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Post by songbird on Jun 26, 2014 19:55:34 GMT
I was thinking about this and wondering if the Project Life craze is part of what has been a huge decline in the purchase of the regular scrapbooking items and lines geared toward traditional layouts.
It has to be a contributing factor doesn't it?
I know stores can make money from Project Life, too, but a lot of it was available at M' and HL and J's where deep discounts can be easily acquired...specifically the Project Life branded items.
Just sort of thinking "out loud" I guess.
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Joanne
Shy Member
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Post by Joanne on Jun 26, 2014 19:57:34 GMT
I think it gave new life to scrapbooking to a certain extent, a lot of people me included mix in the divided pocket pages
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Post by SockMonkey on Jun 26, 2014 19:57:59 GMT
I think the sometimes ridiculous costs and overwhelming amount of product is "killing" the scrapbook industry. With the economy as it has been for the past several years, people just don't want to spend $4.99 for three metal embellishments anymore. And, there's just SO much product.
I think the cost and the glut have lead to the popping of the scrapbook bubble. It'll probably survive, but I would bet it'll be fewer product lines and simpler LOs/albums. Probably not back to the old CM days, but not as...embellished?
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jun 26, 2014 19:59:06 GMT
Maybe, but maybe not.
I think Project Life just gave people more fodder to purchase. People are always going to buy, buy, buy if they have the money. And people are fickle and always want more and new and better things to buy. But I don't think that people who buy PL stuff have stopped buying traditional supplies.
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Post by maribeth on Jun 26, 2014 20:01:32 GMT
I do think it could be.
For me the biggest impact (other than the economy in general) is that the trend toward very artistic pages has scared people off. I have to say I am pretty stuck in the era of the sticker sneeze and cardstock, and I didn't feel any pressure then to put a page together. Now I find myself feeling like my pages just don't cut it as opposed to those very artfully designed ones. I have a strong personality, so I say so be it and I do my own thing, but I think others may just not participate if they don't feel they can create a page like that (based on either talent or financial reasons). IMHO.
Maribeth
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Post by songbird on Jun 26, 2014 20:22:59 GMT
Maybe, but maybe not. I think Project Life just gave people more fodder to purchase. People are always going to buy, buy, buy if they have the money. And people are fickle and always want more and new and better things to buy. But I don't think that people who buy PL stuff have stopped buying traditional supplies. I know I'm only one person, but I certainly have. I mostly buy only 6x6 pads now instead of 12x12 and I generally only buy embellishments that I really love or that I know will work for either PL or cards (smaller scale). I think it did give new life in a way, but it feels over-saturated to me now. I agree that the future will probably be fewer lines - at least for a while. |
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amarvel
New Member
Figuring this all out!
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Post by amarvel on Jun 26, 2014 20:24:34 GMT
I think it had a little impact. in additional to PL, I think digital scrapping did a lot of that as well. So many people digi scrap and then make a photo book like Blurb instead of buying supplies. They are still spending money on kits, but that money isnt going into the big box stores.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jun 26, 2014 20:27:11 GMT
I think it had a little impact. in additional to PL, I think digital scrapping did a lot of that as well. So many people digi scrap and then make a photo book like Blurb instead of buying supplies. They are still spending money on kits, but that money isnt going into the big box stores. I agree that the ease of making photo books might have an impact on traditional scrapbooking. |
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beth44
Junior Member
Refupea #328
Posts: 70
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Post by beth44 on Jun 26, 2014 20:28:26 GMT
I think it may have revived it a little, it was starting to die off a little before Project Life. So many LSS closing. I'm using my PL kits for some trips and family activities scrapbooking, but mixed with 12x12 pages. My day to day life is way to boring to bother to scrapbook an official PL. Can anyone really sustain scraping every week of their life? I knew people that pocket scrapbooked way before Project Life, so with WR Memory Keepers, Simply Stories, and PL, and now even Michaels brand, there are a lot of options. I think more people just bought too much stuff they have yet to use. Well, maybe that's just my excuse.  But if you have too much crap you can only buy so much more. I realized I bought more than I could probably use in a lifetime, so I just stopped. Probably a lot of people like me. |
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Post by maribeth on Jun 26, 2014 20:31:05 GMT
I think it may have revived it a little, it was starting to die off a little before Project Life. So many LSS closing. I'm using my PL kits for some trips and family activities scrapbooking, but mixed with 12x12 pages. My day to day life is way to boring to bother to scrapbook an official PL. Can anyone really sustain scraping every week of their life? I knew people that pocket scrapbooked way before Project Life, so with WR Memory Keepers, Simply Stories, and PL, and now even Michaels brand, there are a lot of options. I think more people just bought too much stuff they have yet to use. Well, maybe that's just my excuse. But if you have too much crap you can only buy so much more. I realized I bought more than I could probably use in a lifetime, so I just stopped. Probably a lot of people like me. You are right there! - You may have hit the nail on the head. |
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Post by cmpeter on Jun 26, 2014 20:37:56 GMT
It hasn't had an impact in my group of scrappers...we are a group of about 10 and have been scrapping together since 2000 or so. A few have dabbled in PL, but all of us still do traditional two page paper layouts. We are a bunch of old fogies though. :-)
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Post by thatmarie on Jun 26, 2014 20:44:15 GMT
I am not a fan of PL so i don't really know. I guess it has over-saturated the market. I tried it but i find traditional scrapping much easier and less stressful.
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Post by pierogi on Jun 26, 2014 20:48:54 GMT
I'm in the camp that PL may have revitalized it somewhat. Granted, you aren't as dependent on the embellishments as much, but even with the more minimalist style, you're still using special paper, kits, etc.
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Deleted
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Nov 22, 2024 9:06:21 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2014 20:58:35 GMT
I think it had a little impact. in additional to PL, I think digital scrapping did a lot of that as well. So many people digi scrap and then make a photo book like Blurb instead of buying supplies. They are still spending money on kits, but that money isnt going into the big box stores. I agree that the ease of making photo books might have an impact on traditional scrapbooking. I think a lot of my scrapbooking population bubble has kids who are now almost grown, with fewer "cute" layouts to do. Those were the people who remember printing out photos from a non-digital camera. When you had to have your film processed at a lab. There was really no place to "save" real pictures other than in negative form (which isn't generally viewable) and printed out. When you printed you had to have some place to store them. And I hate to admit it, but I have 15 plastic drawers full of 12 x12 paper. Honestly I never need to buy another piece...same with embellishments, etc. We all built pretty big "stashes". And got to the point where we didn't need much else. And then the economy has taken a nose-dive in a lot of places.
Now that digital cameras exist, it is very easy to just store photos on your computer hard drive/backup. They are easy to access as needed and honestly photo books are so much easier/quicker and don't cost 1/2 as much as the albums, pages, paper, and embellishments.
So I think it is more about technology improving and having an easier way to accomplish the same goal.
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Post by katiescarlett on Jun 26, 2014 21:27:21 GMT
Uh oh, I posted a digi PL layout on the Share a layout thread. I killed the thread and the industry, lol!
I am just finding my way to PL and I love it. I am a digital scrapper and I use it for all those misc cell phone photos that I love but don't really need a layout of their own.
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back to *pea*ality
Pearl Clutcher
Not my circus, not my monkeys ~refugee pea #59
Posts: 3,149
Jun 25, 2014 19:51:11 GMT
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Post by back to *pea*ality on Jun 26, 2014 21:34:04 GMT
I think scrapbooking used to be very simple and then it became a $50 page of product with one picture masterpiece kind of thing.
Project Life is a nice middle ground. I see that Close to My Heart and We R Memory Keepers are going the way of Project Life.
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brenda
One Post Wonder
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Post by brenda on Jun 26, 2014 21:41:06 GMT
I think the bigger stores that offer 50% off is what is killing the smaller stores. Who can compete with 50% off of merchandise. I think PL has enhanced the industry and possible attracted people who would love to do something with their pictures but did not feel they had the time to do traditional layouts. I sure will miss two peas and hope we can still watch all of the youtube videos online!~
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mom2paige
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Jun 25, 2014 23:59:17 GMT
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Post by mom2paige on Jun 26, 2014 22:01:37 GMT
I think it's an accumulation of many things, but primarily these two:
1) the economy sucks, the majority of people have less disposable income for hobby purposes
2) technology. It used to be that the only way to *share* photos was to print them. Giving you a *thing* that needed to be stored/organized. This led to Scrapbooking. Now everything is *immediate* Facebook/texting photos/Instagram/twitter, etc. After *sharing* photos the general masses have sufficiently filled that need. Those that want to create a tangible *thing* can make shutterfly type books easily. I'd go as far as to say that most scrapbookers are essentially creative/crafters that enjoy the end result of an album, but really do it more for the creative outlet (or maybe that's just me, lol!)
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Post by Mini Album Cookbook on Jun 26, 2014 22:10:09 GMT
I was thinking about this and wondering if the Project Life craze is part of what has been a huge decline in the purchase of the regular scrapbooking items and lines geared toward traditional layouts. It has to be a contributing factor doesn't it? I know stores can make money from Project Life, too, but a lot of it was available at M' and HL and J's where deep discounts can be easily acquired...specifically the Project Life branded items. Just sort of thinking "out loud" I guess. Actually, I think that Project Life has saved the Scrapbooking/Memory Keeping. Take a look at this graph from Google Trends....... Interest in Scrapbooking was fading even before the recession. Google Trends - Web Search interest: scrapbooking - Worldwide, 2004 - present
Hobbies are subject to being fads; and, some people did a few albums and moved on....... Project Life has kept memory keeping affordable and doable for moms, especially working moms. We had 14 Local Scrap Stores in my area (2 million+ population).... 11 of them had folded before the recession......... folks lost interest and moved on. |
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lisavb
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Jun 25, 2014 21:49:19 GMT
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Post by lisavb on Jun 26, 2014 22:11:50 GMT
Personally I don't think it's any one thing. 1. At the beginning of the "decline" was the stores closing that didn't have any business opening in the first place. You know the type...the ladies opened the stores thinking they would get their supplies at wholesale cost and scrapbook all the live long day. No business sense at all. 2. With all of these stores opening up, manufacturers produced collections at an alarming rate. Unless you were in a suburban area with hundreds of ladies shopping in a day/week it takes a long while to sell through 25 sheets of paper. And they have never really backed down from that schedule of churning out so many collections a year. Stores just got inundated with inventory and couldn't keep up. Then customers started to complain that there wasn't anything "new" at the store. Well ya, that can't happen until you buy the stuff already in the store. That's the only way to free up space AND cash to buy the next best thing. 3. Customers know way too much about the inside workings/gossip/etc of the industry. I don't know many industries that show sneak peeks of their new things coming down the pipeline. Do you see twitter/instagram photos from your favorite clothing store when they're at market? I don't...the only way I see new stuff is to actually shop the store. Then, how many other industries allow customers to get into the trade shows? Ever try getting into a gift market, jewelry show, stationery show, etc without a ton of credentials? With CHA it pretty much is buy a $150 membership with a Tax ID and you're in. CHA doesn't care to protect the integrity of the industry, only the dollar signs. 4. With the buying frenzy surrounding a new collection, customers were taught to buy it now because they won't re-print the collection again. So they now have rooms full of papers, embellishments, etc that they haven't used yet, and don't have any more room for the new stuff. If a Christmas paper is timeless, why is it "out of date" by next Christmas? Now I understand you don't want to use the same paper every Christmas, but do we really need 15 papers in a Christms collection from Echo Park? Much less 2 every Christmas from them? 5. Most items made for the scrapbook world are overpriced. I'll admit it and I'm a store owner. But what do I do? The manufacturer sets the MSRP and I need to get the most margin I can from the sale to pay for my site, shipping, store, electricity, insurance, etc. etc. etc. 6. There are some horrible store owners. I'll admit that too! some are in it just because they opened up and had great sales in the heyday. Now they're struggling to keep afloat and they're stressed and crabby and angry. Some are in it because they genuinely love the industry and want to see it back as popular as it was before. 7. Project Life came around and told people they could scrapbook with just an album, some cards and their pictures. No tools necessary...THANKS Becky  8. Digital scrapbooking became somewhat popular. People have started to make Snapfish/Shutterfly books because it's fast. Lots of people don't necessarily like the quality/look of these albums, but hey, it's cheaper and faster than scrapbooking the traditional way. 9. People just DO NOT print out their photos. They are stored on SD cards, CD/DVDs, in their phones, etc and just post their picture on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram and call it good. I really think this a huge reason why our industry has shrunk. With the invention of the digital camera, people take 10 pictures because they can just choose the best one to print. But they don't print them out. 10. The economy hasn't helped at all. Disposable income has shrunk and our hobby isn't a necessity. People are paying more for gas, groceries, insurance, etc and they just don't have the money. There..there's my two cents (well maybe $1.25) on why we're at where we're at. I personally LOVE this industry and am doing everything I can to keep it afloat and vibrant. I'm doing everything I can to keep my store alive, relevant, stocked with great product, classes and workshops scheduled regularly, etc. I'm just in a bad location in the middle of nowhere Iowa. LOL |
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Post by Scrapper100 on Jun 26, 2014 22:19:20 GMT
I think it is a lot of things - people that did it are getting older and their kids are getting older and the younger generation just doesn't have the disposable income that we had a few years ago. I know I don't spend near what I did say just five to ten years ago. I would rather spend my extra money on other things. I also have a huge stash so don't feel like I have to have everything. I also have switched mostly to CTMH since I am a consultant. I do some project life and did it for three years and then took a year off and then started this year and then life got in the way. The last year I did it I actually used my stash and just did monthly pages - I loved them more than the kits.
I think a lot of people have switched to the photo books - they are so much cheaper and easier - you can easily make multiple copies with the click of a button. I can see the appeal but I prefer traditional pages for the creative outlet - I tried digital and I liked it but once again I missed the paper, inks, stamps, etc.
I think the economy is the main reason for the decline that and just too many companies out there and too much product. It was just too overwhelming. I don't think you can put all the blame on the big box companies as they don't have near the amount of stuff they used to either - remember when Target actually had cool stuff? I did go in Michaels today as my son wanted to look for something and I found some PL journal cards for only 1.99 so I picked them up - this is the first time I have even seen PL supplies in my store. I think that PL is completely different and don't think it caused a decline it is just different and yes some switched but not that many people switched - people stopped scrapping years ago.
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Post by chichilabamba on Jun 26, 2014 22:55:44 GMT
Digital scrapping gives non-creative types (like my sister-in-law) a way to scrap so I don't think that killed it. I do think it's a combination of Project Life (get a photo AND make sure something happened EVERYDAY) and the super-detailed, mixed-media, doesn't fit in an album, pages that hurt the industry. I think everything looks the same now and I can't tell the difference between companies. I use pocket pages to put unscrapped photos in with my full page layouts, so I guess I've found a middle ground. I don't think everyone has found their happy medium yet.
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mandymae
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Post by mandymae on Jun 26, 2014 23:08:23 GMT
I don't think it's killed it. I think if anything, it's brought new money in. I think scrapbooking is more a causality of technology and instant photo sharing than Project LIfe.
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Post by ahiller on Jun 26, 2014 23:11:59 GMT
Personally I don't think it's any one thing. 1. At the beginning of the "decline" was the stores closing that didn't have any business opening in the first place. You know the type...the ladies opened the stores thinking they would get their supplies at wholesale cost and scrapbook all the live long day. No business sense at all. 2. With all of these stores opening up, manufacturers produced collections at an alarming rate. Unless you were in a suburban area with hundreds of ladies shopping in a day/week it takes a long while to sell through 25 sheets of paper. And they have never really backed down from that schedule of churning out so many collections a year. Stores just got inundated with inventory and couldn't keep up. Then customers started to complain that there wasn't anything "new" at the store. Well ya, that can't happen until you buy the stuff already in the store. That's the only way to free up space AND cash to buy the next best thing. 3. Customers know way too much about the inside workings/gossip/etc of the industry. I don't know many industries that show sneak peeks of their new things coming down the pipeline. Do you see twitter/instagram photos from your favorite clothing store when they're at market? I don't...the only way I see new stuff is to actually shop the store. Then, how many other industries allow customers to get into the trade shows? Ever try getting into a gift market, jewelry show, stationery show, etc without a ton of credentials? With CHA it pretty much is buy a $150 membership with a Tax ID and you're in. CHA doesn't care to protect the integrity of the industry, only the dollar signs. 4. With the buying frenzy surrounding a new collection, customers were taught to buy it now because they won't re-print the collection again. So they now have rooms full of papers, embellishments, etc that they haven't used yet, and don't have any more room for the new stuff. If a Christmas paper is timeless, why is it "out of date" by next Christmas? Now I understand you don't want to use the same paper every Christmas, but do we really need 15 papers in a Christms collection from Echo Park? Much less 2 every Christmas from them? 5. Most items made for the scrapbook world are overpriced. I'll admit it and I'm a store owner. But what do I do? The manufacturer sets the MSRP and I need to get the most margin I can from the sale to pay for my site, shipping, store, electricity, insurance, etc. etc. etc. 6. There are some horrible store owners. I'll admit that too! some are in it just because they opened up and had great sales in the heyday. Now they're struggling to keep afloat and they're stressed and crabby and angry. Some are in it because they genuinely love the industry and want to see it back as popular as it was before. 7. Project Life came around and told people they could scrapbook with just an album, some cards and their pictures. No tools necessary...THANKS Becky 8. Digital scrapbooking became somewhat popular. People have started to make Snapfish/Shutterfly books because it's fast. Lots of people don't necessarily like the quality/look of these albums, but hey, it's cheaper and faster than scrapbooking the traditional way. 9. People just DO NOT print out their photos. They are stored on SD cards, CD/DVDs, in their phones, etc and just post their picture on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram and call it good. I really think this a huge reason why our industry has shrunk. With the invention of the digital camera, people take 10 pictures because they can just choose the best one to print. But they don't print them out. 10. The economy hasn't helped at all. Disposable income has shrunk and our hobby isn't a necessity. People are paying more for gas, groceries, insurance, etc and they just don't have the money. There..there's my two cents (well maybe $1.25) on why we're at where we're at. I personally LOVE this industry and am doing everything I can to keep it afloat and vibrant. I'm doing everything I can to keep my store alive, relevant, stocked with great product, classes and workshops scheduled regularly, etc. I'm just in a bad location in the middle of nowhere Iowa. LOL Lisa, what is your online store address? I'd love to check it out the next time I am shopping. |
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Deleted
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Nov 22, 2024 9:06:21 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2014 23:14:42 GMT
No, I think it's just the natural cycle of things. Certain crafts get really popular, then they wane and something else takes over. When the decline happens, lots of companies (retailers and manufacturers) will fold.
I actually think Project Life probably extended some people's interest in scrapbooking. I was tired of all the STUFF of scrapbooking and wanted a fun, but more efficient, approach to memory keeping. Project Life provided that.
I also think there are a lot of people who are still scrapping but have gone all-digital and obviously the business model for that is very different.
There are lots of factors in the contraction of the industry, I think.
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Post by Prenticekid on Jun 26, 2014 23:56:23 GMT
No. I think it was a side note that gave a little energy to scrapbooking for a bit. Becky Higgins better be stashing her money away for the future, that's for sure.
For the most part, I think most people who took up scrapbooking were hobbiests and hobbies go in and out of fashion.
And, I think technology had something to do with it - not so much in the memory keeping way of say digi scrapbooking or Instagram, but more like the time wasting, not being able to put phones or tablets down sort of way. Kind of like how TV, then video games, came along and took kids off playgrounds.
I also think shopping for supplies was some people's Target or Kohl's run in the age of rampant consumerism. They shopped for fun and never really scrapped, so after the shopping high wore off, they were left with stashes they had no desire to use and moved on to other forms of consumer excess or Dave Ramsey programs.
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Post by kimnyy on Jun 27, 2014 0:06:55 GMT
I don't think it's killing it, I think in a way it brought new money in. Making it a little easier for some people that normally think traditional scrapping is too much to jump on board.
I think it's more the economy, technology and people just not printing pictures as much anymore.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Jun 27, 2014 0:09:44 GMT
I think more people just bought too much stuff they have yet to use. Well, maybe that's just my excuse. But if you have too much crap you can only buy so much more. I realized I bought more than I could probably use in a lifetime, so I just stopped. Probably a lot of people like me. I'm a lot of people like you too ~ Dori ~ |
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jun 27, 2014 0:16:20 GMT
Personally I don't think it's any one thing. 1. At the beginning of the "decline" was the stores closing that didn't have any business opening in the first place. You know the type...the ladies opened the stores thinking they would get their supplies at wholesale cost and scrapbook all the live long day. No business sense at all. 2. With all of these stores opening up, manufacturers produced collections at an alarming rate. Unless you were in a suburban area with hundreds of ladies shopping in a day/week it takes a long while to sell through 25 sheets of paper. And they have never really backed down from that schedule of churning out so many collections a year. Stores just got inundated with inventory and couldn't keep up. Then customers started to complain that there wasn't anything "new" at the store. Well ya, that can't happen until you buy the stuff already in the store. That's the only way to free up space AND cash to buy the next best thing. 3. Customers know way too much about the inside workings/gossip/etc of the industry. I don't know many industries that show sneak peeks of their new things coming down the pipeline. Do you see twitter/instagram photos from your favorite clothing store when they're at market? I don't...the only way I see new stuff is to actually shop the store. Then, how many other industries allow customers to get into the trade shows? Ever try getting into a gift market, jewelry show, stationery show, etc without a ton of credentials? With CHA it pretty much is buy a $150 membership with a Tax ID and you're in. CHA doesn't care to protect the integrity of the industry, only the dollar signs. 4. With the buying frenzy surrounding a new collection, customers were taught to buy it now because they won't re-print the collection again. So they now have rooms full of papers, embellishments, etc that they haven't used yet, and don't have any more room for the new stuff. If a Christmas paper is timeless, why is it "out of date" by next Christmas? Now I understand you don't want to use the same paper every Christmas, but do we really need 15 papers in a Christms collection from Echo Park? Much less 2 every Christmas from them? 5. Most items made for the scrapbook world are overpriced. I'll admit it and I'm a store owner. But what do I do? The manufacturer sets the MSRP and I need to get the most margin I can from the sale to pay for my site, shipping, store, electricity, insurance, etc. etc. etc. 6. There are some horrible store owners. I'll admit that too! some are in it just because they opened up and had great sales in the heyday. Now they're struggling to keep afloat and they're stressed and crabby and angry. Some are in it because they genuinely love the industry and want to see it back as popular as it was before. 7. Project Life came around and told people they could scrapbook with just an album, some cards and their pictures. No tools necessary...THANKS Becky 8. Digital scrapbooking became somewhat popular. People have started to make Snapfish/Shutterfly books because it's fast. Lots of people don't necessarily like the quality/look of these albums, but hey, it's cheaper and faster than scrapbooking the traditional way. 9. People just DO NOT print out their photos. They are stored on SD cards, CD/DVDs, in their phones, etc and just post their picture on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram and call it good. I really think this a huge reason why our industry has shrunk. With the invention of the digital camera, people take 10 pictures because they can just choose the best one to print. But they don't print them out. 10. The economy hasn't helped at all. Disposable income has shrunk and our hobby isn't a necessity. People are paying more for gas, groceries, insurance, etc and they just don't have the money. There..there's my two cents (well maybe $1.25) on why we're at where we're at. I personally LOVE this industry and am doing everything I can to keep it afloat and vibrant. I'm doing everything I can to keep my store alive, relevant, stocked with great product, classes and workshops scheduled regularly, etc. I'm just in a bad location in the middle of nowhere Iowa. LOL Lisa, what is your online store address? I'd love to check it out the next time I am shopping. |
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Post by myboysnme on Jun 27, 2014 1:34:06 GMT
Honestly, I think PL type scrapping is keeping it alive. It has been on life support for a very long time.
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But if you have too much crap you can only buy so much more. I realized I bought more than I could probably use in a lifetime, so I just stopped. Probably a lot of people like me. 
