Hi friends! Marnie here.I am your hostess this week here at our write. click. scrapbook. site. We are going to have great fun together (the power of positive thinking!!). But I wanted to start our week by closing out our CHA coverage. Aly, Donna, and I attended on behalf of our team. We had a terrific time and wanted to share our thoughts with you.
What a fun show it was this year! The show was abuzz with happy excitement, even more than the past few years. Store buyers were shopping, companies were showing off amazing lines, and there were smiley faces and tired feet everywhere.
I am a huge sucker for scrapbook supplies, so the show is always fun, but this year... ooh... ahh... I want it all! Prepare your budgets now, is all I am going to say!
There is little I can tell you that Vivian hasn't already. I was astounded at how well she was able to spot trends and highlights from all the sneaks! I think the only two extra things that Aly and I noticed were a definitive presence of navy (just a bit here and there, but certainly everyhere and everythere), and many many botanicals.
As our final recap, I thought we might highlight our favorite new product and favorite booth project from the manufacturers we visited. We covered the whole floor in two days andthen spent the third day just slowing winding back through all the booths drooling, oohing, ahhing, and taking note of the amazing creativity that goes into creating product and designing with that fun product.
In no apparent order...
Stephanie has outdone herself, again. They just do so much right. Their papers are exactly what you have come to love, and now, they have struck gold with a new line of embellishments. You will love all the little bits and pieces--buttons, crocheted flowers, felt flowers, washi tape, flags, letter stickers in a couple of sizes; Bella has anticipated all your needs.
The Sophisticates line has grown with new colors added. Then there are three and a half new lines that are all remarkable, but for me, one look at Sunshine & Happiness and I lost total focus. Pure loveliness.
As for favorite project, it was a struggle to pick a favorite layout as there were so many, but this canvas trio really sang to me.
But here are a few other fun ones!
and it was exciting to see Diane up on the wall.
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We couldn't even get into the booth for three days at Jillibean, the line was so long. And understandably so. Four new lines and some cool new addons--the crowd was rightfully happy.
With their signature blend of kraft and white, your sports pages are going to be asking for their new Game Day Chili line. Coconut Lime is ecletic and endearing, with jars, berries, and butterflies. Neopolitan Bean Bisque has telephones and phone book lists (word on the street says it might even have a real person's name or two!! hee! How I love designers (Hi Laina!) with a good sense of humor!).
But at the end of the day, the chicks won my heart.
I was reminded as I looked around at how carefully Jillibean monitors their price points, keeping so many items at truly affordable prices. Their wood flags are half the price of some others; their soup labels are not only priced well, but adorable! (Seriously, they have one that says, "Shut the front door!" What's not to love??)
Couple other things worth mentioning... I think the new smaller scale on the letter stickers will be a terrific complement to their corrugated letters, and the new corrugated albums are awesome! Finally, I won't have to tear apart my cardboard boxes anymore!
Coming up with a favorite project was easy as we spotted our favorite Paula showing off her talented self! Man, she is goo-ood.
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5 new lines to love here. I especially loved the patterns and colors in the Prairie Hill line.
Many of the patterns in the paper were exactly on trend. And I appreciated how they had accompanying elements that were fun and whimsical or more refined. Options are awesome! The yellow in the Spring Jubilee line was eyecatching in its brilliance. The other standout was Christy's new SheArt line. So true to her style and palette, this line is sure to please Christy's fans. And did I mention that paper now comes in 6x6 pads? Woohoo!
Finding a favorite project was tricky as there was much to love, but this one caught my eye with its little tabbed titles on the photos.
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Is it wrong to want all four lines? And every little thing that goes with them? Cuz I do. Victoria Park has polka dots, chevron, and birdcages!
Handmade is pattern perfection. I would bet that it would make remarkable fabric.
But the colors in Double Dutch are mine. Though apparently not just mine, as the booth layout ladies of LilyBee did some tremendous work with them!
Best for last, here, though, was Buttercup. The hues of the yellow, blue, grey and white are perfectly selected and coordinated. Ah!
Much as I loved the paper, and I did so love the paper, I was smitten most by the index cards. I don't keep a Project Life, but I could see all sorts of possibilities for those who do. Between the numbers on the Handmade cards, and the office-looking nature of the Double Dutch, I really did have a case of the "wants." Oh, and if that wasn't enough, they have 6x6 pads. Ack! My budget!
The examples in the LilyBee booth were beyond amazing, but this one blew me away.
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I love Helen! Kind and sweet, and very talented, she has five new lines.
All have organic elements with trees, flowers, clouds, and birds. The iconic images you have come to love and expect from My Little Shoebox are all there, plus the terrific back sides. One of my favorite touches was how four lines have clouds but all are a bit different! Love that!
For ease of purchase, especially online, MLS has put together kits that have all the papers and accessories included in one! So helpful and much quicker on the checkout!
And here is my favorite new paper. Love the little boy and girl. Aren't they sweet?
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Always a favorite stop, this year was no exception! On the Bright Side showcased a trend I noticed with large scale wood patterns. (For me these papers will be better on the 6x6 pads, but I am often afraid of large scale patterns!)
Miss Caroline has an amazing width to the line--so many many papers. And I always love how MME has all the little extras just right there on the spinner, enticing me to buy them!
And then I noticed this huge traffic jam. Hmm. What was back there? Oh, yes, a new line, Follow Your Heart, by Rhonna Farrer. Kites, bikes honeycombs, and a hint of office grids on Be Amazing, and birds, banners, and doilies on Be Happy. The buzz was a-buzzing, it's true and deserved. Really beautiful.
Another new treat from MME is their fabric kits. I believe the price point will be $20--woohoo! Look how fun these will be!
And the favorite project was easy--anything by Karen, please!
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Remember Heidi Grace? Charming, delightful, and whimsical, her work was produced by Fiskars, and then Colorbok, and now? All on her own. With three lines representing each of her three girls, and the fourth her family, we could see her heart, her spirit, and her amzing talent in each line. And might I mention that we love her!
As well as paper, Heidi has some embroidery patterns that can be used on fabric, or paper. And some rubons, and this new paper that is thicker than cardstock but not quite to chipboard. Interesting.
And how about this darling little layout?
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The booth visit was a little lonely with Candace out on maternity (what? she didn't schedule her pregnancy around CHA?? heehee!) but that didn't stop the wonder of all things therm-o-web. A new double-sided, tearable adhesive, iTape comes in varying widths and can go through your die cut machines. Cool, no? Besides tape, it also comes in large dots and sheets! The sticky new circles will help your flower-making projects speed up and stick better. And getting to choose the size of your adhesive is pretty durn cool.
Therm-o-web also has a new glitter spray that you can use to add just a little or a lotta sparkle to any paper or project. Rumor has it that there is a tiny darling running around Cali with it in her hair as she helped herself to Mommy's stash, so perhaps scribble out the word GLITTER when you buy your bottle and keep it high up on the shelf!
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The Lawn Fawn booth was pure joy. Kelly Marie abounds with personality and wholesome goodness. But then, wait... there is paper here! And not just any paper. Papers with hand-drawn patterns that exude the crafty nature of what we do. For instance, not just a chevron, but an ombre hand-drawn chevron. Awesome! Their belaboured selection of the perfect kraft (testing 54 variations to find just the right one!) was not without reward. You will love the shade upon which they decided. Then some eye candy (okay, okay, I'll show you the favorite now...)
and then suddenly, my eye sees this!
Yes, it's true. Hemp cord that rolls about in the packaging so you no longer have a tangled mess of string in your drawer. Unbelievable! Lawn Fawn, where have your ideas been all my life?? Thank you! Thank you! My drawer thanks you!
Oh, and before I forget, they do still sell stamps. Good ones. The resounding show favorite was the middle one with the post cards. (Oooh, the possibilities--the journaling, the minis, the lunch tin notes for my Poppy. Love love love.)
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Cosmo Cricket has rediscovered it roots. Having been recently acquired by Advantus, the business of Cosmo will be turned over, allowing the creativity to shine and take center stage, and take it, it did! All four new lines shine with radiant Cosmo loveliness. The color palettes are unmistakably Cosmo, and the designs will make you swoon. Eric and Julie have truly outdone themselves--I promise you are going to want each and every paper.
And the new tiny texts are both humorous and delightful and will truly add that little something to each of your pages.
The worst part of this booth visit? Having to pick a favorite. But orange and pink together? Positively perfect in every way.
There was no favorite project allowed, though. Just too many...
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With such a terrific concept behind their products, I hope that Simple Stories continues to gain your love and support. They have all sorts of products that are meant to help you get your pages done. Which is really what it's about, right? My hands down favorite was the new album series.
The 6x8 album comes prepackaged with papers, tabs, and assorted page protectors. Then, each line adds a new flavor of insert papers. And did I mention that the page protectors are available in 10 packs or a multipack? Genius! Simply genius.
And of course we are biased, but we loved seeing Miss Emily Pitts' Annie smiling out at us!
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Sometimes I forget to look around at Imaginisce at I get so taken by my man Don and all the fun tools at the make and take station. This year, they have a ribbon burner/trimmer. You just put your ribbon in, and inside, a hot skinny wire heats up, cutting through the ribbon and sealing the edges at the same time! Awe-some!! No more propane lighter and burned fingers!!
Aly was a great model to give you an idea of size.
Another cool tool is the rotary trimmer with the light. Trimmin' in the dark!!! And the Clickit is a retractable exacto trimmer. Safety first!
For paper they have purses, shoes, cupcakes, sunshines, bunnies and chicks. You will not be disappointed. I haven't a favorite layout to show, however, as this guy and his tools were too beguiling! Sorry.
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With four new lines, the highlight was truly the embellishments. I loved all the journaling helpers and saw lots of opportunities to include these extras in your project life albums. The details on their embellishments were spot on and truly made the lines shine.
The colors of the lines will make you happy, too. A denim line that just felt comfy and a summer water line featuring the Pantone 2012 color of the year, tangerine!
This project just made me smile.
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SEI is such an industry stable. They always have strong lines with solid graphics and perfectly combined colors. Even knowing all of that, when I turned the corner of the display to see the new Vanilla Sunshine line, it literally took my breath away. Audible gasping ensued. The colors, the hues, the patterns.
And their layouts are always so very pretty.
Oh, and here are some botanicals.
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EK SUCCESS
EK Success has found amazing success with their Smash Books and now have three new styles to entice your funky crafting.
But the jewel of the booth was truly their molding trays. Just look at what you can do.
What you cannot tell from this photo is that they are light as feathers! With the four basic colors, you add and combine to create any color you desire. Limitless.
And speaking of details, check out this photo.
No, that is not fondent frosting. It is Jolee's embellishments. Makes you hungry, though, no?
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Heidi Swapp is back with her swoopy signature marking her booth as her very own. Produced by Pink Paislee, but very true to her own brand and style, it is great to see the loud, eclectic creative wonder of all that is Heidi. Did I mention neon washi tape?
How about this fun new product?
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With two little darlings, and two bigs, it is amazing to me that Rachel at Basic Grey, was still able to crank out four new lines. And a smattering of really cool kid products.
Back to the paper lines for a minute, the circus theme was my favorite, though Aly and I loved them all.
But truly the extras stole the show. Iron on ties and lace for baby onesies, giant alphabet cards, a coasters memory game, monster gift card holders and Aden and Anais blankets. The products are going to sell themselves. Is it wrong to hope that they are so successful that they are woo'ed away from scrapbookland?
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I love Doodlebug. Its teensy little patterns. Its color palette. Its people. Its products. Its fabric. Its iconic animals. Their new lines are terrific: Boys Only rocks the arrows and stars, Sugar & Spice and Snips & Snails are sweet with their little elephants, monkeys, bears and giraffes. Hello Spring has a bit of Doodlebug whimsy with its shaped buttons, and the Candy Dots glitter paper is absolutely delicious and will certainly be finding its way on to a project or three at our house!
But my hands are trembling with delight to hold their Valentine line filled with delicious little cupcakes, and all those bitty hearts.
And here is my favorite booth project.
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With several releases this time round, Echo Park is again right on target. They have sixteen (yes, 16!) new mini-lines, featuring 5 papers, one specialty paper, and one sticker sheet. It's really a clever idea for those themes that don't need a whole release.
And for full releases, my goodness, the This & That lines are to die for. The jury is unable to decide which they like better, the masculine or feminine version, but it is a unanimous verdict concerning the overall love and success of the two lines. Amazing!
Note to Self and Hello Summer are well designed with good accompanying elements in each line.
I think the Dots & Stripes line, though not as exciting as a full line, has fantastic longevity. The kind of papers that become a goto for me within about a second and a half of getting them home.
As for a favorite? Gosh, the trouble of choosing just one seemed to follow us from booth to booth.
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You know I have a weakness for October Afternoon. You also know that means I enter the booth with ex-pec-ta-tions. And I was not disappointed.Woohoo!
9 to 5 follows the office trend, with OA 50s flair! The well-coiffed typist is accessorized with her pearls! Love that!
Cakewalk is all things birthday including an elephant, of course. Because all of us want an old fashioned circus to help us celebrate! The party hats and little extras will help your birthday pages to melt your heart with goodness.
And then, my favorite, Woodland Park. With critters and happy colors, this line has an eclectic sensability that will surely satisfy many differenct scrapping styles.
Something else worth mentioning is the new minialbums. With cutout chipboard titles and plain paper inserts, the creative wheels started spinning the second I saw them.
As we looked around for favorite projects, we found that everyone was photoworthy. Seriously, how does one pick favorites? By finding Vivian of course. I love this one she did.
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AdornIt has some fun new products with laser cut wood elements and several new paper lines. One of the few companies with a pet line and a father's day line, they certainly fill in some gaps in other releases.
And not that we didn't like their scrapbook projects, but I loved the scraps bunting they created to decorate their booth. Something similar coming to a house near me sooner than soon!
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American Crafts
So many new things. Almost too many to mention. Thankfully, I am just doing highlights! With both Amy T and Elizabeth K having new lines, we are not picking favorites as they are both terrific! I thought the new flutterby papers were novel and clever. I liked the new color scheme on Amy's line and think it will mix in well with her last line, while still being new and fresh.
Elizabeth's new line is also very fun with the coolest crepe paper ruffle paper. Think Anthropologie shower curtains! And the date stamp is a must have.
I was thrilled to see so many of my favorite thickers back, and am happy to decorate them all on my own. Flocking, glitter, and paper--will be so very fun to decorate! They also have some new ones.
And here are some new embellishments.
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With American Crafts now steering the ship, Lisa is free to design. (Noticing a trend here??!) Crate had a great show and their papers looked fantastic. I loved Pretty Party with its spring green, something I have come to look for in Crate Paper collections.
Story Teller seemed to combine two trends, travel and office, into one line. Throw in some navy, red, yellow, botanicals and chevron, and well, this line couldn't be more on trend!
And please forgive me, but I was so busy admiring the displays that I forgot to take a picture of the papers in use! ack! so sorry...
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Jenni's booth is always so well done. We loved this cool paper.
And this layout.
And here is a cool photo idea for a game ball.
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Epiphany Crafts
Check out this lovely booth decor!
And yet another company branching out past scrapbookland, Epiphany has a new line of kids' bracelets that have fantastic potential.
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Making Memories
This was probably the most startling change this year. Making Memories has been such an industry stable and CHA powerhouse for so many years, that it felt strange to see them inside another booth with just a teensy release. But hopefully babysteps will lead them back to the top. Here is my favorite of the new papers.
And here are some other new releases.
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Nikki Sivils
Nikki is not only gorgeous, but incredibly kind. She is the kind that would win the Miss Congeniality crown AND the Miss America tiara. And this year, CHA recognized her with a "Service to Humanity" award for her work with gathering scrapbook supplies for those hit by the tornado in Joplin, Missouri. What a well-deserved honor for someone who radiates goodness.
Her new lines are super cute, too. Audrey is girlie, but in a grown up way. And named for her grandma! How cute is that? Exit Here is a travel line, with planes trains and automobiles! And a cute little owl. Ahhh! Messages is all about typewriters and telephones. Noah is all things boy. And named for a nephew. Nikki's lines are distinct and darling and delicious. You'll love them all.
Please stop by her blog to see them. Somehow in my visiting with Nikki I forgot to take pictures. Ack!
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I love how our industry is learning to lean on each other's strengths. A perfect example is the collaboration between Hero Arts and Sizzix. Couldn't be happier to see things like this happening.
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And here are some extra fun photos:
Donna and I visit Lawn Fawn.
Aly and I stopped by the next day, too.
How about this amazing tree?
David Tutura
Wendy and me
Aly, Angie, and me
And here is Emily writing up an order while someone crazy is pretending to attack her!
We really did have fun, not just scaring Emily, but also scoping out new goodies for giveaways and product showcases. Hope you enjoyed the final recap!
Tomorrow we will start our Showing Off! series. Mmm... can't wait!
