I didn't receive an email, Sara, but I don't want anything else Jen Yurko has to offer. I'm glad you took care of it, though. It was the right thing to do.
It's laughable that Sara wants us to believe that she doesn't read here very often. She always has, and right now also seems to be keeping up with this conversation quite nicely, I think. *eyeroll*
It's laughable that Sara wants us to believe that she doesn't read here very often. She always has, and right now also seems to be keeping up with this conversation quite nicely, I think. *eyeroll* --------
She clearly doesn't or the issue with The Fix would have been fixed before this *eye roll* and even if she does, who gives a damn?
#199 We'll see how well she checks, then. I was following her page, but hadn't friended her- so since she's blocked me from the DD site, we'll see if she ok's my friend request! LOL
Who all left Divine Digital and do you know where they are selling and/or what are their blog addresses?? I'm trying to find where they've all gone to now and don't have all the blog URLs and not all were on the blog roll call thread.
just remember to DL *and* unzip "An Innocent Heart" if you bought it. You've only got until Feb 15th to DL it, I think, so make sure all your zips DLed correctly.
What is sad is that she tries to make us feel like it's because of her cancer and disease she stole money from the designers and that some of them are still not being paid.
Are there designers that still haven't been paid? Somehow that doesn't surprise me. It's just more evidence that the money has been spent and she's now trying to make enough with this store closing sale to back-pay what's owed to the designers from October. Honestly, if it were me I'd press charges so she won't be tempted to do this again.
Honestly it is illegal even if she does pay them back. That she used the money at all, is a crime. --- then the designers should contact the proper authorities and make RA produce receipts/etc to prove she didn't use the money. (And if she really has said that the store is her "only source of income" as well as saying it's basically non-profit for her then it'll be interesting what evidence she comes up with!)
I can't believe that RA is still such a subject of conversation. She has not been paying designers for years. She has been broke, lived in her car, been sick, been dying for years. People have been complaining about her for years. what kind of magical attraction does she have that people keep going back for more? Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me a third time, WTF???
Nice... so mommyto3bugs is still being chastised over on DD, but I know she hasn't posted anything in forever, because she's blocked from doing just about anything on the site except read some threads and send PMs. But because all the messages from the designers are now gone and something like 1 or 2 messages from her is still up, she's getting all the blame! *roll eyes* I guess Royanna is punishing her? So because she stood up for the designers (who are now all gone!) she is the poster child for the haters!! Doesn't make me want to ever stand up for anyone on-line, if this is what you get as a "reward".
Cut and Paste from DD Forum: SO sorry you are still having to listen to people like mommyto3bugs. They just never end the hate do they. Royanna you should of paid your self over and over because you deserved that it was your sight and all the work that you did. How dare these people keep nailing you to the cross. What right do they have to keep saying bad things I will be glad when you don't have to listen to these people anymore. All I have to say is if you can't say anything nice don't say a word nobody wants to hear these things. Everyone on this sight knows how hard Royanna has had it and how her life is. You who say bad things better watch out it may come back around to you.I know this is drama Royanna but I just can't take it.These people want your blood and that is so wrong. Those who have said bad things just remember God is watching you......
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It is people with thought (????) processes like this that truly make me frightened for the future of the human race.
I continue to be amazed by the mess that RA is creating for herself at DD. She manufactured the drama herself by not paying her designers in a timely fashion, deleting messages/threads that she didn't like, behaving unprofessionally, etc. I wonder if she'll ever look in the mirror and realize that she's the one responsible for her actions and choices--not someone else.
I like how it implies that the site is riddled with haters and horrid comments. Royanna deleted anything relevant (like the stuff from Trish and other designers caller her out for non-payment) and so just a couple of posts are left. And those people are getting ALL the blame. And can we say over-dramatic? No blood was called for! The post in that thread simply said something like "thanks for paying your designers, they deserve to be paid". How is that nailing her to a cross and asking for blood??????
I feel so bad for mommyto3bugs. She's still my hero and now I feel so bad for what those cult followers are saying about her. Too bad I've been banned from the forum otherwise I'd pm some of the loonies and fill their ears with some truth.
And why the hell I was banned is beyond me. I haven't made a post there in 3 years!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Same here about the venom aimed at mommyto3bugs. RA loyalists don't want to believe a single bad thing about her despite the mountain of evidence shown to them. Naive, stupid, and brainless.
I tried PM'ing one of them and even copied what some of the designers had said and I got told off for it by the person! She said something like how dare I "enter her aura" with my negativity. (WTF????) She even admitted to NOT reading the whole message I sent!! So even when presented with the truth, they just simply refuse to even SEE it, let alone BELIEVE it!! UGH!!
They don't want to believe that precious Royanna would do something as horrid as not pay her designers and so they block it all out. Oh- I also tried to PM Royanna to ask that the posts be removed, but her inbox is full so you can't even PM her!! So it will continue. :-(
Well, as long as after Feb 28th the forum dies and it all goes away... but I have this sinking feeling that she's going to stop posting on there and just leave it and ignore it and let the bashing continue. That's pretty much what she's doing now. Posting all over FB and Pinterest, still. Did she at least send the 40 days file links to people privately? Because I still haven't heard of anyone getting anything.
Seriously??? Get over RA and move on. Anyone in business needs to learn when to cut their losses and move on. Quit wasting time on the matter and look for another store, design some new things, be positive and upbeat. You spill milk on the floor? Wipe it up, don't get down on you hands and knees and lick it off the floor. Good grief people...
#37 - Seriously? I can talk smack about anyone or anything I feel like. I you don't want to read it - fine skip my post or leave the site. But you don't get to tell me what the fuck I want to talk about.
#37- that would be great, but mommyto3bugs, for instance, isn't a designer- just someone that stood up for them and is now getting crap for it. The designers have basically all left; none of them are being mentioned. Just the "haters" which apparently now = just one person. :-( And I'll bitch about what I want to bitch about, just like you can bitch about what you want.
I found out the hard way a few years ago that it doesn't pay to stand up to someone in digi land. Really if you think about it how well do we know anyone online. People are not always who they seem.
You know, I think there are designers out there who over extend themselves then make up sad stories about why they didn't fulfill their obligations. When they start getting sympathy from people they start to thrive on that. Sympathetic attention is better than no attention. I think RA's stories go beyond reasonable, and have gotten out of hand. If she is as sick as she says she does need a break from digi land. But she can bow out gracefully. Maybe I'm wrong but if I were that sick I wouldn't be bothered with deleting posts and banning people. I would be staying away, focusing on positive vibes and getting better.
#30 How many names has she had? I don't really know her and can't keep track of them all. --- First she was Sunny Day & Wild Cherry at the same time, now she's that Crescent Moon one. It's completely obvious it's her and she's admitted to it. I still can't believe PDW knows and lets her sell there.
Store name. It was Berry Sweet Scraps. I guess I should've said that those are the only names that we definitely know are her. She probably has others lol
I enjoy here the anonimity and would like ask something from you. I'm designing since few months and sell my stuff in two shops. I.e. just try to sell, because there are no buyers. Everyone tells me that I'm sooo talented but man, I can't sell my stuff. (I have FB fanpage, newsletter, blog, freebies and try to release often something.) I put together a little sampler from my kits specially for you (to keeping my anonymity I removed my name and the products name), you can download it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?xijvt4dyw5cj2yt I'm curious what's your honest opinion. Maybe are they boring, crap, low quality or maybe I'm just not in the right place? Or it's just because I'm a beginner and the buyers don't know me and my products? Please be honest and of course if you want, just use what you downloaded :)Thanks in advance.
I'm about to run off for an appointment, but my first take: you are probably selling to the wrong audience/ wrong shop. I do art journaling, and I love your stuff. I don't scrap.
All of those items by themselves are great, but it's hard to know what your kits look like by just looking at this. Maybe you aren't putting together a nice preview? That can make all the difference. Or maybe the full kits are not cohesive. Or, could be the wrong store. Hard to tell from just this.
I just took a peek, and I think it looks fine. Off the top of my head, I would give the following critiques, but keep in mine that I only unzipped and glanced, so I didn't check quality.
1) Who are you, style-wise? Even though these are from different kits, they should still feel at least a little cohesive, but they don't. Some are cutesy, some are shabby-chic, etc. While you can definitely stretch, keep your main voice.
2) Watch your shadows. On flower 1, the flower shadow is from directly above, and the pearl shadow is from upper right. These are little things that people may not consciously notice, but subconsciously they will realize something is wrong.
3) Some of your elements (bottlecap) look overly digital, which I am not a fan of. You have a journaling card with a lifted corner... the corners look off (the radius doesn't appear to be even) and the lifted corner/shadow just looks awkward.
I think you've got a good eye, though. Color choices are good, but not particularly ground-breaking. I could do with a bit less blending on the papers, but that's a style difference.
I didnt have time to run a QC but on the surface, it looks good to me. It's not my style but I see talent there. (I tend to be more a paper style scrapper and designer) You need to be in a shop that leans toward art journalling. I dont know where you are now, but you should cold call shops that lean towards that style.
Another thing is, consistency. You say you have a newsletter, FB, etc. and you try to release often. Make sure that you are as consistent as you can be so people know what and when to expect to see your stuff. I try to release a new kit every two weeks. Some designers release two kits a week- do what works for you and what you can maintain.
Lastly, how long have you been designing? Very few designers bust out of the gate making anything resembling big money. Some do. Some here will even tell you if you arent clearing several hundred a month within the first couple of months to give up. But reality is that it takes a year of good hard work to make a name for yourself unless you manage to land in a big shop right away. If you are in a smaller shop (assuming it fits your style), keep working on developing your skills and your marketing plan. Your shop may grow with you and you will start to do better, or you may outgrow your shop and move on.
Paper 3 has a QC issue - white line on two sides, like there was nothing there when it was flattened. flower 2 has a shadow hanging over where there is no background. The shadowing does look like it is coming from different directions in flower1 and also the owl.
But these are relatively minor. It could be your previews or it is hard to say since these don't come from the same kit - or do they? They don't look like they do so that would be a problem if they do. It could be the store. Some stores don't do much of anything in the way of store promotion and count on the designers to do it all themselves. Is anybody at the store selling? Look at who is selling and if their kits don't look anything like yours then it is a wrong match with the store. If your kits do look like what is selling, then compare prices.
I downloaded your sample. Here's a few observations but keep in mind that it's just my opinion.
I personally think that you can be both cutesy and shabby-chic - just not in the same kit. I design and I like to do both. I would feel horribly stifled if I had to only create art in one genre.
A lot depends upon what store you are at and how much exposure you have. I think it takes a long time to build a clientele that keeps coming back.
I didn't check your items for quality yet but I did notice that your purple paper has a thin white line running along the left hand edge. It runs the entire length.
I think your work is very artistic. I agree with the poster above that thinks you might be in the wrong market.
My thoughts on the samples: Work on the consistency of your shadows. The purple paper has a line along the left edge. The papers are very heavily textured, but that is a matter of taste. The bottle cap is almost one dimensional. The flower on the tape is shadowed. On the positive side: Love the designs on the papers. The "blends" and clusters look great, I really love the green leaf one. I agree with everyone else, I think you're in the wrong stores.
I'm 59. Thank you for all of your constructive criticism, I can learn from this! 1. I need to pay more attention to my shadows. 2. and quality! (The store QC don't reported the paper issue) Yes, these are from different kits. I'm trying to find my own style. I wanted to show how different kinds of things I do. The school badge is not my style, but it was a theme and colors of a store collab. And the owl is from an upcoming kit - because I don't have success in "my original style" I think I tried to make something new. But you are right, this don't match with my other stuff and yes I need to do something with those shadows. I think my previews looks great (sometimes better than the kit :)) and my prices are similar to the other's prices. But I tell you the truth I don't know who and how much sells in the shops. We don't speak each other about traffic.
59 Is this supposed to be a kit or pieces from various kits? If it's a kit, I would like it to have a preview, so we could see if that's the problem. Do your previews carefully, they are very important for attracting the attention of the costumers. Bare in mind that I am not a designer; quality wise, they seem ok to me (expect for the journal card 2; something's wrong there!). I think I could use them without any problems. It seems to me that you haven't found your style yet. The bottlecap, the cluster 3 and the owl seem like from 3 different designers. Find your style and stick to it. Maybe art journaling is your thing. Overall, it's not stunning, it's ok. There are worse designers (who actually sell enough), and sure there are better designers than you. Competition is though. How about your prices? Quite often I find myself comparing prices, counting elements/papers etc, when it comes to similar kits. Even 50 cents can make a difference.
"oh and I forgot to say that I am super surprised and thankful that you giving criticism in such a positive way!"
I have to say I am, too. When I saw your post, I thought to myself, "this is going to get ugly." You're brave to post that here, and deserved to get an honest, sincere critique. Your things are nice, and with some minor tweaking and QC could be very good.
73- Good luck with that one. The real question is how much are you willing to pay and how important is that font? I found one I loved for $50. I found one that was very similar and would work just as well for $12. I wasnt as excited about it, but it was what I was willing to pay.
I posted a few times on the old smack blogs with some of my products and I received very positive and constructive critique as well. There was no bashing at all.
#79 Yes they did. Some of those scoops were $6.99 and $7.99 before the "sale" now at 50% off they are $4.50. I was planning on spending A LOT at SSD before I noticed the price hike. I won't be shopping there now.
82 - In these economic times, they should be concerned with the loss of every customer. Based upon all their sales, freebies, and promotions, I'd wager SSD isn't doing as well as they used to. The loss of one customer who voices their opinions is usually the loss of several customers who didn't.
#83 - I'd have to agree. SSD were well known for their rare sales. The fact that they have had a few over the last several months would suggest they are struggling a bit.
does SSd consider any collab a double scoop? Cuz there's a collab on my wish list that I really want but it isn't showing up on sale. (Other stuff is showing at 50% off.) Here's the collab I mean (it isn't in the "scoops" category, btw): http://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/sweetshoppe/product.php?productid=22331&quantity=1 I don't shop at SSD very often, so I figured I'd ask here. You know, cuz why not get an answer and have the chance to get smacked just for asking?
#82 considering I had $310 in my cart made up of my wishlist, some new releases and some of the sale before I noticed the price hike I'd say it was a big sale to lose.
re SSD prices: I really need to make a Pinterest wish list board with prices. that way, when i click on the pic from pinterest then i'll know if designers/stores raised prices.
93 - I don't know the history - is Marie a flake?? One of those new stores she's at is my digi-home.
_____________ TOTAL flake. She's 'retired' from designing at least 4 times. She is filled with drama. Don't worry, she'll probably leave your home within the next 6 months.
#101 - yes, it can but as those two Mommyish names are in two different fields, it won't matter, not to mention that the word Mommyish is in common usage.
Marie is NOT a flake. She just has a couple of haters who have it in for her personally. It has absolutely nothing to do with her quality of work or her work ethic.
'scuse me. Marie is just plain screwy. She store hops like mad - and when nothing sells, she moves on. Other than mid to top tier shops, she has been in just about every shop I can think of. She creates problems, or gets upset because nothing sells and "retires". Over and over and over and over again. I don't even think she has 'haters'. She has alot of people who are just plain sick and tired of her antics. So, #104 - whoever you are - - you can stop defending her. It won't work.
100-No, Marie isn't a flake. She has two little girls, and one has a lot of problems. She has a lot on her plate. Marie gets overwhelmed at times and takes some time off. She's in stores now that will accommodate those times off. The other stores she's been in had a lot of requirements besides just making her kits, so that was all she was getting done. She is a sweet lady. (and this is the first post I've made in her defense) Sometimes people need to look at what is behind actions before they take the sling shot out to destroy them. Her kits are lovely to work with. So, if you are in doubt about her, try to form your own opinions and not take it from the smack blog. You can even disregard this post! Get to know her yourself. You'll like her.
#108- Generally yes, it's in like a lion, out like a lamb. March sometimes comes in like a lamb and out like a lamb or in like a lamb and out like a lion. Seems odd to only make one version and then have that version be the rarest variation.
It goes either way. If winter comes in like a lion it will go out like a lamb or if it comes in like a lamb it will go out like a lion. Just a saying my gram used to use.
I really don't like the Scrapmatters site. I can't enjoy anything about it--not the forum, the store, nor the gallery. I don't even know why. I just don't like it.
115-I'm glad you like it. I've honestly tried to. I've posted several times over the years, but just can't seem to like it. I guess I just have a problem fitting in, although I see to at other sites.
That is because DST is dead. What is there left to smack?
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Absolutely agree which is why I was surprised that #117 said there were a lot of people who smack DST. Maybe three years ago that was true but it sure isn't now.
google is my friend. Her stores from 2011: Digital Scrapbooking Studio, Digi Scraps Drive-In, Sunshine Studios, Bits 2 Kits, Scrappity-doo-dah, Scrapbook-Elements, Scrap Take Out, DigiRidoo Scraps, Plain Digital Wrapper, Me So Scrappy, Ginger Scraps currently stores: My Memories, Digital Scrapbook Pages, Scraps N Pieces, Scrap Art Studio, designsbymarieh.com/shoppe
So does anyone know WHEN SSD raised the prices on the collabs? I have checked my order history against the items in the store now and both of the collabs I purchased at 7.99 this summer are 8.99 in the store now. Shady.
124- I agree. With that palette, I was expecting something great. So far, most of the contributions (at least, those shown) are pretty simple and some are downright bad. Maybe some will be better later on, or maybe some will have their contributions not displayed and be nice surprises.
If you can see the DST march blog train previews then you have access to the back room and you're a designer. So if you don't like the previews get off your fat ass and make something that's acceptable to your taste.
126-What you didn't say in your post is that many of those stores are now closed. She had to leave MSS because it closed while she was there for instance. Also, she was at several of them at the same time.
93 and so on - Maybe you could explain to me what did she do to you ? I have read the posts thanks to the search button and it appears to be the same person who brings her up again and again. The only time I hear about her is when you bring her up and thanks to you I just purchased from her.
132 how can you possibly tell, on an anonymous blog, who is posting what? I am not 93 or any one of those posters and happen to like Marie and her products, but, I have no idea how you can tell who posts what. You are just fishing, which is fine, but making statements like that is just silly!
129 - Is it not allowed to have an opinion anymore? Even if I create something 10 times better and to my taste, I can still find other contributions not to my taste or even ugly.
124- I agree. With that palette, I was expecting something great. So far, most of the contributions (at least, those shown) are pretty simple and some are downright bad. Maybe some will be better later on, or maybe some will have their contributions not displayed and be nice surprises. ----- Probably why most good designers have stopped doing that blog train. It's been a disaster for well over a year, maybe two. Time to move on and stop associating with something that drags you down.
126-What you didn't say in your post is that many of those stores are now closed. She had to leave MSS because it closed while she was there for instance. Also, she was at several of them at the same time. ----- 130, that doesn't change the fact that in one year she was in 11 different shops assuming that the google search someone did up there is correct. ELEVEN. I haven't been in 11 shops in my entire design career, and I have been doing this for years and I make a living off it. So yes I'd call her a store hopper.
Maybe you could explain to me what did she do to you ? I have read the posts thanks to the search button and it appears to be the same person who brings her up again and again. The only time I hear about her is when you bring her up and thanks to you I just purchased from her. ------
Not the OP, but maybe you could explain to me how you know who is posting? Are you psychic?
Just shopped the TDC sale and found some really good deals and the $2 sale is awesome. What other stores will be having sales this week? I am feeling twitchy and want to buy scrap stuff.
Not a fan of SSD but this is ridiculous. The milk I purchased in the summer has gone up too, ooh, that must be shady. --- not the OP you quoted but you're comparison isn't completely equal. The price of milk has gone up because farm costs have risen, so milk made after those cost increases is going to cost more. A kit--especially a previously released kit--doesn't have a measurable cost inflation problem. A designer already owns PS and her computer. If a kit's price were based solely on what's included in the kit (for example, a kit with 5 hand drawn doodles and 7 extracted elements would cost more than a kit 3 doodle and 4 extracted elements), then SSD's prices wouldn't be so uniform--and people wouldn't be so annoyed at the price hike right before a "big sale." And a store's operation costs will go up (server, storage, etc), but that shouldn't result in price hikes of like a buck a kit. I know stores that delete old threads and LOs in order to cut down on costs. Having said all that, I like SSD. I've had to contact them a few times about orders and she got back to me really quickly--more quickly than how long the site says it will probably take. And they've always been helpful and professional. I'll pay more for a kit if it means I can trust the site to take care of me if I need it. I'd rather shop somewhere that costs a few bucks more per kit but that will take care of its customers than a store with bargain prices but shitty customer service.
The best sale SSD usually does is 40% off and that's normally only during DSD. That collab kit for $7.99 at 40% off is $4.79. I understand that raising their prices does seem shady right before a sale, but at the new price of $8.99 at 50% off, that's only $4.50. So, you save 29 more cents than you would have any other time.
It might be shady, but it's still cheaper overall, so I have no complaints. I never buy a thing at SSD full price and never will, but I bought several collabs this past weekend I've had on my wish list for awhile.
149 you're such an idiot. First, because you don't realize that a designer's costs are always going up, regardless of whether she already owns PS or not, because her expenses in life are going up. As the cost of milk goes up, she has to earn more. It's called inflation, moron. It's the same reason that McDonald's sold hamburgers for like 5 cents back in the 50's and has to sell them for over a buck now. They already had their machinery, so they shouldn't have had to raise prices? Oh, wait. Also, you're an idiot because you probably have no idea why I just used "you're" and you used it in your first sentence, too, and shouldn't have. OMG SMH.
152- no, you are an idiot. I'm not the OP but you are rude and your comparisons don't hold together.
Really- you're comparing price increases across 70 yrs at McDs to a couple of weeks at SSD?
And wow. Glad to know all that McD needs is machinery. Even assuming they are using the same equipment now (which they probably aren't) but they must by the basic ingredients to make a hamburger. Once they make and prepare that hamburger- it has been consumed. They cannot recolor it and then sell it again
SSD definitely increased their prices. So? They're still competitive with other places and the quality and variety is there. If one doesn't agree, then he or he should shop elsewhere...or not shop at all.
#152 - if you are going to call someone out for the incorrect use of your and you're, you should know it's 50s, not 50's, as it's neither a possessive nor a contraction.
Not 152, but I could care less if people put apostrophes in 50s/50's and I will bet that the majority of the people worldwide don't care either. It does make me stabby, however, to see someone use you're for your. So much dumber.
Also, while 152's (see what I did there w/ the apostrophe to show possession? Down boy, 158) arguments and comparisons aren't rock solid, they are no more or less ridiculous than 149's comparisons. The point here is that SSD can charge whatever the fuck they want to charge for their kits. My guess is they can get away with charging more because, well, they do charge more. They wouldn't do it if it didn't work for them.
Oh and for the record, the price increase happened sometime around the turn of the new year, having nothing to do with this sale. So down boy, conspiracy theorists, also.
It doesn't matter that SSD raised their prices. It does matter if they did it because they were having a sale.
Also, it's one thing to raise them going forward, it's another to raise the price of kits already in the shop. Questionable, but not as despicable as raising them for the sale (if, in fact, they did that).
I just checked out TDC sale and only one thing in my wish list was on sale 35% off, everything else was full price, so I didn't bother. I'll wait until DSD.
A CT call with a posted 6 layouts a month requirement?!? Crazy right?
I think so, especially when you add in all the other stuff she "requests" of you. Having seen her stuff, I'd have a hard time with it--far too fussy for my taste.
Have you noticed that Designer Digitals send their newsletters daily? I'm subscribed few years ago and it was a weekly newsletter. I like their stuff, but don't want newsletter each and every day!
Gawd I wish I was still allowed to post on DD- I'd copy and paste that post from Royanna on there and make the same comment about whose money she's using. If she takes no PROFIT from DD and both her and hubby are on disability, etc... who's paying for the trip? Oh, wait.. she said Happiest Place on Earth. Maybe she means the ATM.
Not 152, but I could care less if people put apostrophes in 50s/50's and I will bet that the majority of the people worldwide don't care either. It does make me stabby, however, to see someone use you're for your. So much dumber. ------
Actually, what's dumber is your use of could care less instead of couldn't care less. That makes me stabby.
Grammar police! Some people who post are likely not even from the USA so their grammar would be different than ours. Get over it. I dont really care either way '50s, 50s, 50's we all get the point right. Nothing better to talk about I guess. Also why does it matter if you post in January or February? Do you really look at the month your posting in?
I don't like the new TLP design and I also didn't like the new SSD design and still don't. They had a nice sweet touch and they lost that feeling with the redesign(SSD) I really liked the old Lilypad. The site is very ordinary now and the view all button is missing.
I don't like the new TLP design and I also didn't like the new SSD design
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I get missing the "view all" button but really I think both designs (SSD and TLP) look much better than they did. It's always nice to update and change the look..just like irl.
152: 149 you're such an idiot. First, because you don't realize that a designer's costs are always going up, regardless of whether she already owns PS or not, because her expenses in life are going up. As the cost of milk goes up, she has to earn more. It's called inflation, moron. It's the same reason that McDonald's sold hamburgers for like 5 cents back in the 50's and has to sell them for over a buck now. They already had their machinery, so they shouldn't have had to raise prices? Oh, wait. Also, you're an idiot because you probably have no idea why I just used "you're" and you used it in your first sentence, too, and shouldn't have. OMG SMH. --- If a designer needs to earn more, then she (or he) should work more. That's what people do. I said "people" on purpose: Yes, a designer owns her or his business. But a designer isn't a business cadre, full of CEOs and admin and HR and retail workers and real estate lawyers and law attorneys and R&D and A&R and custodial staff and CFOs and whatever business groups or branches I may have missed. (And before your head blows off because I didn't use commas but instead repeatedly used the word "and," guess what: I did it on purpose.) A designer is one person (or maybe two/three in the case of designing duos/trios) sitting at home in front of a computer. The costs are so few that to your argument that "upgrading PS" is a huge expense outs you as either only a customer (which isn't a bad thing--just means you don't understand what you need to design) or outs you as a designer with such horrible sales that upgrading PS puts you in the red (which is bad. So think about retiring). The reason there's such a glut of designers is the fact that you can be a "designer" with very little initial investment. How many DS designers have any type of formal training in graphic design? Hell, how many have any training in the Arts whatsoever? So it's not like this takes years of college training to do. And you don't need a lot of stuff at first. Most start out with a computer, camera, and design program of their choice. (Just read your fave designers' bios. Lots start out with "I just happened to fall into designing" or some similar statement.) And upgrading or buying new equipment is great. But you don't need new stuff in order to increase sales. Of course designers can raise prices. I get that. But to act as if *every* designer at SSD magically raised prices at the same time because of inflation is ridiculous. Greed made them do it. But if you'd have read my whole post then you'd know that I don't care that they raised prices. Let me repeat that slowly for you since apparently you have difficulty understanding even the simplest of concepts: I. Don't. Care. Designers can charge whatever they want: the market will tell them if they're charging too much. So, like I said before: If you're a designer, then it's probably time to retire. You seem to like McDonald's...Maybe they'd hire you? You'd earn more than you do as a designer. And if not, then you can call them idiots and yell at them about inflation until they give you a raise.
I'm #186 I meant I really liked the old Lilypad logo,the green color was bright. Now it's too pale for me. I don't know..something is off with the new Lilypad. Yes they needed redesigning but this wasn't a success. Catscrap=Scrapflower that was a succeessful redesign.
#189- SF is a sucessful redesign? That's funny. I think with the TLP design it's been years since it had a makeover. It went from bright to soft. The site is still wonky so that might be why your "view all" button is gone.
My guess is she's playing blog therapist. She obviously wasn't paying attention or reading thoroughly, or she would have noticed that 152 used the McDonald's comparison to argue that it was AOK for SSD to raise prices to keep up with inflation. But at the end of her CRAZY LONG rant, she was making it sound as though 152 should work at McDonald's b/c she (152) didn't agree w/ raising prices for inflation. Makes no sense. Drunk much?
2881 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 1601 – 1800 of 2881 Newer› Newest»I didn't receive an email, Sara, but I don't want anything else Jen Yurko has to offer. I'm glad you took care of it, though. It was the right thing to do.
It's laughable that Sara wants us to believe that she doesn't read here very often. She always has, and right now also seems to be keeping up with this conversation quite nicely, I think. *eyeroll*
It's laughable that Sara wants us to believe that she doesn't read here very often. She always has, and right now also seems to be keeping up with this conversation quite nicely, I think. *eyeroll*
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She clearly doesn't or the issue with The Fix would have been fixed before this *eye roll* and even if she does, who gives a damn?
#199 We'll see how well she checks, then. I was following her page, but hadn't friended her- so since she's blocked me from the DD site, we'll see if she ok's my friend request! LOL
^^^ Oops, that was from the last page- didn't remember it had rolled over to a new page. Sorry!
Who all left Divine Digital and do you know where they are selling and/or what are their blog addresses?? I'm trying to find where they've all gone to now and don't have all the blog URLs and not all were on the blog roll call thread.
just remember to DL *and* unzip "An Innocent Heart" if you bought it. You've only got until Feb 15th to DL it, I think, so make sure all your zips DLed correctly.
Looks like RA has really cleaned up the designer list at DD. It used to be about a mile long.
#6 Very nice of you to remind us that. Thanks. :)
http://www.divinedigital.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10760
What is sad is that she tries to make us feel like it's because of her cancer and disease she stole money from the designers and that some of them are still not being paid.
#7 - the list hasn't been a mile long for ages. When I looked earlier in January, it had already shrunk down to about 10 or 15.
#9 - where do you read that?
Are there designers that still haven't been paid? Somehow that doesn't surprise me. It's just more evidence that the money has been spent and she's now trying to make enough with this store closing sale to back-pay what's owed to the designers from October. Honestly, if it were me I'd press charges so she won't be tempted to do this again.
Honestly it is illegal even if she does pay them back. That she used the money at all, is a crime.
Honestly it is illegal even if she does pay them back. That she used the money at all, is a crime.
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then the designers should contact the proper authorities and make RA produce receipts/etc to prove she didn't use the money. (And if she really has said that the store is her "only source of income" as well as saying it's basically non-profit for her then it'll be interesting what evidence she comes up with!)
I can't believe that RA is still such a subject of conversation. She has not been paying designers for years. She has been broke, lived in her car, been sick, been dying for years. People have been complaining about her for years. what kind of magical attraction does she have that people keep going back for more? Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me a third time, WTF???
We still are posting in January...it's a week into February! New space please!
Nice... so mommyto3bugs is still being chastised over on DD, but I know she hasn't posted anything in forever, because she's blocked from doing just about anything on the site except read some threads and send PMs. But because all the messages from the designers are now gone and something like 1 or 2 messages from her is still up, she's getting all the blame! *roll eyes* I guess Royanna is punishing her? So because she stood up for the designers (who are now all gone!) she is the poster child for the haters!! Doesn't make me want to ever stand up for anyone on-line, if this is what you get as a "reward".
Cut and Paste from DD Forum:
SO sorry you are still having to listen to people like mommyto3bugs. They just never end the hate do they. Royanna you should of paid your self over and over because you deserved that it was your sight and all the work that you did. How dare these people keep nailing you to the cross. What right do they have to keep saying bad things I will be glad when you don't have to listen to these people anymore. All I have to say is if you can't say anything nice don't say a word nobody wants to hear these things. Everyone on this sight knows how hard Royanna has had it and how her life is. You who say bad things better watch out it may come back around to you.I know this is drama Royanna but I just can't take it.These people want your blood and that is so wrong. Those who have said bad things just remember God is watching you......
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It is people with thought (????) processes like this that truly make me frightened for the future of the human race.
I continue to be amazed by the mess that RA is creating for herself at DD. She manufactured the drama herself by not paying her designers in a timely fashion, deleting messages/threads that she didn't like, behaving unprofessionally, etc. I wonder if she'll ever look in the mirror and realize that she's the one responsible for her actions and choices--not someone else.
You are so right, that is some scary shit.
I like how it implies that the site is riddled with haters and horrid comments. Royanna deleted anything relevant (like the stuff from Trish and other designers caller her out for non-payment) and so just a couple of posts are left. And those people are getting ALL the blame. And can we say over-dramatic? No blood was called for! The post in that thread simply said something like "thanks for paying your designers, they deserve to be paid". How is that nailing her to a cross and asking for blood??????
Ummm...is it just me or do the orange darts in this set look like something you might buy at an adult-themed store?
http://scraporchard.com/market/Ready-aim-fire-digital-scrapbook-felties.html
#22... maybe it's a "multi-use" mini set! LOL
22 - agreed!
I feel so bad for mommyto3bugs. She's still my hero and now I feel so bad for what those cult followers are saying about her. Too bad I've been banned from the forum otherwise I'd pm some of the loonies and fill their ears with some truth.
And why the hell I was banned is beyond me. I haven't made a post there in 3 years!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Same here about the venom aimed at mommyto3bugs. RA loyalists don't want to believe a single bad thing about her despite the mountain of evidence shown to them. Naive, stupid, and brainless.
Don't forget down right pathetic!!
I tried PM'ing one of them and even copied what some of the designers had said and I got told off for it by the person! She said something like how dare I "enter her aura" with my negativity. (WTF????) She even admitted to NOT reading the whole message I sent!! So even when presented with the truth, they just simply refuse to even SEE it, let alone BELIEVE it!! UGH!!
They don't want to believe that precious Royanna would do something as horrid as not pay her designers and so they block it all out. Oh- I also tried to PM Royanna to ask that the posts be removed, but her inbox is full so you can't even PM her!! So it will continue. :-(
Totally off topic here but is Crescent Moon Designs Charly's new design name?
#29
Until she reinvents herself again :)
#30 How many names has she had? I don't really know her and can't keep track of them all.
30 - Thanks!
#28 I would think that mommy... could sue RA for something - defamation of character comes to mind.
Well, as long as after Feb 28th the forum dies and it all goes away... but I have this sinking feeling that she's going to stop posting on there and just leave it and ignore it and let the bashing continue. That's pretty much what she's doing now. Posting all over FB and Pinterest, still. Did she at least send the 40 days file links to people privately? Because I still haven't heard of anyone getting anything.
#18 - sadly, people like that have always existed, it's nothing new.
I would think that mommy... could sue RA for something - defamation of character comes to mind.
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Since it's not RA saying it, I doubt it.
Seriously??? Get over RA and move on. Anyone in business needs to learn when to cut their losses and move on. Quit wasting time on the matter and look for another store, design some new things, be positive and upbeat. You spill milk on the floor? Wipe it up, don't get down on you hands and knees and lick it off the floor. Good grief people...
Does anyone know what happened to Scrap A Latte Designs. Didn't she use to be at DD?
Ummm...is it just me or do the orange darts in this set look like something you might buy at an adult-themed store?
http://scraporchard.com/market/Ready-aim-fire-digital-scrapbook-felties.html
That entire set is actually a fabulous digital representation of the toy guns and bullets which riddle my house, LOL.
#37 - Seriously? I can talk smack about anyone or anything I feel like. I you don't want to read it - fine skip my post or leave the site. But you don't get to tell me what the fuck I want to talk about.
If you don't want ... not .... I you don't want
We are all free to talk about what ever we want. You can bitch about RA and I can bitch about you bitching. Gotta love a smack blog!
So does anyone go to DST anymore?
#37- that would be great, but mommyto3bugs, for instance, isn't a designer- just someone that stood up for them and is now getting crap for it. The designers have basically all left; none of them are being mentioned. Just the "haters" which apparently now = just one person. :-( And I'll bitch about what I want to bitch about, just like you can bitch about what you want.
I found out the hard way a few years ago that it doesn't pay to stand up to someone in digi land. Really if you think about it how well do we know anyone online. People are not always who they seem.
You know, I think there are designers out there who over extend themselves then make up sad stories about why they didn't fulfill their obligations. When they start getting sympathy from people they start to thrive on that. Sympathetic attention is better than no attention. I think RA's stories go beyond reasonable, and have gotten out of hand. If she is as sick as she says she does need a break from digi land. But she can bow out gracefully. Maybe I'm wrong but if I were that sick I wouldn't be bothered with deleting posts and banning people. I would be staying away, focusing on positive vibes and getting better.
Does anyone know what happened to Amanda Rockwell? She just disappeared last September.
#30 How many names has she had? I don't really know her and can't keep track of them all.
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First she was Sunny Day & Wild Cherry at the same time, now she's that Crescent Moon one. It's completely obvious it's her and she's admitted to it. I still can't believe PDW knows and lets her sell there.
Wasn't she Berry Sweet something too? Or maybe it was her store name?
Store name. It was Berry Sweet Scraps. I guess I should've said that those are the only names that we definitely know are her. She probably has others lol
Haven't heard from Aly in a while.
#22
Ummm...is it just me or do the orange darts in this set look like something you might buy at an adult-themed store?
http://scraporchard.com/market/Ready-aim-fire-digital-scrapbook-felties.html
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Thanks for the laugh! I hadn't even looked at it that way!
http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/supplies/product_info.php/products_id/15392 isn't a bit overpriced???
Charly is still selling at Scrapbirds as Sunny Day.
Thanks for the laugh! I hadn't even looked at it that way!
You're welcome. I guess I must have a dirty mind because that was the first thought I had when I saw them.
#53
http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/supplies/product_info.php/products_id/15392 isn't a bit overpriced???
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But, it's on sale for $3.13!! only $10 more for the "extended" license!!!
Seriously, if you can't use PSE (or whatever program) to make them yourself I'm surprised you can use it enough to digital scrapbook!
http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/supplies/product_info.php/products_id/15392 isn't a bit overpriced???
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what the... YES. Definitely.
http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/supplies/product_info.php/products_id/15392 isn't a bit overpriced???
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All of it is overpriced. They obviously sell it, too. Sick for the customer, but great for the designer.
I enjoy here the anonimity and would like ask something from you.
I'm designing since few months and sell my stuff in two shops. I.e. just try to sell, because there are no buyers. Everyone tells me that I'm sooo talented but man, I can't sell my stuff. (I have FB fanpage, newsletter, blog, freebies and try to release often something.)
I put together a little sampler from my kits specially for you (to keeping my anonymity I removed my name and the products name), you can download it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?xijvt4dyw5cj2yt
I'm curious what's your honest opinion. Maybe are they boring, crap, low quality or maybe I'm just not in the right place? Or it's just because I'm a beginner and the buyers don't know me and my products? Please be honest and of course if you want, just use what you downloaded :)Thanks in advance.
I'm about to run off for an appointment, but my first take: you are probably selling to the wrong audience/ wrong shop. I do art journaling, and I love your stuff. I don't scrap.
59 your stuff looks clean and nicely done! I'm thinking wrong shoppe...it's hard to find a good one these days
All of those items by themselves are great, but it's hard to know what your kits look like by just looking at this. Maybe you aren't putting together a nice preview? That can make all the difference. Or maybe the full kits are not cohesive. Or, could be the wrong store. Hard to tell from just this.
I just took a peek, and I think it looks fine. Off the top of my head, I would give the following critiques, but keep in mine that I only unzipped and glanced, so I didn't check quality.
1) Who are you, style-wise? Even though these are from different kits, they should still feel at least a little cohesive, but they don't. Some are cutesy, some are shabby-chic, etc. While you can definitely stretch, keep your main voice.
2) Watch your shadows. On flower 1, the flower shadow is from directly above, and the pearl shadow is from upper right. These are little things that people may not consciously notice, but subconsciously they will realize something is wrong.
3) Some of your elements (bottlecap) look overly digital, which I am not a fan of. You have a journaling card with a lifted corner... the corners look off (the radius doesn't appear to be even) and the lifted corner/shadow just looks awkward.
I think you've got a good eye, though. Color choices are good, but not particularly ground-breaking. I could do with a bit less blending on the papers, but that's a style difference.
I thought Cassel was at SHC what happened with that. That did not last long?
I didnt have time to run a QC but on the surface, it looks good to me. It's not my style but I see talent there. (I tend to be more a paper style scrapper and designer) You need to be in a shop that leans toward art journalling. I dont know where you are now, but you should cold call shops that lean towards that style.
Another thing is, consistency. You say you have a newsletter, FB, etc. and you try to release often. Make sure that you are as consistent as you can be so people know what and when to expect to see your stuff. I try to release a new kit every two weeks. Some designers release two kits a week- do what works for you and what you can maintain.
Lastly, how long have you been designing? Very few designers bust out of the gate making anything resembling big money. Some do. Some here will even tell you if you arent clearing several hundred a month within the first couple of months to give up. But reality is that it takes a year of good hard work to make a name for yourself unless you manage to land in a big shop right away. If you are in a smaller shop (assuming it fits your style), keep working on developing your skills and your marketing plan. Your shop may grow with you and you will start to do better, or you may outgrow your shop and move on.
Paper 3 has a QC issue - white line on two sides, like there was nothing there when it was flattened. flower 2 has a shadow hanging over where there is no background. The shadowing does look like it is coming from different directions in flower1 and also the owl.
But these are relatively minor. It could be your previews or it is hard to say since these don't come from the same kit - or do they? They don't look like they do so that would be a problem if they do. It could be the store. Some stores don't do much of anything in the way of store promotion and count on the designers to do it all themselves. Is anybody at the store selling? Look at who is selling and if their kits don't look anything like yours then it is a wrong match with the store. If your kits do look like what is selling, then compare prices.
I downloaded your sample. Here's a few observations but keep in mind that it's just my opinion.
I personally think that you can be both cutesy and shabby-chic - just not in the same kit. I design and I like to do both. I would feel horribly stifled if I had to only create art in one genre.
A lot depends upon what store you are at and how much exposure you have. I think it takes a long time to build a clientele that keeps coming back.
I didn't check your items for quality yet but I did notice that your purple paper has a thin white line running along the left hand edge. It runs the entire length.
I think your work is very artistic. I agree with the poster above that thinks you might be in the wrong market.
My thoughts on the samples:
Work on the consistency of your shadows.
The purple paper has a line along the left edge.
The papers are very heavily textured, but that is a matter of taste.
The bottle cap is almost one dimensional.
The flower on the tape is shadowed.
On the positive side:
Love the designs on the papers.
The "blends" and clusters look great, I really love the green leaf one.
I agree with everyone else, I think you're in the wrong stores.
I'm 59.
Thank you for all of your constructive criticism, I can learn from this!
1. I need to pay more attention to my shadows.
2. and quality! (The store QC don't reported the paper issue)
Yes, these are from different kits. I'm trying to find my own style. I wanted to show how different kinds of things I do. The school badge is not my style, but it was a theme and colors of a store collab. And the owl is from an upcoming kit - because I don't have success in "my original style" I think I tried to make something new. But you are right, this don't match with my other stuff and yes I need to do something with those shadows.
I think my previews looks great (sometimes better than the kit :)) and my prices are similar to the other's prices. But I tell you the truth I don't know who and how much sells in the shops. We don't speak each other about traffic.
oh and I forgot to say that I am super surprised and thankful that you giving criticism in such a positive way!
59
Is this supposed to be a kit or pieces from various kits?
If it's a kit, I would like it to have a preview, so we could see if that's the problem.
Do your previews carefully, they are very important for attracting the attention of the costumers.
Bare in mind that I am not a designer; quality wise, they seem ok to me (expect for the journal card 2; something's wrong there!). I think I could use them without any problems.
It seems to me that you haven't found your style yet. The bottlecap, the cluster 3 and the owl seem like from 3 different designers. Find your style and stick to it. Maybe art journaling is your thing.
Overall, it's not stunning, it's ok. There are worse designers (who actually sell enough), and sure there are better designers than you. Competition is though.
How about your prices? Quite often I find myself comparing prices, counting elements/papers etc, when it comes to similar kits. Even 50 cents can make a difference.
"oh and I forgot to say that I am super surprised and thankful that you giving criticism in such a positive way!"
I have to say I am, too. When I saw your post, I thought to myself, "this is going to get ugly."
You're brave to post that here, and deserved to get an honest, sincere critique. Your things are nice, and with some minor tweaking and QC could be very good.
Hi I'm researching purchasing a commercial use license to use a font digitally (either for word art or an alpha or part of a graphic).
Could anyone offer some feedback on what a reasonable price range would be? There seems to be a huge spectrum of prices.
Thank you!
73- Good luck with that one. The real question is how much are you willing to pay and how important is that font? I found one I loved for $50. I found one that was very similar and would work just as well for $12. I wasnt as excited about it, but it was what I was willing to pay.
I posted a few times on the old smack blogs with some of my products and I received very positive and constructive critique as well. There was no bashing at all.
http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/supplies/product_info.php/products_id/15392 isn't a bit overpriced???
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Typical of Katie's products. Most are very simple and over priced.
http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/supplies/product_info.php/products_id/15392 isn't a bit overpriced???
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Typical of Katie's products. Most are very simple and over priced.
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Especially considering I've seen 2 or 3 freebies today along those same lines
51 Aly must have a life unlike you for you to be randomly worrying about her.
Did they raise all their prices for this "sale"?
http://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/sweetshoppe/home.php?cat=250&sort=title&sort_direction=0&page=1
#79 Yes they did. Some of those scoops were $6.99 and $7.99 before the "sale" now at 50% off they are $4.50. I was planning on spending A LOT at SSD before I noticed the price hike. I won't be shopping there now.
I don't usually shop at the Sweet Shop, but I'm really liking the things they are offering in their blog hop today.
Good for you 80 - I'm sure they'll miss you oh so much!
82 - In these economic times, they should be concerned with the loss of every customer. Based upon all their sales, freebies, and promotions, I'd wager SSD isn't doing as well as they used to. The loss of one customer who voices their opinions is usually the loss of several customers who didn't.
#83 - I'd have to agree. SSD were well known for their rare sales. The fact that they have had a few over the last several months would suggest they are struggling a bit.
Added to the fact that Lauren Grier left there, and Melissa Bennett now sells CU at SHCO, I'd tend to agree.
so did our fearless new smack leader bail on us?
does SSd consider any collab a double scoop? Cuz there's a collab on my wish list that I really want but it isn't showing up on sale. (Other stuff is showing at 50% off.) Here's the collab I mean (it isn't in the "scoops" category, btw): http://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/sweetshoppe/product.php?productid=22331&quantity=1
I don't shop at SSD very often, so I figured I'd ask here. You know, cuz why not get an answer and have the chance to get smacked just for asking?
I think Scoops are only if both designers are at SSD
#88 is right. Scoops and dips are only SSD designers.
#82 considering I had $310 in my cart made up of my wishlist, some new releases and some of the sale before I noticed the price hike I'd say it was a big sale to lose.
Do you know SSD hiked prices or are you just taking the word of some anonymous person on this blog? I have no idea, I would like to know too.
I bought some of the collabs in December for 7.99 but they may have gone up since then. I Don't know what price they were on Friday.
Maria H Designs is back with 2 brand new stores just in February alone. Wonder how long it's going to be until her next tragedy or "retirement"?
86: I actually sent her an email a few months ago on an unrelated issue and never heard back. I hope she's okay.
88: I wondered if that was the case. Thanks for answering! OK, off to give them more money than I really like to spend. Oh well.
re SSD prices: I really need to make a Pinterest wish list board with prices. that way, when i click on the pic from pinterest then i'll know if designers/stores raised prices.
Yes, the kit and collab prices went up. They went from $6.99 to $7.49 for a single kit and from $7.99 to $8.99 for collabs.
Went up when? Just for the sale or do you mean they recently raised their prices?
#98- No before the sale.
93 - I don't know the history - is Marie a flake?? One of those new stores she's at is my digi-home.
I've got a question about copyright. Can a name be copyrighted?
https://www.facebook.com/mommyishdotcom?ref=ts&fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/scrap.mommyish?ref=ts&fref=ts
93 - I don't know the history - is Marie a flake?? One of those new stores she's at is my digi-home.
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TOTAL flake. She's 'retired' from designing at least 4 times. She is filled with drama. Don't worry, she'll probably leave your home within the next 6 months.
#101 - yes, it can but as those two Mommyish names are in two different fields, it won't matter, not to mention that the word Mommyish is in common usage.
Marie is NOT a flake. She just has a couple of haters who have it in for her personally. It has absolutely nothing to do with her quality of work or her work ethic.
'scuse me. Marie is just plain screwy. She store hops like mad - and when nothing sells, she moves on. Other than mid to top tier shops, she has been in just about every shop I can think of. She creates problems, or gets upset because nothing sells and "retires". Over and over and over and over again. I don't even think she has 'haters'. She has alot of people who are just plain sick and tired of her antics. So, #104 - whoever you are - - you can stop defending her. It won't work.
Gen, is Pixel and Co's website going to get any faster? I'm trying to shop and it's sooo slow. Urgh!
100-No, Marie isn't a flake. She has two little girls, and one has a lot of problems. She has a lot on her plate. Marie gets overwhelmed at times and takes some time off. She's in stores now that will accommodate those times off. The other stores she's been in had a lot of requirements besides just making her kits, so that was all she was getting done. She is a sweet lady. (and this is the first post I've made in her defense) Sometimes people need to look at what is behind actions before they take the sling shot out to destroy them. Her kits are lovely to work with. So, if you are in doubt about her, try to form your own opinions and not take it from the smack blog. You can even disregard this post! Get to know her yourself. You'll like her.
Isn't it "In like a lion...out like a lamb"?
http://justjaimee.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/DSTJan13_JustJaimee_prev.jpg
#108- Generally yes, it's in like a lion, out like a lamb. March sometimes comes in like a lamb and out like a lamb or in like a lamb and out like a lion. Seems odd to only make one version and then have that version be the rarest variation.
Isn't it "In like a lion...out like a lamb"?
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It goes either way. If winter comes in like a lion it will go out like a lamb or if it comes in like a lamb it will go out like a lion. Just a saying my gram used to use.
#108 - as others have said, it goes both ways but I have to say, that's one ugly freebie.
I really don't like the Scrapmatters site. I can't enjoy anything about it--not the forum, the store, nor the gallery. I don't even know why. I just don't like it.
There are a lot of sites I don't like. Not sure why you chose to share your dislike out of nowhere...
Maybe because it's a smack blog and she felt like sharing? Who needs a reason??
#112-oh I kind of like it there. Doesn't seem as snobbish as some other sites. Not disagreeing with you, just offering another opinion :)
114 - I just took a huge shit.
I have noticed a lot of people smack DST here, so if DST is out, where do you go to network with other Designers, etc?
Facebook.
#117 - I haven't seen anyone really smack DST since we left the old blog.
115-I'm glad you like it. I've honestly tried to. I've posted several times over the years, but just can't seem to like it. I guess I just have a problem fitting in, although I see to at other sites.
That is because DST is dead. What is there left to smack?
#120- I have tried also at SM. It's just really not worth the time to even post there anymore.
That is because DST is dead. What is there left to smack?
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Absolutely agree which is why I was surprised that #117 said there were a lot of people who smack DST. Maybe three years ago that was true but it sure isn't now.
The March blog train swatch is the best they've had in a while, but the contributions so far are still pretty bad.
107 - Get to know her yourself. You'll like her.
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I was in a store with her. One of her MANY. I got to know her. TOTAL flake.
google is my friend. Her stores from 2011: Digital Scrapbooking Studio, Digi Scraps Drive-In, Sunshine Studios, Bits 2 Kits, Scrappity-doo-dah, Scrapbook-Elements, Scrap Take Out, DigiRidoo Scraps, Plain Digital Wrapper, Me So Scrappy, Ginger Scraps
currently stores:
My Memories, Digital Scrapbook Pages, Scraps N Pieces, Scrap Art Studio, designsbymarieh.com/shoppe
So does anyone know WHEN SSD raised the prices on the collabs? I have checked my order history against the items in the store now and both of the collabs I purchased at 7.99 this summer are 8.99 in the store now. Shady.
124- I agree. With that palette, I was expecting something great. So far, most of the contributions (at least, those shown) are pretty simple and some are downright bad. Maybe some will be better later on, or maybe some will have their contributions not displayed and be nice surprises.
If you can see the DST march blog train previews then you have access to the back room and you're a designer. So if you don't like the previews get off your fat ass and make something that's acceptable to your taste.
126-What you didn't say in your post is that many of those stores are now closed. She had to leave MSS because it closed while she was there for instance. Also, she was at several of them at the same time.
Why would a store raise prices on old products? That is the stupidest thing I've seen in this digi community for a long time.
I just went to Designer Digitals and noticed my wishlist items were more expensive than when I added them.
I sure hope they don't go back down after the sale. :(
93 and so on - Maybe you could explain to me what did she do to you ? I have read the posts thanks to the search button and it appears to be the same person who brings her up again and again. The only time I hear about her is when you bring her up and thanks to you I just purchased from her.
132 how can you possibly tell, on an anonymous blog, who is posting what? I am not 93 or any one of those posters and happen to like Marie and her products, but, I have no idea how you can tell who posts what. You are just fishing, which is fine, but making statements like that is just silly!
130 - Is she the reason why those stores closed? :)
129 - Is it not allowed to have an opinion anymore? Even if I create something 10 times better and to my taste, I can still find other contributions not to my taste or even ugly.
I'm too upset about being called fat to respond to #129.
124- I agree. With that palette, I was expecting something great. So far, most of the contributions (at least, those shown) are pretty simple and some are downright bad. Maybe some will be better later on, or maybe some will have their contributions not displayed and be nice surprises.
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Probably why most good designers have stopped doing that blog train. It's been a disaster for well over a year, maybe two. Time to move on and stop associating with something that drags you down.
126-What you didn't say in your post is that many of those stores are now closed. She had to leave MSS because it closed while she was there for instance. Also, she was at several of them at the same time.
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130, that doesn't change the fact that in one year she was in 11 different shops assuming that the google search someone did up there is correct. ELEVEN. I haven't been in 11 shops in my entire design career, and I have been doing this for years and I make a living off it. So yes I'd call her a store hopper.
LOL @ 136!
Who is the other co-owner of The Lilypad? I know Laura M is one owner.
Where are the valentine sales this week?
140, Kelly is the other owner. I don't know her last name, but she's emmasmom or emmasmommy (?) in the forums. She's not around as much as Laura is.
Where are the valentine sales this week?
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TDC has one that started today.
#136 - she only called your ass fat, not you.
both of the collabs I purchased at 7.99 this summer are 8.99 in the store now. Shady.
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Not a fan of SSD but this is ridiculous. The milk I purchased in the summer has gone up too, ooh, that must be shady.
Maybe you could explain to me what did she do to you ? I have read the posts thanks to the search button and it appears to be the same person who brings her up again and again. The only time I hear about her is when you bring her up and thanks to you I just purchased from her.
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Not the OP, but maybe you could explain to me how you know who is posting? Are you psychic?
Just shopped the TDC sale and found some really good deals and the $2 sale is awesome. What other stores will be having sales this week? I am feeling twitchy and want to buy scrap stuff.
147 - Scraps N Pieces is having a president's day sale - 30% off I think.
Not a fan of SSD but this is ridiculous. The milk I purchased in the summer has gone up too, ooh, that must be shady.
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not the OP you quoted but you're comparison isn't completely equal. The price of milk has gone up because farm costs have risen, so milk made after those cost increases is going to cost more. A kit--especially a previously released kit--doesn't have a measurable cost inflation problem. A designer already owns PS and her computer. If a kit's price were based solely on what's included in the kit (for example, a kit with 5 hand drawn doodles and 7 extracted elements would cost more than a kit 3 doodle and 4 extracted elements), then SSD's prices wouldn't be so uniform--and people wouldn't be so annoyed at the price hike right before a "big sale." And a store's operation costs will go up (server, storage, etc), but that shouldn't result in price hikes of like a buck a kit. I know stores that delete old threads and LOs in order to cut down on costs.
Having said all that, I like SSD. I've had to contact them a few times about orders and she got back to me really quickly--more quickly than how long the site says it will probably take. And they've always been helpful and professional. I'll pay more for a kit if it means I can trust the site to take care of me if I need it. I'd rather shop somewhere that costs a few bucks more per kit but that will take care of its customers than a store with bargain prices but shitty customer service.
SBB has their grababyte up right now. I'm not sure about the colors together, but I bought a few things.
The best sale SSD usually does is 40% off and that's normally only during DSD. That collab kit for $7.99 at 40% off is $4.79. I understand that raising their prices does seem shady right before a sale, but at the new price of $8.99 at 50% off, that's only $4.50. So, you save 29 more cents than you would have any other time.
It might be shady, but it's still cheaper overall, so I have no complaints. I never buy a thing at SSD full price and never will, but I bought several collabs this past weekend I've had on my wish list for awhile.
149 you're such an idiot. First, because you don't realize that a designer's costs are always going up, regardless of whether she already owns PS or not, because her expenses in life are going up. As the cost of milk goes up, she has to earn more. It's called inflation, moron. It's the same reason that McDonald's sold hamburgers for like 5 cents back in the 50's and has to sell them for over a buck now. They already had their machinery, so they shouldn't have had to raise prices? Oh, wait. Also, you're an idiot because you probably have no idea why I just used "you're" and you used it in your first sentence, too, and shouldn't have. OMG SMH.
152- no, you are an idiot. I'm not the OP but you are rude and your comparisons don't hold together.
Really- you're comparing price increases across 70 yrs at McDs to a couple of weeks at SSD?
And wow. Glad to know all that McD needs is machinery. Even assuming they are using the same equipment now (which they probably aren't) but they must by the basic ingredients to make a hamburger. Once they make and prepare that hamburger- it has been consumed. They cannot recolor it and then sell it again
http://www.digishoptalk.com/boards/showthread.php?t=315121
A CT call with a posted 6 layouts a month requirement?!? Crazy right?
147- thanks for the tip. I didn't know TDC was having a sale. Just picked up a bunch from my wish list for $2. Sweet!
SSD definitely increased their prices. So? They're still competitive with other places and the quality and variety is there. If one doesn't agree, then he or he should shop elsewhere...or not shop at all.
#149 - I was the OP at #145 (the milk post) but certainly not the OP at #152. I don't feel it necessary to needlessly call people idiots and morons.
#152 - if you are going to call someone out for the incorrect use of your and you're, you should know it's 50s, not 50's, as it's neither a possessive nor a contraction.
Not 152, but I could care less if people put apostrophes in 50s/50's and I will bet that the majority of the people worldwide don't care either. It does make me stabby, however, to see someone use you're for your. So much dumber.
Also, while 152's (see what I did there w/ the apostrophe to show possession? Down boy, 158) arguments and comparisons aren't rock solid, they are no more or less ridiculous than 149's comparisons. The point here is that SSD can charge whatever the fuck they want to charge for their kits. My guess is they can get away with charging more because, well, they do charge more. They wouldn't do it if it didn't work for them.
Oh and for the record, the price increase happened sometime around the turn of the new year, having nothing to do with this sale. So down boy, conspiracy theorists, also.
Why did Lauren Grier leave SSD?
#153 - LOL recolor it
It doesn't matter that SSD raised their prices. It does matter if they did it because they were having a sale.
Also, it's one thing to raise them going forward, it's another to raise the price of kits already in the shop. Questionable, but not as despicable as raising them for the sale (if, in fact, they did that).
I just checked out TDC sale and only one thing in my wish list was on sale 35% off, everything else was full price, so I didn't bother. I'll wait until DSD.
http://www.digishoptalk.com/boards/showthread.php?t=315121
A CT call with a posted 6 layouts a month requirement?!? Crazy right?
I think so, especially when you add in all the other stuff she "requests" of you. Having seen her stuff, I'd have a hard time with it--far too fussy for my taste.
Well, look what just got posted to facebook:
Royanna Hohl Fritschmann
Heading to the Happiest Place on Earth with some of my most amazing friends on earth... - Judge away jealous ones!!!
Have any of the promised freebies been posted at Divine Digital? No. Maybe she is getting the freebies from Mickey.
Does anyone know how long TLP is supposed to be down for?
#166 I just hope she's going on her own money this time and not any designers income!
That seems a lot to ask from a CT call. Curious how many responses she gets.
Have you noticed that Designer Digitals send their newsletters daily? I'm subscribed few years ago and it was a weekly newsletter. I like their stuff, but don't want newsletter each and every day!
TLP is back up. Love the new look, nice and clean and fresh.
^^^^^^^^
Agree. I love the new look.
Gawd I wish I was still allowed to post on DD- I'd copy and paste that post from Royanna on there and make the same comment about whose money she's using. If she takes no PROFIT from DD and both her and hubby are on disability, etc... who's paying for the trip? Oh, wait.. she said Happiest Place on Earth. Maybe she means the ATM.
Not 152, but I could care less if people put apostrophes in 50s/50's
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So you do care about the apostrophes, good, so do I.
(see what I did there w/ the apostrophe to show possession? Down boy, 158)
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Down boy? Why? She was the one calling someone else a moron about the improper use of you're and your and you are telling me to down boy? Right.
Not 152, but I could care less if people put apostrophes in 50s/50's and I will bet that the majority of the people worldwide don't care either. It does make me stabby, however, to see someone use you're for your. So much dumber.
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Actually, what's dumber is your use of could care less instead of couldn't care less. That makes me stabby.
Why did Lauren Grier leave SSD?
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I didn't ask her but I would guess it was because she had been there for years and wanted to move on to greener pastures.
Even though it doesn't show possessive, 50's is proper and 50s is not.
Where the hell is the blog owner? Can't you at least pass the torch to someone else instead of just letting the comments pile up?
Where the hell is the blog owner? Can't you at least pass the torch to someone else instead of just letting the comments pile up?
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The comments are piling up but how is that a problem for you?
What 178 said; 50's is correct.
I don't usually correct poor grammar, but the irony was killing me.
She's gone - so either she died or she's pissed and left.
Actually the "correct" way to type it would be '50s in referring to the year.
Grammar police! Some people who post are likely not even from the USA so their grammar would be different than ours. Get over it. I dont really care either way '50s, 50s, 50's we all get the point right. Nothing better to talk about I guess. Also why does it matter if you post in January or February? Do you really look at the month your posting in?
^^what she or he said^^
I don't like the new TLP design and I also didn't like the new SSD design and still don't. They had a nice sweet touch and they lost that feeling with the redesign(SSD)
I really liked the old Lilypad. The site is very ordinary now and the view all button is missing.
I don't like the new TLP design and I also didn't like the new SSD design
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I get missing the "view all" button but really I think both designs (SSD and TLP) look much better than they did. It's always nice to update and change the look..just like irl.
152: 149 you're such an idiot. First, because you don't realize that a designer's costs are always going up, regardless of whether she already owns PS or not, because her expenses in life are going up. As the cost of milk goes up, she has to earn more. It's called inflation, moron. It's the same reason that McDonald's sold hamburgers for like 5 cents back in the 50's and has to sell them for over a buck now. They already had their machinery, so they shouldn't have had to raise prices? Oh, wait. Also, you're an idiot because you probably have no idea why I just used "you're" and you used it in your first sentence, too, and shouldn't have. OMG SMH.
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If a designer needs to earn more, then she (or he) should work more. That's what people do. I said "people" on purpose: Yes, a designer owns her or his business. But a designer isn't a business cadre, full of CEOs and admin and HR and retail workers and real estate lawyers and law attorneys and R&D and A&R and custodial staff and CFOs and whatever business groups or branches I may have missed. (And before your head blows off because I didn't use commas but instead repeatedly used the word "and," guess what: I did it on purpose.)
A designer is one person (or maybe two/three in the case of designing duos/trios) sitting at home in front of a computer. The costs are so few that to your argument that "upgrading PS" is a huge expense outs you as either only a customer (which isn't a bad thing--just means you don't understand what you need to design) or outs you as a designer with such horrible sales that upgrading PS puts you in the red (which is bad. So think about retiring). The reason there's such a glut of designers is the fact that you can be a "designer" with very little initial investment. How many DS designers have any type of formal training in graphic design? Hell, how many have any training in the Arts whatsoever? So it's not like this takes years of college training to do. And you don't need a lot of stuff at first. Most start out with a computer, camera, and design program of their choice. (Just read your fave designers' bios. Lots start out with "I just happened to fall into designing" or some similar statement.) And upgrading or buying new equipment is great. But you don't need new stuff in order to increase sales.
Of course designers can raise prices. I get that. But to act as if *every* designer at SSD magically raised prices at the same time because of inflation is ridiculous. Greed made them do it. But if you'd have read my whole post then you'd know that I don't care that they raised prices. Let me repeat that slowly for you since apparently you have difficulty understanding even the simplest of concepts: I. Don't. Care. Designers can charge whatever they want: the market will tell them if they're charging too much.
So, like I said before: If you're a designer, then it's probably time to retire. You seem to like McDonald's...Maybe they'd hire you? You'd earn more than you do as a designer. And if not, then you can call them idiots and yell at them about inflation until they give you a raise.
I'm #186 I meant I really liked the old Lilypad logo,the green color was bright. Now it's too pale for me. I don't know..something is off with the new Lilypad. Yes they needed redesigning but this wasn't a success.
Catscrap=Scrapflower that was a succeessful redesign.
#189- SF is a sucessful redesign? That's funny.
I think with the TLP design it's been years since it had a makeover. It went from bright to soft. The site is still wonky so that might be why your "view all" button is gone.
I'm #190- successful.
#188- Are you a designer or are you just playing blog therapist?
My guess is she's playing blog therapist. She obviously wasn't paying attention or reading thoroughly, or she would have noticed that 152 used the McDonald's comparison to argue that it was AOK for SSD to raise prices to keep up with inflation. But at the end of her CRAZY LONG rant, she was making it sound as though 152 should work at McDonald's b/c she (152) didn't agree w/ raising prices for inflation. Makes no sense. Drunk much?
188 - Go home blog therapist. You're drunk.
I'm another fan of TLP's new look.
Did anybody listen to the Digi Show last week?
^^^^^^^
No, but I just downloaded the podcast because I'm curious what they have to say.
If I can get past the Valley girl voice, there may actually be some good info in it. Holy crap is that bad.
Yes I listened to it. The only thing I got out of it was how "holier than thou" Robin was toward Kami.
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