Can we talk about the elephant in the...forum?
 

:crying::crying::crying:

Melissa & Shawna are retiring!! As a mom of 2 boys, these are like boy kit designer icons and I am SO sad to see them go!

Would anyone else like to share any favorite kits from them that are a NEED? Or any favorite pages you've made with their product?

Like this most perfectly boy kit ever from Melissa:
https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...up-preview.jpg

And maybe a moment of silence for this incredible hunk of boy kit going away forever?
https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...oy-preivew.jpg


I'll probably be back. After I'm done browsing their categories and gently weeping. :unsure:

I can't talk about this :crying::crying::crying:

No. We cannot talk about this. I refuse to talk about this..because I don't want to see them go!

I'm sadden when anyone leaves... but this one really hurts. :crying:

This one was on my wishlist- so I totally grabbed that quick!

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...as-preview.jpg

And I just scrapped a layout with this one-
https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...kitprev700.jpg

:( SO sad to see them go!

I think we should have a rule that designers can't leave.
Once you're in, it's for life.
It just hurts too much when they decide to do what's best for their own selves.

Though maybe it's our fault. Maybe we didn't buy enough. It's my new strategy: Buy all the things so no one ever leaves.

So sad to see them go but wishing them the best in their new adventures.

My must-haves, need-haves are those gems:

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...le-preview.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...le-preview.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...ce-preview.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...ert_1month.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...nths_17jan.jpg

I'm going to miss Melissa's Christmas kits so much!!!

THIS! :crying::crying::crying:

No words, just this --> :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying:

:crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: I’ve loved being with Melissa on her team over the years. I’ll miss it SO much, but refuse to miss her. I’m making her stay a part of my life :hugs:

so sooo sad!

My favorites:
https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...ctmpfgMIY9.jpg
https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...ctmpKPYdUA.jpg
https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...ctmpOmXMdw.jpg
https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...ctmpGF6Dd7.jpg

Noooo! It makes me so sad that we're losing both Melissa and Shawna. I've been lucky enough to CT for Melissa for about 7 years--it's hitting me hard that she's retiring. Now one of my other favorite designers is retiring at the same time...the digi world just won't be the same without them!

I wish Melissa and Shawna tons of success in whatever comes next for them, and I'm sure I'll continue to scrap with their designs for a long time to come.

I think we all agree that we are all going to bury our heads in the sand!! :crying::crying::crying:

Yes!!!!

I'll vote for this!! <3

I just grabbed these beauties. A bittersweet experience. These news are so sad. I don't want any designer to retire. ;_; Still remembering when Captivated Visions retired I wanted a bunch of her kits and always regret not buying the collab with Brook and Amanda "Toucan Do It". It was so beautiful. :'( Also early this year when Sugary Fancy retired I had already hit my scrapbooking allowance somewhere else. So I regreted it too.


https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...ve-preview.jpg
^ Just realized that I own at least 5 dream/sleep kits and probably all of them are a bit similar in color and theme obv lol I regret nothing though

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...er-preview.jpg
^This one has been in my wishlist forever. So sad to have grabbed it in such sad news.

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...sh-preview.jpg
^I kept adding and removing this from my cart. I love everything about it, the color palette, the elements, the papers but I don't think I have photos for it lol. At the end decided that I NEEDED IT.

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...st-preview.jpg
^ :wub:

I totally agree with Sara - they are both amazing designers all around and will be so missed, but man those BOY kits!!

It makes me so sad that these are going to be gone from the store in less than a week. :crying: Here are a few of my favorite kits by Melissa and Shawna that aren't already in the thread...

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...le-preview.jpg

The teen add-on for this school kit is fantastic--mixing it with the base kit makes it so much easier to scrap my middle schooler.
https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...le-preview.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...as-preview.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...le-preview.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...le-preview.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...w00-bundle.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...as-preview.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...heschool01.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...brosquad01.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...it-preview.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...me-preview.jpg

I totally agree with the "boy kit icons" .... Melissa always has fun, loveable easy to use designs for the holidays too, and as much as I find it difficult to work with Alphas, Shawnas are definitely my favorite to use. :crying: I love the kits these ladies create and will miss them and their designs so much. :wub:

These are some of my favorites that are still available to pick up:

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...ctmpATfCXx.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...CTdecdrama.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...ctmpY72Dww.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...highCTJenn.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...ctmpU6GCrF.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...0/babytrio.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...es-preview.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...nbow-small.jpg
(buttons are from a lot of kits)

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...43119830_n.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...ge-preview.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...eview-logo.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...r2-preview.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...dium/vday1.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...er-preview.jpg

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...ugsnkisses.jpg

It's so hard for me to pick a favorite Shawna kit, so I picked a few:
I used this so many times to scrap my boys' love for life when they were little:
https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...e-agoodday.jpg

I love the colors & the message in this one:
https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...le-preview.jpg

I scrapped the last pictures we have of my kids with their grandmother with this one because when they remember her,
I want them to remember all the happy memories they have:
https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...ts-preview.jpg

I have a question... sorry if it's already been asked & answered.

For Bingo - Can we still use collabs that Shawna & Melissa did with designers that are still at SSD?

Thanks!! :wub:

As long as one of the collab designers is still at SSD, it's good for Bingo.

That's what I figured, I just wanted to make sure :)
Thanks, Rachel! :wub:

This is why I tend to purchase collabs during retirement sales.... so I can still keep these designers with me and in the gallery ;) :) (I also sorted out my stash and moved collabs into the folder of the other designer to keep them in my 'usable for challenges' stash :)

I went a *little* overboard with my purchases but I just had to grab all the goodies I could before they were gone FOREVER :(

I scrapped one last layout with Melissa and Ru's Rule the School collab before Melissa retires....sniff, sniff. (Not that this will be my last layout with the kit, but it will be the last layout I put in Melissa's gallery.)

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...7_rach3975.jpg

I'm so sad to see these ladies retire! Definitely exceeded my budget snagging kits that had been on my wish list.
Bittersweet - wishing them well but selfishly wanting them to stay forever!

Does anyone know if their galleries will still stay here to keep us inspired? Or do they pull those down tomorrow too?

I'm not affiliated with SSD, just a community member, but I imagine they would get pulled as well, just like the other designers who have retired :(

Gah! I'm just seeing this and I have three things on my wish list from them... when I click them it gives me and error code - are they gone already?!

PS - I can't seem to find an "I'm retiring" announcement anyway for either of them?

Unfortunately their retirement sale has already ended. It ran from the 14th through the 22nd. :(

I don't think either of them posted it in the forum, but it went out in the newsletter a few times. It might have been on the blog, too.