1 post tagged “don't be crewel”
So, here we go, first review. All pictures are for information only and belong to the sites and the designers named.
KB and friends offer quirky, nostalgic kits. A selection of this week's new releases are:-
Title Happiness is... a boy
Designer Jennifer Schmitt
Released March 2007
Price $4.50
Link Here
Site blurb - "With a combination of red, yellow, blue, brown, and green this kit is just right for scrapping the pics of your little man. Includes 2 wordart titles, 5 descriptive word embellishments, 5 ribbons, an airplane, car, tricycle and car, 2 journalling sheets, 19 papers (all 12x12, 300 dpi), and several other decorative items to embellish your layouts. Thanks to Atomic Cupcake for the actions used! Also check out Happiness Is...A Girl for all the little princesses in your life."
As always for KB and friends kits, the elements on this kit are lovely. Their motto is "It's all about the elements" and they are true to that motto. The transport elements are retro without being twee and can be re-used on many different styles of layouts. The pins and staples are also versatile for many different LOs, but as I am a bit of a lazy scrapper I'd have liked to have seen a "pierced" pin as well. I'm a sucker for the chipped metallic action from Atomic Cupcake, and it is used well here on the square buttons. They complement the transport elements very well. The inked edge journalling boxes look as if they have been ripped out from an old school journal and hand-stamped, a good touch. I like the zips, which could be used in a funky manner to join different papers in your LO. The ribbons are sufficiently different from the papers so that they won't be lost when used on them.
My biggest bugbear is beautiful kits with only a few papers, but this kit delivers plenty of great papers. The main colours - brown, red, blue, green and cream - are used well, and there is a proportionate mix of plain and patterned papers. The starred paper in particular jumps out at me, and makes me think that these papers could be used in a very funky LO if you have a family member in the military.
Summing Up
One Sentence I don't have boys to scrap for, but if I did I would imagine getting a lot of use from this versatile kit.
Designer Carol Baumann
Released March 2007
Price $3.00
Link Here
Site blurb "Sorry about the name of this kit. While working on these little flowers the oldies station I had on played an old Elvis song - "Don't Be Cruel". The play on words was too much to pass up. Crewel work is a type of embroidery that has been around for hundreds of years. It's done with a special two ply yarn called crewel and the result is a rich, heavy texture. I hope you enjoy this digi version of a vintage craft. 4 different floral corners, 10 flowers, 3 leaves, 4 stems / not shown on preview, 1 Postcard back, 4 heavy linen backgrounds, 5 vintage ads - 4 are for needlework products and I couldn't pass up the fifth. It's for Prof. J.H. Austins Hair Food and wait until you get a look at the product results!"
Carol Baumann is a new designer to me, so at first I thought the mix of elements in this pack was a bit strange, but the more that I look at it the more charmed I am by it. It can be used in so many different ways. The flowers of course are beautiful and shouting to be used in LOs and also printed out for other crafts - book covers, labels for needlework tins, etc. The adverts are great. They could be used straight-faced in a vintage LO, or could add a funny twist to any "All about me" LOs. Imagine a Bad Hair Day LO with the Hair Food Ad, or a LO about an untidy house, or a particularly bad sewing or cooking experience accompanied by the Housewife ad.
Summing Up
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One Sentence An eclectic mix of flowers and ads in this fun yet traditional element kit.
Title Janna's Templates Set 9
Designer Janna Billman
Released March 2007
Price $5.00
Link Here
I absolutely adore templates. I love digital scrapping, but do not have the designer's eye that leads to absolutely amazing LOs. I struggled for three months them admitted defeat and started using sketches. When templates became popular I did a dance of joy.
I own a few of Janna's previous template kits. These are great, ideal for Spring and Summer LOs. I'd have liked another multi-picture template, but that is just me. Single photo LOs are more popular with the designers, and seem to be published more. Potato, PoeTAHto. All the flowers make it more suitable for nature LOs or Girls LOs. Although, the beauty of layered templates is that those layers can be removed and replaced with something more boy-friendly.
One Sentence Another fun and functional template kit from Janna.
