Vendor Spotlight: Marks Paper Company

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Reported by Christine Ousley

I love to scrapbook, and throughout the years I have used many different papers and embellishments from many different companies. When I was presented with an opportunity to use papers and embellishments from Marks Paper Company my hand went up high.

I had seen their products on their website and thought they were beautiful, but when I actually got them in my hands I discovered how truly amazing they were. The paper was double sided which is always a plus in my book. It is made from a heavy-weight paper; it felt good and sturdy in my hand, but was still very easy to cut with all of my tools. The light distressing in the pattern of the paper mimics actual texture very well.

I forgot to take a picture of the papers before I cut into them, but I used most everything so you should see a sample of all 5 papers and their second side. The other CC reporters have documented that pretty well and we all got the same products to use.

My first project is a layout. I knew that these papers in the English Garden Collection from Marks Paper Company would be perfect with this picture. The colors and patterns were so feminine. I loved all of the scalloped and floral elements in this kit. I also absolutely loved the die cut sheet and used many of the pieces on this layout. The scalloped circle diecut in the middle was the perfect backdrop for my title. I used the same shape as an accent behind it by cutting a larger circle and adding smaller circles in white along the circle to mimic scallops. I also used the rose, flower and butterfly diecuts for accents as well.

A little trick that I used to assure that I had enough butterflies to use on all my projects was to trace both the small and large butterfly on the some of the other patterned paper and cut them out. I also used a lot of the "left over" paper from the diecut sheet as it was printed with a lovely textured blue pattern. You might also notice the button on the flower. It is an

embellishment that coordinates with the paper line. The covered buttons are actually pins but I took the inside pin out and used a glue dot to attach the front to the flower.

My next project would make a great gift idea. I used a template by Lauren Meader to construct the card box. It holds premade cards, envelopes and/or supplies to make you own. Once again I went with the feminine look and took advantage of using flowers, scallops, and pretty ribbon along with the gorgeous soft patterns of the paper.

One of the coolest things that I found while browsing through the Marks Paper Company website was that they give you a link to the Bazzill website to find the suggested coordinating Bazzill colors to go with each line. Wow, what a time saver!

My last project is my favorite but I wasn't able to get the best picture of it before I had to leave for vacation. I hope you can see how gorgeous the papers work with a black and white picture. I will retake the picture when I get home and add it to my blog.

For this wall hanging I used more butterflies and stuck with the scalloped look. The light blue and vibrant purples of the paper against the black and white picture give this wall hanging a gorgeous Victorian look.

Pros:

• Beautiful and unique style of paper and embellishments
• Thick, heavy weight double sided paper
• Option of matching digital kits in case you want more or would like to do some hybrid work
• Beautiful rich color schemes that are new and fun.
• Awesome website with good information, great designers and gallery

Cons (okay, I am really stretching here):

• New company, harder to find and of course when I love something as much as I do this I want it available without having to worry about shipping costs and such but I do see that changing very soon if they continue to put out this great of a product.
• Okay, sorry nothing. I can't come up with any other thing besides the above (you're just going to love it!).

What do you think? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Giveaway! Stacy at Marks Paper Company has agreed to send an English Garden collection to one of our readers from the USA. Leave a comment on any of the Vendor Spotlight: Marks Paper Company posts to be entered. Contest ends Friday night at midnight, winner will be announced on Saturday, July 11, 2009.