Have you ever seriously been blown away when opening a package of scrapbooking goodies? Well I certainly was when I got my hands on the brand new products from Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker! Nikki Sivils is this really sweet, uber-talented woman who made her official debut into the scrapbooking industry at the recent Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) Summer Convention. And boy, is she going to be a smashing success! (Speaking of boys, isn’t it just the coolest thing that her husband — who used to be a lawyer — is now her partner in this scrapbooking business venture? My husband barely knows what a chipboard book is, much less how to make and market them!)

I was lucky enough to get the chance to check out and create with Nikki’s wonderful products, and here are my impressions.

Paper Collections

Nikki Sivils is releasing six paper collections available in 12″x12″ double-sided sheets or in 6″x6″ “paddies.” They are: My Sweet Cherry Pie, Victoria’s Street, Henry’s Brilliance, Boo-tiful, North Pole Nights and U R My Favorite. If I had to use one word to describe them all, it would be adorable! Each 12″x12″ collection includes a scalloped die cut patterned paper (which, of course, is my favorite!) and 4 double-sided patterned papers including a sheet of cute shapes and journaling blocks aptly named ”Easy Cut-Ups for any project.” There are 24 sheets of paper in each of the 6″x6″ paddies.

These lines pretty much all have themes — Boo-tiful is obviously meant for Halloween and North Pole Nights for Christmas; Henry’s Brilliance is perfect for boys and/or Back to School; U R MY Favorite is great for love and Valentine’s Day; Victoria’s Street has a home theme; and My Sweet Cherry Pie is full of, well, cherries (and much more)! But the truth is that most of these papers can be used to scrapbook a wide variety of topics. I love them all — even the North Pole Nights collection, and I don’t even celebrate Christmas!

Here’s just one example of how versatile Nikki Sivils’ collections are: I used My Sweet Cherry Pie to scrapbook pictures of the lot of land that my husband and I are building a home on. You might think if I was going to scrapbook anything with a home theme that I’d use Victoria’s Street, but I thought My Sweet Cherry Pie would work better with my pictures — and I just love that little tree! This layout came together so quickly with just the beautiful die-cut paper and a couple of the cut ups.  Again, isn’t that scalloped paper just the best?!

Stamps, Chipboard Books and Embellishments

Every one of Nikki Sivils’ collections also includes a set of clear stamps that are just as cute as her papers. My very favorite is the U R My Favorite. I mean who wouldn’t want a stamp set that includes everything from a crown to a beautiful swirly shape to a square with the words “RESERVED Frogs in Love Only All Others Will BE TOAD!” How does she think of this stuff?! I especially love how Nikki’s stamps include several pieces that you can stamp and put together in different ways. All of her stamps are made well, create clear images and will please both scrapbookers and cardmakers.

Her chipboard albums in the shape of a house, owl, scalloped square, crown, tree, ghost and tag are also sure to please. I’m a big fan of mini albums and can’t wait to use these, as the shapes are just so creative.  I think it’s great that these albums do not come with the holes already punched. Each of them comes with a ring, but it’s up to you to decide where you want the hole(s) and to punch them yourself.

Other embellishments include corduroy brads, craft flags and bread(less) tabs. So fun!

Bottom Line

As I said at the beginning of this review, Nikki Sivils is going to be a great success in the scrapbooking industry, and I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next! I am so excited to be able to share these wonderful new products with you, and I am sure you will love them as much as I do. For more information, be sure to check out Nikki’s website and her blog.

Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker products are available at a variety of online scrapbooking sites, as well as many local scrapbook stores. Ask your favorite to carry them if they don’t already!

If you’d like to win one of these products, leave a comment here by September 13th and you’ll be entered to win!

Don’t forget to read our other Scrapbooking Reviews – and to bookmark Qwowi so you can keep coming back for more!

***CONGRATULATIONS TO WINNER JESSICA F. OF BEDFORD, VA! THANKS TO EVERYONE ELSE WHO ENTERED – MORE REVIEWS AND GIVEAWAYS COMING SOON!***