As Valentine’s Day approaches, Doodlebug has released the perfect line literally filled with sweet treats, sugar (glitter), and that sticks to their signature style and colors as well. “Sweet Cakes” is available in stores now, and today I am going to take a closer look at this collection.

I really appreciate that Doodlebug designs are not trendy. They stick to a signature color set, and I know that the colors I have of previous releases such as buttons or rhinestones will always coordinate with the new products as well. This, to me, is such a huge value, and really is great when I want a well-coordinated project. I’m also happy to see that they’ve incorporated their twine (and twine inspired letter stickers) in this collection as well.

I will caution you that the glitter on the glittered papers did rub off a bit on my fingers as I worked with them. I do not believe this will be a problem once my pages are in my albums, but it’s the one negative thing that I found with the line.

Fans of smaller sized papers will be happy to know that the papers are available in a 6×6″ pad as well as in the full sized 12″ papers, and there are collection packs in addition to single sheets of paper. This line is absolutely perfect for adorable Valentine’s Day projects, as well as a must for sweet treat lovers. Here is a simple Valentine’s day card that I created:

Supplies:

Also: Doodlebug Design Valentine’s Assortment Doodle Twine. I can think of a lot more uses beyond Valentine’s Day for this line. From use for tea parties to visits to a favorite bakery or cupcake shop, or simply used as a general love themed or girl themed line, this is a great collection. To tone down the bold colors of this line, I think it would work well with cream, kraft, or chocolate brown papers. Some of the elements would look good taken apart from this collection and mixed with yellows or blues as well. There are some nice monochromatic patterns, as well as some more subtle patterned papers as well. I used the Valentine twine patterned paper as a base for my layout, then added in all kinds of bits and pieces from the Sweet Cakes line to show you another example of this line in action. Supplies:

I love the whimsical touches, glitter accented pieces, and just how bright and fun this line is. It is very heavy on pink, something I think we’re actually going to see more of in 2012. It seems like pink has been a color a lot of manufacturers stay away from, and it’s coming back big time.

A baby shower, a new baby girl, a special outing for a decadant dessert – there are so many ways to apply this line, and with the classic Doodlebug designs and patterns it’s a collection I’m happy to see and am glad to have in my stash.

“Sweet Cakes” is now available in stores and online at sites like Scrapbook.com.

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As a mostly digital scrapbooker, I am often asked about printing options for my layouts and digital supplies. People want to know how I print my layouts, and how to print digital supplies for use in hybrid projects. One of the most common questions I get is “which paper should I use?”

For layouts, the answer is easy – high-quality photo paper works best for printing. Photographs are usually the highlight of any layout, and photographs always look best on photo paper. My personal favorite is a matte or luster finish but I know plenty of other digital scrapbookers who prefer glossy paper. As long as it’s photo paper, any of the finishes are just fine.

But when you’re working on hybrid projects that use a combination of photographs, paper supplies, and digital supplies, you have a lot more options. I print all of my photographs on photo paper but I mix it up a lot more when I print digital supplies. Let me show you why other options work just as well for digital supplies.

Here I started with the journaling cards from Katie Pertiet’s Labeled Journalers No. 4 from DesignerDigitals.com.

I chose one of the cards from Katie’s kit and printed it off on three different types of paper.

In the photo above, the left card is printed on Bazzill Basics’ White Orange Peel Cardstock, the middle card is printed on Epson Ultra Premium Photo Paper Luster, and the card on the right is printed on HP C6817A Professional Brochure & Flyer Paper. For 8.5″ x 11″ sheets, the Bazzill cardstock retails for $6.30/50 sheets, the Epson photo paper is $27.51/50 sheets, and the HP brochure paper is $10.79/50 sheets.

The cards don’t look that different even though the papers are very different in texture, weight, and finish. The most noticeable difference is the gloss on the right card. The glossy finish is quite shiny and when you look at it straight on, it makes the card look a bit whiter and brighter. But it also makes the blues and the reds a tiny bit more washed out. If you look at the other two, the blues and reds appear a tad more saturated, with the cardstock just a bit lighter than the other two.

Here are the three cards from another angle.

(l-r: Cardstock, photo paper, brochure paper)

From this angle, the colors on the card printed on glossy brochure paper look more saturated and the sheen from the glare of looking at the card straight-on isn’t as noticeable. The card printed on cardstock still looks a little bit lighter than the other two. But they all still look great – no smearing, no smudging – and the colors look very true, albeit a tiny bit different from each other. You can also see the thickness of the paper from this angle. The cardstock is the thickest of the three; the brochure paper is thinnest.

Now, let’s look at them all individually.

The cardstock card looks great – the texture is visible, the colors are true, and there is no glare problem.

The luster card looks just as good as the cardstock card, although the colors are definitely a bit more saturated.

The brochure paper card again has the problem with glare, but is otherwise very similar to the other two cards.

So what paper’s the best choice for printing off digital supplies? The answer is that any of these options works well. It all comes down to personal preference, which may include such considerations as price (the photo paper is almost three times as expensive as the other two), a preference for a matte finish, durability, and texture. In this case, I would probably choose the cardstock option even though the colors are less saturated because it’s easier to write on cardstock than the other two surfaces.

But if I was printing off a different card – one that I wasn’t planning to write on – I might choose one of the other options because I really like the color saturation on those two.

For example, here’s another digital card I printed off on all three papers:

(l-r: Cardstock, photo paper, brochure paper)

This card I made myself by layering some of the word art from Cathy Zielske’s Phrase Cards No. 01 over a piece of Katie Pertiet’s digital patterned paper in her Blendable Photo Cards No. 03 kit. The color and saturation differences show up much more clearly on this card. The card printed on brochure paper is definitely darker than the other two. But again, all three cards look great and because I’m not using photographs and looking for accurate skin tones, this small amount of color variation is just fine. And the brochure paper is much less expensive than the photo paper so that’s a big incentive for me to use it, too.

So the easy answer to the question of which paper is best to print digital supplies is that there is no right or wrong paper. You have a lot of options and they will all work well for most projects. Be brave, experiment with different papers to see what you like for different applications, and have fun adding digital supplies to your paper projects!

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My Creative Classroom is celebrating!  We’ve been bringing online classes to crafters all over the world for 5 years.  In celebration, we are announcing that we will be allowing lifetime access to course content on our site!  Most of our classes will be offered for lifetime access!  Lifetime access begins with classes taken this past fall and will include classes going forward.   WOW!  Now you can take a class with the instructor and then refer back to the directions in the future.

My Creative Classroom is an online arts and crafts learning center. Our interactive and in-depth courses are instructor led and filled with wonderful projects and techniques to help you get the most out of your supplies. This upcoming Spring MCC will be offering over 100 courses. From the Cricut to Tombow to mixed media to rubber stamping and scrapbooking we have something for everyone. Don’t miss out on some wonderful classes starting January 23rd, including (you can enroll in classes with links NOW!):

• Expression 101

• Beginner Copics

• Textured Backgrounds

• Card Boot Camp

• Photo Organizing

• Exploring Mixed Media

You may also want to take a look at our FREE classroom Everyday Moodling.  In this free class Jeri shares her journey to finding the ‘time’ to be more creative. It includes presentations, tips and ideas for simplifying the process and getting more done. Each week we will discuss our goals and accomplishments….and keep the streak alive. Don’t know what ‘the streak’ is, then join the class and find out.  Everyday Moodling is a free gift to our students who sign up for the MCC Newsletter. After you sign up, you will receive a welcome email with the enrollment key. Log on to our site and enter the key to enroll in this class.

We hope you stop by My Creative Classroom and look around.

You can win a seat in any class at My Creative Classroom! All you have to do to win is leave a comment on this entry and we’ll randomly choose one to win the class seat of their choice from My Creative Classroom!

How To Enter: All you have to do to have a chance to be the lucky winner is leave a comment on this entry before Midnight U.S. west coast time on Thursday night, Feb. 2nd. Make sure you include your email address in the line reserved for it on the comment form (for your own protection, don’t put it in the text of the comment, where it will be visible to the public – just in the line labeled “email” in the form where only Scrapbook Update staff can see it). We will need it to notify you if you are a winner. Winners will be drawn by random drawing from all eligible entries. One entry per person.

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The style essentials paper packs from Echo Park Paper started showing up on store shelves a little over a month ago, and I’m not sure how they flew under my radar, nor why I’ve not heard more about them. These days, less is more in my paper choices, and the simple patterns and useful colors in these packs are most welcome - especially with the holidays now over and my desire for over-the-top at an all time low.

I like the colors used, that the papers are double sided, and that I can easily take them and match them with any number of other brands or product lines. These Style Essentials are classic patterns, yet patterns that are also very trendy right now in paper crafting. I love that about them – and for that reason I am featuring them in New & Noteworthy. Here is a layout that I created using three of the papers from the “Upscale” paper pack. I really like the colors in the “Runway” as well, but I think the Upscale pack is the one that I will reach for more often, and use in more of my projects. Supplies:

Also: American Crafts Nightfall Thickers (Elm – Black).

I really like how these papers are monochromatic and that many of them can be altered beautifully wtih ink, paint, and other mediums. I used a blue ink on my background paper, and rubbed it all around to create a unique look. The papers work as well with each other within the pack as they do separately or with other brands and lines. That versatility is fabulous!

These are papers that will be useful for a long time to come, that won’t become quickly dated, that can be used for any subject or theme, and that are in colors that will be complementary to my photos. For all these reasons I’m very excited about the Style Essentials paper packs. I hope to see more designs and colors offered in the future in this line.

These papers are now available in local stores and on-line at SimonSaysStamp.com and both in pack and individual sheets at scrapbook.com.

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After my roundup of Christmas scrapbooking lines went live here on Scrapbook Update, I received many, many requests to do a similar article for each holiday. I can’t promise that I’ll do one for every special day on the calendar (there just aren’t that many paper lines for Talk Like a Pirate Day, you know?), but when there are enough themed lines to warrant a roundup, I’ll be sure to post them to keep you all informed!

As with the Christmas roundup, I’m listing all the Valentine’s Day paper lines that were released either at or after CHA Summer 2011 and have scoured the vastness of the interwebs to bring you representative photos of each. They’re listed in alphabetical order, and, since there aren’t nearly so many of them as there were Christmas lines, I’ll also give a little commentary on each.

Ready to start seeing pink? Let’s get going!

Basic Grey – Kissing Booth

Kissing Booth is a mix of basic patterns (I spy doilies and herringbone in the mix) and sweet watercolor images. This line uses brown as a contrast color and is one of the few cream-based collections in the roundup.

Bazzill Basics Paper – Love Story

Bazzill, long known for its quality cardstock, has only recently entered the patterned paper market. The Love Story line continues the graphic style displayed in other lines that have already been released by the company, and they’ve chosen grey to offset the sweet pinks and bright reds of the designs.

Bo Bunny – Smoochable

Bo Bunny’s signature style is readily apparent in their Valentine’s Day offering, Smoochable. Light distressing and the use of light purple and hints of green are the signature elements in this line.

Crate Paper – Paper Heart

Crate has knocked Valentine’s style out of the park with their Paper Heart collection. It’s at once vintage and trendy with its pops of turquoise and use of popular elements such as chevrons and doilies. I predict that Crate will have a major hit on their hands with this collection!

Doodlebug Design – Sweet Cakes

Sweet Cakes is everything we’ve come to expect from Doodlebug – whimsical graphic designs in their signature color palette make it easy to identify. Doodlebug has gone all out for this release, producing a wide variety of coordinating embellishments including a special Doodle Twine card and a Doodle Twine spool featuring a red, pink, and white twist. Be still my baker’s twine loving heart!

Echo Park – Yours Truly

Following in the footsteps of their Be Mine collection from last year, Echo Park continues to produce Valentine’s Day papers in a traditional color palette. This year they’ve thrown red and grey into the mix of Yours Truly (last year’s collection was almost all pink and black), but if you’ve got any Be Mine still hanging around your stash, this new collection should coordinate with it wonderfully.

Fancy Pants – Love Story

Fancy Pants has amped up the pink to nearly hot proportions and added lots of turquoise to their Love Story collection. This is one of those lines that would work well for everyday pages, especially with some of the strong, non-themed B-side patterns that the line sports.

Jillibean Soup – Hearty Barley Soup

Hearty Barley Soup shows Jillibean returning to their krafty roots. I’m completely in love with the woodgrain print – it has tiny little hearts worked oh-so-subtly into the pattern!

K & Company – Circus Valentine

K & Company “themed the theme” with their Valentine’s release Circus Valentine – it’s filled with circus motifs!! The pops of blue add unexpected contrast and interest.

KaiserCraft – Sweet Nothings

This line from the Australian powerhouse is pure vintage elegance. Filled with Victorian-style cupids and flowers, Sweet Nothings is perfect for those who want a softer feel for their Valentine’s projects.

Karen Foster Designs – Valentine’s

Karen Foster Designs’ Valentine’s collection puts a comic book style spin on the holiday.

KI Memories – Hot Date

While not specifically advertised as a Valentine’s line, the Hot Date collection has all the motifs (including plenty of XOXOs and hearts!) associated with the holiday, wrapped up in a completely nontraditional color palette.

Lily Bee Design – Head Over Heels

Head Over Heels is another line that isn’t specifically for Valentine’s, but in my opinion it’s a stronger collection for that very reason. There are plenty of pinks, creams, and floral motifs to make it suitable for the holiday, but the addition of orange and turquoise and the lack of a huge amount of Valentine’s specific motifs make it a very versatile line sure to keep you scrapping long after 2/14 has passed.

Martha Stewart Crafts – Valentine’s

Martha Stewart brings her simple, graphic styling to her newest Valentine’s Day collection. The real news here, though, is the punches! Perenially a highly sought-after crafting item, her newest border and shape punches are sure to be a hit!

My Mind’s Eye – Love Me

My Mind’s Eye chose a decidedly cream base for their Valentine’s line Love Me, then loaded it up with several shades of pink, plenty of grey, and just a hint of baby blue. The collection is filled with the doily and banner designs that we’ve all come to know and love from My Mind’s Eye’s more recent offerings.

Pebbles – With Love

Long known for having a simple graphic style, Pebbles has kicked it up a notch with the With Love collection by including a kraft-based sheet in the mix. The speech bubble pattern is printed right onto heavy-duty kraft paper, providing a great contrast to the pinks and reds in the rest of the collection.

SEI – Promise Me

The Promise Me line from SEI is all softness and beauty, with just a hint of gold to set it apart from the rest of the field.

Tim Holtz for Sizzix – Texture Trades, Love Struck Bigz Dies, and Love Struck Movers and Shapers Mini Dies

Tim doesn’t have a paper collection for Valentine’s Day (though I think that a V-Day version of his Kraft Resist paper would be an awesome addition to his line- hint, hint!!), but since this is such a huge cardmaking holiday I just had to include his new Love designs from Alterations for Sizzix – dies (available in both Bigz and Movers and Shapers mini formats) as well as his new Texture Trades embossing folders.

We R Memory Keepers – Love Struck

We R Memory Keepers finishes up our roundup with their Love Struck collection. Here light blue offsets the plethora of pink, and the collection has a nice variety of both large and small patterns.

And now, dear readers, I’d like to hear from you. Which of these collections has caught your eye? Any favorites? Sound off in the comments and let us know!

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