality, it's had to do with variety and has been a discussion of "what should be in a kit", not "how good will those items be".
^^^
I explained why the degradation in quality, please read it again.
This is interesting to me - I've been saying for years that all a designer needs to do is have a "toolkit" included in the TOU file. In it are some emergency fasteners - a string, a staple, and a couple or three "x" stitches. The same ones every kit, designer's choice.
I got this idea because I started at DSP and I kept buying kits that needed a damn fastener but they didn't provide one in their "4 papers & 4 elements 4 $4.00" kits".
IMO, when I'm selling a kit, I intend for the scrapper to be able to scrap a page using it, without having to dig into their stash to find other pieces to make the page work. I assume that this is why the customer is purchasing a kit, as opposed to picking and choosing paper packs and element sets.
That means that good quality basics as well as the more fun and unique items need to be included in every kit. I wouldn't put out a kit with all patterns and no solids because it would be really difficult to use on it's own that way. Nor would I put out a kit that didn't included at least one fastener, frame, ribbon, etc.
I don't see why it's so hard for the average scrapper to make their own tool kit folder and therefore avoiding the whole 'dig through the stash' scenario.
Most of them tag the stuff in the first place, which I don't do, but I do have a tool kit folder.
yep, I have a working tool kit, of my fav staples, stitches, fasteners, photo overlays, and such that I have picked up over the last few years. Some old faithfuls!
Makes life easier, kinda like having a stapler on your desk, instead of filed in a box out back
but then I don't get the need for 4 different colors of the same flower, couldn't ya warp a petal or something? Just make it a bit different?
I explained why the degradation in quality, please read it again.
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No, you really didn't, and I'm not even the poster who responded to you. The whole scenario may have made sense to you in your own head, but your train of thought got majorly derailed before it left your fingertips on the keyboard.
I don't get the degradation comment either.
When you start making stuff you don't like, there will be a degradation of quality because you just won't put in the time and effort required.
yep, I have a working tool kit, of my fav staples, stitches, fasteners, photo overlays, and such that I have picked up over the last few years. Some old faithfuls!
Makes life easier, kinda like having a stapler on your desk, instead of filed in a box out back
but then I don't get the need for 4 different colors of the same flower, couldn't ya warp a petal or something? Just make it a bit different?
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Exactly. I really don't care if the average designer puts flowers, ribbons, fasteners etc in very single kit, just make the damn things different for every single kit.
When you start making stuff you don't like, there will be a degradation of quality because you just won't put in the time and effort required.
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(a) Speak for yourself. My products "represent me" and I don't put out crap, no matter what I am making.
(b) Who said anything about making things I don't like? We're talking staples or stitches or buttons here, not anything intricate.
^^^^^
Sigh. Not everyone is into the so called basics of stitches and buttons etc. Please see your point (b) in reference to your point (a). Those basics, for me, are crap. I make a quality product, one that represents me, which isn't the basics.
I'd be curious to 2 see a review of stores like Jessica Sprague, Two Peas in a Bucket, and Design House Digital (maybe even Designer Digitals). Those designers always seem a little hoity-toity and I'd be love to see if they are as superior as they/others seem to think they are. I have a feeling their shit stinks too.
^^^^
How do they seem hoity toity?
Jessica Sprague, Two Peas in a Bucket, and Design House Digital (maybe even Designer Digitals).
^^
Don't think of any of them as hoity-toity. JS - teaches others - whether they learn is their business. TP - whatever - overpriced. End of. DHD/DD - blah blah blah. As a scrapper - never shopped there. Found most of their stuff to be crud/done already/boring
I've never paper scrapped, but I'm assuming that everything that goes on a paper page isn't self-adhesive. So when you are paper scrapping, does every kit you buy come with a stapler, roll of tape, glue dots, a needle and thread, etc. or do you have a tool kit full of those things because you know you will need them to make your page? I don't see why digi should be any different, you shouldn't expect every kit to have the tools you need to attach your embellishments.
^^^^
Very well said.
If you are like me and prefer to have basics and kit specific elements in your kits then you will purchase more from designers that do that. If you don't want to buy from designers that provide basics along with kit specific elements then you will buy from designers that don't do that or you will just ignore the elements you don't need in other kits. Whichever. There is a market for both as there are scrappers that want kits both ways. Find your niche and go with what works for you.
I've never paper scrapped, but I'm assuming that everything that goes on a paper page isn't self-adhesive. So when you are paper scrapping, does every kit you buy come with a stapler, roll of tape, glue dots, a needle and thread, etc. or do you have a tool kit full of those things because you know you will need them to make your page? I don't see why digi should be any different, you shouldn't expect every kit to have the tools you need to attach your embellishments.
^^^^
Perhaps so for staples, and yet, as a scrapper, I'd much rather not have to hunt through gigs and gigs of kits for a staple ... I keep kits together in a folder so I want what I need to be easy to find. And as for ribbons, stitches, brad, strings, and flowers ... YES I do buy them to match specific page kits. That way I can just stick it all down.
I think it is really about how you scrap - style wise and skill wise. It's not that one is wrong and the other is right. I don't think it's right to say that basics are 'crap' if the quality is good. They aren't crap, they are just not something you personally value in a kit. COLS, now, THAT is crap.
I'd much rather not have to hunt through gigs and gigs of kits for a staple ... I keep kits together in a folder so I want what I need to be easy to find
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If you already put things in a folder, what's so difficult about putting all your staples and other basics in a folder so you don't have to hunt through gigs and gigs?
I don't think it's right to say that basics are 'crap' if the quality is good.
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I never said they were crap, I said they were crap for me. Do you see the difference? How is that wrong? It's my opinion.
There is a market for both as there are scrappers that want kits both ways. Find your niche and go with what works for you.
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Exactly. Which is why I think it's absurd for some customers to expect all or most designers to provide the basics.
I don't think anyone has said they expect that.
If you already put things in a folder, what's so difficult about putting all your staples and other basics in a folder so you don't have to hunt through gigs and gigs?
^^^^
It's not difficult ... but other than metals, other things all need to be recolored. I just don't want to be bothered. I don't have a lot of time when I scrap. I want to open the kit and have everything I need in there. And let's be frank here - I'm the consumer, I want what I want and I'm willing to pay for it, so why judge? Yes, It may seem lazy - but this is my hobby, I do it for fun, and if I want to be lazy about searching for stuff, that's totally up to me.
I'm paying you for your stuff - if I like it, I come back for more - if I don't find I can scrap with it easily, I don't.
It seems to me it's kind of ridiculous to sit here and judge what you think your customers 'should' want and 'should' be able to do themselves. If Starbucks judged everyone who wanted a decaf 2% half sweet mocha, they wouldn't be in business. People want to be pampered. Stop judging and give them what they want.
Exactly. Which is why I think it's absurd for some customers to expect all or most designers to provide the basics.
^^^
I don't expect it. I just don't buy kits that don't.
And let's be frank here - I'm the consumer, I want what I want and I'm willing to pay for it, so why judge?
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I didn't perceive a judgement in the response made to you, but also keep in mind that you're not the one and only consumer.
I'm paying you for your stuff - if I like it, I come back for more - if I don't find I can scrap with it easily, I don't.
It seems to me it's kind of ridiculous to sit here and judge what you think your customers 'should' want and 'should' be able to do themselves. If Starbucks judged everyone who wanted a decaf 2% half sweet mocha, they wouldn't be in business. People want to be pampered. Stop judging and give them what they want.
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The only one judging is you. I didn't judge you, I asked you a question and I get a sermon in reply. So, why don't you stop judging, okay? Thanks very much.
I perceived a lot of judgment - whens someone says 'whats so hard about that?' they are judging you for choosing not to do it. Then someone went on to say it was absurd.
I do know I'm not the only customer, I also said earlier that different people obviously want different things from a kit. I'm can agree that different people want different things without calling it 'absurd' or 'crap.'
I didn't perceive a judgement in the response made to you, but also keep in mind that you're not the one and only consumer.
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Thank you for seeing that.
The only one judging is you. I didn't judge you, I asked you a question and I get a sermon in reply. So, why don't you stop judging, okay? Thanks very much.
^^^
It's a sermon why? Because you don't like what I said? Sorry but you were the one calling names. I merely defended my position. I did no judging at all.
don't think anyone has said they expect that.
August 9, 2011 12:10 AM
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Let's see, shall we, here are some random quotes over the last few posts about this:
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* Creativity is great, yes, but there comes a point where people really do need the basics in each kit, even if it seems boring.
* Personally I do want stitches and ribbons in every kit - not in every color, but at least one or each. I don't want to be recoloring as I scrap.
* So including all the 'extra packing peanuts' is helpful for them and a time saver for others.
* I've been saying for years that all a designer needs to do is have a "toolkit" included in the TOU file. In it are some emergency fasteners - a string, a staple, and a couple or three "x" stitches. The same ones every kit, designer's choice.
______
Sounds like expectations to me, but I could be wrong.
It's a sermon why? Because you don't like what I said? Sorry but you were the one calling names. I merely defended my position. I did no judging at all.
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What name exactly did I call you? Please point it out me. You were the one that told me I was judging and absurd.
To me those are preferences. And of course they are going to vary and there will be different sellers who will fit different preferences better.
What name exactly did I call you? Please point it out me. You were the one that told me I was judging and absurd.
^^^
Must have been a third person then who said this: 'Exactly. Which is why I think it's absurd for some customers to expect all or most designers to provide the basics.'
I wasn't talking specifically to YOU or any one person either, I was talking to the people who are arguing against providing basics as if it's a ridiculous thing for customers to want.
I don't want them, and I can't be alone in that. To me, it is ridiculous. Sorry if that offends you, but there it is. I've stopped buying from certain designers because I'm sick and tired of the same old basics in every damn kit.
It doesn't offend me that you don't like them. It offends me that you call it ridiculous. It's not ridiculous, it's just different tastes than your own. I have stopped buying from more designers than I can count for not including basics with every kit. Obviously different people want different things. I'm quite sure you aren't alone in what you want, nor am I. I see very successful designers who do and don't include basics.
And we can agree on one thing - I don't like the same old basics in ever kit either. I want basics, but I want them to vary from kit to kit.
I said TO ME IT'S RIDICULOUS, why does that offend you? I didn't it was ridiculous overall, I said TO ME IT'S RIDICULOUS.
Do you see?
I really wasn't aware that when I specifically referred to ME I was referring to EVERYONE. Who knew?
I don't like the same old basics in ever kit either. I want basics, but I want them to vary from kit to kit.
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Yeah, me too. It just doesn't happen that often though and that's why I sopped buying from some designers.
I don't think it's right to say that basics are 'crap' if the quality is good.
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I never said they were crap, I said they were crap for me. Do you see the difference? How is that wrong? It's my opinion.
__________________
Actually if you are the original poster (from WAAAY up above) who started the convo about "if you don't like something, when you make it the quality will suffer"... you DID refer to quality. You WEREN'T just talking about an opinion of whether you want something or not (i.e. you did NOT say these items were "crap to you" because you don't want them... you DID say, though, that if you didn't like them and had to make them, then the quality would suffer).
Maybe someone can then suggest to designers "please, try to include some kit-specific basics like staples, strings, stitches, etc." and maybe suggest that some of the basic basics (like staples or 3 x-stitches) do not count in the total of "44 elements" just like it is suggested not to count the 12 recolored flowers. Invite the designer to do the recolor for the basics, and if you are one who do not care for the "little toolkit included" simply delete it. Then, maybe most scrappers will be happy and CT will have less of a hard time scrapping "with only the supplies in the kit" as some seem to be required.
The funny thing is that even after all of this discussion/arguing, it's doubtful that I (or anyone else, for that matter, I am guessing) will actually change what we put into kits. My guess is this discussion has been more about convincing everyone else that each of us are right, or do it the best way, than about actually improving any business practices. Come on, you know I'm right... ;-)
You are right... and I'm so bored by this conversation.
Hope that folder thang is sorted....
Can I just say that I just got an add from the Frenchies (that's what I call Digital Crea) and what do they do there? Is it like a store requirement that all designers use strictly the same CU?. My word that stuff looks as if it's been in a look-alike machine.
Apart from that: THANKS for the all your time and work put into the reviews. I dl'ed the Brine kit from the DSA contest and didn't keep it. That's all. I do not want the rest.
I am always looking for good papers (big time) and elements but they seem harder and harder to find. Is it just me having seen every bow and every flower? Or is it something else?
Yep, I didn't see anything worth downloading yet from the DSA contest.
I think we should all agree to disagree here and move on already. Some scrappers like it one way and some the other. There's nothing wrong about that. There are soooooooooo many designers in the market catering to sooooooooo many styles of scrapping. If you don't like how one includes/doesn't include basic tool in her kits, stop buying from her and try others.
In my opinion, the only people directly affected by all this are the CTs who have to scrap using only the elements in the kit. Other scrappers can look at the list and previews and see for themselves whether there are enough basic tools for them to scrap with, then they have a choice to buy the kit or just walk away. Simple.
^^^^^
Oh! Sorry! Just saw now that we've moved on already. Good. LOL
^^^^^
Oh! Sorry! Just saw now that we've moved on already. Good. LOL
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Oh thank god, I was reading your first comment at 9:42 and sitting here thinking, "how interesting, a blind designer!" and wondering how you are able to recolor things to match a palette... LMAO
^^^^
Not a designer actually, just a lowly blind scrapper. ;)
Note to self: always refresh before hitting the publish button. LOL
Um, seeing as this question was asked around four years ago, I'd say clearly not.
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So just because people talked about CU designers 4 years ago, no one can talk about it now? According to your logic, it sounds like there wouldn't be anything to talk about here because almost every topic has been discussed at one point before.
I don't think that's what that poster meant. I think she was just saying that people thought the same thing was going to happen 4 years ago also and it has not happened.
I don't think that's what that poster meant. I think she was just saying that people thought the same thing was going to happen 4 years ago also and it has not happened.
________
Yes, this. People worried years ago that if everyone started selling CU, that everyone would become a designer and there would be no market left (to sell PU to scrappers). Years later, I'd say that there are definitely more designers than before, but I don't think PU sales have suffered a lot. Well, that depends on who you are maybe. Shops close up left and right every day, but the old standbys all seem to be doing fine, and new shops pop up all the time, too, and seem to be doing OK.
Want to hear something funny/ironic? I buy kits way more often now that I design than I ever did when I started out. So IMO even if lots of new designers pop up, I think that overall they'll still be consumers too.
I buy more as a designer than I did as a scrapper as well.
So do I. Mostly because I don't have time to CT anymore.
That's funny. I find I buy less because now if I want something I just make it myself.
Any new to you designers you've recently discovered whose work you love?
OK, I think I'll try my hand at reviews. Which store should I check out?
mscraps. I love all their kits, but the designers are all very cliquey. what do you think about them?
I don't think that's what that poster meant. I think she was just saying that people thought the same thing was going to happen 4 years ago also and it has not happened.
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Yes, thanks, someone who thinks.
So just because people talked about CU designers 4 years ago, no one can talk about it now? According to your logic, it sounds like there wouldn't be anything to talk about here because almost every topic has been discussed at one point before.
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That's not what I said. Go and read it again.
Actually if you are the original poster (from WAAAY up above) who started the convo about "if you don't like something, when you make it the quality will suffer"... you DID refer to quality. You WEREN'T just talking about an opinion of whether you want something or not (i.e. you did NOT say these items were "crap to you" because you don't want them... you DID say, though, that if you didn't like them and had to make them, then the quality would suffer).
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It wasn't and even it was, those two conversations seem unrelated, except that they are talking about basics.
I am always looking for good papers (big time) and elements but they seem harder and harder to find. Is it just me having seen every bow and every flower? Or is it something else?
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Depends on what kind of papers you want, but I agree entirely about the flowers and ribbons. I said this almost three years ago.
That means that good quality basics as well as the more fun and unique items need to be included in every kit. I wouldn't put out a kit with all patterns and no solids because it would be really difficult to use on it's own that way. Nor would I put out a kit that didn't included at least one fastener, frame, ribbon, etc.
°°°°°°°°°
Cheers. I much rather pay a buck or two or three more to have a kit go a long way, for an album that is. Throw in all the cardstock, in all the colors, throw in staples, stitches and so on. Hate it when the kits have 7 papers and no cardstocks, not even offered as an add on. I could make that myself but what is the point in buying a kit/ collection then?
mscraps. I love all their kits, but the designers are all very cliquey. what do you think about them.
^^^^^^^^
I am under the ever so increasing impression that if Paislee Press comes out with something about 2-3 weeks later Anita or Sabrina have been somewhat 'overinspired' ;) by that, too... Scooty is another one of 'those' overly inspired people. Hinting at a template album she cranked out lately that was a direct spin off of a very classy and unique thing by Roadside Designs (not involved with her at all, just happened to buy Roadside's template set and saw the direct spin off shortly after I had bought the original). All in all the store doesn't really cater too much to originality as there are so many of these a.m. designers. I feel I have seen most of their kits somewhere else already.
Jessica Sprague, Two Peas in a Bucket, and Design House Digital (maybe even Designer Digitals).
^^
Don't think of any of them as hoity-toity. JS - teaches others - whether they learn is their business. TP - whatever - overpriced. End of. DHD/DD - blah blah blah. As a scrapper - never shopped there. Found most of their stuff to be crud/done already/boring
.........
same here
Two Peas would be hard to review, they have a bunch of designers that haven't been active in months/years but their stores are still there.
Can we get back to making fun of designers? It is more interesting to read.
I would be interested to see what Simon has to say about DSP designers.
Scooty is another one of 'those' overly inspired people. Hinting at a template album she cranked out lately that was a direct spin off of a very classy and unique thing by Roadside Designs (not involved with her at all, just happened to buy Roadside's template set and saw the direct spin off shortly after I had bought the original).
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How is a basic blocked template set "unique"? Don't know if I agree w/ you on this one. Janet Phillips does blocked template sets. Biograffiti does blocked template sets. It's summertime, and people are always looking for travel journal templates this time of year. Show me a few other examples of Scooty (and Anita/Sabrina, for that matter) "stealing" ideas, and I might buy into your theory. Right now, though, I don't think you can accurately say that one person made a blocked template set for travel that happens to resemble another one in another store.
BTB #41-50 (per request)... please note that I've stopped DL'ing because I have no need for any more freebies, so these reviews are based on previews alone unless otherwise noted (if I DL to check quality):
41. Designs by Angel: A visually cohesive kit. She deleted a couple of colors from the palette to calm things down, which I like. The doodled style flows throughout almost all of the papers/elements w/ exception to the strangely-shaped tag w/ real string (I would have gone w/ a doodled tag instead, to match the rest of it). For scrapping purposes, I would have liked to have seen the pattern on the flowered paper a little smaller and more frequent (so the pattern could be seen when just pieces of the paper are used on a layout, since the pattern is very cute). All in all, this is a generally good entry.
42. eNKay Design: Her site bandwidth is exceeded right now, so I can't get to her blog. I will mention that I did see her portion a week or so ago when I did my first round of reviews: it had some cute doodled elements, and a pleasant color combo. I remember liking it. I just can't pick it apart any further right now, other than to tell her that she probably needs to find a new web host...
43. Digilicious Designs: She muted the palette colors & left out the brown (with exception to a few color pops using it), which was a good idea. I don't like her method of previewing the papers, though, as I really can't see them (this is too bad, because they look like they might be nice, but how is a customer supposed to be able to tell by looking at a tiny corner on each paper?). The kit is called Piece of Cake, but this surprised me because after looking at the papers I figured it would be a gardeny-themed kit (lots of flowers, not much cake). The elements are also half-garden-y and half-cake-y, so I think her kit theme could use some de-mish-mashifying. Shadowing on the preview is off; it's not realistic to have a frame that thick w/ the same basic shadows as flat pieces of paper. Same goes for the rolled flowers = shadowed incorrectly.
...to be continued...
...continued...
44. BZB Designs: She also got rid of the brown and used it as just an accent color on elements; the result is nice. This is a well-previewed portion, with shadowing that makes these papers/elements look realistic (though I would have deepened the shadows on the bird, the leaf, and the brown tag; these 3 seem sorta flat). My only real problem w/ this one, if you can call it a problem, is that there's nothing really unique here. For blog train passengers, I know it's good to get a portion w/ some basics now and then, to use w/ the rest of it, so I'm not really complaining. I just don't know that there's anything included here that would bring someone back to her again in the future because this kit's probably not making a lasting impression on anyone. Although... now that I think about it, in this particular blog train, doing something simple and basic (and even boring) does sorta set you apart from the crap, so maybe I take that back.
45. In The Small Things: She says her portion is a mini, but it's 19 elements and 11 papers in 3 DL's. To lots of designers nowadays that's a full kit, LOL. Due to use of all of the palette colors, this one is busy and hurts my eyes (in fact, even the preview design is busy). The 3 patterned papers in the middle (butterfly, flowers, flowers) look cute and simple, and I wish they were previewed separately w/ a few solids and without any of the dark brown, and with maybe 5-7 of the flower elements instead of this entire mish-mash of items. The preview looks blurry to me; I'm constantly amazed by the sheer number of blurry previews I run across all the time. How do designers not understand the importance of a preview? I'm guessing these designers are the ones who buy fruit in the grocery without picking it up and feeling it/looking at it first.
SOrry for all of the extra commentary, I'm feeling extra wordy today. I'll be back later with #46-50, as long as I can force myself to review "Connie's" portion that she had no part in creating, because what I really want to do is skip it out of principle...
Skip it and let's get back to the store reviews.
^^^
If only. I promised someone #41-50, per request, and then if I never see another orange/pink/blue/green/brown blog train minikit again it will be too soon.
After that, I plan to do SO/SSD per someone else's previous request, so my take can be compared/contrasted w/ Simon's/Randi's/whoever else's.
Then I'd personally love to delve into mscraps, oscraps, catscrap, etc. They all seem to be in a different realm, style-wise, from some of the stores we've been focused on (the SO's and SSD's).
Can we get back to making fun of designers? It is more interesting to read.
August 10, 2011 2:52 AM
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And this would make you not only immature, but pretty pathetic, as well.
I've personally enjoyed the recent turn towards honest (although sometimes brutally so) reviews of designer's WORK, without the need to "make fun of" people. I hope it continues.
Ditto to 11:07.
^^^^
I agree as well.
BTB #46-50:
46. Designs by Connie Prince: I've decided not to review this one, in order to make a point. Shari, it's time to get your own blog and then I'll review your contribution next time. It's doubtful you're the one who requested that I review #41-50 in order to get your own portion reviewed, anyway... but if, by chance, it was you who asked: maybe this will teach you a lesson. It's time to stop riding your mentor's coattails, and fly out of the nest into the big, scary designer wild. The fact that you've been designing Connie's blog train minis for the better part of the past year has been irritating to a lot of people (it's been brought up on this blog multiple times before), and I've now jumped onto that bandwagon, as well. Next!
47. Daybreak Scraps: Please, please, please get a blog design that supports 600x600 previews! Actually, it looks to me like this one does/would support it, so I'll cry foul on user-error for failing to have a larger preview (and/or the option to click on the preview to see a larger version). From what I can see, however, I will say that this is a pretty good preview of a seemingly average product. The shadowing is good, the elements look realistic, and the kit theme is cohesive. I hate the color combo, however, and want to gouge out my eyeballs any time I see brown and orange together on a paper or an element, let alone both. It would appear that the actual design execution is pretty good here, but oww those colors. Additionally, would anyone EVER use those 2 patterned papers together for anything? Ever? Ick. She would have been better off leaving out the brown paw-print paper, or else keeping it and pairing it with neutral solids instead of a multi-colored stripe pattern. Just saying.
48. Robyn Pali Designs: Who is this? I've never heard of her before, but my first thought when I visited her blog was that her logo is cute but was cuter the first time around, when it was Thaty Borges' logo. This has nothing to do with my review, but it's strange nonetheless and worth mentioning. As for her blog train kit preview, it's blurry and the preview itself is muddled and confusing. It would appear at first glance that the large papers stacked behind everything are included in the kit (especially b/c they match the palette, somewhat). It's just the 6 paper strips in the front, though, which (although blurry) look relatively nice. Exceptions: I despise the texture used on the brown solid (it might be nice on another color paper, but for a brown that dark it just looks... off), and again w/ hating the brown/orange color combo w/ reference to the paper on the right (a neutral cream/offwhite would have worked better than the orange). As for the elements, they all look pretty nice except for anything that includes the color orange: her orange doesn't seem right to me (too dark/almost bordering on Halloweenish and depressing). It makes the ribbon look almost metallic, which I doubt was intentional. The sign-post is cute. The blurriness on the preview makes it appear that the button has massive jagged edges or strays, so I DL'd to look closer and it's actually fine. Let this be a lesson (again!) about the importance of a preview. A customer would never have paid to check that out, they'd have simply moved on to another shop.
...to be continued...
...continued...
49. Aprilisa Designs: This one's well done. She pared down the number of colors in the palette, and muted them enough that the mini has a calm feel to it, even w/ the inclusion of orange (which is not a serene color). The elements look realistic, the preview is well-done, and the shadowing is good. The only thing noteworthy about it is the fact that there's nothing noteworthy about it. It's plain, basic, and unmemorable. But she's probably established enough (compared to most of the people I've reviewed, that is) to be able to get away with lacking a "wow" factor for a blog train submission.
50. MaitriScraps: Oh dear. It took me a minute to figure out what should be said about this one. First, there appear to be no patterned papers. Not the end of the world, but I do think you're supposed to include at least a couple, per the blog train rules. After reading her post, though, I fear that there actually ARE patterned papers, and that they're supposed to be sparkly. It's honestly hard to tell if the sparkles on the preview are on the papers or just separate elements (scatters). I think it's the latter, since her theme was something about a starry night. Strange theme, IMO, because the paper/element colors do NOT channel "starry night" to me (maybe if she had gone w/ just the greens, blues, and browns in the palette). The remaining elements all look excessively digital to me, especially the ribbon, staples, flair, and beads(?). It would seem that everything was created with an action, which isn't my style. I would go so far as to say that it isn't anyone's style (and instead just a mistake made by newbie designers), but I see it so often in the digital scrap world that I actually believe there must be a market out there for it. But mark my words: you will never see this style of product in one of the top stores.
This ends my reviews of this month's blog train. If yours didn't get reviewed but you wish it had, I am sure you can go back and read what we've all written about the other submissions and gather a lot of ideas about what's good, what's bad, and what's just downright ugly. Something that's been said above surely applies to yours, too.
I'm excited now to move on to other shops, as requested.
Piers - fyi, Maitri scraps isn't a newbie. Been around almost 2 dang years now.
and...for my info? you keep saying "blues" in the palette. There wasn't any blue. Two shades of green. or...is my monitor that off (which it isn't because I calibrated it recently)? just wondering.
Will anyone be reviewing Scrappity Doo Dah? I almost applied at the design call they just had, and I'm very glad I did not. Look at who they have in their store! They were doing good with Inspired by Dominic, that's what made me want to join. But then I saw they added that fatass loud mouth sweet mistake. iVomit.
and...for my info? you keep saying "blues" in the palette. There wasn't any blue. Two shades of green. or...is my monitor that off (which it isn't because I calibrated it recently)? just wondering.
__________________________________
I have a blue and a green on both of my computers. I was curious and checked it on my ipod too, it was still a green and a blue.
and...for my info? you keep saying "blues" in the palette. There wasn't any blue. Two shades of green. or...is my monitor that off (which it isn't because I calibrated it recently)? just wondering.
I considered it blue, but it was a very green blue, so I can see what you are saying. It was darned hard to work with it and that muddy orange IMO.
Piers - fyi, Maitri scraps isn't a newbie. Been around almost 2 dang years now.
and...for my info? you keep saying "blues" in the palette. There wasn't any blue. Two shades of green. or...is my monitor that off (which it isn't because I calibrated it recently)? just wondering.
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Didn't say Maitri was a newbie. Read again. I simply said that using actions for EVERYTHING when creating elements seems to be something newbies do more often than seasoned designers do. Doesn't mean it's a rule to live by, and there are exceptions (as we can see), but... you don't tend to see a lot of those types of super-digital looking elements in the top tier stores. Will I get harpooned for being snooty by saying that? Probably, from some of you. But that doesn't mean it's not true.
As for the blue, yeah, it's a very greenish blue or else a very bluish green. Either way, it was just easier to refer to one of them as "green" and one of them as "blue". Otherwise I would have been writing "the bluish-green this" and the "greener-green that" all day long...
Piers - fyi, Maitri scraps isn't a newbie. Been around almost 2 dang years now.
__________________
Oooh touchy, and full of random facts about another designer. Sounds like maybe you're the one who requested that Piers review that last group and now you're offended that she didn't like it and doesn't know your design history,..
Will anyone be reviewing Scrappity Doo Dah? I almost applied at the design call they just had, and I'm very glad I did not. Look at who they have in their store! They were doing good with Inspired by Dominic, that's what made me want to join. But then I saw they added that fatass loud mouth sweet mistake. iVomit.
August 10, 2011 3:10 PM
Sounds like someone has a personal issue there.
Will anyone be reviewing Scrappity Doo Dah? I almost applied at the design call they just had, and I'm very glad I did not. Look at who they have in their store! They were doing good with Inspired by Dominic, that's what made me want to join. But then I saw they added that fatass loud mouth sweet mistake. iVomit.
^^^^^^^^^^^
I agree about sweet mistake (hee, love that BTW). She's all googly eyed with the owner - or one of them.
Her 'designs' are basic at best and Dylabel and that returning "Monkey" chick. SHUDDER.
"fatass loud mouth sweet mistake"
Who? What?
Sweet MessQuite
and...for my info? you keep saying "blues" in the palette. There wasn't any blue. Two shades of green. or...is my monitor that off (which it isn't because I calibrated it recently)? just wondering.
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Two greens here and my monitor does not need to be calibrated.
But then I saw they added that fatass loud mouth sweet mistake. iVomit.
--
Grow up. I don't even know who you are referring to, but your comment is very childish. It's probably about time your kids went back to school, you are starting to sound like them.
Two greens here and my monitor does not need to be calibrated.
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Sounds like the only people seeing 2 greens are the people whose "monitors don't need to be calibrated"...
Sounds like the only people seeing 2 greens are the people whose "monitors don't need to be calibrated"...
August 10, 2011 6:22 PM
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Or people who call greenish blue green...rather than calling it blue.
Sounds like the only people seeing 2 greens are the people whose "monitors don't need to be calibrated"...
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Whatever. I just had mine calibrated, so maybe you should go and check yours, 'kay?
Or people who call greenish blue green...rather than calling it blue.
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It's not blue. It's pale sea green. You go and get your little eyedropper and see what color range that blue ends up in. Oh surprise, it's green.
Grow up. I don't even know who you are referring to, but your comment is very childish. It's probably about time your kids went back to school, you are starting to sound like them.
August 10, 2011 5:41 PM
This. I do know who they are talking about and I happen to think she is a very nice person. If you don't like her designs that is one thing, but the personal attack screams of some sort of personal issue.
Other topic: Does it matter that much if someone calls it blue?
^^^
for real, about the blue/green thing. who effing cares, people? do you really care whether someone else calls a blue-green or green-blue color "blue" or "green"? why does this matter? we must be *really* bored here on this blog today, wow.
My hesitation to apply to a Scrappity Doo Dah designer call has very little to do with other designers and everything to do with the hideous site. You could upload anything to that site and it would still look like garbage...if anybody even bothers to look past the ugly site to shop there.
for real, about the blue/green thing. who effing cares, people? do you really care whether someone else calls a blue-green or green-blue color "blue" or "green"? why does this matter? we must be *really* bored here on this blog today, wow.
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I think it mostly matters because they are reviewing stores and calling color palettes "gross" and "blinding" which may not even be the designer's fault if their monitor is causing the color issue. (Although, I still say most of the reviews are dead on, so if they said your colors were gross, they probably still are.)
^^^
point well taken, except I think we all know that the blue/green in question was a hue that could easily be called either thing, depending on personal preference (not the best term, but I can't think of a better one). In other words, any time something is a mix of two colors (teal, for instance), some people call it "blue" and some call it "green" but we all know it's a hybrid of the two colors. That doesn't mean the people are idiots or wrong, it just means they simplified it by calling it one or the other, and we all know that will end up being 50/50 in the end, based on personal preference. KWIM?
I think the reviews have been pretty spot-on thus far. Monitor issues or no monitor issues.
I do calibrate my monitor, and while it is a very greenish blue, it is so much bluer than the green that I feel it functions as a blue in this palette. However, I think this just shows the inherent difficulty in that particular set of colors. But that is just my opinion. :)
for real, about the blue/green thing. who effing cares, people?
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If you are a designer, you should care. Color palette is very important. If you are just a scrapper, it doesn't matter a bit.
It's most definitely in the green range, and it has nothing to do with personal preference. Yes, I was anal enough to check the hex # from the original palette.
yawn x 3
http://www.digishoptalk.com/boards/showthread.php?t=284096
Ninth and Bloom is having a call.
*NO* rejection letters will be sent.
Guess Lizzy is to fizzy in the head to say no tactfully.
TOO fizzy even.
Guess my mind is too fuzzy in the early morning.
I don't blame her for doing it that way. It takes a lot of time to write rejection letters and it is hard to tell people no. Especially if you don't want to send everyone the same form rejection letter. At least she noted up front that there won't be rejection letters. A lot of designers/store owners just don't respond at all and don't tell you that they aren't going to either.
no designers allowed? understandable, but sucky.
smackthis said...
no designers allowed? understandable, but sucky.
August 11, 2011 9:59 AM
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so are we to assume you're a designer? lol
yes I am a designer. I can understand her reasoning behind not letting designers apply, but it sucks.
no designers allowed? understandable, but sucky.
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Meh, I wouldn't want to work for that scatter brain anyway.
It's anyone's prerogative to hire or not hire designers for their CT. I know plenty of designers + stores who won't. If you want to use the products so much, buy them. Or go on a designer's team that allows it. As a designer, I will hire a designer for my CT in some situations - but a) just can they can design doesn't mean they can scrap and b) they're WAY more flaky than just scrappers as they have their design commitments come first before CT.
^^^
I've actually had the opposite experience. I have a team of about 10 or so, and 2 are designers. Both are among the best scrappers on my team, and both are more reliable than a majority of the rest of the team (I've always assumed it's because they understand the business and know not to commit if they can't do a LO).
How do you figure she's a scatterbrain? Explain, please.
How do you figure she's a scatterbrain? Explain, please.
August 11, 2011 11:29 AM
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Likely the op is a designer who applied to Lizzy's store and was turned down.
does anyone know what happened to nibbles skribbles?
She's at the Studio
http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=62
But her blog hasn't been active in months?
Her FB says she's dealing with a complicated pregnancy.
http://www.facebook.com/NibblesSkribbles
^^
It actually says she's adjusting to life with a newborn (July) + a child home for the summer
Nibbles and Skribbles? WTF is that? Never heard of them.
Sounds like a pet food.
Forum Cheerleader????
What is this, high school all over again. Flashbacks.
How do you figure she's a scatterbrain? Explain, please.
August 11, 2011 11:29 AM
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Likely the op is a designer who applied to Lizzy's store and was turned down.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Nope, I wouldn't want to work for that shop. Have heard too many not great things about her and the store. (How many original designers and the new designers that were accepted from their designer call have left??) You can tell she's a flake from her forum posts and from her Facebook posts.
I just read the comments about colors & it reminded me about an online hue test that I read about on another forum. There is no way that I'll ever be a designer to begin with. After taking this test twice, I couldn't believe how bad I scored.
Just another reason that I won't ever design,ha!
It's my challenge to you to take this test.
http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=77&Lang=en
^^^
that was fun to do, thx for posting it! I did well, though, which is probably why I liked it. and the results validated what I said above, which is that the color on this month's blog train palette was/is a greenish-blue, and can be called "blue" for short, regardless of what everyone else's monitors say.
Any surprises re: scores for Designer Apprentice - or shall we start critiquing Challenge 2
http://digiscrapaddicts.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23632
I'm VERY surprised that Charmed City scored so low and Jen C, Luv Ewe and Key of D scored so high. I'd agree with the top three in the established category, though.
There are too many in the new designer category for me to remember.
^^^
It was an extraction challenge
Charm City extracted pieces of flowers - but the carnival stuff is all Miss Tiina CU. I don't like Jen C's papers, but took a look at her extractions for the lavendar - and they were clean - even if the mini isn't my style. Luv Ewe's is generic - but the palette is interesting. Key of D - meh - not for me - to quote "Simon" - too mishy mashy.
I just read the comments about colors & it reminded me about an online hue test that I read about on another forum. There is no way that I'll ever be a designer to begin with. After taking this test twice, I couldn't believe how bad I scored.
Just another reason that I won't ever design,ha!
It's my challenge to you to take this test.
http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=77&Lang=en
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That's a fun test. I am a designer and I scored 12. I thought that wasn't too bad, although I did think I was better than that. LOL
The hue test was fun, even if it made my eyes cross a bit. Thanks for sharing! Didn't think I'd do quite as well as I did - but I'll take my score of 8.
I scored an 8 and I'm happy with it.
I was surprised Dancing Princess and Little Bird scored as high as they did. Yuck. Key of D was a bit of a shock, too. I'd love to see how the judges actually scored it.
How were Charm City's extractions? I thought her stuff was cute. I thought they could use CU, and it seems like she changed it up at least.
Wow - I got a 6. And ironically, the place where I had trouble was in the bluish-greens. Or are they greenish-blues?
so i took the test and got a 4. I didn't read it right away and was embarrassed...then i read that you want a low score...oops. helps to read the WHOLE thing LOL
http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=77&Lang=en
Wow.. I surprised myself. I scored a zero! I <3 color yay!
I got an 8 on the hue test, and no kidding, my faulty area was the transition between blue and green :P
http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=77&Lang=en
Wow.. I surprised myself. I scored a zero! I <3 color yay!
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I got a zero, too, but wasn't going to post it here because I figured nobody would believe me anyway. I thought I was going to go blind doing that test, though, LMAO. It was fun.
http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=77&Lang=en
Wow.. I surprised myself. I scored a zero! I <3 color yay!
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I got a zero, too, but wasn't going to post it here because I figured nobody would believe me anyway. I thought I was going to go blind doing that test, though, LMAO. It was fun.
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Ha! Go us! Seriously though it did make me feel a bit cross eyed!
a greenish-blue, and can be called "blue" for short, regardless of what everyone else's monitors say.
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despite what the hex # says too, huh?
Any surprises re: scores for Designer Apprentice - or shall we start critiquing Challenge 2
http://digiscrapaddicts.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23632
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I couldn't find the scores earlier today and gave up, so thanks for posting.
I scored better than I thought I would considering that my kit was not in the cute range, like most of the others.
Eek, I got a 32 on the color test. I'm going to try again tomorrow when my eyes aren't so tired.
Did the test again on my desktop which has better color calibration and got a 4 on it. (had 12 before)
So good monitor calibration makes a difference too!
I got a 7 on the second try, mostly because I figured out how to outwit my dyslexic tendency to move things the wrong way, LOL.
Any thoughts on DSA Challenge 2?
I scored a 4. I am not even a designer, just a scrapper, but it explains why color is the first thing I look for when shopping for kits.
I scored a 4. I am not even a designer, just a scrapper, but it explains why color is the first thing I look for when shopping for kits.
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First thing I look for when shopping for kits, too. Probably the case for a good majority of customers, as well, which is why I am always stymied by all of the designers who choose these wacky ass color palettes for their kits. I would never even click on the preview for most of them, to see them larger/up close, but I guess they must sell to someone or else people wouldn't be making them?
DSA Challenge 2
Just looking through the New Designers real quickly before breakfast. Some are truly gross. That cowboy paper pack and the Mexican Vacation pack.
The colors are just astonishingly disgusting.
Another "zero" score. I was pleasantly surprised. Should I make a badge for my product previews?
maybe just maybe they are making the kits for us losers that scored high and have no idea of hues, we just like to scrap pics of our really bad photos too!
Okay, a very low score here. LOL My half-hearted attempt got me an 85! Dang, do I have to confess that to the designers I CT for?
Good thing I never want to become a designer.
I got a 23 but my eyes were crossing the whole time! I'll try again tomorrow.
I did pretty well overall, but my green-blue scores sucked. Now I know why I kept looking at that blog train swatch and wondering how anyone saw any green in that obviously blue color, LOL!
I'm the OP that posted the link to the hue test last night. I had a high score & it made me wonder about something I remembered. When I was little my mother could not distinguish blue from green. I always had to correct her on those two colors. She was never diagnosed as color bind but looking back I'm sure she had to be.
I'm wondering that was a genetic thing passed to me.
Maybe store owners and designers might consider giving that color test before hiring them as designers or CT members? I wonder if it would be a reasonable "requirement"?
Maybe it would help in the color choices and color use/combinaisons for kits? Just wondering.
I got a 4 - the yellowish greens were where I made my mistakes.
Odd, maybe, but I don't like color palettes at all and I buy from Mish Mash designers who don't appear to even have a palette.
My house is like that, too. I wonder if the matchy-match people have matching end tables for their sofas, matching chairs at their kitchen tables, and matching bedside tables? Just curious.
I thought the blue flax flower extractions by SunshineArtz were the very best of the extractions on the contest. I need to go back and see how they say she did.
The test does show whether you can tell the difference between colors, not whether you have good color taste. Just saying. And no, I didn't get a high score. However I do think that showing skill in this area would help you make sure your pieces match the palette.
"Odd, maybe, but I don't like color palettes at all and I buy from Mish Mash designers who don't appear to even have a palette.
My house is like that, too. I wonder if the matchy-match people have matching end tables for their sofas, matching chairs at their kitchen tables, and matching bedside tables? Just curious."
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This is a very interesting thought on style preference. I don't mind the "mish mash" kits, either, as long as there's some cohesion in a kit...and my house/furnishings/decor are all a little mish mashy, too...Would be fun to test that theory!
Even though I got a perfect score, the blues were the most difficult to distinguish.
Ok, here are my reviews of DSA Round 1 (New Designers Only). Yes, I downloaded all of them and looked through every kit, which I can say I probably won't do again..ugh!
LadyBug Designs - The preview isn't really very appealing. The elements (especially the stars) are poorly recolored and the ribbon is almost digital looking because of the recolor. The papers are almost washed out looking (yellow paper) and the texture isn't consistant.
Sweet Sunshine - I actually like most of the 'plain' papers because they have cool looking grungy textures...but - the elements are awful. They are jagged and poor quality and the patterned papers are not very good. The preview is flat and not clustered very well.
Whimzi - The preview is not done very well, with elements all over the place. The plain papers are ok, nothing great, but not horrible. The patterned papers are filled with jagged edges and what seems like missing pixels in the color fills. Some of the patterned papers are also very heavy on the gunge. The elements are FULL of jagged edges and the extractions are really fuzzy around the edges and not colored very well.
Kat Designed - The idea is cute, but not very well executed. The papers are ok, the peach seems really washed out looking though and one of the textures has a very obvious repeat in the pattern. The elements are bad - jagged edges on the doodles, poor extractions, and for the elements that she didn't extract, they were poor quality too (and not very well recolored either).
Digital Harmony - I like the color palette and the preview is done pretty well. The papers are a little plain, but the textures are good. Some of the elements are nice but some need work (like the frame which seems washed out). The extractions are good and the overall quality of the elements is good (no jagged edges or blurry spots).
Penny H Designs - The clustering on the preview is ok, but there are no shadows! The papers are colored poorly and the texture isn't blended well. The extractions are very jagged and the strings are so brightly colored that there is no texture left.
Made by Me Inspirations - The preview looks weird and needs better shadowing. The 'Happy Birthday' paper is kind of cute, but like all of the other papers it isn't textured well at all. A few of the papers don't have any texture at all. The elements are really beginner quality and very, very digital.
Bonnie Blue - The preview seems kind of fuzzy. I don't really care for this color palette. The flower papers are sort of cute, but some of the other papers seem overly textured (very heavy feeling) and the yellow/white paper is way too bright. A lot of the flower elements are very bland. The flower cluster with the vine is cute, but not great. Overall not very impressive.
MHK Scraps - I really like the color palette and the theme is very original. The papers are nice with good textures and I love the touches of glitter. The extractions could be a little cleaner, but overall the elements are uinque and done well.
3 Little Monsters - Just out of curiosity, is adding 5 or 6 little 'color palette' circles to your preview the newest trend? I've seen it pop up a lot lately. The papers are good with good textures and coloring. The elements are pretty good overall, although I don't care for the gray tag (the texture seems blurry) and the green string (bad coloring). The paper pieced pea pod (haha) is my favorite.
Brenda Neuberger - The preview is ok, but I'd rather see more of the papers. The patterns on the papers are good, but they have no texture at all and are completely flat. The bee element is cute. The brads/flairs are oddly colored. I like the two tags, but again the elements are lacking any texture.
Ohana - Some of the papers need more texture, they look rather flat. The red bow (extraction) seems to have a bunch of stray pixels and jagged edges. The rest of the elements seem ok, but nothing is really great or stands out as interesting.
In the Small Things - The preview could be clustered better, it looks messy. The patterns on the papers are nice, but the texture makes them look fuzzy. The paper flowers are really ugly and the curled ribbon is poor quality.
Star Traveller - The preview could use more shadowing and I would have made the frame much smaller. I really like 3 of the papers (blue/green swirls, brown/bluegreen 'stripe' and blue/green watercolor) but the other papers are really blurry looking. I like a lot of the elements as far as uiniqueness. I think the painted textured pictures are much nicer than the plain ones (except the glitter star).
Sherry Lynn - I don't like the preview at all, it's not very appealing to look at. Some of the papers are missing texture on certain colors (bad coloring). Most of the elements are very, very digital.
DreamyNest - The two tan papers are ok, but the rest are over saturated or badly colored. All of the elements seem really tiny. I prefer larger elements so the quality doesn't get really bad when the element is enlarged. The extractions don't seem too bad, better than some of the others I've seen, but it's hard to tell with the small images.
Foosa Moon - The preview is ok, not bad but not really great. I'm not a fan of any of the papers, the patterns are kind of ugly and the texture is lacking any depth. The extractions are really bad - a 'natural edge' is not the same thing as jagged, which is what most of these are.
2 a.m. - I like the colors of this kit and also the geometric look of the kit. The papers are rather flat as far as texture (which I know some people like, but I prefer a little more depth to the pages). The lace is really blurry, but the button extraction seems good. As far as extracting a leaf/petal shape - that seems rather basic. I like the little circle elements with the pictures (sun, camera, etc.) in them. Overall it's nice, but could use some quality improvements.
Digital Monsoon - The preview is blurry. The plain and damask papers are much better than the patterned papers, which are very beginner looking. The extractions are really bad with jagged edges everywhere and poorly recolored. The other elements are too digital/fake looking.
Truman Studio - The peview is ok, but I don't really like the 'wonky' paper look. The colors are good for the kit theme. These papers over overly textured for me. I like the painted tags and splatters. The popsicle sticks are blurry.
Rhonda Sunflower Designs - The preview looks ok. The papers are either over saturated or lacking texture (but have too much grunge) or both. The elements are not good quality. I do like the color palette.
Sunshine Artz - I don't like the big white block behind the elements in the preview. Most of the papers are ok with good textures, but 2 are very saturated looking. They are rather boring overall though - no patterns anywhere. The blue flowers are extracted well and look good and I like the scatter with the butterflies, but the rest of the elements don't really do anything for me. The frames are fake and blurry.
Brine Design - I like the color palette, it's pretty without being 'girly'. I like the patterned papers, but they don't really have any texture. The elements are good except for the excessive use of the dew drop and the stitch (both in the button and by itself - it's pretty poor quality).
Christina P - Overall I like this kit. The colors are nice and the papers are colored well with good texture. The elements all are colored well an are good quality. I don't care for the word art though (and it's style doesn't seem to match the rest of the kit).
Pamla Klenczar - Very beginner kit. The preview is too small and not very appealing. The papers are really bland with no texture to them and the patterns don't look good. The elements are all stuck on one page and the extractions are really poor quality and not extracted well at all (jittery looking).
Farynars Wings - I'm not a fan of the color palette or extracting just buttons (if this was an extraction challenge you shouldn't pick 2 of the exact same (simple) shape to extract) and I don't really like the button papers. But, the textures on the papers are good and the overall quality of the elements is good, I just don't find anything interesting about this kit.
Fran B Designs - Another beginner kit. This color palette is all over the place. I like the pink flower paper - it looks kind of embossed and puffy, but the rest of the papers are very good - with poor coloring mostly. The extracted button is a jagged mess and the rest of the elements are poorly colored and/or poor image quality, except the bead spill which looks pretty good.
Kim Hackworth - The preview is missing all drop shadow so it looks bad. The papers aren't too bad with some interesting patterns on some. The extractions have really rough edges on them and the color on the elements isn't very good at all.
Rumki Designs - The preview looks rather flat for so many '3-D' elements. I'm not impressed with any of the papers, but most do have decent textures. The extracted items have a lot of rough edges but I like the unique elements in the kit. None of the layered elements have any shadows on them which makes them all look weird.
Damsel Designs - The elements in the preview are not shown off very well. The papers have some cute patterns, but overall the papers aren't very good, again with texture and coloring issues. Although I like bright color palettes, a lot of time the colors here look over saturated and out of gamut. The string extraction is messy and poor quality. The elements have cute ideas, but not executed very well.
Paper Capers Designs - I like the color palette and the theme for this kit. The tan paper is nice, but the rest aren't colored very well (if you have a single texture it should show up on all the colors). The elements are mostly cute in idea, but just really badly colored, either overly saturated or so bright they hurt my eyes. The shadowing/depth is lost on a lot of them.
JulieEnriquez Designs - Another flat looking preview. The 'plain' brown and green papers are nice, but the rest aren't very good. The elements are horrible. Bad quality, bad extractions, bad colors.
Lilacs in Bloom - The preview is very cluttered looking. I like the color palette. I don't like the embossed papers. Most of the elements are pretty cute and the extractions are bad. I don't like the fake stitches or the digital-looking staples. With some adjustments it could be a pretty cute kit.
Digi Deborah's Designs - The colors are actually much prettier than the preview makes them look. The papers are good with both patterns and texture. The extractions seem pretty good, except the staples, and most of the elements are good except one of the frames. This kit is actually much better than I thought it would be based on the preview.
Paper Garden Project - I wish the papers didn't have the white 'glow' all around the edges. I really like the sunflower doodles and most of the elements are really nice. I don't care for the fuzzy ric rac, but the extractions are good.
Jennifer Z - The preview isn't bad, but could use a little more pop with shadowing. The paper patterns are nice, but the textures are flat and fuzzy. The extractions are really jagged and the coloring on most of the elements is super bright.
Studio Cinco - The preview is really messy looking. The dark papers are nice, but the light colors are too bright. The doodled elements are cute but I don't really like the shiny/puffy look on everything. I don't know what was extracted, but they all seem ok, except I don't like the coloring on the yellow ribbon.
Designs by Jellebelleke - I like the colors, although they remind me more of Fall than of Summer. The papers are just not very good, missing textures, flat, fuzzy, etc. The elements aren't as bad as a lot of the others I've looked at, but they also aren't great. I don't care for 'real-life' elements in general, even if they were perfect quality.
Keep in Touch Designs - I like the color palette. Most of the papers are lacking in quality, as are the elements. Everything in the kit just has a poorly colored, blurry feel to it.
Penny - The polka dot papers don't have any texture at all, although the texture on the other papers isn't very good anyway. I like the hummingbird, but all of the other elements are very fake looking. I think the color palette could have been nicer if it had revolved around the hummingbird.
Now that I've finished that, my next reviews will be for some stores.
Don't forget your monitor calibration effects your results on the color test too. My laptop isn't well calibrated as it doesn't have much control and I got a 12 on it, but on my desktop which is better calibrated although admittedly with a yellow cast I got a 4. My discrepancy was in the mustard yellow area, which would coincide with the monitor calibration. I am getting a Spyder soon so will do it again once my monitor has been calibrated better again.
I would be interested in seeing what Simon has to say bout DSP designers too.
Star Traveller - The preview could use more shadowing and I would have made the frame much smaller. I really like 3 of the papers (blue/green swirls, brown/bluegreen 'stripe' and blue/green watercolor) but the other papers are really blurry looking. I like a lot of the elements as far as uiniqueness. I think the painted textured pictures are much nicer than the plain ones (except the glitter star).
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Thanks. I debated about making the frame smaller but then it's easier to down size a larger frame, than up size a small frame. I'll take a note on the shadowing.
Star Traveller - The preview could use more shadowing and I would have made the frame much smaller. I really like 3 of the papers (blue/green swirls, brown/bluegreen 'stripe' and blue/green watercolor) but the other papers are really blurry looking. I like a lot of the elements as far as uiniqueness. I think the painted textured pictures are much nicer than the plain ones (except the glitter star).
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Thanks. I debated about making the frame smaller but then it's easier to down size a larger frame, than up size a small frame. I'll take a note on the shadowing.
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Just smaller for the preview because it kind of takes over the whole things. I agree with the keeping it bigger in the kit though b/c it is always better to make something smaller than to try and enlarge it and lose quality.
Fran B Designs - Another beginner kit. This color palette is all over the place. I like the pink flower paper - it looks kind of embossed and puffy, but the rest of the papers are very good - with poor coloring mostly.
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Very good, but with poor coloring? That makes no sense. Unless you're a fan of poor coloring.
I would be interested in seeing what Simon has to say bout DSP designers too.
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Why? In addition to the kits being ugly, the designers with the most longevity there have such bad quality.
(But if you want to see some really bad templates, go to the freebies section and download any template with pieces that have obtuse or acute angles. That's the same quality they sell in the shop.)
Randi said...
3 Little Monsters - Just out of curiosity, is adding 5 or 6 little 'color palette' circles to your preview the newest trend? I've seen it pop up a lot lately. The papers are good with good textures and coloring. The elements are pretty good overall, although I don't care for the gray tag (the texture seems blurry) and the green string (bad coloring). The paper pieced pea pod (haha) is my favorite.
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Thanks for the honest review.
About the little color palette circles... honestly the only reason I put them on there was because I needed something to balance my logo. On my store packaging, I use the store logo, but I didn't want to use that this time.
The green string is what the judges mentioned to me too. I worked with that string for 2 or 3 hours, I think! That was one of my extracted items, and it was originally white. Does anyone know of any tutorials, or have any tips on how to recolor whites? I probably should have just left it white, but I didn't think it went with the kit very well when it was white.
probably lots will disagree with me on this - but, when I'm working with whites, I use my brightness and contrast to get it darker while keeping the texture. works for me, and I've never had any complaints.
play with your levels.
Fran B Designs - Another beginner kit. This color palette is all over the place. I like the pink flower paper - it looks kind of embossed and puffy, but the rest of the papers are very good - with poor coloring mostly.
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Very good, but with poor coloring? That makes no sense. Unless you're a fan of poor coloring.
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**aren't (just a typo...but after staring at all of those kits I'm suprised there are not more).
The green string is what the judges mentioned to me too. I worked with that string for 2 or 3 hours, I think! That was one of my extracted items, and it was originally white. Does anyone know of any tutorials, or have any tips on how to recolor whites? I probably should have just left it white, but I didn't think it went with the kit very well when it was white.
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I usually just try to avoid scanning or photographing anything white or black when I want to extract. It's too hard to get the right lighting to make them look good for extracting and recoloring.
http://www.sugarhillco.com/shop/Back-to-School-Templates-Volume-1/
Wow, Rachael's quality has REALLY gone downhill. Jagged edges on pretty much everything.
Wow, Rachael's quality has REALLY gone downhill. Jagged edges on pretty much everything.
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Did you actually buy it, and are posting because you've seen the files up close? Or are you judging from the 100% shots in additional images in the store? Just curious.
Either way, I think her strength has always been in her extracting (which is usually flawless), and I wouldn't ever buy element templates from her anyway. When it comes to extracted elements, she's usually awesome. JIMO.
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Why? In addition to the kits being ugly, the designers with the most longevity there have such bad quality.
(But if you want to see some really bad templates, go to the freebies section and download any template with pieces that have obtuse or acute angles. That's the same quality they sell in the shop.)
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You can't really go by the freebies, most of them are REALLY old. Not a current reflection of the current store quality. A few of the designers have facebook freebies, I think they are a better indicator of quality as they are current.
Why? In addition to the kits being ugly, the designers with the most longevity there have such bad quality.
(But if you want to see some really bad templates, go to the freebies section and download any template with pieces that have obtuse or acute angles. That's the same quality they sell in the shop.)
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I don't find them ugly at all! DSP designers are generally REALLY good. You may not like digital over scanned, but that doesn't make it ugly. That is taste, not quality. I would love to see some of the new designers around create things from scratch like DSP designers do and compare THAT!
http://www.sugarhillco.com/shop/Back-to-School-Templates-Volume-1/
Wow, Rachael's quality has REALLY gone downhill. Jagged edges on pretty much everything.
Not sure what you are seeing but I don't see less quality. Did you buy this kit. Appears that these are extractions as she has cloned out all the name brands!! If anything she has extracted stuff that probably is copyright. I think a lot of her stuff is probably stuff that shouldn't have been extracted due to copyright or trademark issues. That's what I have a problem with.
I don't find them ugly at all! DSP designers are generally REALLY good. You may not like digital over scanned, but that doesn't make it ugly. That is taste, not quality. I would love to see some of the new designers around create things from scratch like DSP designers do and compare THAT!
August 13, 2011 3:11 AM
^^^^
ITA! Nicole Young is one of my favorite designers.
You can't really go by the freebies, most of them are REALLY old. Not a current reflection of the current store quality. A few of the designers have facebook freebies, I think they are a better indicator of quality as they are current.
August 13, 2011 3:09 AM
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Quality is determined by everything you have in your store. If it's old and doesn't reflect good quality or your current style, then get rid of it. If it is in the store, it is MOST CERTAINLY indicative of current store quality.
Those are most definitely NOT extractions.
I agree that some of the DSP designers are very talented artists. A lot of them consistently create amazing things, and are really creative and unique. Too bad they aren't allowed to put whatever they like into their kits. Imagine how cute some of their kits would be if they were allowed to make them in a decent size, and mix some cute realistic elements into them rather than all digital. Sorry to the DSP designer who constantly posts here, but I just don't like the look of a digital bow/ribbon. It's so obviously fake, and it ruins a kit for me.
Does the owner there still trap her designers with that ridiculous 6 month non-compete contract?
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