Author Topic: Do you still use patterned paper?  (Read 3611 times)

Offline howdyheidi

  • Stampers
  • *****
  • Posts: 5427
Do you still use patterned paper?
« on: March 10, 2016, 06:01:46 PM »
I do, but I have noticed less and less patterned paper being used in cards right now.  There is a lot more stamped backgrounds or techniques. 

do you see the same thing?

Maybe this is because of the popularity of watercoloring?
~~Heidi~~

Offline Far North

  • Stampers
  • *****
  • Posts: 1751
Re: Do you still use patterned paper?
« Reply #1 on: March 11, 2016, 03:16:38 AM »
Do you still use patterned paper? I have considered myself as a rare user of patterned paper.

I have noticed less and less patterned paper being used in cards right now.  There is a lot more stamped backgrounds or techniques. do you see the same thing?
My take is: this change has been evolving over the past few years and particularly seen with regular CAS and one layer card challenges...which often call for significant amount of white space. Also mixed media card challenges often hit the far opposite end of the continuum.

Maybe this is because of the popularity of watercoloring?  While I see lots of watercoloring I don't see many individual cardmakers hooking into watercolor for a high % of their work. 

I am seeing card magazines featuring LOtS of cards with large amounts of white space and very little pp.

It will be interesting to see what others think. 
...Jan


Offline howdyheidi

  • Stampers
  • *****
  • Posts: 5427
Re: Do you still use patterned paper?
« Reply #2 on: March 11, 2016, 07:59:31 AM »
Jan, thanks for your reply. 

Thanks for sharing what you are seeing in the stamping magazines.  That is a good indicator of trends.

Another thing I am seeing more of is stenciling, which also can take the place of patterned paper. 

I think it is fun for people to try different things.  But I have plenty of patterned paper to use up as well! 
~~Heidi~~

Offline CarefreeSadie

  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 1389
Re: Do you still use patterned paper?
« Reply #3 on: March 11, 2016, 10:55:41 AM »
Well, I have plenty of patterned paper and still use it in scrapbooking.  I do use some patterned paper on cards, usually as a matt.  I like using the smaller papers on cards because they have the designs scaled down for card size.  Some of the 12 x 12 patterned paper have such big sized patterns that they do not work all that well for cards.  I haven't bought patterned paper for quite a while except for the occasional 6 x 6 sized tablet. 

I have also noticed the lack of patterned paper in cards lately.  I think it is because of the cost for one thing, paper prices have gone up; but also because all the "new" patterned paper look alike.  The new lines all look like something I already have so I have passed on purchasing anymore patterned paper.  If I don't like what I have I coat it with gesso and add the color I like or just use it with a light coat of gesso to tone down the colors already present in the paper.  Right now there are so many kinds of media that make good backgrounds that one doesn't need patterned paper to make an interesting card.  I think distress ink has taken the place of a lot of the colored card stock for backgrounds on cards.  I see many card artists using distress ink to color the backgrounds to match their main focus.  This makes sense to me because no matter how many colors or patterns of paper you have it always seems like nothing matches "just" right to the ink and colors so distressing the background to match is an easy alternative.

If you buy one good set (or in my case many) of watercolors you can have any color background you might want.  I see watercolor also taking over the background stage.  If you take the same colors you are using for the main focus and watercolor a background with a lighter variation of those colors it is win/win. 

Then there is water soluble inks, crayons, neocolor IIs, prima pastels, colorblocks, inktense blocks, and many more medias that work so well on backgrounds that the need for patterned paper is just not there anymore. 

I would assume that this trend towards different media on backgrounds instead of patterned or colored card stock is circular and it will once again come around to patterned paper as soon as everybody offloads most of their patterned and colored card stock......LOL.  The paper crafting industry has to reinvent itself with different media to keep selling stuff to us crafters.  If you already have a roomful of patterned and colored card stock then they need to sell us media to make that patterned and colored card stock obsolete.  It's all in the marketing.  But as soon as enough people have moved on from patterned and colored card stock it will come back.

Once everyone has tried all the different media and a lot of those people decide that using that media is just not for them, but they got rid of most of the paper because they weren't using it, then some wonderful new line of paper will come out (that is if there are any paper manufacturers left by then).  If you look at the crafts that have come and gone in the last 20 years you can also see some of those things coming back again for the second time. 

My worry is that there doesn't seem to be the younger generation coming into the paper crafting, they are not printing pictures but rather using facebook and other social media as their scrapbooks.  They are not sending cards, they are eviting, ethanking, and eRSVPing.  They are having online parties instead of "real" parties.  The newer people coming into the paper crafting arena are more interested in the "haul", the wonderful craftrooms, and the mixed media or planner areas in my opinion.  Which is fine but I am afraid that we are also going to see more paper companies going out of business.
You know it's been a good day when I haven't released the flying monkeys.......

Offline howdyheidi

  • Stampers
  • *****
  • Posts: 5427
Re: Do you still use patterned paper?
« Reply #4 on: March 11, 2016, 11:16:36 AM »
Sadie, thanks for all your thoughts.

I definitely agree with your idea about the new paper packs all looking the same.  I was in Michaels today (I am going to start a separate thread about what I saw there) and for patterned paper, there is still the same amount of paper you can buy for scrapbooking by the sheet, but the paper packs are much much less.  The ones I see that are new are paper packs of card fronts or scrapbook page size that are die cut into patterns, 6x6 paper pads that are separated to color families (all red, all yellow, etc) that would be good for making stuff for a themed color party, and newer than those, paper pads that are Ombre. 

I think the pendulum about online parties may swing back pretty quickly as people's personal needs are obviously not being met by lack of tangible things and real socializing, but I could be wrong. 

I do distress or alter my papers frequently too.
~~Heidi~~

Offline stampwilly

  • Stampers
  • *****
  • Posts: 3708
Re: Do you still use patterned paper?
« Reply #5 on: March 11, 2016, 02:18:31 PM »
I have always done a lot of techniques and love playing with them and I use them a lot for backgrounds, but I like pp too! I really like to paper piece so I use my pp for that. I love the beautiful K&CO. papers and will use them for more vintage cards. You can hardly find K&CO pp anymore. I am glad I bought a lot of it when Michael's had so much of it.

I agree that all the papers look alike now and I do not buy them. I have so much anyway. The look these days seems clean and simple.

I agree that this is probably a fad and we will get back to more pp before too long.

I just dabble in a lot of things and don't go too much with the trends although I am loving the Color Bursts! LOL! :smile:

April

Offline Conniecrafter

  • Stampers
  • *****
  • Posts: 2766
Re: Do you still use patterned paper?
« Reply #6 on: March 11, 2016, 07:38:52 PM »
I love my paper and do still use it most of the time, the only time I probably don't use it is if there is a challenge that calls for stamping a background.  But I am trying to resist buying more, I have no room for it and couldn't possibly use it all.  I really need to start scrapbooking then I could use more of it up.  I have noticed that paper has really gone down at Michaels and Hobby Lobby, I haven't been to JoAnns in awhile so not sure about there but I think I have almost everything I want from those places anyway.
I do think with these new techniques though that I have noticed almost all of them have gone to watercolor backgrounds at the majority of the blogs I visit.

Offline stampwilly

  • Stampers
  • *****
  • Posts: 3708
Re: Do you still use patterned paper?
« Reply #7 on: March 12, 2016, 03:10:39 PM »
I went to Joanne's this week and they don't have near the paper they used to. Guess they all are not into it as much. My Hobby Lobby did have quite a bit a few weeks ago. Looks like they had restocked.

April :smile:

Offline SWLady

  • Stampers
  • *****
  • Posts: 515
Re: Do you still use patterned paper?
« Reply #8 on: March 14, 2016, 11:19:45 AM »
I have a drawer full of patterned paper. I stopped using it some time ago. I haven't bought any in ages. I agree the trend has been going away from PP. I think if I had a die cut machine I would use it for die cuts... maybe? LOL

Offline Iring

  • Stampers
  • *****
  • Posts: 3283
Re: Do you still use patterned paper?
« Reply #9 on: April 21, 2016, 08:14:32 PM »
I still like patterned paper, and it's a good thing, because I have a lot!  But that said, I haven't been buying as much lately ... partly because I have enough, but also because I don't see as much that I really like in the stores.  Our Joann's scrap/stamp/papercrafting section is awful.  Hardly worth going anymore.  Hobby Lobby has the best selection in our area. 

The owner of my LSS, which is barely local, it's an hour away ... said she is going to a stationery market in NYC this year ... she's moving in to mixed media, planners, etc, and looking at stationery.  She still has stamps, dies, scrapbook stuff but scrapbooking has really slowed.
Cindi

Offline lovepug2

  • Stampers
  • *****
  • Posts: 1083
Re: Do you still use patterned paper?
« Reply #10 on: May 09, 2016, 01:43:31 PM »
I do and I still love it.

I just had a chance to read through everyone's posts and I can't recall seeing any of the big name card makers use pattern paper. Mostly it's watercolor or ink blended backbgrounds. And as Jan mentioned, a lot of white space.

I just went to all 3 craft stores near me last week in search of some things. Our Joanne's still had the same paper they've had for years! I did see a few new DCWV stacks but they all looked the same other than the color schemes.
Michaels had a tiny section of papers, and the same hot buy stacks they've had forever. Hobby Lobby still had a good selection. That's where I buy most of mine when they run their 1/2 price sales.

One thing, I did notice was a color your own 6x6 pad at Michaels. I thought it was interesting but I passed on it.

I think that's one reason I really like using card sketches, It helps me find ways to use my pattern paper!

LeighAnn

Offline Canadian, eh

  • Stampers
  • *****
  • Posts: 300
Re: Do you still use patterned paper?
« Reply #11 on: May 27, 2016, 10:44:01 PM »
Gosh, good question and thread.  Everyone has a different take that's for sure. 

I rarely use DP, but I find myself falling in love with the stuff and I still buy it. 

Most of my backgrounds are created with bg stamps or techniques, especially since I'm on the Technique Junkie DT. 
Beth

Offline howdyheidi

  • Stampers
  • *****
  • Posts: 5427
Re: Do you still use patterned paper?
« Reply #12 on: May 28, 2016, 07:53:06 AM »
I am glad to see this thread is still alive. I saw a post on using patterned paper in the Classroom blog.  It linked to more ideas on how to use it too.

http://ellenhutson.typepad.com/the_classroom_new/2016/05/throwbackthursdays-pretty-patterned-magnolia-by-carly-tee-minner.html
~~Heidi~~

Offline Yankee

  • Stampers
  • *****
  • Posts: 752
Re: Do you still use patterned paper?
« Reply #13 on: June 05, 2016, 09:21:18 AM »
I am being drawn back to pattern paper.  Just cause I like doing what everyone else is not doing.
I know I am bad!
Born on the fourth of July

Offline howdyheidi

  • Stampers
  • *****
  • Posts: 5427
Re: Do you still use patterned paper?
« Reply #14 on: June 05, 2016, 12:42:04 PM »
I am being drawn back to pattern paper.  Just cause I like doing what everyone else is not doing.
I know I am bad!


Lol, that isn't bad. 
~~Heidi~~