Let's talk current trends
 

I've been 'out' of the stamping/scrapbooking world for the last year and a half due to hubby new job, selling and buying a house ect. and things have changed A LOT!
so tell me, it's sequins instead of buttons? don't get me wrong, I love sequins but oh my goodness, my love for buttons runs so much deeper :)
and very little use of patterned paper? it's mostly stamping and inking backgrounds? don't get me wrong, I love stamping and inking but oh my goodness how I LOVE me some patterned paper!

am I gonna be totally out of it if I stick to what I love, or should I try and change with the times?? How about you?

My advice is to do what you love. When I try to 'force' a look, I am never happy with it.

Stick with what you love. :)

I don't care for either sequins or buttons so I won't use them regardless if they are the current "in" thing

I agree, stick with what you like. I actually just posted a couple of blog posts this past week on the same subject.
I haven't actively scrapped in about 9 years. Did a few pages 2 years ago, tried dig scrapping (not that big a fan of this, I got to work with physical media) and just started up again a few weeks ago.
My stash of supplies is full of "out-of-date" supplies and plenty of patterned paper. I'm still using it all. My page layouts are changing a bit with the trends in overall feel but not all my supplies. I say as long as you like it that's all that matters.

Agree, stick to what you love. I don't use buttons or sequins since all my cards get mailed and I love, love, love patterned paper and use it on almost every card.

I say do what you love...love what you do....I am busy using patterned paper I have on my shelves. I have been buying very little paper. When I get the old stock down I will buy some new.

Well everyone else is saying it so I want to as well. Stay with what you like. Your style is your style and thats what people love. Experiment with the others if you want but if you really look everyone is doing their own thing just some are following trend because they like the look they see. Want to see if they can do it and will try the next thing that comes out too. Thats human nature.

I agree with what's been said. I recently got back into stamping after a 13 year absence. The only thing I really wanted was a Big Shot, but otherwise I'm sticking with my old stuff. I figure at some point maybe they will come back into trend, like bell bottoms and feather bangs,but then I'll be ahead of the game!! Have fun!

Do what you love, use what you love. Trends are just what they are...Trends.

I say use the paper and embellishments you love and maybe buy some new stamps.

Just keep it simple and there will be no headaches.

I agree... do what is fun for you. That's what this hobby is about, not keeping up with whatever other people are doing.

You're making me teary, girls!

Natalie, welcome back!

I still prefer buttons to sequins :mrgreen:, but I have to admit I've never used a lot of DP and have always preferred making my own backgrounds. Everybody else has already said it - dabble a little and try other things but do what is "you". Regardless of what is on trend, if you look at the daily gallery uploads you'll still see people uploading cards with lots of layers and pretty papers and ribbons, and just having fun doing what they like best.
I'm usually happy to try something new once at least, probably twice. If I like it, it moves into the "me" category, but if I don't like it I don't feel I have to work at making it "me".
Check out Friday's Mix-Ability mixed media challenges! I love what I see some people creating, but I'm very minimalist in my own mixed media creations.
The most important thing is to enjoy what you are doing :D.

Agree 10,0000 percent with DO WHAT YOU LOVE. :) I like sequins, bling and sparkly things. If that ever went out of style I would be lost. I don't care. :) Bling makes me happy. Trends are fun but I treat them like accessories. You know the adage buy classic clothes but your accessories are the trends.

I saw a cute scrapbook layout the other day the girl used buttons and sequins. :)

Totally agree with everyone else! Always do what YOU want to do, and what makes YOU happy.

I don't use a lot of patterned paper because it doesn't tend to work for me personally, not because of any trend. I found I was hoarding patterned paper (because I do love pretty papers) and just not using it!

Not a sequin fan so it's one trend that I have been safe with :) i.e. not buying every color in the world!
I am a paper hoarder but I use lots of patterned paper and I still use brads all the time.

I would add another big trend: Pinterest! It has this wonderful way of turning something you kinda like into something you love! Love buttons? You will find amazing projects using buttons! Love patterned paper? You can explore the creations from your favorite paper companies! Yes, Pinterest will show you what's the trend, but it also helps you explore all of it to figure out your own style.

Of course, you can do this to a certain degree here on SCS, too, but Pinterest broadens it to include other non-paper crafting areas as well. For example, you can find cards that feature watercoloring, or you can explore tutorials from the folks who paint with water colors. Like scrapbooking? You will also find people who cross over into journaling.

Welcome back! Glad that life has settled down to the point where you can enjoy the craft again!

Welcome back to the cardmaking/scrapbooking world! Oh, I do ♥LOVE♥ me some buttons and find it hard to make a card without a button! And I still use brads and I use old designer papers (some back from 2008!)! I take an interest in trends and watch You Tube videos of cardmakers eg: Jennifer McGuire because I love to see what other cardmakers are up to (much more interesting than TV which I hardly watch) - but when it comes to my own cardmaking, I tend to stick with what I love and what I am comfortable with because it makes me happy and it relaxes me :) I think if you are just starting off again, go slowly and stick with what you love and what brings you joy.

I agree with buy and use what you love. You will not only save money, but not end up with tons of supplies that you are not going to use. And unused supplies take up space that you can use for supplies you will use!

I love this conversation :) today I'm going to break out my buttons and patterned papers :)

Look forward to seeing the results! trends come and go but style lasts forever :)

Trends come and go.....as with what everyone else has already said - if you have and love it then use it. Don't worry about what is trendy - who cares. Next week it will be out anyway. LOL!!

Oh so true! Dea

I do love pretty patterned papers! I love stores that have great displays of papers and I will spend a long time selecting what I like! I try to use My patterned papers until I'm down to one or two sheets then I try to make myself use them. Like I once read here, you can always buy (or trade) for more! Even if the patterned paper you loved is discontinued, you will find something else you love just as well! I am sure when I use the precious last papers the recipient will love them too!

I have patterned paper that pre-exists my stable internet connection and has traveled at least 4000 miles in my possession.

Oh and I love sequins but haven't used them on a card yet because I can't find the ones I want. I am really picky about sequins!

I love buttons and only began to get a good feel for dsp and use a lot of it the last three/four years!

I have a button or brads or rhinestones on every card. There is no way I'm giving up buttons.

I didn't like the sequin trend at first. I thought they looked cheap and tacky. They have grown on me. I just ordered some of the in-color ones from SU.

I will continue to use what I love. In fact, I didn't know buttons were out ;-) the people I send cards to really have no idea about card trends.

The last big online card making class I saw recently (didn't participate) was a ways to use it class which seemed to focus on looking at your stamps for multiple uses.

I presume (again didn't take the class) doing something like if you have a flowers in vase stamp to use the flowers multiple times to make either a wreath/shrubs/a landscape etc and not be limited to their being in a vase. A variant of shop your stash.

I don't follow trends but my paper crafting does change on a regular basis. I just do what is fun and I never worry about if it's trendy, it just has to fit my style.

I agree with a lot of the above comments of do what you love. I like some of the new trends... Heck, I love a lot of them, but I do tend to go with some old style things.

I consider myself behind everyone else in the crafting world by a couple of years. There are a couple of things that I'm right in tune with, but I tend to still be learning certain technics from several years ago.

So, do what you love.

Personally, I'm with you!! I love buttons! Oh, and I'm the queen of patterned paper. Graphic 45 is my favorite. I just ordered a bunch from Joann's online for 11.99/6.49 (12x12/8x8) and the shipping was 1.99. So that was a sale I couldn't walk away from.

I use what I love. The recipients of my cards don't know anything about the latest papercrafting trends (unless they are a fellow papercrafter).

Use what you like. Isn't that what it's all about? An expression of self. I still like brads for masculine cards. I do like sequins and bling along with pearls and will continue to use it until I'm tired of it. Personally I don't like a lot of the trends going on right now. I find I love dp but use very little of it. I like to emboss and use it much more than dp. I think the important thing is not to get caught up in all the trends to much. Stay true to yourself.

I just do what I want. I really love my patterned paper and my bling. And I will never tire of coloring images. As for sequins, they annoy me to no end. I like how they look, but they are so full of static and hard to manipulate. I also love buttons but seem to enjoy hoarding them more than using them. At least I have quit buying them.

I know one thing I don't like FEATHERS! Who in their moment of creative wisdom thought of this. Don't get me wrong, done with an appropriate theme like Native American art, on the end of a pen, or on a bird they are appropriate. Bling? I think not, because they are just weird. Now don't jump on my feather ranting, because I know others don't care for them either. I'm just set out to ruffle a few, lol.

I made some cards of ladies with hats, and feathers seemed appropriate, so I used a few. Otherwise, I don't feel compelled to use them.

I agree-I have few uses for feathers. And it's hard to find good-quality ones.

Here's the thing with trends in papercrafting as well as quilting. - nobody cares.

The recipient of your card or quilt isnt going to know or care if you use a button, a feather, a sequin or an eyelet. All they will know is that you took the time to make something special.

If the finished product has eye appeal and is well constructed current trends don't mean a thing. Except to us.