Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker

Nikki Sivils is a scrapbooker who is living her dream, designing and manufacturing scrapbook products. The two that have in front of me are ‘My Friend Birdie’ and ‘Tree Love’. These two ranges are some of last season’s collections. Nikki is releasing six new ranges on 29th January 2011 (and I’m keeping a very close eye on ‘It’s Raining, It’s pouring’ in particular). You could even win her new range by visiting her blog. The company’s mission is to ‘create wonderfully original scrapbook paper and embellishments by focusing on imagination and love for crafting’ and ‘provide distinctive paper’. Distinctive is exactly the word I would use to describe Nikki Sivils’ style. Both these ranges have big, bold designs and it’s clear that the same designer has had a hand in both. They both have vibrant colours with fun patterns and little characters.

Both ranges features seven patterns on doubled sided papers and one side of cardstock embellishments (including words, photo corners and journaling blocks on ‘My Friends Birdie’ and trees and words on ‘Tree Love’) that can be cut out. They also include one 10” scallop edged round die cut paper and a 12x12” sticker sheet with a good mix of alphas, journaling blocks and alphas (which was a new product introduction last season) with a high gloss sheen. The paper is high quality and the stickers are glossy, well manufactured and strong. All the papers are vibrant, with rich colours and the designs in each range complement each other well. There is variety in each range offering something for everyone.

The aforementioned little character in ‘Tree Love’ is Bucky the Beaver and he features on three of the patterns. The papers are in browns, reds, green and creams (reflecting the autumn feel of the season in which they were released).

‘My Friend Birdie’ is a range dedicated to Nikki’s friend with birdlike legs. The designs on the papers themselves are again vibrant, bold and unique. There are plainer pages, pages with large patterns, pages with smaller patterns and all in beautiful blues, yellows, greens and terracotta. There are papers that could be used by scrapbookers, cardmakers and altered art lovers, which is true of ‘Tree Love’ also.

Individually these papers retail at about $0.89 US for the 12x12” papers, $0.99 US or £1.25 GBP for the scallop edged die cut and $2.99 US or £2.99 for the cardstock sticker sheet. In the 6x6” mini-pad there are 24 pages, three pieces of four designs and four pieces of three designs. They retail at approx. $5.99 US or £5.99 GBP. Although these papers won’t appeal to everyone, they are exceptionally good quality and well priced for the market.

Nikki Sivils also does a variety of embellishments to complement her ranges. These include buttons, albums, brads and craft flags. Inspiration for using all of Nikki’s products can be found on her blog and gallery.

Making Memories Sneak Peek

One company we always get excited about is Making Memories. We have a couple of great reviews coming up for them, inlcuding the Slice.
With CHA around the corner though, it gives us a chance to take a look at whats coming up.
Below are some great shots of what we can look forward to after CHA.

We are hoping to get to play with these ranges soon!

Prima CHA Sneek Peek

        

It's sneak peek time again here at Scrap That!

This time we have Prima Marketing showing off just one new releases Madeline. It is just what we expect from Prima, a wonderfully intracate and floral range. Just take a look at this:

Here's what Prima has to say about this stunning looking collection:

swirls, flourishes and touches of nature all wrapped up in a beautiful new package

Take a look for yourself here Prima Marketing

Kaisercraft Hippy Girl

Australian company Kaisercraft has a proud history. Their aim is to inspire the craft world with their products by making these products innovative. So does it do what it says on the box? Well, the range that I am reviewing today is the Hippy Girl collection. Have we seen spots and lines and florals before? Of course we have. However, the collection as a whole presents them in fresh, bold colours with a richness that will enhance any layout or card.

In the paper pad there are 36 sheets of high quality (160gsm) in 19 different and varied designs from plain papers to florals, spots and lines. In addition to all that there are four pages of tags/borders and journaling spots. These are also pretty and varied. 6” paper packs from Kaisercraft retail for approximately £6.99 GB pounds and $8.99 US dollars. This is in line with the cost of similar products from other manufacturers. What is different about this product is that of those 36 sheets of patterned paper eight of them have glitter detail (four designs), which are gorgeous, and four of them have flocking (two designs).

In the Journal Tags pack from the same collection there are 24 tags in the same high quality paper. There are six designs and these are again varied and well matched with the papers. Half of them have a scalloped edge and the others straight edges with rounded corners.

Kaisercraft is a Worldwide brand as blogs from America, Australia and the UK are testament to. They even have stockists in Israel. The company have a website with projects and a gallery showcasing ideas for using their products and additional inspiration can be found on their blog These products are of very high standard and manufactured with a great finish. The glitter didn’t even come off on my fingers! In my opinion scrapbookers, card maker and other paper crafters would find these products good value for money and enjoy using them on their projects thanks to the vibrant colours and variety of patterns in the collection.

Part of what makes Kaisercraft proud is its commitment to people. The people that work for the company, the people who buy from the company and the community and world further afield. They have helped to raise almost $227, 160 for worthwhile causes both in Australia and further afield. It’s heart warming to read of the work that Kaisercrafts help to support in Thailand and if you have a moment I would urge you to have a read. http://www.kaisercraft.net/kaisercraft-info/charity/news.html

This review has been sponsored by Kaisercraft specialist supplier:

My Minds Eye Sneak Peek

Todays sneak peak is from the people over at My Minds Eye. They've got a lot being released for CHA but here is just a sample of one of their new ranges, Stella and Rose.

Here is what My Minds Eye have to say about their latest creation;
Stella & Rose was built around the feedback we have received from retailers, designers and consumers and is a definite must-have for your collection!  Stella & Rose is a modern, updated twist on shabby chic and has four fabulous color schemes: Mabel, Hattie, Gertie and Hazel!  But, don’t let the feminine feel of this collection fool you, there is plenty here for boy projects, too!


He's how it looks, we think it's going to be a popular line:

Teresa Collins Designs CHA sneak peek

Next up in our sneak peak series is the fabulous Teresa Collins. We had an interview with Teresa towards the end of last year, she really is a fantastic designer.

We will no doubt see more sneaks from Teresa before CHA starts, but here's Posh to keep you going for now.

This line has everything a girl could want for classical and girly designs. With glitter paper, transparencies, die cuts and chipboard, what more could you ask for?

Here is what the lady herself had to say about Posh:

 I designed this line last Summer and FINALLY it's time to reveal it! I wanted a vibrant pink, and a line that is just FUN and POSH!!!! I love the LACE and butterflies in this line too.

Our very own Amanda is on the design team over at Teresa Collins Designs and here is a lovely little flower project that she made with the line.

Check back again soon for our next peak!

Graphic 45 CHA Sneak Peak

Our first CHA special comes from the ever classical Graphic 45. Be sure to check their site our here.
The Curtain Call range is a lovely black and sepia set.

Here is what Graphic 45 say about the new range:
Take your seat center stage for the classiest show in town! Ladies and Gentleman, we are proud to introduce “Curtain Call,” an elegant paper collection that harkens back to the golden age of entertainment. Inspired by the birth of jazz, lavish stage shows, and the silent film era, this razzle-dazzle paper collection will have you swinging! Soft creams and striking black colors give this collection an authenticity of old Hollywood. Immerse your imagination in the glitz and glamour of times gone by. With “Curtain Call” all of your crafts will get top billing!

We cant wait to see what the scrapbooking world creates with it.


Be sure to come back soon and see other great sneak peaks leading up the great CHA event.