Kelly Purkey Rebranding and Shop--Now called Paper Person

I emailed CS again yesterday asking when I may expect them to look into the status of my package with their fulfillment center since it still was sitting as label created/preshipment status. No response, BUT it did finally get scanned at USPS in Portland, OR last night at 11:30pm. With any luck I'll get a complete order next week *fingers crossed*!

Same. I don’t think I’m getting mine either.

Gosh ladies, I'm so sorry about all these issues with the release. Seems to be of Studio Calico proportions.

As far as USPS, they are struggling around here (Minnesota). For several weeks I only received mail every 2-3 days. The post office was hit with Covid and many of the mail carriers were out sick. Things seem to be getting better but now there have been issues with UPS and FedEx. I will be expecting packages only to get a message late at night that delivery was rescheduled. I really feel for all the package handlers, if it's this bad now, it's going to be absolute chaos as we get closer to Christmas.

I’ve had no response to my email to CS about missing items in kit. UGH.

$10! Seems a little pricey to me. I feel like everything is on her site. I like them, but not sure if I'll take the plunge. 

I totally forgot to update on my parcel: it was in customs when France went into lockdown. It left customs swiftly. I've had it in my hands since Monday although there appears to have been an attempted delivery on Saturday! I've been very lucky all the way for once: handed over to USPS super quickly (the day after the label had been created), USPS got it to France in the pre-pandemic amount of days, France handled it super quickly - both customs and transit to the south of the country. I was able to track it all the way. It was properly scanned every single time. I realise I'm in the minority for who it has been so easy and fast.

My Stink Stank Stunk kit is complete. Nothing missing, no wrong items. I also got the small freebie sticker sheet. No invoice in my envelope, however (I don't mind).  



The meh:
- As predicted, I don't care one bit for the Crate Paper sheets. They're an ok fit but the creamy and muddy backgrounds of those papers (there are two different light tones there, ugh) clash completely with KP's clean white. The designs are so-so in terms of match. KP recycled bold-ish elements with nice, straight edges. The CP aesthetic is messy meets dainty doodles. I really don't want to pay for these guess-it-will-have-to-do padding of kits.
- Paper weight is less than the 2020 kit and set cards I got from her KP Shop earlier this year, for sure. However, it's still nice and nowhere near as thin as AC paper. It's also heavier than the floppy cards she put in her 2019 holiday kits! NOPE, I was wrong, SAME WEIGHT!
- I don't want to bother aligning these large sheets perfectly to get a perfect cut for these cards. Ugh, Kelly, why? I don't want to upgrade my large guillotine trimmer so I can have full peace of mind either. 
-  35 dollars for some old Crate Paper sheets + three sheets by KP with cards only on A-sides + alpha stickers + cardstock stickers + stamp set. Eh, it's a bit high and it doesn't feel like I'm getting a good deal besides the inclusion of the 4x6 stamp set. That one saves the kit and makes the price tag more acceptable. Still, this doesn't feel full or really worth it.

The bad: 
- Disappointed in the change of font size for the alpha stickers. I loved the smaller old size. These bigger ones seem more appropriate for larger pages than my usual mini albums and 3x4 + 4x6 cards. Le sigh. 
- The large white envelope it came in doesn't offer enough protection for longer travels. I got a bit of a bend in mine and it's noticeable in one of my KP cut-out papers particularly. Fork.
- No labels. I love her labels. They need to make some kind of return even just as a staple rather than monthly colour match. 
- No more card versatility with the basic variations she used to offer. I actually really enjoyed having the same card in a different colour scheme or with a sentiment change. I don't want or need that one-tone 12x12 background. A lot of her basic kit design changes are making me super grinchy which I guess is on theme considering the holiday kit I bought.

The (really) good:
- She has changed her stickers to cardstock! I love cardstock stickers. Definitely paper people stickers!    Now, if she could do some of her labels as cardstock stickers, it'd be perfection... 
- Orca (alpha stickers) is a beautiful grey with just a smidge of warmth to it. Not cold mortician grey but a nice neutral that'll be a great chameleon.
- Those large number stickers that came with my kit are just super fun and I cannot wait to use them!

Conclusion: I'm pretty certain I'll spend significantly less at Paper Person. A kit will have to be very special with a super niche but oh-so-me theme to make it worth the spend and the trouble as things stand. I'm hoping she'll offer more 6x8-sized mini kits in the future like she did with the Election 2020 one but with an acceptable price tag and varied designs instead of unnecessary repeats. So far, not convinced by KPS 0.2. Let's see whether she makes some changes and allows for an evolution that is a bit closer to her successful previous days. Until then, bring on the Black Friday sales so I can get some more stuff from the old shop. 

What a shame! I hope they get their act together and live up to Kelly's good reputation.

Nah, this is her thing fully. She just wants to step back as soon as the pandemic is over and let the other designers take the lead then.

November 15 per the banner on Paper Person. 

I need to rectify my previous claim that the weight of the paper is inferior to those of the KPS cards from earlier this year: I cut down all the 12x12 sheets last night and left the cards under heavy books for 20-ish hours so they would be nice and flat again after they get a bit bent in the envelope they were sent in. I just retrieved them and checked again: they appear to be the same paper weight now. the bending initially tricked me. Quality is unchanged! 

ETA: Ok, I just did an in-depth analysis under several lights and paper weight is unchanged but paper itself is actually a little rougher. 

jediannie I would love it!! Can I pay you for shipping (if I win)?  

ETA: It was on my original list, but I had her baking one from last year and couldn't justify the cost. 

No worries about shipping, it's just one stamp so shipping won't be too much. Send me a private message with your address and I'll get it in the mail today or tomorrow depending if I catch the mail carrier.

THERE IS A SNEAK FOR THIS MONTH'S RELEASE ON IG! Sorry but aaaah, I LOVE THE HOLIDAY PREP STAMP SET!