artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,377 
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Post by artbabe on Jul 17, 2023 14:57:31 GMT
I just spent two days on a Pinkfresh page. I tore that layout apart 3 times and started over.
In theory, I like Pinkfresh. I was doing a page about a subway ride and I wanted to use that subway map paper that Pinkfresh has in their new collection. It seemed perfect. And I struggled, and struggled, and struggled with it. The pattern was just so darn big. I wanted to use enough of the paper to see what it was, but I didn't want to distract from my photos, and it was so frustrating.
So I did end up making two layouts with that paper but boy, it was a journey. I'm not thrilled with them but I don't hate them, so we will call that a win.
Pinkfresh has so much white, some of their patterns are really large, and so very many words. Their embellishments are mostly words, too. That makes it hard to work with for me and yet I like the paper in theory so I keep buying it.
Do you have any brands of paper that are hard to work with or just don't fit with your scrapping style?
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Post by infochick on Jul 17, 2023 15:12:02 GMT
It's Pinkfresh for me as well. I have a friend that makes beautiful layouts with it. I am ashamed to admit that I have not yet successfully made a single Pinkfresh layout. I own quite a lot of it, but I cannot seem to make it come together. I think it is a combination of all the white and the large patterns. I like to layer, and having papers with larger patterns and lots of white makes that a challenge--there seems to be lack of contrast and the "b-side" papers.
I've been thinking for awhile that I need to dive into some of my non-PinkFresh stash and make up some page kits that combine other papers to see if I can make it work that way. The papers are beautiful, I just struggle using them with my scrappy style.
For awhile Graphic 45 was big here. I have just sold most of mine. Overall I found the papers too busy and the themes did not work for me.
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pantsonfire
Drama Llama
Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy your life with those who you love.
Posts: 6,169
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Post by pantsonfire on Jul 17, 2023 15:15:33 GMT
Authentique
Amy T
Bobunny
Cartabella
Pebbles
Graphic 45
Photoplay
Bella Blvd
Paige Evans
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breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,472
Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Jul 17, 2023 15:17:00 GMT
Carta Bella... sorry. Not enough white space, and it's hard to mix and match with other brands. Beautiful papers, but hard to use.
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Post by scrapperal on Jul 17, 2023 15:43:51 GMT
SEI Simple Sets. Remember those? I HAD to have them and most of them are still sitting there unused. I think they are antiques now. Does that make them valuable?  Basic Grey. I know there is lots of Basic Grey love here, but I have a hard time with most of the papers so they too are sitting in my stash. I did make a bunch of cards and added vellum on top to mute the paper and they were well received. Graphic 45. Patterns are so busy and specific. If I use the paper sparingly, I like the end results. PinkFresh. Despite purchasing two grab boxes and taking two of their classes, I have yet to complete a layout using their paper. I will say the layouts from the classes are incredible and I look forward to finding the right photos and completing the pages. |
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christinec68
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,405
Location: New York, NY
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Post by christinec68 on Jul 17, 2023 15:47:26 GMT
Photoplay - I bought a couple of their collections and the colors never seem to match. Two different/non coordinating shades of the same color. It always feels like half of 2 different collections are combined into one.
Maggie Holmes - I don't like the greyish base color of the embellishments. It seems muddy to me.
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Post by twillerbee on Jul 17, 2023 16:51:05 GMT
For me it's Paige evans collections. I love looking at them but they are too colorful for me. I like having white space. But I am learning to use her embellishments in smaller amounts.
Pinkfresh is actually my easy one because of a lot of white space on their papers. I attended both of their scrapbook events and learnt so much and all layouts created in class are my favorite ones.
Photoplay/echo park/ simple stories/49 and market are so not my style and I have hardest time to work with them.
It's amazing to see how so many of us have different likings.
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Post by grammadee on Jul 17, 2023 17:04:41 GMT
artbabe, you ask such good questions! I think the hardest papers for me are the ones with large graphics on them like Graphic 45. Sometimes I can trim around part of the design with an Xacto knife and then tuck a photo block or something else under the large graphic, but not always.
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craftymom101
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,789
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Post by craftymom101 on Jul 17, 2023 17:13:08 GMT
Graphic 45 (I don't buy any products from this company because I know they don't work for me)
Some of Paige Evans' collections. I have had great luck with a lot of them, but a few of her collections, like Wonders, didn't work for me.
A lot of Tim Holtz products are too grungy and brown for my style. I love his distress oxide inks, but I have purchased (and sold) a ton of his other products. I am much pickier about what I buy now.
PhotoPlay collections. The colors are too garish and contrasting in most of their collections, so I avoid them. I did pick up the PhotoPlay Beach Vibes collection and I hope it's easier to use. The colors are soft and muted compared to their other collections.
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kitbop
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,607
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Post by kitbop on Jul 17, 2023 17:37:06 GMT
Sticking to products I love and buy but find hard to work with, and ignoring lines/brands that are just not my taste.
I think it comes down to my enjoyment of layers. And layers need some contrast. The brands that include "big pattern" "small pattern" "stripe" "dot" "graphic" etc assortment work well for layering and are easier for me to use.
Pink Fresh - agreed: a lot of white and designs are clean with sharp edges, graphic, so layering pattern on pattern does not achieve contrast.
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49 and market - I LOVE them, but typically I use ONE of their papers and coordinate other lines with it for layers. Their papers work SO well as backgrounds, mattes, large elements. But they don't have that "big pattern" "small pattern" "stripe" "dot" that achieves easy layering.
Basic Grey - the lack of white is what stumps me frequently
Carta Bella, Consortium "ink drops" paper - likewise, lack of white.
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Post by 950nancy on Jul 17, 2023 17:45:09 GMT
Any line with bold/ large pictures on them like Graphic 45. I find if I have a line that is challenging like a 49 and Market, I'll google layouts using it and find another way of looking at the design. I don't mind white or cream (but rarely mix them. I don't have much with Maggie Holmes, Pinkfresh, or Paige Evans, so I can't speak to those. Photoplay/Echo Park/Carta Bella are almost always a yes for me. I like lots of bold patterns. I don't use a lot of white.
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Post by huskermom98 on Jul 17, 2023 18:08:16 GMT
Photo play because I can't stand the shiny paper (which is too bad because they seem to use themes other companies don't, but then again some of their color palettes are not my favorite...)
Any company that doesn't leave usable space on their paper for even a small photo without feeling like I'm covering up the entire reason I bought the paper on the first place.
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Post by babylou on Jul 17, 2023 23:15:07 GMT
Mintay and some of the other European papers. The artwork on them is just beautiful, but I don't understand how or why you would put a picture on them! I feel like your pictures would be lost and take away from the beauty of the paper. If I really fall in love with some of their papers, I will get them and use them for cards. They sure do make pretty cards!
I agree with others on Graphic 45 also. I've used their stuff a few times, but for the most part I just don't bother with buying it because I know I won't use it.
Doodlebug is hard for me too. I don't have kids and don't have a lot of need for cutesy stuff. Their papers and colors are awesome, but I just don't have a use for it. The little smiley faces on everything are a no for my style of scrapping.
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PaperAngel
Prolific Pea
Posts: 7,935
Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on Jul 18, 2023 4:29:34 GMT
There are too many to specifically list. Generally, I dislike brands that feature a stereotypically feminine/floral aesthetic, vintage/old-fashioned clipart, handdrawn illustrations/scrawly fonts, photorealistic & scene patterns, thin &/or glossy finish papers, garish color palettes, heavy theming, etc. Perhaps because I used & still have the original Basic Grey in my inventory, I also dislike the current knock-offs (e.g. faux mixed media/dimension, pre-distressing).
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Post by Citygirl on Jul 18, 2023 13:32:23 GMT
Probably KP/Paper Person. I love her stuff in theory. He products are unique and always relevant but I find I rarely use them. Idk why tho.
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Post by needtime2scrap on Jul 18, 2023 13:52:54 GMT
Add me to the Pinkfresh group. I've bought quite a bit of their papers previously because of different color combos and then when I come to use them nothing seems to work. Not sure if it's the graphics or what but I struggle. Maybe it is the fact that there is so much white on every sheet so it's hard to layer to get depth?
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Post by hoopsfn on Jul 18, 2023 14:31:08 GMT
grammadee you're right - artbabe does pose interesting questions!  I 100% agree with PinkFresh being hard to work with. I love the look of it sitting there with it's pretty patterns but when it comes to using it, I have the hardest time. Maybe it is because it has so much white. And I can't seem to make it play well with others. Yes, the shinier finish papers are also hard to work with. When I use them I try to do it sparingly. I've never been able to incorporate much of Amy T's or Paige Evans' patterns into my l/o-s. Too bright I guess. And even though I bought tons of it years ago, K&Co papers are harder for me to use. I guess I don't lead much of a "floral life".
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Post by infochick on Jul 18, 2023 15:16:21 GMT
49 and market - I LOVE them, but typically I use ONE of their papers and coordinate other lines with it for layers. Their papers work SO well as backgrounds, mattes, large elements. But they don't have that "big pattern" "small pattern" "stripe" "dot" that achieves easy layering. I also mostly use the 49 & Market papers for backgrounds. I can scrap with them, but I have to scrap a different style than my usual layouts. Instead of layering papers, I usually end up layering their embellishments instead. I really wish they would introduce some smaller scale patterns into their collections--although I don't really need any more convincing to buy more 49 & Market! |
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Post by ScrapbookMyLife on Jul 18, 2023 15:36:36 GMT
For me, it's not a brand ....it's a style.
Papers with images on them or rows and rows of words, I find hard to use.
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Post by wordyphotogbabe on Jul 18, 2023 16:25:42 GMT
It's so interesting to read these responses as I'm the opposite. I absolutely LOVE background pages with a big design or lots of words. I use them to "cheat" & make a 10 minute page by squeezing a photo and some journaling on there around or on top of the words. One of my favorite digital designers, Little Butterfly Wings, is known for this type of background. Both of these layouts are just a handful of brushes (stamps), a photo, and a couple elements on top of that background paper which already included all of the words and painting/shading.   I have a hard time creating layouts with lots of paper layering. I can cluster elements but getting the right number of and size for paper layers is so tricky for me. I imagine that's compounded by my complete lack of spatial awareness and not needing to physically cut or move the papers? |
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jediannie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,069
Jun 30, 2014 3:19:06 GMT
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Post by jediannie on Jul 18, 2023 16:33:17 GMT
I can't do photorealistic paper like Reminisce or anything with bold large patterns. I mainly do smaller books or pocket cards so those don't work for my style.
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Post by papersilly on Jul 18, 2023 21:30:41 GMT
for me, graphic 45 is by far the most difficult brand to work with. i have tons of their paper pads but their designs are so specific that it's hard to incorporate them with stuff from other companies. i wind up not using their papers because of that.
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cycworker
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,398
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Post by cycworker on Jul 18, 2023 23:37:41 GMT
Photorealistic paper; I had some I liked. I just never could get the hang of it.
Also Mintay. I don't mind it for backgrounds but the fussy side just overwhelms me.
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Post by mrssch on Jul 19, 2023 12:10:32 GMT
PINKFRESH for sure. It’s why I didn’t purchase the warehouse box. I love the look and style of it. I just can’t translate it into my pages.
GRAPHIC 45 and MINTAY also stump me. If I purchase them it’s to use as a background.
49 & MARKET challenges me but I will overcome. It’s so luscious and well designed. It’s my new BASIC GREY.
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Post by Linda on Jul 19, 2023 13:57:51 GMT
the hardest for me to use are patterns that don't cut down to 8.5x11 well. Really big or busy graphics are hard also.
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blemon
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,511
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Post by blemon on Jul 19, 2023 16:37:12 GMT
I love this thread!
So good to read.
I never thought about this before. I buy what I like. I should see what I'm not really using but still have.
I don't think it's a particular company but there's definitely something.
I buy a LOT of map paper because I love travel journals but I also won't use it unless I go there.
So Paris and London -- I'm ready for you! (Whenever I go there, and it could be years).
Oh, and swans. Why do I have so much swan paper? I just love it but what the heck? I rarely see a swan.
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Post by sarahsprettypapers on Jul 20, 2023 0:51:48 GMT
Pinkfresh for me as well! I am always tempted by the warehouse box sale each year. But then I remember how my one and only collection just sits there mostly unused, gathering dust, and I always talk myself out of it.
I don't know why it is difficult to use, maybe because it is so wordy? It is a mystery.
Stamperia is intimidating as well, but I am slowly overcoming this.
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Elsabelle
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,685
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Post by Elsabelle on Jul 20, 2023 1:50:27 GMT
Like the OP, I like to look at Pinkfresh but it's hard to work with. I need to remember to use it in smaller doses and leave more white space. I have a half finished layout on my desk right now and I'm using Pinkfresh. I looked through the embellishments and the ones with words have phrases that are a little hard to use. Maybe they're a little too Live Laugh Love.
Amy Tangerine, Paige Evans, and Photoplay are too colorful and busy for me. They feel chaotic.
I also have a hard time with Vickie Boutin. I prefer a cleaner look so my VB supplies don't get used very often.
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artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,377
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Post by artbabe on Jul 20, 2023 17:19:46 GMT
Stamperia is intimidating as well, but I am slowly overcoming this. I love Stamperia. I made some of my favorite layouts using their paper. It is super challenging but the papers are so gorgeous. I especially loved the safari line and the Bauhaus line. I have a couple of their other lines, though, that I can't wait to cut into. I don't like their chipboard, though. It is too shiny and it has a curve to it that is hard to flatten. Fortunately (and unfortunately) the paper has lots of things to fussy cut. |
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Chinagirl828
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Melbourne, Australia
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Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 22, 2023 3:45:29 GMT
I like to think I'm pretty good at buying things I can actually use, but occasionally something will still stump me. I have some of the old large scale BG prints that are just way too difficult to work into an average layout. I've also got some with a more than usual amount of distressing that I keep passing over for things that are easier to use.
I tend to pick and choose the Pinkfresh I buy, some of their prints are definitely things I would struggle with, but I tend to use the ones I buy pretty easily.
This is an interesting question, and I'll be paying more attention as I flip through my stash to see what has been sitting there for far too long.
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