Renee's Review	Tammy's Review	Stephanie's Review	Wendy's Review	Penny's Review

Review by Renee

Karen Foster is one of the leading companies in the Scrapbook industry. They are known for beautiful papers and embellishments, often leading the industry in the development of new product. Their products are always designed in such a way that several years after releasing, they still have a fresh classic look to them. Given the reputation of the Karen Foster designs company, I was excited to find out that I would be reviewing a number of new products by them this month.

For this review, I received two sheets each of the fishing line of patterned papers (three sheets in the collection) and the corresponding cardstock stickers for that line, as well as a variety of miscellaneous other embellishments. I received three packages of the new shaped brads, including one package of brad corners and one package of loopy bradlines. Both of these products are an antiqued bronze or brass coloring, making them work especially well with the antique feel of the papers. The bradlines have a bar that contains from one to four loops, useful for threading ribbon or other fibers through. I also received a package of the sparkle burst brads. These brads remind me of fireworks because of the shape they take on and the reds, white and blue colors.

I was especially pleased with the fishing papers from this line. We are not a fishing family, mostly because I don’t like to touch the wiggly worms or get the fish off the hook or clean them even. However, I was in love with the antique look of these papers. They had such a classic feel to them that I thought that they would work with any number of layout themes. The papers have a classic color scheme involving mostly dark reds, blues and water color greens coupled with a little classic beige. These colors made it very easy to work with any number of pictures. I also really loved the brass corner brads and loopy bradlines. They again had a classic antiqued feel to them that made them almost timeless to work with.

For my first project, I decided to use some photographs for my father’s camping album dated 1999 to create a double page layout. Because of the classic look of the papers, they were perfect for these pictures. Likewise, the brass had a very classic feel to them, making them perfect to use with this set of older pictures.

  Title: Roughing it
Products used: Cardstock (Bazzill Basics)
Patterned Paper (Karen Foster)
Corner brad (Karen Foster)
Loopy Bradline (Karen Foster)
Ribbon (May Arts)
Paper Flowers (Prima and Paper Studio)
Brass Brad (Making Memories)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

For my second project, I decided to use the cardstock stickers as the inspiration for a boyish card. I loved the great catch sticker and used that as the main focal point of my card. This was coupled with another of the fishing papers to create a very classic card useful for the men in your life.

Title: Great Catch Card
Products used: Cardstock (Making Memories)
Patterned Paper (Karen Foster)
Cardstock stickers (Karen Foster)
Ribbon (May Arts)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I was very pleased with the new products from Karen Foster. The classic designs of the paper and the embellishments make them useful for a number of different layout designs. The brass brad corners and loopy bars are simply fabulous to use. Just the right amount of “umph” to add to a page. Give these new products a try.

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Review by Tammy

Karen Foster Designs is a company that has given the customer a variety of themes to choose from. From Holidays to favorite Pastimes and now, Karen Foster's new Cruise collection, you can find something for every occasion.

The Karen Foster Cruise line consists of:

• 4 12 x 12 inch designer papers; Cruisin' Collage, Sea to Sea, Navigation, & Anchors Aweigh
• Let's Cruise cardstock sticker
• Cruise Stacked stickers
• Blue and Red Sparkle Burst Brads

Along with the products from the Karen Foster Cruise line, I also received a package of Classy Loopy Bradlines and Natural Corner Brads.

The Natural Corner Brads and Classy Loopy Bradlines are a lightweight metal in antique silver, gold and copper colors. The Corner Brads have an embossed image on each of the 12 brads while the Loopy Bradlines bring a whole new level to Karen Foster's Loopy Brads. The Bradlines contains an assortment of 24 different brads with 1 - 4 loops on each bradline that are perfect for hanging charms and other embellishments.

When I first saw the Karen Foster Cruise collection, I immediately thought of a time when we took my oldest son to Red Lobster for his birthday. I matted the Cruisin' Collage and Navigate papers onto a piece of Prism cardstock. I used a strip of Anchors Aweigh along the edge of the main photograph; mounted the "Food and Fun cardstock sticker onto a piece of Cruisin' Collage; and, added an anchor at the beginning of the title. I then finished the layout by adding a Corner Brad to the main photograph and a couple of starfish from the Cruise Stacked stickers at the bottom of the journaling.

Title: Red Lobster
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Cruisin' Collage, Navigate, and Anchors Aweigh (Karen Foster Cruise collection)
Let's Cruise cardstock sticker (Karen Foster)
Cruise Stacked stickers (Karen Foster)
Natural Corner Brad (Karen Foster)
Classy Loopy Bradlines (Karen Foster)
Adhesive Transparency (Grafix)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

While you might typically think that the Karen Foster Cruise collection would be used for pictures of a dream vacation on a beautiful oceanliner, these papers and embellishments can also enhance other events such as this birthday dinner outing.

Put Karen Foster Designs at the top of your scrapbook supply list. You'll be glad that you did!

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Review by Stephanie

In keeping with Karen Foster’s desire to keep paper crafters happy, they have released another new line which is perfect for the fishing enthusiast. This collection screams fishing with its muted blues and greens and its montage of fish and fishermen.

For my review I received 2 sheets of 4 different light weight pattern papers, a coordinating set of cardstock stickers, a package of corner brads and a package of loopy bradlines. The cardstock stickers are a nice heavy quality and come in a variety of shapes and sizes – stamps, rectangles, circles, words and fishing icons. Both sets of brads are made of light weight metal in assorted colors, perfect for adding depth and dimension without added bulk. The corner brads came in a package of 12 with scrolls, leaves or stars etched on them. The loopy bradlines came in a similar package containing 24 pieces.

I had some pictures of Chris, taken when he went on a fishing excursion one beautiful summer day last year, and these papers were perfect for those photos. I chose to use the Tails and Fins paper along with the Fish Story paper. I matted both papers with cardstock for additional dimension. I used several cardstock stickers “as is” and then matted one that was large enough to use as a title. The corner brads added just a touch of texture to the corners of 2 photos.

Title: Fishing
Products used: Cardstock (Prism-Baby Blue Light, Island Mist Dark, Tawny Dark)
Pattern Paper, Stickers, Corner Brads (Karen Foster)
Stamps (Hero Arts, Making Memories)
Ink (Colorbok, Memories)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I loved the look of the Red Fish Stamps paper, so I cut out a fish to use on a card. I thought the Loopy bradlines would be perfect to hold a sign, so I mounted one of the enclosed stickers on cardstock and “hung” it from the bradlines. A second sticker was mounted on cardstock and used as my sentiment.

Title: Great Catch
Products used: Cardstock (Prism-Iced Yellow)
Card (K & Co.)
Pattern paper, Stickers, Loopy bradlines (Karen Foster)
Ink (Colorbok)
Embossing Folder (ProvoCraft, Cuttlebug)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I definitely had a lot of fun with this new line by Karen Foster. With the coordinating products, a layout or card can be created quickly and easily. Thanks for another exciting assortment of products.

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Review by Wendy

Over the past few months my youngest has come to look forward to the review boxes coming in the mail. Unlike myself, its not necessarily the scrapbook products he is eager to see, but instead the sweet treat of candy that usually comes in the package. This time, however, the candy went unnoticed as he shrieked in delight at the sight of what I was about to review; a fishing themed line by Karen Foster Designs. I received two sheets each of Tails and Fins, Red Fish Stamps, Fisherman, and Fish Story pattern paper. In addition I also received Sparkle Burst Brads, Corner Brads, Loopy Bradlines and a sheet of Fish Tails cardstock stickers.

I guess I should explain that my son lives for fishing. It is a hobby that we just took up a few short months ago, but already he is "hooked", no pun intended. He wakes in the morning asking to go fishing. He creates fishing rods out of legos, pencils, whatever his imagination dreams up. After I wrestled the papers out of his hands I got straight to work scrapping some of the fishing photos from the past few months.

Themed scrapbook lines take the guess work out of mixing and matching papers and makes scrapping a pleasure. The soft blues and greens in this line blend beautifully with the neutral beiges and reds. For my first project I created a layout using three of the sheets; Tails and Fins, Fisherman and Fish Story. I cut large fish out of the pattern paper to use as embellishments. Fish Story's ruler images made it the perfect background sheet to highlight just how big my husbands first catch was.

Title: A Fish Story
Products used:
Patterned Paper: Tails and Fins, Fisherman, Fish Story (Karen Foster)
Natural Corner Brads(Karen Foster)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

Remember when I said my son likes to make fishing poles out of everything and anything? This next project came from an idea of his to make one of the Loopy Bradlines into a fishing pole. I inked it black with Stazon ink and ran a piece of thread through the loops to create a fishing pole. I cut some simple waves from pattern paper and layered them to create the water. A few cardstock stickers finished the design.

Title: Fishing Sign
Products used:
Patterned Paper:Fish and Tails, Red Fish Stamps (Karen Foster)
Fishing Tails Cardstock stickers (Karen Foster)
Classy Loopy Bradlines (Karen Foster)
Schoolbook Plantin cartridge (Provo Craft)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

This last card shows that with a little creativity these great papers can stretch beyond fishing themes. When you're done scrapping all those fishing photos don't put the papers away just yet. The soft muted colors on the pattern paper make a great background for cards. The Burst Brads were the perfect touch. Simply add them as you would any brad. The soft metal of the brads allow you to bend the prongs to create a 3D embellishment.

Title: Dream big
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Patterned Paper: Tails and Fins (Karen Foster)
Blue and Red Sparkle Burst Brads (Karen Foster)
Graphically Speaking cartridge (Provo Craft)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

All it takes is one glance to see why Karen Foster has been a leader in the scrapbooking industry since 1998. They provide beautifully produced theme papers that make it easy and quick to get all your layouts done, leaving more time for actually creating the memories.

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Review by Penny

Karen Foster Design's Cruise collection contains four standard-weight patterned papers--(1) Cruisin' Collage is primarily red with hints of blue. This weathered looking pattern contains watermark images of cruise related words and phrases such as "Fantastic Voyage," "Down by the Sea" and "Away We Go." There are some faint nautical images as well. I love the fish jumping out of the water on the bottom right of the page; (2) Sea to Sea is a simple wave pattern in blue, purple and light green colors; (3) Navigation is a weathered cream color with nautical watermark images; and (4) Anchor's Aweigh, a very pretty medium blue with a pattern of light blue anchors and ship's helms.

I also received the "Let's Cruise" 5 1/2" x 10" cardstock sticker sheet with 14 adorable cruise-themed images including an anchor, tropical drinks, and a floatation device and phrase stickers like "Let's Cruise."

The Cruise Stacked Sticker sheet I received included a series of six three-dimensional stickers. There was a large pair of sunglasses, two small stars, a tropical drink, a cruise ship and a floatation device.

Karen Foster has a lovely collection of Sparkle Burst Brads, including their "Blue & Red" assortment for this collection. The package contains an assortment or heavily-jeweled red and blue brads. They are gorgeous!

I also received a couple packages of metal brads that will complement any project. The Natural Corner Brads contain twelve lightweight metal photo corner brads in antique silver, gold and copper (4 of each color). The brads measure approximately 1" on each side. The photo corners have one traditional double-prong brad post that you put through your paper and another on the other side with one prong to simply fold in from the edge of your paper. This will keep your brad aligned with your paper and is also a lot less complicated than trying to punch two holes for each brad. The second package contains Classy Loopy Bradlines, a selection of 24 metal-looped bars which range in size from one loop to four loops, so you can lace them or hang charms or other embellishments from them. The "Classy" assortment comes in antique silver, gold and copper just like the corner brads.

I used three of the patterned papers, the natural photo corners in gold, and the "What a View" cardstock phrase sticker in my first project.

I sprayed the Nautical patterned paper with a shimmering spray so it has a golden shine.



I cut strips of waves from the Sea to Sea pattern and layered them above the photo, matting each layer on pop dots.


Title: Rock the Waves
Products Used: Cardstock (Prism - Intense Cobalt, Papaya Puree Light)
Patterned Paper - Navigation, Sea to Sea and Anchors Aweigh, Cardstock Stickers (Karen Foster - Cruise Collection)
Metal Photo Corners (Karen Foster Design)
Glimmer Mist (Lumin Arte)
Chipboard (American Crafts)
Rub Ons (Tinkering Ink)
Adhesive (Ad Tech)

My second project features the Cruisin' Collage patterned paper (can you spot the fish?) and a ship image cardstock sticker.

Title: Sailing Away Card
Products Used: Cardstock (Prism - Blush Red Medium, Intense Cobalt)
Patterned Paper - Cruisin' Collage and Navigation, Cardstock Stickers (Karen Foster - Cruise Collection)
Stickers (7Gypsies)
Adhesive (Ad Tech)

My final project features the Navigation patterned paper and a Sparkle Burst Brad. I used a circle mask and distress ink to highlight one of the navigational symbols on the paper.

Title: You Sparkle Card
Products Used: Cardstock (Prism - Papaya Puree Light)
Patterned Paper - Navigation and Blue and Red Sparkle Burst Brads (Karen Foster - Cruise Collection)
Ink (Ranger)
Mask (Heidi Swapp)
Stickers (Chatterbox)
Rub Ons (Tinkering Ink)
Adhesive (Ad Tech)

I found online prices for these items to be approximately $.69 per sheet of patterned paper, $2.19 for the cardstock sticker pack, Stacked Stickers for $4.19, Sparkle Burst Brads for $4.99, Corner Brads for $4.49 and Classy Loopy Bradlines for $4.19.

This was a very fun collection to use. The weathered look of the patterned paper added to its charm. The metal brads were a good addition to them. The cardstock stickers worked well to pull the collection together. I did not find the Stacked Stickers to mesh with the rest of the collection as well. They are very bold with bright colors and a glossy appearance. I felt they would have worked better if they were toned down a bit. There are a couple of additional items available in this collection that were not part of my review package. I recommend this fun collection for all of your cruisin' memories.

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