Trends

That's interesting @breetheflea. I guess I didn't realize that punches weren't as popular as they once were. But it makes sense with so many crafters using electronic die-cutting machines now. (I don't have one.)
I have a few punches and use the decorative edge ones the most. Several of the punches that I bought years ago quit working and I haven't replaces them. I do need to get a new star and a heart punch.

If they are, the trend hasn't reached the big box stores yet - they have almost no punches.

I have a handful of punches - several sizes of circles, a tab, a hexagon,  2 stars, a tiny heart, a dragonfly, and a punch that does two sizes of squares - oh and a lacy border punch that I find hard to use (as in it doesn't fit my pages well)

I got rid of my punches years ago. They were just too hard to store—bulky and heavy. Plus some of them required a lot of pressure. I had one I literally had to step on to get it to punch through card stock. Dies are easier for me to store and use. A return to punches trend won’t be one I won’t be following.

As far as new trends go I’m seeing a lot of black and grays in collections. Grays were popular 20 plus years ago when I first started scrapping. They were used for ‘heritage’ layouts with black and white photos of older relatives and ancestors. Maybe that will come back too.

Lately I have been seeing a lot of punched shapes in Instagram scrapbookers work. I went on a retreat two weekends ago and I did end up using punches on a couple layouts.

I have an insane amount of punches. Tuesday Morning used to have tons of punches and I'm glad I bought them up. (I miss Tuesday Morning so much.) The majority of them are basic shapes but I do have a few, like a deer and an octopus, that I pull out sometimes. The deer is great for decorating Christmas presents.

As far as trends, mixed media is still going strong. I also see lots of "sprinkles" - enamel dots, sequins, Nuvo drops, gem stones, etc. lately. And lots of Cricut die cuts.

I have not noticed punches coming back but I have noticed nested dies in "regular" shapes are making a come back.  My Favorite Things just re-released all their basic shapes.

Personally, I'd rather have a bunch of nesting dies (that store flat) and a Big Shot or Platinum 6 than a bunch of punches.  I gave all but 2 or 3 of my storage tote full of punches to the Goodwill last year when I did a major purge of my scrapbook supplies.

I don’t care what is trendy vs. what is old school. If I am doing a layout, and I have a tool or supply in my stash that suits the layout or card that I am making, I use it. As a result, I still have my punches.

However, I much prefer dies, especially right now when I am having joint pain in my right hand, and I am right handed. I think that punches are harder (on the hands) to use than dies are. Punches are bulky, sometimes heavy, and/or awkward to use. However, I have some that are a design that I don’t have in a die, so I still have my punches and use them when I need.

Whether or not it is a trend making a comeback remains to be seen, but I won’t buy any new punches. I find it hard to believe that anyone would prefer them. Dies can be placed anywhere on a page to cut the part of the design you want. Punches are limited to the edges, or at least all the ones I have are. That may have changed, I suppose, but they are still bigger and bulkier than the thin dies, and take more space to store.

It sounds like a case of “we can’t come up with anything new, so we’re going back to older products again to sell to newer crafters who don’t have a clue why they got phased out long ago…” Dies changed, but they have stayed popular through the years. Not punches.

with the lack of space everyone has, i think the continuing trends are the wafer thin dies and unmounted stamps.

I love all my circle punches for creating journaling spots. I have circle and circles with scallops in all the sizes.

I have a few others, like hearts and stars that are so handy to have.

I'm open to buying new ones, if they are versatile.

But I can pull out my punch and have my shape in 2 seconds. In that way they are superior. I have punches that cut out multiple shapes at once. One push- 8 circles. It was so convenient at my scrap retreat.

I don't have a manual die cutting machine. Partly on purpose- I spend an insane amount of money on scrapbook supplies, I can't imagine if I started buying dies. I do have a Cricut, but I haven't used it lately. I need to use it more.

Knowing me I'll probably end up with dies because I can't stand not having a scrapbook item. My wallet isn't looking forward to it, though.

I have a tags, circles, heart, square, not so much snowflakes, animals etc.  But I think they are super useful for crafts, cards, gifts. Bulky to store but awesome to use with scraps. I have to remind myself to work with them - like stamps - but it's nice to have them. I also miss Tuesday Morning. Covid supply issues killed our store here in Fountain Valley, Cal. I discovered that store just a few years ago. The pricing and inventory for scrap and craft supplies was amazing.

I haven’t seen any sign of punches becoming trendy. They have their place. From time to time I see them being used, usually some Stampin Up video, and to make a bunch of small shapes they can be a lot faster and easier. I only have a few but I use the small hearts, snowflakes, and bats when I have scraps of paper I want to use up. I like having “confetti” shapes on hand. I should probably ditch the big circles I have though. They just don’t cut cleanly enough for my taste.