artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,372 
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Post by artbabe on Jul 6, 2024 15:48:50 GMT
American Crafts sometimes gets criticism on here. I was googling American Crafts and I thought something was odd.
I know American Crafts own Vicki Boutin, Shimelle, Paige Evans, etc. but nowhere on their site do they list that. I know it is all the same company- the packaging is identical, but nothing shows up on any google searches I do. I was trying to figure out what current lines fall under the American Crafts umbrella and so far I haven't been able to Google it. Maybe I'm just not using the right search words.
I think American Crafts owns: Vicki Boutin, Shimelle, Paige Evans, Maggie Holmes, Bea Valint, Crate Paper, Pebbles, BoBunny, Jen Hadfield, Bazzill, and what else? I know they got rid of Odell Marshall (I did like his stuff and appreciated that some was in Spanish).
Am I missing something? I'm talking paper lines, not their tool lines.
What do you think of American Crafts designers and lines? I like some designers and others not so much.
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Ryann
Pearl Clutcher
Love is Inclusive
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Location: PNW
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Post by Ryann on Jul 6, 2024 16:39:01 GMT
Celes Gonzalo was added onto their lineup the same time as Bea. I tend to gravitate towards their brighter collections - Shimmelle, Paige, Vicki. Bea's first collection I didn't think much of onscreen, but in person the colors were lovely. Crate Paper and Pebbles sometimes interests me, sometimes not, depending on the theme. The rest I don't care for most of the time or don't like at all (can't stand Bazzill paper). I will say that I find Vicki collections boring now, but I do find them easy to use, so I still pickup some patterned papers, but never the whole thing. Shimelle has yet to go wrong for me. Paige also tends to use repeated designs, but the color combos tend to keep me coming back. I loved her xmas collection last year and I feel the same about her upcoming Halloween. ETA: Their website shows Pink Paislee is still around |
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Post by melanell on Jul 6, 2024 17:00:15 GMT
A lot of times I look to American Crafts when I am looking for something generically themed. I find that outside of buying paper pads at Joann's or Michael's, etc., American Crafts are the lines where I can find a bunch of colors and a bunch of patterns together that I can use on everyday pics, cards, etc. Now that's not true for all of their lines of course, but I just mean that Echo Park, on the flip side, I feel like they rarely have lines that I view as being "generic". But if I need a random sampling of dots, stripes, squiggles, and leaves, and I want a few different colors, I'm likely going to wind up pulling out something from Jen Hadfield or Maggie Holmes. Crate Paper, though, not so much, though. I just did several pages of colorful dinosaur themed photos with papers from Paige Evans. There wasn't a dinosaur to be found on those papers, but the colors were perfect, and the generic patterns could go with anything--even dinosaurs.  |
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Post by ScrapbookMyLife on Jul 6, 2024 17:03:29 GMT
I think for some companies and businesses, they want the main brand to be the focus first and foremost....not the specific designers or staff members. The company promotes the company, not the designers, per say. To companies.... designers are minions. To the fan base....designers are stars.
I think it's more of a "corporate" marketing type strategy. If one staff member leaves....they want the customers stay loyal to the brand not the individual.
The powers that be "at the top" don't want to encourage individual staff fan base, they want brand and company fan base. That way if a designer leaves, the customer stays loyal to the brand.
Most (especially corporate) companies have non-compete clauses written into the contracts....making it harder for a designer or popular(among the client base) staff member to leave.
In the scrapbooking world, loyalty tends to be towards a designer, brand or individual retail company....not the the over-all "corporate" company.
For instance: I am a loyal ACOT fan...I will always order there first and foremost. For me personally, scrapbook.com is always second to ACOT.
I am also designer loyal. Example: If Vicki Boutin goes elsewhere...I will still buy her products and if she is with another corporate company..
If American Crafts ever has designers or lines that I don't care for, then I don't buy the products.
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PaperAngel
Prolific Pea
Posts: 7,920
Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on Jul 6, 2024 20:18:28 GMT
Oddly, AC never updates its website, including its brands/partnerships. In addition to those noted in the OP:
American Crafts (its namesake)
Celes Gonzalo
Core'dinations
Damask Love (dormant or defunct?)
DCWV
Heidi Swapp
Pink Paislee
(ETA: Note the above list refers generally to brands AC manufactures, not necessarily its legal entities as you inquired.)
The only AC brand that I purchase paper from is Bazzill.
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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 7, 2024 2:18:06 GMT
I am not a huge fan of AC lines. I get things here and there that speak to me. Lately CP have NOT done anything for me. I did get some JH paper and embellishments from her last line as well as VB. All the others are a solid no.
I do wish AC would get some new designers. They are really pretty much all predictable and the same themes and shapes and whatnot are used every year.
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Post by steakgoddess on Jul 7, 2024 4:06:17 GMT
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Post by pocketaddict on Jul 7, 2024 7:23:52 GMT
I'll buy pieces of AC that appeal to me off and on - mostly heidi swapp + one canoe two (defunct?). mostly just single sheets or embellishments. I look forward to the reveals but lately have found AC a bit boring (repetitive, same-y) in palette/designers the last two years, so less interested. It all feels the same. I wish they would collab with a designer that used fresh, modern styling (sleek, clean) and non-pastel color palettes. e.g. someone like liz tamanaha to create a modern line.
Related, does BH have some kind of copyright hold over AC? No new pocket card lines since she split off: yet she isn't willing/interested in manufacturing them herself.. This has always seemed weird to me -- hello untapped customers. and no, the cut apart sheets are not the same
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artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,372
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Post by artbabe on Jul 7, 2024 16:32:30 GMT
How did you get this? This was exactly what I was looking for but I couldn't find it, for some reason. The only thing I saw was "shop our brands" not "shop by brand". What am I not seeing? Thank you! That is the page I wanted to find. A lot of times I look to American Crafts when I am looking for something generically themed. I find that outside of buying paper pads at Joann's or Michael's, etc., American Crafts are the lines where I can find a bunch of colors and a bunch of patterns together that I can use on everyday pics, cards, etc. I think American Crafts is good for that, too. Many of their papers can be used for any sort of theme. I needed to scrap rainbow colors yesterday and I was using Paige Evans, Shimelle, and Vicki Boutin mixed together to find the color papers I wanted. There was a lot of great monochrome papers in those collections. A lot of nice patterns, too. The majority of the papers in those collections are not heavily themed, except the holiday ones. If you don't add the die cuts and stickers the papers really work for about anything. There are some really fun papers in AC brands, too. I miss some of their old designers, though. I miss Amy Tangerine, actually. I know she got a lot of heat because of how random her collections were, but it was kind of refreshing to have really fun paper to mix in with other stuff in my stash. They were so pretty! I loved the random icons, too. I miss the random food and animals. I like the challenge of putting those on a layout. Her Thickers were awesome, too. Still some of my favorite fonts. I liked Dear Lizzy papers, before she lost her damn mind. That was the first AC brand I bought. I still love the Neapolitan collection- I need to dig that out. I loved Obed Marshall's papers but the collections were all the same (but pretty) colors. It was great to mix the lines together but he seemed a one trick pony. I still love his breakfast food papers, though. I loved that AC tried diversity, too. Evidently it didn't sell- I see that some OM products are still on clearance at ACOT. I'm wondering about Damask Love, too. She was the only African-American designer I can think of to have a paper line. Evidently that didn't sell, either? So AC got rid of all of their designers that were diverse? Edit: Fixed Marshall's first name. Oops. |
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Post by riversong1963 on Jul 8, 2024 10:40:33 GMT
Some Peas have mentioned Odell Marshall. Do you mean Obed Marshall? I really like some of the AC brands, but the store where I shop doesn't carry AC. The owner hates dealing with them, so she won't carry their lines. I have to either shop online or at JoAnn's. My JoAnn's had mostly empty shelves when I went there Saturday. I remember many years ago (20), when I was working in a small SB store, the rep from AC came in and gave us tons of free stuff. He was a really nice man. The owner let me keep a good portion of it. That's probably why I still have a soft spot for AC.
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Post by tinksmommy on Jul 8, 2024 14:01:59 GMT
My opinion on the designers:
Celes Gonzalo- I absolutely loved her Rainbow Avenue collection and have bought a ton. Duplicates. It’s perfect for my color palette. I hope she gets to do a second collection.
Vicki Boutin- I love her mixed media products but not her collections. They are not my style. A little too grungy. She is a fantastic teacher and really reps her products and the industry. The best!
Paige Evans- used to be my favorite but got a little bright/bold and boho for me. The new Halloween line is cute but I don’t have a lot of use for it. Another great teacher.
Bea Valiant- her first line was better in person. I bought some of the second line but it is very Maggie Holmes-ish. A bit disappointing.
Maggie Holmes- I buy some of her products and never use them. They wind up in a purge pile. How many swans can you use? I think her aesthetic is a bit stale now.
Shimelle- I’ll buy Thickers from her collections but that’s about it. Too many primary colors for me. I’m so glad they brought her back since so many love her collections.
Jen Hadfield- I’ve bought some of her collections but they mostly sit in my stash. Time to purge, actually.
Crate Paper- I love the aesthetic. I just wish there was more lines.
Pink Paislee- loved them back in the day. Why does AC buy these companies like CP and PP and limit production of new products?
I’ve been hoping for years that AC would bring on some new talent especially those scrappers on You Tube. I just love Suse Fish, Adele from Inkie Quill, Victoria Marie and Missy Whidden (when she was still scrapping). All would bring a fresh style to AC. If it was my company, I’d drop Maggie Holmes and Jen Hadfield and add new designers.
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Post by brenda89 on Jul 8, 2024 14:07:59 GMT
artbabe got to the bottom of the website, in the dark background there is a place to click "Shop By Brand"
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artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,372
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Post by artbabe on Jul 8, 2024 16:25:26 GMT
artbabe got to the bottom of the website, in the dark background there is a place to click "Shop By Brand" Thank you! |
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blemon
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,500
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Post by blemon on Jul 8, 2024 19:02:36 GMT
They have their stuff at Dollar General.
Not 12 x 12 paper or anything but I've picked up a few things for very good prices that I would have paid much more for elsewhere -- massive paperclips, basic tags, individual markers (actually not a deal but it's a deal for me as I don't ever use all the colors in a big pack because I like to use very specific colors so it's like wasting them).
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Post by breakfastattiffanys on Jul 8, 2024 19:38:33 GMT
Maggie Holmes- I buy some of her products and never use them. They wind up in a purge pile. How many swans can you use? I think her aesthetic is a bit stale now. . I would have said the same thing, until recently. I needed swans and recently bought some of her collection, paper and embellishments. I definitely don’t think of swans as a generic icon, but I have some very specific stories to capture about swans, so MH came in handy! |
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Post by infochick on Jul 8, 2024 19:46:37 GMT
I'm on board with AC because they are such a huge umbrella and represent so many designers now. There isn't a ton outside of AC.
VB is probably my current fave as I find her stuff every so slightly grungy which is reminiscent of my all time favourite, Basic Grey. That said, I do recognize that her collections are HUGE and starting to get a bit repetitive. That said, I really do appreciate how generic they are and I will continue to buy her stuff. I tend to like her fall collections the most, but I am not sure that there is going to be one this year.
Bo Bunny, Shimelle, Crate Paper, Jen Hadfield, Paige and Heidi Swapp are all lines that I like to buy sometimes, but my LSS also hates dealing with AC, so she gets few lines in from them.
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Ryann
Pearl Clutcher
Love is Inclusive
Posts: 2,620
Location: PNW
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Post by Ryann on Jul 8, 2024 20:02:14 GMT
Some Peas have mentioned Odell Marshall. Do you mean Obed Marshall? I really like some of the AC brands, but the store where I shop doesn't carry AC. The owner hates dealing with them, so she won't carry their lines. I have to either shop online or at JoAnn's. My JoAnn's had mostly empty shelves when I went there Saturday. I remember many years ago (20), when I was working in a small SB store, the rep from AC came in and gave us tons of free stuff. He was a really nice man. The owner let me keep a good portion of it. That's probably why I still have a soft spot for AC. IDK if this will matter to the shop owner, but AC no longer sells wholesale directly - it all goes through a middleman, like Notions, etc. It may be worth talking to the shop owner about this change to see if they'd be willing to look into it again. They are likely very familiar w/ Notions and already use them to order from already. |
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Post by Night Owl on Jul 8, 2024 20:48:09 GMT
I don't buy full collections but I usually can find a few pieces I like from Shimelle, Pebbles, and Paige Evans. I mostly buy from ACOT because I like to Pre-Order, but I also like Scrapbook.com because they have such a large selection.
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Post by riversong1963 on Jul 8, 2024 21:51:38 GMT
Some Peas have mentioned Odell Marshall. Do you mean Obed Marshall? I really like some of the AC brands, but the store where I shop doesn't carry AC. The owner hates dealing with them, so she won't carry their lines. I have to either shop online or at JoAnn's. My JoAnn's had mostly empty shelves when I went there Saturday. I remember many years ago (20), when I was working in a small SB store, the rep from AC came in and gave us tons of free stuff. He was a really nice man. The owner let me keep a good portion of it. That's probably why I still have a soft spot for AC. IDK if this will matter to the shop owner, but AC no longer sells wholesale directly - it all goes through a middleman, like Notions, etc. It may be worth talking to the shop owner about this change to see if they'd be willing to look into it again. They are likely very familiar w/ Notions and already use them to order from already. Interesting! I'll mention it when I see her. Thanks for the info. |
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Post by AussieMeg on Jul 9, 2024 4:58:36 GMT
I occasionally buy some digital collections from the Americans Crafts digital site - AC Digitals. It makes me feel more connected to the mainstream scrapbooking community, because I can use some of the same products that some of you are using. I have bought collections from the following designers at AC: Shimelle Obed Marshall Pink Paislee Vicki Boutin It is quite confusing though. On the AC Digital site, there is a button where you get a drop down of the brands they sell. It lists: American Crafts Bobunny Crate Paper DCWV (no idea what this is???) Heidi Swapp Pebbles Pink Paislee Then under American Crafts, it shows products from all of the above, plus the following: Shimelle Vicki Boutin Amy Tangerine Dear Lizzy DML (which I think is Damask Love) Paige Evans 1 Canoe 2 I also noticed that most of Shimelle's collections have her name at the top, but Main Character Energy is branded as just American Crafts.  |
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