ORIGINALLY POSTED BY "SIMON" ON July 25, 2011 10:10 AM at http://dsthof.blogspot.com ------------------------------------------ Ninth and Bloom (Part 1)
Agnesingap Designs - Sells a lot of CU. I don't have any of it, so I can't speak to the quality. Bunch of extracted stuff. Some of her kit previews are strangely cluttered (with the wonky, distracting papers). I also can't stand elements on the paper preview. I want to see the papers. She uses nice color palettes and makes nice realistic style kits. Her CT pages are beautiful and showcase a variety of scrapping styles.
Alissa Jones - Very mish-mashy styled kits. Some nice color palettes with some really washed out ones. Majority of the CT pages I viewed were uninspiring and didn't showcase the kit at all (and I viewed quite a few). Makes some nice patterned papers and has some quirky kit ideas. I don't feel they are well executed and based on the LOs made with her kits, I'd say others agree.
By Becca - Again with the wonky paper previews. This is very distracting and takes away from the soft feel to many of her kits. I think her papers can be very weak, but her elements look well thought-out in her newer kits. Some of her older kits are gross collections of garage sale looking items. She should just retire those. Her CT pages aren't as diverse as Agnesingap's.
Christy Lyle Designs - Makes nice patterned papers, but doesn't make things frequently enough at all. Her kits are small for the price point ($6). I can get twice as many papers and 2-3 times as many elements over at KCB's store. CT pages make me yawn.
Creations by Rachael B - Generally nice color palettes and much fuller kits for the same price point of $6. CT pages do not showcase the kits well at all. I don't like that she makes her CT make QP pages for free then sells them in her store. I think that is crap. I have a few of her kits and the quality has always been good. Makes nice solid papers, but needs more patterns and better patterns at that. Her kits could reach a very diverse market (both realistic and paper style scrappers) with better CT pages (and more styles of scrapping) and a larger variety of papers.
Damayanti Studio - Sells a lot of CU. I don't have any so I can't speak to the quality. Has some really wacky color schemes and some nice ones. Produces a variety of kit styles. Her papers are lacking in most of her kits. I, personally, wouldn't buy a kit that has 4-5 solids of the same color, just different textures. What's the point? All of her products are reasonably priced (even the CU). Many of the CT pages are plain and don't showcase the kit at all.
Fizzy Pop Designs - Very overpriced, simplistic templates. You can get better, cheaper elsewhere. Her CU prices are completely ridiculous. $6.50 for a bunch of squares? https://ninthandbloom.com/shop/product.php?productid=522 Shame on anyone who pays for that. On sale 50% off, her fuller templates are nice for that style. Does not include PNGs. She has nice CT pages and they showcase the template's diversity.
Flutter Expressions - Mish-mashy kits, mostly boring papers. Some of her kits are also very small for $5. Has some nice CT pages, but most do not showcase the kit at all. Has a ton of useless alphas. Has mostly nice color palettes.
FruitLoOp Sally - I have a little of her CU and it has always been good quality. Her kits are small and some are mish-mashy. I prefer her kits that are more doodled - they're more cohesive. Has hit or miss color palettes. Does not show enough CT pages. Mostly boring papers and she doesn't include many. I wish she just sold her doodles as doodle packs and concentrated on that. I would actually buy PU packs from her then.
ORIGINALLY POSTED BY "SIMON" ON July 25, 2011 10:10 AM at http://dsthof.blogspot.com ------------------------------------------- Ninth and Bloom (Part 2)
Holly Designs - I don't have any of her CU, so I can't speak to the quality. Her CT sells her kits, because her previews suck. And I mean suck. Some kits are mish-mashy and her color palettes are also very hit or miss (more on the miss side for me). Mostly boring papers. I have one of her kits and the quality has been fine for what I used.
Jazzmin Designs - Has some nice color palettes and some are gross. Some kits have extremely boring papers and others she did a nice job with. Most kits are mish-mashy. Doesn't consistently show CT pages, but most of the ones shown showcase the kit nicely. Some of her previews are a mess.
Megan Fisher Designs - Style varies from kit to kit. A few kits are a little mish-mashy. Simple papers, but some kits have nice elements. Simple color palettes, but some are done well. Almost everything in her store is over priced. Has mostly nice CT LOs.
Makita Studio - Some nice color palettes and makes nice patterened papers. Elements are sparse in most of her kits and the pricing on those seems high for what you get. Some of her kits seem more reasonably priced and you get more. This seems inconsistent to me. Alphas are overpriced. Templates are very simplistic and nothing I haven't seen done elsewhere better.
Meredith Cardall Designs - Pricing seems consistent and fair. Some kits are large while others small and her pricing reflects that. Makes nice patterned papers. Has some nice color palettes and some are just gross. A few kits are mish-mashy, but most are cohesive. I hate seeing the paint strip effect of the solid papers on the bottom of her previews. It's very distracting and looks hideous.
ORIGINALLY POSTED BY "SIMON" ON July 25, 2011 10:10 AM at http://dsthof.blogspot.com ------------------------------------------- Ninth and Bloom (Part 3)
Sabrina Dupre Designs - I thought I clicked Meredith's store again. Some similar color palettes here and style is the same. Kits are not as well put together as Meredith's and are more expensive for less product. Patterned papers are simple and some are barely patterns. Her products are consistently overpriced. If you like this stuff, check out Meredith and get more (and better) for less.
Saxon Holt Designs - Gross. If she added some felt, I would confuse her with Chelle at SO. Boring papers that are usually over saturated. Patterns that are barely patterns. Dark elements on dark papers? Sheesh. Most kits are a borign mish-mash of garbage looking elements. She has a cool name, though.
Secret Stash - Cute elements and some nice papers, but her patterns need a lot of work. Some kits seem fuller than others, but they're the same price. Has some nice color palettes. Some of her alphas are over priced for what they are. Some kits are mish mashy. Has some nice CT LOs, but most do not feature the kits.
Tracey Monette - Most kits are very mish mashy and dark. Papers are boring, boring, boring. Patterns are almost non-existent and kits have way too many solids of the same colors. Color palettes are mostly gross. Also sells CU, but I don't have any so I can't speak to the quality. Style varies from kit to kit and sometimes within the same kit. She almost makes Saxon look good.
House Blends - These are the store collabs. For $5 these are barely worth the price. For $10, I just sit here and laugh. Most have 25-30 papers and 80% of those are solids in the same colors. Really? Elements are, of course, mish mashy. Mostly boring color palettes.
All in all, I would not rate this store in any "top tier." I think they succeed in offering a few different styles of products, but overall, most of them just aren't great. They certainly aren't any better than what I've seen elsewhere. No one here is really doing anything different or fresh or new. That isn't a problem for me (I'm not obsessed with doing something different), but they sell themselves as being fresh and different. They're not. Like most "boutiques," they offer the same things you can get elsewhere, just with a nicer bag and a higher price tag.
ORIGINALLY POSTED BY "SIMON" ON July 25, 2011 10:10 AM at http://dsthof.blogspot.com
ReplyDelete------------------------------------------
Ninth and Bloom (Part 1)
Agnesingap Designs - Sells a lot of CU. I don't have any of it, so I can't speak to the quality. Bunch of extracted stuff. Some of her kit previews are strangely cluttered (with the wonky, distracting papers). I also can't stand elements on the paper preview. I want to see the papers. She uses nice color palettes and makes nice realistic style kits. Her CT pages are beautiful and showcase a variety of scrapping styles.
Alissa Jones - Very mish-mashy styled kits. Some nice color palettes with some really washed out ones. Majority of the CT pages I viewed were uninspiring and didn't showcase the kit at all (and I viewed quite a few). Makes some nice patterned papers and has some quirky kit ideas. I don't feel they are well executed and based on the LOs made with her kits, I'd say others agree.
By Becca - Again with the wonky paper previews. This is very distracting and takes away from the soft feel to many of her kits. I think her papers can be very weak, but her elements look well thought-out in her newer kits. Some of her older kits are gross collections of garage sale looking items. She should just retire those. Her CT pages aren't as diverse as Agnesingap's.
Christy Lyle Designs - Makes nice patterned papers, but doesn't make things frequently enough at all. Her kits are small for the price point ($6). I can get twice as many papers and 2-3 times as many elements over at KCB's store. CT pages make me yawn.
Creations by Rachael B - Generally nice color palettes and much fuller kits for the same price point of $6. CT pages do not showcase the kits well at all. I don't like that she makes her CT make QP pages for free then sells them in her store. I think that is crap. I have a few of her kits and the quality has always been good. Makes nice solid papers, but needs more patterns and better patterns at that. Her kits could reach a very diverse market (both realistic and paper style scrappers) with better CT pages (and more styles of scrapping) and a larger variety of papers.
Damayanti Studio - Sells a lot of CU. I don't have any so I can't speak to the quality. Has some really wacky color schemes and some nice ones. Produces a variety of kit styles. Her papers are lacking in most of her kits. I, personally, wouldn't buy a kit that has 4-5 solids of the same color, just different textures. What's the point? All of her products are reasonably priced (even the CU). Many of the CT pages are plain and don't showcase the kit at all.
Fizzy Pop Designs - Very overpriced, simplistic templates. You can get better, cheaper elsewhere. Her CU prices are completely ridiculous. $6.50 for a bunch of squares? https://ninthandbloom.com/shop/product.php?productid=522 Shame on anyone who pays for that. On sale 50% off, her fuller templates are nice for that style. Does not include PNGs. She has nice CT pages and they showcase the template's diversity.
Flutter Expressions - Mish-mashy kits, mostly boring papers. Some of her kits are also very small for $5. Has some nice CT pages, but most do not showcase the kit at all. Has a ton of useless alphas. Has mostly nice color palettes.
FruitLoOp Sally - I have a little of her CU and it has always been good quality. Her kits are small and some are mish-mashy. I prefer her kits that are more doodled - they're more cohesive. Has hit or miss color palettes. Does not show enough CT pages. Mostly boring papers and she doesn't include many. I wish she just sold her doodles as doodle packs and concentrated on that. I would actually buy PU packs from her then.
ORIGINALLY POSTED BY "SIMON" ON July 25, 2011 10:10 AM at http://dsthof.blogspot.com
ReplyDelete-------------------------------------------
Ninth and Bloom (Part 2)
Holly Designs - I don't have any of her CU, so I can't speak to the quality. Her CT sells her kits, because her previews suck. And I mean suck. Some kits are mish-mashy and her color palettes are also very hit or miss (more on the miss side for me). Mostly boring papers. I have one of her kits and the quality has been fine for what I used.
Jazzmin Designs - Has some nice color palettes and some are gross. Some kits have extremely boring papers and others she did a nice job with. Most kits are mish-mashy. Doesn't consistently show CT pages, but most of the ones shown showcase the kit nicely. Some of her previews are a mess.
Megan Fisher Designs - Style varies from kit to kit. A few kits are a little mish-mashy. Simple papers, but some kits have nice elements. Simple color palettes, but some are done well. Almost everything in her store is over priced. Has mostly nice CT LOs.
Makita Studio - Some nice color palettes and makes nice patterened papers. Elements are sparse in most of her kits and the pricing on those seems high for what you get. Some of her kits seem more reasonably priced and you get more. This seems inconsistent to me. Alphas are overpriced. Templates are very simplistic and nothing I haven't seen done elsewhere better.
Meredith Cardall Designs - Pricing seems consistent and fair. Some kits are large while others small and her pricing reflects that. Makes nice patterned papers. Has some nice color palettes and some are just gross. A few kits are mish-mashy, but most are cohesive. I hate seeing the paint strip effect of the solid papers on the bottom of her previews. It's very distracting and looks hideous.
ORIGINALLY POSTED BY "SIMON" ON July 25, 2011 10:10 AM at http://dsthof.blogspot.com
ReplyDelete-------------------------------------------
Ninth and Bloom (Part 3)
Sabrina Dupre Designs - I thought I clicked Meredith's store again. Some similar color palettes here and style is the same. Kits are not as well put together as Meredith's and are more expensive for less product. Patterned papers are simple and some are barely patterns. Her products are consistently overpriced. If you like this stuff, check out Meredith and get more (and better) for less.
Saxon Holt Designs - Gross. If she added some felt, I would confuse her with Chelle at SO. Boring papers that are usually over saturated. Patterns that are barely patterns. Dark elements on dark papers? Sheesh. Most kits are a borign mish-mash of garbage looking elements. She has a cool name, though.
Secret Stash - Cute elements and some nice papers, but her patterns need a lot of work. Some kits seem fuller than others, but they're the same price. Has some nice color palettes. Some of her alphas are over priced for what they are. Some kits are mish mashy. Has some nice CT LOs, but most do not feature the kits.
Tracey Monette - Most kits are very mish mashy and dark. Papers are boring, boring, boring. Patterns are almost non-existent and kits have way too many solids of the same colors. Color palettes are mostly gross. Also sells CU, but I don't have any so I can't speak to the quality. Style varies from kit to kit and sometimes within the same kit. She almost makes Saxon look good.
House Blends - These are the store collabs. For $5 these are barely worth the price. For $10, I just sit here and laugh. Most have 25-30 papers and 80% of those are solids in the same colors. Really? Elements are, of course, mish mashy. Mostly boring color palettes.
All in all, I would not rate this store in any "top tier." I think they succeed in offering a few different styles of products, but overall, most of them just aren't great. They certainly aren't any better than what I've seen elsewhere. No one here is really doing anything different or fresh or new. That isn't a problem for me (I'm not obsessed with doing something different), but they sell themselves as being fresh and different. They're not. Like most "boutiques," they offer the same things you can get elsewhere, just with a nicer bag and a higher price tag.