S/O: How do you approach NEW RELEASES?

A collection really needs to float my boat in terms of colour (I'm colour blind after dark when I'll often scrap, so it helps if everything matches) so it's often a very quick yes or no for me.

Being really fussy about colour and on a budget, I decide how many items on a sheet or in a pack I would actually use and then work out how much each piece will be costing me on that basis. I like peeling things off and re-using them, so chipboard shapes and puffy stickers are a good choice for me.

If I really love a paper, I'll often buy multiples as the lines sell out fast and it's near impossible to find them later.

I am usually an instant love or not regarding collections. I used to buy it immediately if I loved it. Now I have to really determine if I have a use for it. I have more Christmas and Halloween than I can use, so I don't usually buy anything from those themes.

I am much more likely to just buy a few pieces these days.

It has taken me a very long time to learn that I don't necessarily need to buy a whole collection of something. I used to have a very specific method of shopping, which included two sheets of every paper in a collection (even the ones I didn't really like) and one package of each of the embellishments (if my LSS had any left). Over time, through this has led to me having so much paper, and not enough embellishments for the way I scrap.

Now when I look at collections, I try to consider if I have a use for it and how much I might need. I only buy duplicates of sheets that I really love. Due to the way my current stash is, I try to pick up embellishments that will help me to use my older stash of papers. Although I tend to store my stash by collection, that is more because it is how I remember it. Now when I get a collection, I try to think about what it will coordinate and combine collections together, or will pull papers from my stash and store them with the collections. Combining new with old is something I really enjoy, and can honestly say it is one of my favourite parts of scrapping.

In the past, if I liked it, and thought I’d use it, I bought it. After doing some organizing, and recently evaluating my ridiculously huge stash of papers, embellishments, dies, stamps, etc., I have decided I need to LOVE most of what comes in a kit or package, not just like it.

I also need to check to see if I have anything similar, and consider how likely I would actually use the new one instead of use something that I already have.

I am a sucker for Queen & Co. kits. Their most recent release had a telephone and mailboxes, along with love themed dies. I have a cutting file that is similar to the telephone in the kit. I have used that cutting file on a card before, and I actually like the cutting file better. The same is true of the mailboxes. I liked the stamp phrases in the kit, but I can’t buy the stamp set separately from the rest of the kit, and I could do something similar with my computer, print, then cut them out. After thinking it over, I decided that I really couldn’t justify buying the kit.

My new criteria just saved me $40 plus shipping.

My two favourite digital stores have new releases every Friday, and half price sales mid week.

The first thing that grabs my attention is the colours. If I really love the colour scheme, I will most likely buy it.

The next thing I look at is the paper. If it was full of plaid or gingham or animal print etc, I wouldn't get it. But if it had interesting stripes and dots and florals, into my cart it goes. If the colours are great, sometimes it's just two or three nice / different papers that gets me to buy it.

If I am still tossing up whether to buy a kit or not, the next thing I look at is the elements (embellishments). If it's got the same old elements that I already have in dozens of other kits, then I'll give it a miss. Sometimes it's just one or two unique elements that make me hit the Buy button.


I will say though, that I am becoming a bit more discerning, now that I have a HUGE stash. Kits that I would have bought in the past I now leave, unless it has something really unique in it.

PaperAngel, I really appreciate your bringing links to the new releases here. As to how I react to that first look, I first see the colours. If they look like something that will work with what I normally scrap, I take a closer look at the collection. I am a theme scrapper, so if I see something that would work with one of my themes &/or go well with what I already have, then I will jump on board and say I love it.

If something really speaks to me, I will often contact our LSS to see if they plan to bring in that line. If not, I often file it in the back of my mind to investigate later. But some lines do more than speak--they SCREAM at me! Those I search for on line and place an order. Sometimes that happens after I have passed on the early peeks, but I see a page or card on Pinterest or a YouTube video and I think "I could DO that!"

I love looking through the new release threads here and know I will often say I like something I have no intention of buying.

I browse the new releases at sb.com where I keep a running cart. I'm often drawn to collections that have a pretty colour scheme but are not patterns or icons I can easily use, so I really consider whether it is something I am willing to pay full price for and I reasonably think I'll use. I cherry pick collections, usually only buying one or two papers, or an embellishment pack. I don't scrap within a single collection or manufacturer so anything new needs to go with things I already own.

I'll add anything that passes this first check to my cart. I only typically order two or three times a year, so I periodically review the cart which helps me get rid of products I added because they were pretty but not a great fit my stash, or where the appeal was particularly short lived. I'm pretty ruthless when it comes time to actually check out, once I factor in the shipping cost + exchange rate products need to be something I really love to make the cut.

Are they Simple Stories beach/outdoor lines? Buy it all.

Are they beach/outdoor lines with animals? Buy almost all of it.

Are they beach/outdoor lines with great colors? Sit down and plan out a few layouts and buy some of it.

If not, do I have photos that would work with the lines? Probably some some sheets of it with some ephemera.

Yes! I love combining old and new! It is my favorite part too!

I quickly decide if I can use it. As a theme scrapper that is a pretty quick decision.

Then I decide if I like it, if it is attractive to me.

That's pretty much it!

There are certain themes that I love and will almost always get (within reason): Christmas, Valentine's Day (which is not because we do a lot for the day but because I make lots of mooshy-gooshy pages), and reading comes to mind. There are also certain themes that are rare enough that I will seriously consider them: "grownup" kits that I can use for my own hobbies & friendships, LGBTQ+, multi-gender sibling kits, work, women/female-centric kits that are not about drinking wine or makeup or shades of bubblegum pink. 

The people I primarily scrap are my nerdy fiance, my 8-year-old son, my 13-year-old enby teen, and me so while I love all the hyper-feminine kits that are so common in scrapping, I need 3x as many non-feminine ones. It's not that I'm opposed to using those types of kits to scrap my people but that it would look strange with the things they do, the colors/clothes they wear, and their natural style and likes/dislikes. I will definitely give any masculine kit that's non-sporty, non-"rough and tumble" dirt & frogs & bugs, and/or non-little kid a second look. 

Since I don't generally mix & match kits (I have yet to find a relatively fast & easy way to do this with digital supplies), color is not as big of a factor for me. The nice thing about digital supplies is knowing the exact individual who is making them and their exact style so there are a handful of designers who I will buy from if something is a 
"maybe" because I know the quality will be there and that I enjoy their style.

I generally don't look at or buy new releases anymore. I used to be a "buy the whole line" person and then realized my budget and my house size couldn't handle that amount of consumerism. I will buy something new if I see a process video or example (like judyc) but I will scour the line and only buy what I know I will use. I did this with Mix & a Mingle line from Simple Stories, I saw a process video using it and thought it was super cute. I ended up buying the 6x8 paper pad, 3 12x12 papers and a couple of die cut packs and stickers, whereas in the past I would have bought the entire line and duplicates of the papers I absolutely loved.