Dear Lizzy

I feel like she has become very anti-social media in the last year or so, coinciding with her DH's crusade against social media/screens for kids. Even before that she didn't seem excited about scrapbooking and it was just something to bring $$ in. Now that her dh is making more $$ (my presumption) she could care less. Honestly if that how she wants things, her choice but don't expect scrapbookers to support her when she doesn't care.

It's funny to me how many listen to her DH as some sort of expert though he has no credentials, no peer review, just opinions.

I'm always amazed (ala BH) how many people are desperate for opinions masquerading as expertise.

I have been wondering if it's something else. I think AC is starting to listen to us who have valid complaints about the "stars" that are under their umbrella- Dear Lizzy, Becky, Amy.

I don't really consider Amy and her Popsicle as a problem with the other two I listed. I know many who do so I am including her.

Lizzy's DH openly slut shames women on his social media. These are the same women who are buying products from AC. Not a very good fit for their company.

I know most of the AC scrap artists do not design their own collections. I think Amy does. I know Heidi puts a lot of input in. Other graphic artists design the collections. I think Dear Lizzy is like "Let's make a Boho collection." I am sorry, I am truly not being mean. I don't recall Lizzy having a background in design. AC is definitely going to use other artists who do have a background in design to fill in where Lizzy lacks. Lizzy can promote, come up with ideas and leave the designers to do what they do best- design.

I think AC is phasing out a lot of the scrap stars to bring in new ones that are less controversy, more inspiring like Vicki Boutin. Vicki is going to be about art and I am guessing her DH probably does not slut shame on social media. I seriously doubt Vicki is going to go around and show us her new home and tell us what peasants we are because we don't live her life, like BH, for example.

Ah, is that what it takes? I’ll get right on that.

God, I'm am coming out of lurking just to say I DESPISE Lizzy's husband. He is so gross, I didn't know about the slut shaming but am not surprised in the slightest. Remember when he got a ticket for honking and waving at a police officer who just let him off with a warning and told him to drive straight home and get his license fixed? I do! Not only that he went on a freaking social media campaign to out the officer about HOW UNFAIR it was to get a ticket for honking and waving at a cop (without telling the whole story.

He is a fucking tool and I would do EXACTLY the opposite of what he was preaching this week. Good lord, imagine being married to that creatine (and believing he's your ticket to heaven) I would say a thanks but no thanks, I'll take my chances!

 I don't get why, with all of the people who still LOVE scrapping, like our own dear craftymom101, why can't these companies find some new blood and bring the market NEW IDEAS, COLORS, THEMES!!!  Instead of the same all phoned-in cr#($.

Yes, it's not as big as it was, but there is money to be made and likely LOTS MORE MONEY if they would get off their asses and find some new talent to inspire new products and spending.

I've always said the scrap paper companies are the most tired lazy people who wanted to just make money w/o the actual working part.  It was nice in '06-'07 when everything was new and the economy was booming.  But since the recession, they've served up the same tired leftovers and want us to act like it's a feast.

Honestly? For me, he is the reason why I refuse to buy any Dear Lizzy stuff anymore. I find him disgusting on so many levels that I cannot in good conscience support Lizzy, because of him.

Or, if you look at it from the behind-the-scenes perspective and contracts, these pseudo designers have SOLD their name as brands to be used by the company (American Crafts is barely a parent company for these brands: they are not independent companies that were bought up by AC like Bo Bunny or WRMK were). This is a trade-off: you are hot commodity in this industry because you worked on LOs and had a memorable style, let's pay you to have you collaborate on collections we will design but you get to have a say in. You will be known as the "designer" although you will not have any work to do besides some handlettering (for some of them), input in the colour scheme and theme (with AC keeping the final veto right). They are being paid handsomely for this front. Their job is literally to make people want to buy AC products because their name has value in scrapbooking. The value can fluctuate like we're seeing with Amy Tan and Dear Lizzy these days. 

Steven Duncan and Lori Whitlocke are actual designers as far as I know. They don't slap their name on products designed by an in-house team unlike Maggie Holmes, Amy Tan, Dear Lizzy, Paige Evans and others. They *are* the artists. Steven Duncan has his own design studio and does work beyond the SB industry (portfolio available here). Steven and Lori are both not branded. They are explicitly mentioned on CB's lines in smaller letters ("designed by"), that's all. The brand remains Carta Bella. 

If your commodity is your name value which you've at least partially built on interaction and engagement, then yes, I expect you to engage and create projects with the product you slap your name on because that's your part of the contract. If you've actually drawn the designs, then you're the artist and I appreciate you for your design work. Any interaction or engagement is the cherry on top. 

I mean, we can all pinpoint the EXACT moment Jasmine Jones joined AC's in-house design team. She is part of the modernisation of Crate Paper at AC. Her design aesthetic is all over Maggie Holmes's Heritage and Sunny Days collections, CP's Merry Days and La La Love, etc. That's the artist. In this case, Maggie is selling her name and collab work. I expect to see her engage online through various means to sell this line. Which she's doing. Contract accomplished.

I really wish the companies were more transparent with who is designing. I am drawn to the art (like you mention with Lori/Steve) and would appreciate knowing just how these items I'm using are created. I really don't *care* if the designer/name is helping promote their product or not! I appreciate a design team approach just as much as a "name". I had no idea that Jasmine Jones was behind scenes like this...

For years I’ve thought that a lot of the AC lines are very similar to each other. Some even have the same designs but use different color schemes so I’ve always assumed that they just used in-house designers. I’ve never cared whose celeb name is attached to which collection and just buy what appeals to me. But I do think AC would sell more if some of their celebs were more involved in marketing, especially since newer scrappers don’t remember Lizzy, Maggie, and Becky from the good old days.

sleepingbooty I did wonder myself which lines JJ was collaborating on. I don't buy a lot/look at AC, unless someone posts here about a new line and the only AC products I have bought in last year are CP Merry Days and some Hey Pumpkin, which I assumed were by the same designer. I don't naturally think of those as JJ's - in my mind at least, when I think of JJ, I think of fancy script and abundance of flowers...These lines remind me more of LLP - which I know she isn't the designer of, so I would love to know how you see JJ's aesthetic in these collections, thanks!

I get it people can burn out when they make their creativity into their livelihood. BUT don’t dis your customers buying & using your product-at the very least not publicly. And SOMEONE should get people excited about using it. I don’t really care if it’s the designer or a design team or whomever. ( I’ve bought stuff because I was inspired by peas )
If you tell everyone that physical products are wrong now then WTH are they going to pay you for? DUH

Steve, thank you for taking the time to respond to this. I Love having a little more insight into the design part of the scrapbook lines! I have loved and used your designs for a lot of years (still hoard lots of october afternoon). Thank you for creating beautiful images for us to enjoy and will likely be enjoyed for generations to come! 

Thanks so much. Hope you're having a great MN summer. We are so lucky to have such amazing summers here...But Winter???A little too long.  I left OA before they opened their store. I believe that it has closed down. I still am friends with my old OA coworkers as far as I know they have no new news about the brand. Like so many other brands out there they come and go. Kim, the owner, has a great eye for design and maybe someday she'll do something new. As for licensing, I'm not sure. I know Riley Blake had bought the rights for some of their designs years ago.

As for another team-member opening a store- That's true! Jen and Erica, a couple of my old co-workers, opened a Minnesota brand of giftware/home goods called The Vintage Studio in Osseo. Really cute stuff! Jen's husband does a lot of their illustrations. Top-knotch! You can find them on Facebook. (https://www.facebook.com/TheVintageStudioMN/) Forgive me if I'm not supposed to post a web address here-but they are such nice people. I'm not sure of their hours. I think they hold crafting workshops (they did in the past). You can find their goods at local gift stores and they were at the fair this year.

Enjoy the fall. My maple tree in my front yard is turning so I think Fall may be just around the corner. Take care!!