Noteworthy | 9.30.2011

As October creeps up on us, the fall projects and seasonal tutorials are getting into full swing! There are ideas galore, and I've picked out several from this week's offerings to share with you along with some other noteworthy stories. There never seems to be a dull week in this industry, so let's dive right into the good stuff for this week:

I simply must lead off this week with the announcement of a new American Crafts line! Chap is described by the company as:

With its warm colors and designs inspired by clothing fabric, the new Chap line has just enough pop to make it perfect for autumn projects. A subtle vignette effect adds depth to the patterned paper. And the small-to-medium patterns are just right for scrapbooking the boys in your life.

The line embodies the discussion we were having on Paperclipping Roundtable this week about how companies are looking more and more to produce products that can be utilized in a wide variety of ways and that are not so theme specific. I think this line could work for anything from a county fair to a first day of school layout to a special moment page. I love the small patterns and versatility this line offers.

Just this morning I was thinking about how I hoped to find and share more seasonal tutorials and projects through this column, but that I needed to find some new ones. Then I clicked on Heather Bullard's blog and saw this fantastic idea for DIY treat baskets.

I believe that using black gesso would work well in place of the chalkboard paint in this project, or using an acrylic paint & pen in an entirely different color too! I could see these being wonderful for Easter, birthday party favors, and more. What a lovely inexpensive, and fun idea. Be sure to visit her blog for full how-to details.

Looking for a spooky card idea? Check out this post over at the Hero Arts blog. Kandis Smith shares her video tutorial for creating this card that features a vellum window.

“I thought it would be really fun to make a large window on my card. This way you could see the spooky old tree through the window. I also used vellum for my window instead of transparency. I like the way it makes it feel like your looking through frosted glass–just like on Halloween”

I really like this card, and the video tutorial is a really nice bonus so that you can see exactly how to make your own version. In fact, I could see holiday card makers using this idea with a Christmas tree inside.

Even if you're not a card maker, this post by Wanda Guess is sure to inspire. In it, she creates a beautiful fall inspired tag with rich distress ink blending using the new fall limited edition colors as well as some embossing and stamping. Taking things even further, she then creates a card that this tag is placed on. I really appreciate the how-to photos of her creative process, as well as the fact that this beautiful project could be made as just a tag, or a card featuring the tag. I will be sure to incorporate more embossed "water spots" in my crafting, that's for sure!

Early this week it was announced that Sassafras will no longer be a manufacturer of scrapbooking products, and that instead the company will be focusing on licensing opportunities. This news is disappointing to the company's fans, but they can hope to see Sassafras show up with licensed lines manufactured under another brand, or perhaps find exclusives popping up like the two exclusive papers and the chipboard butterflies designed by Sassafras for Studio Calico kits this month that were unveiled just a few days ago in the October Studio Calico kit, called  "Field Guide."  Sassafras's announcement this week hinted that more collaboration with Studio Calico is on the horizon. I sure hope so!

What's new in stores? The new Lily Bee, which was one of the most celebrated new product releases at CHA Summer 2011, is now available. Also hitting store shelves are the Hero Arts stamps with coordinating Sizzix dies and embossing folders. I've seen them in stock at www.simonsaysstamp.com and Scrapbook.com, but you can check your local stores and other sites for availability as well.

“Noteworthy” is a weekly column on Scrapbook Update. Have something new & noteworthy to share? If you have something you would like considered for next week’s column, email may@scrapbookupdate.com with a link or press release.