Andrea's Review	Rebecca's Review	Penny's Review	Karen's Review	Renee's Review

Review by Andrea

Dove of the East is a new company to me and one that I've heard many things about their products. I was excited to get the chance to try out one of their lines, China Journey. The review package arrived containing patterned paper, rub-ons and charms all coordinating into the Chinese theme. Great! Let's dive in!

The patterned paper is absolutely striking. It has a cardstock weight with the pattern printed on one side leaving the back white. The paper pulp is derived from a commercially managed forest and is made in Hong Kong. Eight of the colors are primarily red with black, brown and deeper red tones. The other three backgrounds are light green and light brown. All of the patterns include wood textures, bamboo, lotus blossoms and Chinese characters in subtle deeper tones. The "feel" of the paper is very much Chinese! There is no texture to the paper, it is smooth and easy to stamp and journal on using any marker.

The rub-on sheet is about 8" square and comes with a craft stick for transferring the rub-on to the paper. Each image is detailed and complementary in color to the paper. The charms come in a very interesting package - a fabric semi-sheer drawstring bag attached to a thick, full-color card! The back of the card makes suggestions on how to use the charms, bag and even the card in your projects - very inventive. There were 4 charms in the bag: a key, jade amulet, piece of faux ivory and a dragonfly. All were detailed and in keeping with the collection's theme.

I recently had a birthday and thought this collection would be perfect to highlight a piece of elegant cake from that day. The title was created using chipboard letters that were heat embossed in gold to give that coordinating Chinese feel of the paper. Rub-ons and charms were added under the picture using the elastic string from the charm bag to capture the charms to the cardstock. They were right, you CAN use everything from the collection! The paper took the journaling marker very well without any skips in the ink application.

Title: Birthday Cake
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Metallics)
Patterned Paper, Rub-ons and Charms (Dove of the East, China Journey)
Chipboard Letters (Heidi Swapp)
Ink (Tsukineko Encore Metallic Gold)
Embossing Powder (Ranger, Queen's Gold)
Nailheads (Unknown)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

A new rubber stamp image seemed perfect for this collection also, so I cut out a triptych shape (tri-fold) to create a card. The "Empress Silk" pattern served as the outside of the card leaving the white back side for the inside. The stamp image fit in the center of the back side and served as the focal point for the card. A "direct-to-paper" technique was used to tone down the white paper and to bring the deep red and brown tones from the pattern into the stamped image. Rub-ons were added to the corners and folding sections and were easy to apply using the enclosed craft stick. The dragonfly charm served as a great accent tied to the string on the closing clasp. All of the edges were inked to distress the paper even further than the original pattern. It turned out great!

Title: Spread Your Wings Triptych Card
Products used: Patterned Paper, Rub-ons and Charms (Dove of the East, China Journey)
Stamp (Lost Coast Designs)
Inks (Ranger Adirondack: Red Pepper, Espresso, Ginger)
Ritzy Ditzy Glitz Spray (Powder Keg)
Clasp (EK Success)
Template (houseofstirfry.com/chia)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I fully enjoyed working with the China Journey Collection. The papers would be great for any travel, garden or family pictures. I can imagine an album of a trip to the Far East using this Collection - what beauty it would be! The paper is a bit challenging to trim down to a smaller size if needed since many of the patterns border the outer edges of the pages. With a little thinking in advance, you can be creative in using the paper to maximize it's usefulness to your project. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this Collection because it has a unique look that is hard to find in today's scrapbooking world. Enjoy!

---

Review by Rebecca

When I was a little girl my dad used to tell me stories of his grandfather who was Chinese and had long hair that he wore in a braid. This was the first thing I thought of when I received the Dove of the East products to review. The collection I received was China Journey.

Dove of the East was started by Doveen Schecter and I find her story to be very interesting. In her interview with Memoryvilla she explains that she is "...I’m an American living in Hong Kong, married to a German photographer, who I met in Russia where I was working in marketing for an American company." That sounds like an intriguing life!

The China Journey collection consists of eleven different patterned papers, ten different charms, stickers, rub-ons and a treasure box. For my review I received the papers, rub-ons and a sample of the charms.

The patterned papers are definitely influenced by China. Eight of the paper designs are a bright red design with gold designs. Two of the papers are a light green with bamboo and a pine grove design. The final paper is a gold paper with words around the border. All of the patterned papers are 12" x 12" papers that are thicker than regular patterned paper. The Asleep in Spring paper caught my eye immediately and I used it on a canvas hanging. The Dove of the East papers definitely appeal to me. However, I do not scrap 12" x 12" exclusively and some of the patterns of the papers make them more appropriate for the 12" x 12" size and when trimmed to a smaller size the papers lose much of the design. For example, Forbidden City and Pearl of Wisdom have corner designs and a top design that would be lost when the paper is trimmed.

The charms that I received arrived in a gold organza bag attached to a red card. The charms that I received were a tiny key, shell tag, mini mahjong and a jade fish amulet. The charms are easy to use because they all have holes that go through them so they can be attached with wire or string.

The rub-on sheet is filled with over 30 designs. There are corners, borders, bamboo, dragons, words and much more. I used a couple of the rub-ons on my scrapbooking page. The rub-ons went on without much pressure and without the other rub-ons on the sheet sticking to the photos. The designs are very detailed and rich with color!

Fish Fun
Products used:
Cardstock (Prism Prismatics: Suede Brown Medium, Sugar Cream)
Patterned Paper (Dove of the East: China Journey Bamboo Grove, Circle Key Window, Embrace)
Letters (Heidi Swapp Chipboard Letters: Newsprint Crimson, She White; Heidi Swapp Silhouette Words: Family; Heidi Swapp Plastic Letters: Fat Cat Sea)
Rub-ons (Dove of the East: China Journey Foreign Accents)
Ink (Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Black Soot, Brushed Corduroy)
Pen (Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

Canvas
Products used:
Preserve Your Memories II Aerosol
Canvas (Master's Touch)
Patterned Paper (Dove of the East: China Journey Asleep in Spring)
Paint (Heidi Swapp Acrylic Paint: Pumpkin)
Charm (Dove of the East: Tiny Keys)
Ink (Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Black Soot)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

Dove of the East is an impressive company. The story behind the founders is interesting. The products are quality pieces that are rich in color and detailed in design. As I sit with the China Journey collection on my scrap desk I can't help but wish that I had a photo of my great-grandfather with his long hair worn in a braid!

---

Review by Penny

Dove of the East is a relatively new company having entered the craft and scrapbook industry just over two years ago. Since that time, it has manufactured over 120 products divided into four collections: China Journey, Russia Journey, India Journey and its most recent, Japan Journey.

I had the opportunity to review the China Journey collection. There are 11 sheets of 12" x 12" paper in this collection comprised of deep, rich reds and golds, silvery blue accents and pale whispy greens. It is hard to describe the opulent patterns and colors of these papers. There are eight sheets of paper that are primarily red with gold accents in circles, swirls and brass corners, two sheets of pale green papers--both of them with subtle foliage images and one sheet with a rich gold, softly textured pattern. Papers retail around $0.60 each.

An 8" x 8" sheet of rub-ons supports the Chinese theme with multiple colored bamboo, bird in a tree, Chinese language and brass corner images, just to name a few. The color and detail of these rub-ons match those of the paper, simply superb. They rub on easily and retail for $4.99.

I also received a small package of charms tucked inside a gold organza bag and secured to a sturdy cardboard backing. The charms in my package included a jade heart, a silver dragonfly, a silver key and a miniature mahjong tile. Continuing with the attention to detail, a small notation is included on the back of the package suggesting the use of the organza bag and the cardboard backing in your projects as well. The charms in this collection retail for $4.99.

I used the jade heart charm in my first project, which I covered with a pink rub-on. The subtle "Embrace" and "Bamboo Grove" patterned papers give a soft look.

Title: Dream Girl
Supplies:
Patterned Paper ("Bamboo Grove" and "Embrace") (Dove of the East-China Journey Collection)
Rub-Ons and Charms (Dove of the East-China Journey Collection)
Scalloped Patterned Paper (Creative Imaginations)
Stickers (Heidi Swapp, Chatterbox)
Ric Rac (Tie One On Monthly Ribbon Club)
Adhesive (Ad Tech Permanent Bond Glue Runner)
Other: flowers

I had only one stumbling block while working with the papers. Most of them are framed or designed in such a way that a 12" x 12" layout is what would look best, such as my "State Capitol" layout below. For those that scrap in different sizes you may have a little trouble working around this.

Title: State Capitol

Pebble Bead Detail
Supplies:
Patterned Paper, Rub-Ons (Dove of the East-China Journey Collection "Bamboo Grove" and "Circle Pearl Window")
Pebbles (Robin's Nest)
Stickers (Provo Craft, American Crafts)
Adhesive (Ad Tech Permanent Bond Glue Runner)
Other: tag, fiber, ribbon (from my stash)

If you are looking for a little something to spice up your scrapbook pages, the China Journey collection is unique and vibrant and one that will certainly draw some attention.

---

Review by Karen

Dove of the East is a new company to me and I wasn’t sure what to expect from them. I had heard wonderful things from people who had seen their booth at CHA Summer 2007. My mind raced thinking of the rich colors of the Orient, the beautiful floral patterns and tapestries and all the wonderful charms that I knew existed in the Far East.

Once my box arrived, I was able to see what all the talk was about. I received the China Journey collection. My box contained 11 different patterned papers, 1 package of rub-ons, and a small bag containing 4 different charms. The papers are heavy weight single-sided papers with a cut off strip containing the bar code and other information. The rub-on sheet is roughly 8" x 8" and is packed with images. The charm bag contained one small key charm, one dragonfly charm, one mini Mahjong tile, and one shell tag.

At first I was a bit worry about having photos that would work with these beautiful papers. But the more time I spent looking at them the more I realized that I did have lots of options in my large stack of photos. One of the papers that really stood out to me is called Pearl of Wisdom. Across the top of the paper are two dragons in gold on a read background, and I knew exactly what page I was using this paper for!

My first page is for our Disney albums. I loved the subtle green on green print of the Pine Grove paper. I cut apart the Pearl of Wisdom paper so that I could have one of the dragons facing my photo of the kids with Mushu. I punched holes in the background and placed left over pieces of the red Pearl of Wisdom paper to fill the holes. I used the key charm with a punched heart, because Mushu stole Anna Claire’s heart. I used a rub-on corner on the edge of the dragon paper.

Title: Mushu
Products used:
Patterned Paper and rub-on (Dove of the East)
Journaling spot (Heidi Swapp)
Punch heart(Fiskars); Circles (EK Success and Making Memories)
Key Charm (Dove of the East)
Stamp (Autumn Leaves)
Ink Lemonade (Ranger Inc)
Flowers and brads (Queen and Co)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

My second project is also for our Disney albums. This page started with Empress Silk paper as my background. I cut it down to 11" x 11" and placed it on Black cardstock. I used the boarder from the Embrace paper as an accent and the center was punched to create an accent. On the small yellow circles, I added some of the rub-ons to create a boarder.

Title: Club Cool
Products used:
Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Patterned Paper and rub-ons (Dove of the East)
Circle punch (EK Success)
Letter stickers (American Crafts)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I am so excited about this new company! The papers are beautiful, the embellishments are unique and the rub-ons are wonderful. Speaking of the rub-ons, when I opened the package the rub-ons didn’t feel sticky. I worried that they wouldn’t apply well, but boy oh boy was I wrong! These rub-ons are amazing. I think that they rank up there with the best of the best rub-ons.

Even though I had reservations when I first learned about this company, I was very impressed with the quality of everything that they make. And pleasantly surprised that I would be able to use these products to create pages from lots of different themes. I loved working with everything that I was sent and look forward to seeing what they come up with in the future. You really should take some time to check them out!

---

Review by Renee

There is nothing more exciting to a paper junkie, than truly beautiful paper. So, image my excitement when I opened the China Journey collection from Dove of East. These are truly elegant, beautiful papers that are almost too beautiful to scrapbook.

The Dove of East papers are cardstock weight papers featuring Asian inspired designs and colors. The color palette is done in a rich red, with warm golds and cool greens. There are bamboo motifs and other Asian symbols. The papers are called enticing names such as Bamboo Grove, Asleep in Spring, Embrace, Forbidden City, Pearl of Wisdom, Circle Pearl Window, Circle Key Window, Bamboo Poem, Pine Grove, Empress Silk and Secret Door. The collection also comes with a sheet of rub-ons entitled Foreign Accents, as well as gold organza bag containing charms called the Treasures of the East.

The papers are so well decorated that they require very little in the way of embellishment. Most papers can be used virtually alone to create a simple, elegant scrapbook page, making your scrapbooking go extremely fast. The addition of a few rub-ons from the sheet and a charm from the treasures is all that is needed to create a complete page.

For my first project, I used the Bamboo Grove patterned paper sheet as the primary focal point for a sophisticated layout documenting my weight loss journey. I wanted to draw attention to the beautiful bamboo artwork found on the right hand side of the paper, so I divided the sheet in half and removed a small portion from the center. The beautiful, painting like feel of the paper needed very little in the way of embellishment to present with a finished look for my layout. I added only a little bling and the rub-on characters from the rub-on sheet as my title.

Title: Hop, Dream, Journey
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics Black Prismatics)
Patterned Paper (Dove of East)
Rub-On (Dove of East)
Bling (Heidi Swapp)
Flower Bling (Target)
Pen (Zig)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

As I looked through the papers in this collection, most looked like works of art in themselves. On sheet in particular reminded me of an Asian inspired wall hanging. For my second project, I used the Asleep in Spring paper to create a wall hanging. To create this piece, I cut the Asleep in Spring paper just past the poem and applied a line of glue to the back side of the larger sheet. I took the cut portion of the paper and matched the edges until the size of the finished piece created a pleasing rectangle. I embellished this sheet with the hardware pieces from the rub-on sheet, ribbon and a few of the charms from the package of treasures.

Title: Wall Hanging
Products used: Patterned Paper (Dove of East)
Rub-ons (Dove of East)
Ribbon (May Arts)
Charms (Dove of East)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

The Dove of East China Journey collection is a truly beautiful collection of patterned paper. The colors are rich and elegant, and the artwork featured on the papers makes the papers almost complete without embellishment. The papers are so beautiful, that they can easily be used as elegant decorations for the home. If you are a paper junkie also, you should definitely give the collection a try.

For more information visit Dove of the East