You know how excited you get when you hear about a relatively new scrapbooking company — especially in these scary economic times — and then you actually lay eyes on their stuff and realize it’s even better than you had hoped? That was exactly my experience with TaDa Creative Studios.

This company has been designing scrapbooking products for a couple of years now — and I’ve heard of it before — but I had never actually seen their products “in person.” My recent interest in the company was sparked by a short column in Creating Keepsakes featuring the Whirly Gig collection. Little did I know that I would like the rest of the company’s products just as much, if not more.

TaDa Creative Studios did not release any new products at the recent Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) Winter convention, telling me that they are a small company and at this time prefer to focus on their products already on the market. And, now that I’ve had the chance to play with a good amount of those products, I can tell you they’ve got plenty of stuff for all of us to work with!

STYLE

Since 2007, TaDa has  released 11 collections for scrapbooking and card making,  I was lucky enough to be able to check out 5 of them — Daddy ‘O, Whirly Gig, TaDa Signature, Ring Around the Posy and Curly Q. (Don’t you just love the names?!) Every collection includes double-sided patterned paper and coordinating die cuts, along with laser cut cardstock and unmounted rubber stamps for use with an acrylic block.

What’s great is that these lines are all different, with their own unique style; there’s no way you won’t find at least one collection that really appeals to you. I happened to really like them all, though my absolute favorite is Curly Q, which I used to make this layout about the baby showers I went to in 2008. (Here’s a closer look at this layout.) This paper is totally for me, since I am all about flourishes! If flourishes aren’t your thing though, TaDa Creative Studios has paper with flowers, paisleys, snowflakes, dots, lines, etc — in all sorts of appealing color combinations.

QUALITY

I was very impressed with the quality of the paper, die-cuts and stamps made by TaDa Creative Studios, especially since I had never worked with them before. This is the kind of patterned paper and embellishments that we all want to work with. The laser cut cardstock  is textured and not at all flimsy, which is especially important because the shapes are so intricate.

VERSATILITY

I found the products by TaDa Creative Studios to be very versatile. Most of their papers (besides the Christmas/Winter collections) don’t really have a theme, and I think sometimes that makes it easier to create. Even the paper that seems to point you in one direction can be used for something totally different.

For example, Daddy ‘O screams Father’s Day, but I ended up using it for a very different kind of man in my life — Brad Paisley! I know it might sound silly, but if you recently went to a Paisley Party concert (Brad, Chuck Wicks, Jewel and Julianne Hough) and later find laser cut cardstock with a big paisley, what else would you possibly use it for?

COMPATIBILITY

I love the fact that each collection includes not only paper but also embellishments, stamps and — my favorite — the laser cut cardstock. That makes these products really easy to work with — and helps you get your layouts done fast. Both the layouts I made with TaDa Creative Studios products came together very quickly and only required a few other basics from my stash to complete. We all know how important this is, because most of us really don’t have an infinite amount of time to devote to scrapbooking.

BOTTOM LINE

We do, however, always seem to find the time to shop. So I encourage you — if you are lucky enough to have a local scrapbooking store — ask them to start carrying TaDa Creative Studios if they don’t already. Or look for their products online.

Products by TaDa Creative Studios can be purchased at these retail and online stores. Check out their website for more information, and of course don’t forget to bookmark their great new blog. If you can’t wait that long (or you just like free stuff), leave a comment here by Wednesday March 18th and you could win two of their awesome stamps!

Don’t forget to read our other Scrapbooking Reviews — and to bookmark Qwowi.com so you can keep coming back for more great reviews and giveaways!

**I also wanted to tell you about another new scrapbooking-related find of mine that I think you might enjoy. Check out www.favecrafts.com. This website is chock full of information and hundreds of scrapbook layouts and ideas to inspire, along with a great collection of craft projects and knitting and crochet patters. They also have a fun blog. Don’t you just love the internet?!**

***Congrats to winner Jamie P. from Pittsburgh, PA! Enjoy your goodies!***