Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,678
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Sept 22, 2022 2:54:19 GMT
That super yellow cream background makes this look so dingy and depressing. I feel like this could be super cute with a crisper colour palette. |
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,678
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Sept 22, 2022 2:57:08 GMT
Alas, there is only port wine flavour (actually quite nice when included as a part of a trifle). I am soooo tempted to make the recipe and take it to the annual family Christmas party being held at my cousins house. To walk into her house with a huge plate of wobbling, veggie chunk filled jelly….dare me peas, dare me!!!😆 I mean if you want to be dared.... I'm not sure I could even stand to look at a veggie filled jelly, but it does make me think fondly of the grated carrot and pineapple filled jelly salad we used to have on Boxing Day when I was a kid. |
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Post by justkat on Sept 22, 2022 3:11:46 GMT
I'm so confused...what does this paper have to do with Christmas? The colours are so drab, dingy,just blah. And the images? A floating cat head, ice cream cone,gumball machine etc what do these things have to do with Christmas? If I saw this by itself in the store I'd have no idea this was a holiday line. (sigh) I feel like the only person who doesn't get the joke. lol |
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Post by honeypea on Sept 22, 2022 3:50:30 GMT
A “holiday color lovers dream”? If those colors were on a swatch I’d never guess it was Christmas. What holiday is she talking about? Summer solstice? 😆
Someone needs to tell that woman that words mean things. This nonsense she writes makes me shake my head, laugh, and be annoyed all at once. Like the “collectible door hangers, but them on a binder ring and show your friends!” 🤣🙃
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Post by Skellinton on Sept 22, 2022 3:54:42 GMT
I'm so confused...what does this paper have to do with Christmas? The colours are so drab, dingy,just blah. And the images? A floating cat head, ice cream cone,gumball machine etc what do these things have to do with Christmas? If I saw this by itself in the store I'd have no idea this was a holiday line. (sigh) I feel like the only person who doesn't get the joke. lol I agree, the star looks like a sea star as opposed to a Christmas star. And this is picky, but the location of the hole and string in the bird would bug me to pieces. There is no way that bird would hang properly. |
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Post by mom on Sept 22, 2022 3:56:13 GMT
A “holiday color lovers dream”? If those colors were on a swatch I’d never guess it was Christmas. What holiday is she talking about? Summer solstice? 😆 Someone needs to tell that woman that words mean things. This nonsense she writes makes me shake my head, laugh, and be annoyed all at once. Like the “collectible door hangers, but them on a binder ring and show your friends!” 🤣 I have been a huge lover of the first couple of collections they released, even with them being pricey....then out of no where, they didn't have a physical kit but instead had a digital kit. Then this nonsense of a DD kit? No thank you. I feel like things are not bueno at LL headquarters. I also saw she was begging for new contributors but didn't they just have a DT call and announce a whole team? I dunno. I feel like this ship is sinking rather fast. |
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Post by mom on Sept 22, 2022 3:57:45 GMT
Another Layered Life Sneak: I'm so confused...what does this paper have to do with Christmas? The colours are so drab, dingy,just blah. And the images? A floating cat head, ice cream cone,gumball machine etc what do these things have to do with Christmas? If I saw this by itself in the store I'd have no idea this was a holiday line. (sigh) I feel like the only person who doesn't get the joke. lol I agree, completely. I dont get it unless this is her attempt at a Southern Hemisphere Christmas? And totally a personal preference thing, but I hate the yellow she's used as well as the stupid photo corners on every rectangle. |
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Post by Skellinton on Sept 22, 2022 4:03:59 GMT
A “holiday color lovers dream”? If those colors were on a swatch I’d never guess it was Christmas. What holiday is she talking about? Summer solstice? 😆 Someone needs to tell that woman that words mean things. This nonsense she writes makes me shake my head, laugh, and be annoyed all at once. Like the “collectible door hangers, but them on a binder ring and show your friends!” 🤣 I have been a huge lover of the first couple of collections they released, even with them being pricey....then out of no where, they didn't have a physical kit but instead had a digital kit. Then this nonsense of a DD kit? No thank you. I feel like things are not bueno at LL headquarters. I also saw she was begging for new contributors but didn't they just have a DT call and announce a whole team? I dunno. I feel like this ship is sinking rather fast. Her last DT call on Instagram sounded rather goopy-conscious uncoupling-Gwyneth Paltrowy. I have never followed them before, but now I can’t look away. |
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Post by scrappieannie on Sept 22, 2022 4:45:11 GMT
1. My mom absolutely served us veggie-filled Jell-O a couple times and it was awful. She put vinegar in it, and that's all I could taste.
2. I am pretty disappointed in the decision to make the AE Stories of Christmas Past class exclusive to kit purchasers. I was ready to enroll as soon as details were announced, as I want to document past Christmases. But I don't like that Christmas Past kit, and I bought other items from the DD shop that I'd like to use to DOCUMENT PAST CHRISTMASES. How can Ali keep saying DD is all "about stories and not supplies" but then require specific supplies to register for a class??? Sigh. Rant over.
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Post by Charwee on Sept 22, 2022 8:03:26 GMT
How am I only hearing of Layered Life? Who are they? The designs are nice, but the colours on this look off. I can see where they're going, but it's not quite right. I like how this looks like all the ornaments you get in Paperchase stores over here (and my kids go crazy for), but that lime, bleugh. And this is picky, but the location of the hole and string in the bird would bug me to pieces. There is no way that bird would hang properly. Hahaha! Oh my word, I can't unsee that now and it's driving me mad! |
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Post by sleepingbooty on Sept 22, 2022 10:03:11 GMT
Her last DT call on Instagram sounded rather goopy-conscious uncoupling-Gwyneth Paltrowy. Thank you for pointing that out! I just took a mini deep dive on their Insta and it's wild. There is no effin' way to have paid a professional a consultation to sort the basics out. Between the IG story collection called "Fan praise" (nope, don't do that - this is part of your storefront, not a presentation for investors, and you are definitely nowhere near established enough to be calling yourself a brand with fans), the crazy DT call titled "A casual fling" (methinks you want some loyalty from your early creative contributors to gain followership through their regular posting of your products, not just a one-kit stand) and the mini word salads, there's a serious sense of obnoxiousness seeping through. Paired with a lack of balance in their designs, they're just digging their own grave... Look, those two yellow-y shades of green they're all over in their December sneaks are not for me BUT I have used products with these before just because they weren't dominant and the products were super usable. Like vintage Kelly Purkey. There was a sense of balance and a solid design direction with icons and words that overrode these colours that aren't super popular universally. Layered Life is not hitting either of those two marks. It's like these kits are being designed for the designer, not to sell as many as possible to scrapbookers and paper lovers. Stop including motel references in every kit, start adding a little bit of balance in your colour use (no need to lose your visual identity, just take it down a couple of notches), pick better icons than gum ball machines and sea stars for Christmas and quit the word nonsense for advertising. That casual fling DT call is unforgivable.If a professional advised you for this, please quit their arse. They have no clue what they're doing and you're their guinea pig on this wild ride. If it's your own doing, this is not giving the level of cute and cool you think it is. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cife29xuop9 |
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Post by sleepingbooty on Sept 22, 2022 10:09:09 GMT
PSA: Specialty acetate fans who like to make their own inserts for DD and like a little bit of a retro vibe, Frank Garcia's Candy Cane collection for Prima is now out and has a lovely sheet with gold foil finish that would work great with many other lines and kits! I have seen this in unboxing videos and it doesn't look as yellowy/warm IRL. This one is selling super fast and already out of stock at several places so if you want one, you'll need to add it a scrappy order pretty quickly.  |
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Post by JavaJones on Sept 22, 2022 10:43:41 GMT
2. I am pretty disappointed in the decision to make the AE Stories of Christmas Past class exclusive to kit purchasers. I was ready to enroll as soon as details were announced, as I want to document past Christmases. But I don't like that Christmas Past kit, and I bought other items from the DD shop that I'd like to use to DOCUMENT PAST CHRISTMASES. How can Ali keep saying DD is all "about stories and not supplies" but then require specific supplies to register for a class??? Sigh. Rant over. The blog post notice about this workshop says that it will be “free for those that purchase the kit,” not that the workshop is *only* open to those that purchase the kit. I think they will offer it for sale to the rest of us  |
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Post by vsimone on Sept 22, 2022 11:23:18 GMT
I love these sneaks! They won't work for me this year as I'm doing traditional colours - red, white, black. But I'm very tempted for next year? For everyone one saying it doesn't look anything like Christmas I say, maybe not your Christmas but yours is not the only way people celebrate. I love the diversity in colour and icons. Reminds me of the vintage collections from Cosmo Cricket and other companies of that era.I don't own a gumball ornament but my tree and table were decorated with white sea stars last year and no doubt will be again this year. One thing I do agree with however, is that jelly moulds were/are an abomination. The only one I tasted as a child was jelly with carrots and pineapple in it. Not on the same level of horror as the ones you show above. |
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Post by lanena on Sept 22, 2022 12:10:50 GMT
2. I am pretty disappointed in the decision to make the AE Stories of Christmas Past class exclusive to kit purchasers. I was ready to enroll as soon as details were announced, as I want to document past Christmases. But I don't like that Christmas Past kit, and I bought other items from the DD shop that I'd like to use to DOCUMENT PAST CHRISTMASES. How can Ali keep saying DD is all "about stories and not supplies" but then require specific supplies to register for a class??? Sigh. Rant over. The blog post notice about this workshop says that it will be “free for those that purchase the kit,” not that the workshop is *only* open to those that purchase the kit. I think they will offer it for sale to the rest of us , I hope you're right! I agree with @scrappieannie. I don't need any more supplies, but I'm always open to new ways of documenting. And that Layered Life aesthetic...it's just not me. But I have been enjoying the Jello references! |
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Post by mom on Sept 22, 2022 13:18:43 GMT
The blog post notice about this workshop says that it will be “free for those that purchase the kit,” not that the workshop is *only* open to those that purchase the kit. I think they will offer it for sale to the rest of us , I hope you're right! I agree with @scrappieannie. I don't need any more supplies, but I'm always open to new ways of documenting. And that Layered Life aesthetic...it's just not me. But I have been enjoying the Jello references! FYI the product discription says the class is only for those who purchase the kit. |
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Post by lg on Sept 22, 2022 14:20:34 GMT
Her last DT call on Instagram sounded rather goopy-conscious uncoupling-Gwyneth Paltrowy. Thank you for pointing that out! I just took a mini deep dive on their Insta and it's wild. There is no effin' way to have paid a professional a consultation to sort the basics out. Between the IG story collection called "Fan praise" (nope, don't do that - this is part of your storefront, not a presentation for investors, and you are definitely nowhere near established enough to be calling yourself a brand with fans), the crazy DT call titled "A casual fling" (methinks you want some loyalty from your early creative contributors to gain followership through their regular posting of your products, not just a one-kit stand) and the mini word salads, there's a serious sense of obnoxiousness seeping through. Paired with a lack of balance in their designs, they're just digging their own grave... Look, those two yellow-y shades of green they're all over in their December sneaks are not for me BUT I have used products with these before just because they weren't dominant and the products were super usable. Like vintage Kelly Purkey. There was a sense of balance and a solid design direction with icons and words that overrode these colours that aren't super popular. I read the posts and descriptions below the posts and I don’t get it. “Random projects need not apply”… aren’t all crafters projects in their very nature random as we all scrap random different things? And their kits, if you ask me, are full of random ephemera so how do you stay away from random by only using random items? Is it a double negative thing??? Then right underneath in the post they are basically describing people making random projects….“Once you select a concept (color challenge, sketches, process photo series or video, whatever) we just ask that you run with it and be genuine. Give it your best shot. And then maybe tell your friends about it. We’ll send you a kit when its ready.” Do whatever, tell people, we’ll send you stuff…later?!? Cos it’s not ready right now for our customers?!? And the “run with it and be genuine” almost sounds insulting to me towards their current dt members, as “changing it up” coupled with this wording to me implies that the current dt team are not genuine or are not getting the required results. But maybe I’m reading it wrong/it’s lost in translation? Plus using wording like “hostess” makes it sounds like a Tupperware party gone crafty. Oh yeah, and going digital then physical then both then none then who knows is just confusing… I don’t do digital so I would’ve been so annoyed if I subscribed for physical kits and then one month (on a whim) was told no stuff just files have fun. Very weird vibe!!!! I don’t get it!!?!? |
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Post by JavaJones on Sept 22, 2022 16:14:02 GMT
JavaJones , I hope you're right! I agree with @scrappieannie. I don't need any more supplies, but I'm always open to new ways of documenting. And that Layered Life aesthetic...it's just not me. But I have been enjoying the Jello references! FYI the product discription says the class is only for those who purchase the kit. Yeah, they updated it and put out another post in the DD FB group to clarify that they won’t be offering the class for sale—too bad, I would have bought it. I get that they need to unload those basic kits, but I am planning to use main kit items and add-ons for my Christmas through the years album (which I started last year)—I have already spent more than I intended in the DD shop for this year. Bah Humbug!!! |
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Post by sleepingbooty on Sept 22, 2022 16:53:43 GMT
Hallmark Countdown to Christmas + Miracles of Christmas updates:1. Countdown to Christmas kicks off on October 21st this year. A full 10 days before Halloween. And as we know from last year's great ad, Hallmark unashamedly embraces this colliding of both holidays. If you have some pages to get it #donebyDecember, this'll be the perfect time to start working on older DD albums. 2. Hallmark confirms their first Christmas rom-com with an LGBTQ leading couple, yay!  The Holiday Sitter will feature Hallmark's new darling Jonathan Bennett (if you haven't seen Hallmark's Wedding Of A Lifetime that just premiered last weekend, get to it! - funny, heartwarming and very well-paced) and George Krissa. 3. Hallmark's trio of favourite men (who are friends IRL) are brought together for Three Wise Men and a Baby about brothers having to come together to care for a baby through the holidays. Andrew Walker + Tyler Hynes + Paul Campbell = BINGO! The Hallmark gods and goddesses have blessed us. We are not worthy...  4. Two movies will celebrate the Chinese-American culture this season: Christmas at the Golden Dragon and A Big Fat Family Christmas. 5. Americans will get plenty of extras including select M&M products which will give 2 weeks of free Hallmark Movies Now access ($5 purchase minimum), in-person events like the world's biggest Christmas light maze and more. Check the website to find out about those special US events. 
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Post by Margie on Sept 22, 2022 16:56:57 GMT
Even with the lure of free digitals and a workshop taught by Ali and Pam Baldwin, I have no interest in the Christmas Past kit. The colors are too dark and drab for my taste, and I can create most of the elements I do like using my computer and Silhouette - with cardstock/papers that go with my preferred color scheme.
It's obvious that kit is just not selling and they're trying to boost the sales by adding these perks to the package.
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Post by karinec on Sept 22, 2022 17:38:28 GMT
I purchased all three Layered Life kits when they were 50% off. I am using them to scrap our recent Hawaiian vacation. I’m very happy with the results so far.
That being said, what I am disliking the most about their kits is their larger elements aren’t scrap friendly sizes. Why create journaling cards in 2 5/8 x 3 1/2 instead of 3x4? And postcard 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 instead of 4x6?
I think if I buy anything else from them, it will have to be more of a cohesive kit. I like the funkiness of it all, but I can’t work too hard on a regular basis to get a kit to work.
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Post by scrappieannie on Sept 22, 2022 20:22:19 GMT
Even with the lure of free digitals and a workshop taught by Ali and Pam Baldwin, I have no interest in the Christmas Past kit. The colors are too dark and drab for my taste, and I can create most of the elements I do like using my computer and Silhouette - with cardstock/papers that go with my preferred color scheme. It's obvious that kit is just not selling and they're trying to boost the sales by adding these perks to the package. Same. What's bugging me is that they could have it both ways: Offer it as a freebie with the kit to get people on the fence to buy the kit. Great. But also offer just the class to people like you and me who will not buy the kit, even with the extra value adds. It's two different customers, with two opportunities to make money. Instead, they don't get any revenue from people who just want the class and risk losing those paying customers and fans in a deeper way by going against Ali's oft-stated mission: "It's not about the supplies; it's about the story." Clearly, it is just about the supplies here. I'm hoping, despite what they are saying now, it will eventually be for sale. |
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Post by scrappyem on Sept 22, 2022 20:37:21 GMT
sleepingbooty I had no idea jello primarily only an American thing. That made me laugh. Margie I'm with you. After seeing the posts about the class, I went and looked again at the Christmas past kit and it's still a hard pass for me too. I do not want any wooden stamps and the lack of icons so that makes it less usable for me. That said, I'm sure Ali and Pam will come up with cute projects and it's a bummer they don't want to open the class. Seems silly since they might sell more kits after people see the projects/watch the class, or at least I would think anyway.
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Post by sleepingbooty on Sept 22, 2022 20:39:17 GMT
PSA: #RoadToDecember1st The day is Thursday the 22nd of September, last official day of summer 2022, and we kick off the #RoadToDecember1st prep challenge in our yearly DD thread. This first installment comes as we are at the 10-week mark before the merriest month of the year. Yes, you heard me right, today is just 70 days away from December 1st! 😱 Don't panic! You're in the right place and at the right time. There are still 10 weeks left to find the missing gifts, get your hands on a must-have Advent calendar, finalise your DD kit, prep a few pages, check your camera settings, etc. We shall navigate this boat through the treacherous Halloween and Thanksgiving waters to bring it safely to Christmas/Hanukkah/Festivus harbour. Yo ho, yo ho, a December documenter's life for me... 🦜☠️🎄 #RoadToDecember1st will span over 10 weeks and help you prep in time and (sort of) stress-free for recording your 2022 December memories. We will prepare our kits, learn from the past, start documenting already (and I don't just mean prepping pages!), and more over this period. You're welcome to play along every single week or skip the weeks that don't work for you. This is a free-to-come-free-to-go kind of programme. 😊 There is always room for everyone, whether you're doing a classic DD album, layouts, cards, keeping a journal, etc. No restrictions here! For our first week of prepping December documenting together, there is a special December Daily brand board to download (would apply to any kind of December documenting, not just the Ali Edwards flavour). Brand boards are reduced format guides to establish a visual identity. They hold the essential elements that will make a brand recognisable: general aesthetics like colour pattern, font combination, logo and images that encapsulate the brand's spirit. The brand board concept has been adapted to included several categories that suit December Daily such as: 1. Colours // I encourage you to be creative here. Cut a tiny strip from the favourite papers from your December kit/goodies this year. Use the other side of each box to match inks, markers or watercolours that match each paper. 🎨 Have fun with this! 2. Font + Alpha // Mark down your font combo if you plan on typing out some journaling. 🖊️ Get your typewriter out. If you plan on using alpha stickers or alpha stamps, this is your place to put a sticker or stamped letter down. All the lettery (and numeral) go-to's of your 2022 DD go here. 3. Foil + Special Finish // Don't forget about the glimmer and shine. Go dig up the embossing powder(s) that would work for what you have collected for your upcoming December memories. Test out that metallic marker or paint with micro glitter. This box was made to ✨sparkle✨! 4. Kit + Collection // Start listing what you've bought (or dug up from your stash) for your DIY kit. Mini kit, main kit, scrapbook line, etc. Print a tiny pic of your favourite element(s). If you feel like it, add your totals paid for each purchase or the date you placed each order. 🧾 Leave some legacy about what you got here. 5. Stories // This is the spot to start making notes of the "big" stories you already know you will be documenting this year. A special concert, meeting family again after 2 pandemic holiday seasons, the school Christmas play, etc. Don't overdo it. This is for what's special about this year's December specifically. 😉 6. Prep ideas // Make quick notes of ideas you're meaning to try this year like interactive elements, a completely monochromatic spread, etc. If you see anything in this thread that catches your fancy, write down the page number in this discussion so you can find it again very easily when the time comes to create. Jot down the Instagram handles of the scrapbookers who posted DD ideas you want to try. You can even come back to this section afterwards to check off each idea you've attempted! ✅ As a bonus, I'd like to encourage everyone playing along to consider adding it to their finished album. The brand board is 6x8-sized precisely for this purpose: print it out (with possibly a larger border to accomodate the outside of a PP if you want to punch it in instead), work on it, add to it as the weeks unfold and you gather crafty ideas and extra products and then slide it in (maybe next to your Reason Why?) to leave your mark not only as the storyteller but also as the creative mind behind these December memories left as a legacy. You are not your family's ghost writer. 👻 You are the creative mind who starts looking at Christmas collections in April, pre-orders during July/August, makes sure to be online on release day when Ali's new DD goodies drop, waits weeks for these carefully selected items to finally be shipped, spends hours on making sure everything goes together and more. Do not erase yourself and all the work that goes into these albums. Make some room for the memory of your creative process, too. 👍 Happy brand-boarding, everyone! I would love to see what your board looks like if you're willing to share. I work with these on the daily and it has been a lot of fun giving this tool a DD twist to offer the 2PR community a new way of looking at and appreciating this project (and all the creative anticipation that goes into making it happen). Most importantly, I hope it helps you capture your 2022 December album identity... 😘 
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blemon
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,526 
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Post by blemon on Sept 22, 2022 20:53:51 GMT
Thank you for this! It's lovely. Last year I put my december daily prep journal that I made and put it in a 6X8 pocket at the end of the album. I'll look through it to see if there are any ideas I might want to use then keep it there forever. Doing this project is a HUGE part of my december. I'll definitely use this. |
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Post by kimba on Sept 22, 2022 21:39:56 GMT
Boy, that Christmas past kit must have really tanked, just got another email advertising the Ali/Pam class only *available to those who bought the physical kit*!!
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pancakes
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,002
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Post by pancakes on Sept 22, 2022 21:45:40 GMT
2. I am pretty disappointed in the decision to make the AE Stories of Christmas Past class exclusive to kit purchasers. I was ready to enroll as soon as details were announced, as I want to document past Christmases. But I don't like that Christmas Past kit, and I bought other items from the DD shop that I'd like to use to DOCUMENT PAST CHRISTMASES. How can Ali keep saying DD is all "about stories and not supplies" but then require specific supplies to register for a class??? Sigh. Rant over. The blog post notice about this workshop says that it will be “free for those that purchase the kit,” not that the workshop is *only* open to those that purchase the kit. I think they will offer it for sale to the rest of us I don’t know…the email says it’s exclusively for physical kit purchasers. |
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Post by karinec on Sept 22, 2022 22:17:54 GMT
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Post by karinec on Sept 22, 2022 22:20:15 GMT
I actually like the Christmas Past kit, except for the wooden stamps. I have no desire to own wood mounted stamps or store them either. They could have added something else big ticket, or not included and dropped the price.
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Post by mom on Sept 23, 2022 0:12:59 GMT
sleepingbooty thank you!! I cant wait to print this out and use it!
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