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Post by thracian on Apr 17, 2015 16:15:29 GMT
I'm considering subscribing to the Studio Calico scrapbooking kit but I wanted to get opinions from other subscribers. Love to hear what you think.
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Post by carolynhasacat on Apr 17, 2015 16:34:19 GMT
I sub to both Studio Calico and Cocoa Daisy.
Cocoa Daisy kits are better value and just better overall, I think. More product per kit, lots of fun exclusives, great community and the best customer service.
However, Studio Calico has awesome stamps and lots more selection in add-ons and exclusives. Lately, they've been having lots of great sales and promotions. If you're someone with lots of money to spend, they have more options. Their design team and gallery is also awesome. Their customer service is notoriously terrible.
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FurryP
Drama Llama
To pea or not to pea...
Posts: 7,290
Site Supporter
Jun 26, 2014 19:58:26 GMT
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Post by FurryP on Apr 17, 2015 23:14:41 GMT
Definitely do your research on SC. There are many scrappers on both sides of that debate. I don't subscribe so I will refrain from commenting.
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Post by Skellinton on Apr 18, 2015 1:26:10 GMT
Do your research indeed! The kits keep getting smaller and lately there have been an enormousl amount of problems with missing items and customer service problems. The cancellation fee with their special offer is twice the normal cancellation fee.
Recently they reduced the number of papers down to 6 so they could include a speciality paper, which makes the kits pretty small. They also have pretty much exclusive items or their own lines, so make sure you like their very large graphic prints.
Have you looked at gossamer blue?
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Post by austnscrapaddict on Apr 18, 2015 1:26:19 GMT
I've been a subscriber for over a year, and have no complaints, I also sub to Gossamer Blue and may prefer it slightly, but I enjoy both, I really like the gallery and for inspiration.
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Post by impearia on Apr 18, 2015 13:46:14 GMT
I have subbed to a lot of different kits over the past couple of years. I am currently trying out Studio Calico myself...
pros:
-lovely stamp sets
-exclusive product, if you love their style it is great and unique
-great online community, very active
-great CT/DT
-loads of adds ons
-very good new subscriber promos (make sure you get a referal if you sign up to get 500 calico points for yourself and your referral person!)
cons:
-some people have CS issues/some do not--inconsistent CS
-missing items/packing issues/oversold items
-kit value is not perhaps as high as some other kits
What it really comes down to though is simply do you like their product and will you use it? Some other kits may offer MORE product for similar cost, but if I don't like it and use it who cares? I bought 2 kits before I subbed (Cirque and Odyssey) With Cirque I made 6 layouts and I really loved 5 of them, and the 6th was fine too. I have made 3 so far with Odyssey and am working on a 4th and I LOVE all of those too, plus I find myself scrapping faster than I have in awhile which is a plus for me as a slow scrapper. So for me SC works well. I did run into an issue at a sale of an oversold kit which they messaged me about and sent me a free stamp. I understand things happen, and they were very nice about it and offered me other kits still in stock, or a refund etc. i always recommend trying a single kit from a company before subbing, see if their style works for you, if you feel the amount of product works for you.
I will also say Cocoa Daisy is lovely I subbed there for awhile and the CS is great, the community is nice, although not as active as SC. I would check them out if you don't go with SC.
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Sherry C.
Junior Member
Posts: 59 
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Post by Sherry C. on Apr 18, 2015 13:47:02 GMT
I do love SC products (individually), but do not love their kits. I subbed on & off for several years, but the kits kept getting more sparse. One reason I love kits is to get a variety of manufacturers and the main SB kit is only SC product. Last year many of the kits seemed like collections thrown together without any thought of the overall look.
I still buy their products, but don't think I will ever sub again with their current approach to kits.
ETA: I've subbed to many kits over the years (CT, CD, and currently with Hip Kit), SC, by far, has the least amount of product in their kits. I love the products and MB, but the kits are not a good value in my opinion.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Nov 27, 2024 18:55:49 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2015 14:25:59 GMT
I have subbed for a little over 2 years. I'm not very happy that the main SB papers went down to 6 patterned and 1 specialty paper more recently, since there are usually some of them I'm not crazy to begin with. I think the value of the kits is marginal, although I feel that it is worth it to get exclusive designs, especially the stamps. I subscribe to all 3 kits and most months get 2-3 add-ons in addition, so they get most of my scrappy $$ at this point. I plan to continue my sub, I so look forward to them each month. Reveal is much better than it was for awhile and for the few customer service issues I've had, they have been addressed just fine. I wonder about some that seem to complain a lot about missing items....I think that has happened to me only 1 time in all the many kits I've received. Overall, their style is a really good fit for me.
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Post by mdpea on Apr 19, 2015 2:09:14 GMT
I'm happy with my subs, but it is now all SC product; it didn't used to be when I first started subbing years ago. Frequent the MB & get a feel for it. They allow you to speak your mind, which can sometimes be a turn off for me when it gets ugly. I step away when that is going on.
I stopped my sub for a while, combination of being too busy to scrap & several things they did that I was pissed off about, but I ended up re-subbing when my life settled down. Gossamer Blue was the only other kit under consideration for me, great looking kit & Nicole Harper & Stephanie Howell are there.
All my faves from SC have left.
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Post by alittleintrepid on Apr 19, 2015 3:25:20 GMT
I'm happy with my subs, but it is now all SC product; it didn't used to be when I first started subbing years ago. Frequent the MB & get a feel for it. They allow you to speak your mind, which can sometimes be a turn off for me when it gets ugly. Do they? One of the frequent criticisms is that they pull any threads that are critical of SC (customer service, shipping fee changes, cancellation policy etc.). Has this changed? they have a design team member who has been accused of taking credit for other people's designs so that leaves a bad taste in my mouth for the entire company. |
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Post by mdpea on Apr 19, 2015 4:30:46 GMT
I'm happy with my subs, but it is now all SC product; it didn't used to be when I first started subbing years ago. Frequent the MB & get a feel for it. They allow you to speak your mind, which can sometimes be a turn off for me when it gets ugly. Do they? One of the frequent criticisms is that they pull any threads that are critical of SC (customer service, shipping fee changes, cancellation policy etc.). Has this changed? they have a design team member who has been accused of taking credit for other people's designs so that leaves a bad taste in my mouth for the entire company. Yes, you are right. I re-read my post & I have misrepresented that a bit haven't I? They will allow a little criticism though, eg. the drama over the seven paper pre-order. They could have pulled that, but haven't. I'm not a fan girl though, I am not defending them. |
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Post by alittleintrepid on Apr 19, 2015 7:42:47 GMT
mdpea , well, maybe they are maturing as a company iif they are able to tolerate some drama?
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Post by epeanymous on Apr 19, 2015 12:55:41 GMT
I sub to their PL kits. I used to sub to the main SB kit, but it got much thinner over time, and I didn't think it was a great value any longer.
The prices on the add-on kits also have risen substantially. I wait for sales.
They have also had a number of CS issues and aren't great about responding. Often their solution for missing items is to ship them with your next kit, which isn't great if you wanted to use the item with the kit it was supposed to accompany.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Nov 27, 2024 18:55:49 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2015 15:45:43 GMT
I subscribed several years ago, and I cannot believe how thin the kits are now. Here's Hip Kit's April kit: hipkitclub.net/april-2015-main-kitAnd here's Studio Calico's April kit: www.studiocalico.com/kits/lisse-street-scrapbook-kitOr compare SC kits to Scraptastic kits. IMO there's no comparison to the amount of product you get from other kits. Also, like has already been said, the SC main kits have SC products, so you have to really like their stuff. I was over them a long time ago, for many different reasons. |
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Post by gmcwife1 on Apr 19, 2015 15:57:16 GMT
mdpea , well, maybe they are maturing as a company iif they are able to tolerate some drama? One of the things I didn't like there was what reminded me of high school like mentality. I prefer a business that wants real feedback from customers on ways to improve, not just fluff and high fives. And I don't want to hang out with people that don't care what others don't get as long as they got what they want. I also didn't like the way the shopping is set up. I don't want to have it be sitting at my computer the minute the shopping goes live so I can buy add ons or extras. I love shopping, but not when there isn't enough stock and there is a mad rush for what there is. There were some really nice people there and I do miss them. |
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Post by thracian on Apr 19, 2015 16:17:41 GMT
Thanks for all the opinions. I was interested because I like kits that offer exclusive products, but I decided not to subscribe right now to the main scrapbooking kit. I like their products very much but wish the kit was a better value. Also, I don't need more cardstock. Patterned paper is where it's at. LOL.
Though apparently I am a subscriber of theirs via the Messy Box subscription. So far I'm happy with that. Hopefully I will continue to feel that way.
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Deleted
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Nov 27, 2024 18:55:49 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2015 17:48:33 GMT
Cocoa Daisy has lots of exclusives every month... embellishments (wood veneer, acrylic), plus patterned paper and PL cards every month. They also design their own stamps and cut files. They have an option to buy patterned paper only, and offer a few of the kit embellishments as a la carte purchases, so it is possible to grab some exclusives and sort of build a DIY kit from their monthly offerings.
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Deleted
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Nov 27, 2024 18:55:49 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2015 18:31:21 GMT
Does Cocoa Daisy still have their stamp subscription? After you mentioned CD I went to their website because I haven't looked at it for a long time and don't see it anymore?
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Nov 27, 2024 18:55:49 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2015 23:19:38 GMT
Does Cocoa Daisy still have their stamp subscription? After you mentioned CD I went to their website because I haven't looked at it for a long time and don't see it anymore? No, they discontinued it a few months ago.  But there are still exclusive stamps in the main kit, and PL kit, and you can usually buy them separately, too. |
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Deleted
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Nov 27, 2024 18:55:49 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2015 0:02:43 GMT
That's too bad about their stamp subscription. One of my favorite stamps ever is still their coffee stain stamp. Glad to see they are still doing stamps though, because their quality was good.
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Post by CarolineO'Sullivan on Apr 20, 2015 0:44:55 GMT
I subscribed on and off for years, I have honestly never had a problem with CS but I know a lot that have.
I now subscribe to Citrus Twist and Felicity Jane, I did try Gossamer Blue and loved the kit I did get, but have a huge trip planned so something had to go and as it is no fees to cancel that went first.
Just edited to add in, that when I first subbed to SC it was the best out of the bunch for what I was looking for, but these days there is a lot of really awesome kit clubs out there too, A couple that I really need to try out.
My advice to you is go through their past kits and see how many you love, that way it will give you an idea of how much you love them. Felicity Jane is a new club, with only 5 past kits and I love each and every one of them, I just wish I had discovered it before this month as would love to get a hold of them.
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Deleted
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Nov 27, 2024 18:55:49 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2015 1:12:18 GMT
That's too bad about their stamp subscription. One of my favorite stamps ever is still their coffee stain stamp. Glad to see they are still doing stamps though, because their quality was good. Yes to all of this! That coffee ring stamp is one of my favourites and most-used stamps, too.  |
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Post by thracian on Apr 20, 2015 2:32:52 GMT
My advice to you is go through their past kits and see how many you love, that way it will give you an idea of how much you love them. Felicity Jane is a new club, with only 5 past kits and I love each and every one of them, I just wish I had discovered it before this month as would love to get a hold of them. Oh, geez. I love the Felicity Jane stuff too. Just subscribed to that one! Can't wait to get the first kit. (Wish I could start with April.) |
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Post by CarolineO'Sullivan on Apr 20, 2015 2:45:35 GMT
My advice to you is go through their past kits and see how many you love, that way it will give you an idea of how much you love them. Felicity Jane is a new club, with only 5 past kits and I love each and every one of them, I just wish I had discovered it before this month as would love to get a hold of them. Oh, geez. I love the Felicity Jane stuff too. Just subscribed to that one! Can't wait to get the first kit. (Wish I could start with April.) I was so lucky to get the April kit, and so excited for it to arrive. Can not wait to see Mays |
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Post by impearia on Apr 20, 2015 3:29:38 GMT
Are they doing International subs yet? When I was looking they were only doing them within the US.
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Post by CarolineO'Sullivan on Apr 20, 2015 4:36:11 GMT
Are they doing International subs yet? When I was looking they were only doing them within the US. Yes they have started doing International subs now |
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Post by CarolineO'Sullivan on Apr 20, 2015 4:36:50 GMT
That's too bad about their stamp subscription. One of my favorite stamps ever is still their coffee stain stamp. Glad to see they are still doing stamps though, because their quality was good. I do not even stamp and I used to sub to the stamp sub lol, always loved the stamps though, just never used them. |
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Post by thracian on Apr 20, 2015 15:58:34 GMT
Oh, geez. I love the Felicity Jane stuff too. Just subscribed to that one! Can't wait to get the first kit. (Wish I could start with April.) I was so lucky to get the April kit, and so excited for it to arrive. Can not wait to see Mays I'm so jealous that you are getting the April one too! I was hoping for that, but they are sold out. |
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kate2kate
Junior Member
Posts: 50
Sept 4, 2014 23:37:11 GMT
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Post by kate2kate on Apr 22, 2015 18:05:54 GMT
I have not subscribed to SC but I have to Cocoa Daisy. There kits are great and the customer service is excellent. I also bought a Gossamer blue kit and I liked that to.
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But there are still exclusive stamps in the main kit, and PL kit, and you can usually buy them separately, too.
