Trend Watch: Plum

As a fan of the many shades of purple, I can’t tell you how excited I am to see a lush shade of plum popping up all over sneak peaks for CHA Summer 2011. It’s so prominent that I’m officially issuing a trend watch: Keep your eyes peeled for fabulous plum products! Already I’ve noticed many top companies previewing product that features this lovely color. Here are a few examples that I’ve found from the CHA peeks that have started showing up.

I’m wildly impressed with the direction that Studio Calico continues to go in, and they are right on this trend. In addition to the hints of plum in the peeks above of their Memoir paper line, I also noted that they’ve included a new mist called Plum Thumb.

The new Amy Tan + American Crafts partnership is one that I’m very excited about. After seeing the preview on the American Crafts blog I’m even more certain this line will be a winner. Note the punchy bright plum color that works it’s way throughout the line.

BasicGrey has revealed their new collections already, and among them is Indie Bloom – a color-filled explosion of patterns created in bold color combos. Shades of purple are featured throughout, definitively adding BasicGrey to the ranks of companies giving love to plum.

Finally, let’s talk about hot new company Authentique. As a design team member I got to be one of the first to test out this paper and I am really a fan of it’s thickness and beautiful texture. The Splendid line features hints of plum, and a plum alphabet sticker set as well.

There are a lot of directions that can be taken when using plum, and you don’t have to wait for new product to get into this color trend either. Ranger’s Adirondack color line has a beautiful wild plum color and Bazzill has a nice dotted swiss cardstock pack in plum pudding. Digital scrapbookers should also keep their eyes  peeled – I spotted a lot of fresh offerings over at Designer Digitals when I did a search for “plum” including a paper pack, a new set of brushes from Ali Edwards, and much more. Of course I have a feeling that this vibrant color is going to be found much more easily in papers and embellishments – and I’m looking forward to using it more in the future.

I really like the color palettes that I am seeing in use with plum. For more ideas I strongly recommend the design-seeds blog. They have daily inspiration and loads of color inspiration that never fails to give me fresh ideas.

I’m glad to see this color trend. I look forward to seeing it a lot in the coming months, and to seeing what other manufacturers utilize this shade to add a bright pop to their lines. Stay tuned to Scrapbook Update’s CHA sneak peek page for updates as new lines and previews are revealed.

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