Hey there! It's day 4--the last day of CHA week here at Write.Click.Scrapbook. I feel exhausted but sad it's all over, just like I do on the last day of the show. LOL! This photo is all of the WCS collective members that attended CHA minus one--Karen Grunberg. She left the show early, and sadly we missed the chance to take a photo with her. There's also a mini WCS team member in there--that's Angie Lucas' sweet baby girl. Angie brought her to the show Monday afternoon and she was quite the hit.
I've had so much fun sharing some of the excitement and creativity from my trip to CHA with all of you. I hope you've enjoyed getting a peek at what's in store...or should I say, a peek at what's soon to be in the stores?
I'm so excited to share some CHA-inspired projects with you, but before I do that I'd like to share some of the trends I noticed from the show:
1. Wood veneer embellishments and alphas (Studio Calico and Pink Paislee to name a few)
2. DIY embellishment kits (Cosmo Cricket Glubers, Basic Grey Petals, and Making Memories Bravissimo line--DIY layered paper medallions)
3. Banners are still very popular, but have taken on new shapes and sizes
4. Paper cones were prolific--especially in the form of wreaths
5. Several manufacturers introduced vintage-inspired lines (October Afternoon: 5 & Dime, Echo Park: For The Record, Pink Paislee: Daily Junque)
6. Lastly, I saw a lot of co-branding between manufacturers, or in other words manufacturers collaborating to release a product (Unity Stamps partnered with several manufacturers to release stamps to match their new lines; Pink Paislee, House of Three, and Tattered Angels worked together on a new line, Core'dinations Cardstock partnered with several companies to release color core cardstock to match their new lines, Xyron and Spellbinders worked together to create some new dies)
CHA-Inspired Projects
For the challenge I decided to create two projects: a layout about meeting some of my online friends "in real life". I included parts of three inspiration pieces on my page--rectangular shapes, basic blocking, and a fun text treatment. Here's my page:
I used papers and die-cut stickers from Echo Park's new For The Record line, as well as brand new chipboard newsprint alphas from Studio Calico, and I included some custom epoxies I made with my tool from Epiphany Crafts.
This tool is so easy to use to make custom epoxies or buttons. All you have to do is open the lid, remove the insert, and place your pattern in the viewfinder. Then place the epoxy shape into the viewfinder and press it firmly to your pattern. Then you replace the insert, close the lid and press. Out comes your custom epoxy, and you can add it to one of their adorable settings to create your own embellishment. Love it!
I also created a card using a circle shape as a design element, again using the Echo Park Paper Co new line, For The Record:
Here are some lovely CHA-inspired projects from our Flickr gallery:
I love how Lisa_CT used shapes as a very effective design element for her adorable disney page.
Mirrorz created two layouts. The first uses the Cosmo Cricket Elements paper. I love how she created a collage to frame her adorable photos. The second is inspired by the button frame from the Nikki Sivils booth. I love the woodgrain background and the splash of brown buttons--so beautiful!
Veriety if the spice of life made this adorable magnetic tin countdown board inspired by the butterfly specimen art at the Basic Grey booth. She plans to switch out the tins to match each holiday. Super cute!
From collective member, Lisa Ottosson--inspired by the colors of some of the challenge projects.
From collective member, Paula Gilarde--inspired by the use of shapes from the Lilly Bee booth layouts:
From collective members, Celeste Smith and Marnie Flores, both inspired by the hexagons from the layout at the October Afternoon booth:
ETA: I checked the Flickr gallery right before going to bed last night to make sure I got all the CHA-inspired projects, but Hazel Hamman added these two lovelies while I was sleeping. =) The first was inspired by my CHA notebook, and the second by the Jillibean Soup banner from yesterday. Aren't they beautiful??:
Well, that's it for this week! Thanks so much to our generous give away sponsors (Nikki Sivils, Echo Park Paper Co, and Creative Options), and thanks to all of you who participated in the challenge. I hope this week has inspired you in some way. Happy scrapping!
