CHA Announces 2010 Anaheim Attendance Numbers

February 17, 2010 By 1 Comment

The Craft & Hobby Association has announced attendance figures for the January consumer and trade shows in Anaheim, and the organization described the numbers as “positive” in its release.

Despite the near catastrophic rain in California that week, the CHA Craft Supershow attracted 8,044 attendees on the Friday & Saturday preceding the trade event. 3,500 of those tickets had been pre-sold. Attendees came to the Supershow from 36 different states and 22 different countries. The Supershow presented consumers with 41,288 sq. ft. of display space.

“The response to our inaugural SuperShow in Anaheim demonstrates that we can be successful at growing the industry by introducing consumers to different crafts,” explained Steve Berger, President and CEO, CHA.. “We believe the SuperShow will continue to grow as more and more consumers experience a broader variety of crafts first-hand, and then share what they learn with their friends and family.”

The CHA Winter 2010 trade show gathered 6,700 buyers and business networking attendees. This was a 5% increase over 2010 according to CHA. [CHA did not release counts of exhibitors or exhibitor staff for the 2010 Winter show.] One major area of growth at the show was in the new exhibitor section. The show’s count of 100 new exhibitors was a 40% increase over 2009, perhaps reflecting increased optimism about the economy from businesses and entrepreneurs.

“The CHA Winter Show continues to perform well even in a challenging economy,” said Berger. “The fact that we had nearly a 5% increase in attendees and over 100 new exhibitors is a positive indicator of the strength of the industry and the CHA Winter Show.”

The trade show featured 185,250 sq. ft. of exhibit space, a decrease of almost 19% from 2009′s size of 228,056 sq. ft.

CHA Summer 2010 will return to Rosemont, Illinois and the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center from July 27th-29th, 2010, followed by the CHA Craft SuperShow on July 30th and 31st, 2010.


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Top Ten Product Trends at CHA Winter 2010, Part 2

February 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

It’s time to look at part two of the top ten product trends from CHA Winter 2010! (In case you missed it, here’s part one.)

Please note that these trends are intended to take a look at the types of products that are being offered, not the specific design and style trends that were being applied to those products.

6. Fabric/Canvas

Top row, left-right: Studio Calico, Prima, Prima. Middle row (l-r): Adornit, BasicGrey, BasicGrey. Bottom row (l-r): Melody Ross for GCD Studios, Claudine Hellmuth Studio, Webster’s Pages.

Maybe it is a reflection of the homemade/vintage feeling that is sweeping scrapbooking, but a lot of CHA Winter products were created from textiles. Replacing the hard metal embellishments of a few years ago, fabric is both more versatile as a material and more affordable. There’s also less government regulation to worry about for manufacturers, such as issues created recently by the CPSIA.

Some fabric items, such as Donna Downey’s products for Prima, are a blank starting point for projects. Others, such as Studio Calico’s Fabrips borders, are full-featured embellishments designed to be incorporated into other projects.

7. Embossed Cardstock

Left-right: Jenni Bowlin Core’dinations, Bazzill, Tim Holtz Alterations.

Products that were either already embossed or for creating embossing are becoming quite common in the scrapbook market. All of the manual die cutting systems seem to offer embossing accessories, and Tim Holtz caused big buzz at CHA with his new Alterations embossing designs for the Sizzix machine. Many of the cardstock companies (like Bazzill and Core’dinations) seem to be entering a gray area between cardstock and patterned paper providers by branching into embossed designs. It’s also becoming more frequent for patterned paper companies to include embossed designs in their lines (K and Company has a long history of this, for instance).

8. Spray Ink/Mist

Left-right: Smooch Spritz, Inkadinkado, Chalkboard Glimmer Mist.

Ink of all kinds is a hot product right now. But spray ink, which has only recently gotten attention as a category, is the hottest of all the inks – attracting attention even from papercrafters who don’t own a single stamp. Tattered Angels offered up a big expansion of its Glimmer line at CHA Winter 2010 and many other companies also either offered the product for the first time or expanded existing offerings.

9. Fancy Buttons

Top: American Crafts Glitter Buttons. Bottom: Bazzill Vintage Buttons.

Buttons are back as part of the vintage trend, but with a twist from their classic scrapbooking incarnation. Instead of plain buttons we now have glitter buttons, textured buttons, and bling buttons. Gone are the days of companies selling color assortments of plain buttons to coordinate with their lines – now they must have extra detail of some kind. Offerings from companies like GCD Studios and Bazzill remind me so much of my grandmother’s button jar!

10: Die Cutting

Top row, left-right: Cottage Cutz, Sizzix eClips, Tim Holtz Alterations. Bottom row (l-r): Cricut Cake, Spellbinders, Craftwell eCraft.

At CHA Winter 2010, there was plenty of proof that lots of companies see both digital and manual die cutting as a viable market. Several new exhibitors were associated with die cutting, and some of the show’s biggest buzz was centered around the Cricut Cake machine. Besides the Cricut Cake, Sizzix and Craftwell also showed new electronic cutters, greatly expanding the options in that area for consumers. On the manual side, Cottage Cutz was exhibiting as an independent producer of dies, an indicator of the perceived strength in that market. Tim Holtz’s new collection of vintage style dies for Sizzix has potential to reach a new audience for their machine, which is known for a more graphic or cute style of design.

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2010: A banner year

February 4, 2010 By 2 Comments

Editor’s Note: A few days ago Scrapbook Update identified banners as one of the key product trends at CHA Winter 2010. Now, Contributing Writer May Flaum takes a closer look at that trend.

A few months back, I noticed banner patterned paper in a Studio Calico kit. I’ve also noticed digital brushes and other files from Rhonna Farrer at House of 3 that I like a lot. The more I think about it, the more paper banners make sense in scrapbooking. I am not sure why, but it would seem 2010 is destined to be a year of banners in scrapbooking. This is one trend that is picking up speed quickly!

{image above from American Crafts CHA booth – the Dear Lizzie collection}

Banners were all over the sneak peeks for CHA-Winter, and once on the show floor I noticed them everywhere – both decorating the booths and on product as well. Here are a few examples:

Melody Ross (above) has chipboard that could be turned into a decorative banner, mini book, or so much more. Webster’s Pages (below) has incorporated banners into their paper and ribbon.

The Dear Lizzie line from American Crafts (above) held banners in all forms from paper embellishments and patterned paper to stamps. October Afternoon (below) has a lovely banner sticker in their new “go fly a kite” line.

Making Memories (above) has a whole set of travel stickers full of banners and colors that make me want to take a vacation to somewhere warm. Jenni Bowlin (below) introduced make-your-own banner stickers. I think these are clever, and because they are paired with alphabet stickers on the same sheet, you can make titles or decorative accents for your projects as well.

Maya Road, The Girls’ Paperie, and several other companies also have products with banners coming out. There’s so many choices! Now, as products become available in stores, the next question is – how will I incorporate this trend in my crafting? My number one suggestion is that you make sure that your banners aren’t just floating around on your project. Ground them to the edge of a photo, to the edge of the paper, to an embellishment, or to some other element on your page.

To make your own banners, I have two suggestions. First, try cutting out squares of patterned paper and then cutting from the bottom center up to the top corner of each side. This will give you a pretty triangle like the example I’ve shown below.

My second suggestion is that you use a triangle punch, or if you want a different feel you can use a circle punch and cut it in half and string the pieces together.

Here is a layout I created with the new Jenni Bowlin banner stickers:

supplies: New Jenni Bowlin stickers and buttons, October Afternoon patterned paper from Thrift Shop line, Prima flowers and rhinestones, American Crafts pen, unknown trim, cardstock, and buttons

I went for a relaxed imperfect look to my banner, and I really like how these stickers come with little alphabet letters. The neutral colors will work well for a number of page subjects.

I look forward to seeing banners incorporated in more pages as these products hit the shelves. From every day occasions to birthdays, I can see a lot of possibilities here. Across the top, in the center, for titles, over a corner, at the bottom, or any other way you cut it – I am loving this new trend!

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Top Ten Product Trends At CHA Winter 2010: Part 1

February 2, 2010 By 10 Comments

At every trade show, trends emerge about what kinds of products manufacturers are introducing. Scrapbook Update has identified the top ten trends in new products that showed up at CHA Winter 2010 in Anaheim, and we’re going to take a closer look at them in a two-part series.

(These trends shouldn’t be confused with design trends, which will be addressed in another article. This article just deals with what types of products are being introduced, not what style they are.)

So, in no particular order…here’s the first five of the top ten product trends from CHA Winter 2010:

1. Banners

This trend is actually a product and a design trend. Banners were everywhere at CHA Winter. They were for sale as products, and handmade ones were used as booth displays to show off new products. But here, we’re only concerned about the products. There were canvas banners, banner board books, banner stickers & paper, and banner stamps:

Clockwise from top left: Canvas Home Basics, Canvas Home Basics, October Afternoon, Maya Road, Webster’s Pages, October Afternoon.

2. Decorative Tape

Tape has been around for awhile in a limited sense – I personally own a huge collection of the Heidi Swapp and Making Memories designs and love using them on pages and cards – but now tape is popping up everywhere. There was even a new exhibitor at CHA Winter called Love My Tapes that sells nothing but tape.

Tape is appealing for several reasons to both buyers and sellers. It can sell at an affordable price point for a large quantity. It also has use to a wide range of crafters, from scrapbookers, to cardmakers and beyond.

Clockwise from top left: Love My Tapes, Pink Paislee, Pink Paislee, 7 Gypsies, Tim Holtz idea-ology, Making Memories.

3. Felt

Felt has been around for awhile as well but it is becoming increasingly commonplace. The retro craze has made it especially popular. It’s being used for a wide range of sticker-type embellishments, as well as by companies like Queen & Co. for ribbon-style borders.

Clockwise from top left: Prima, Making Memories, Dear Lizzy by American Crafts, BasicGrey, Kaisercraft, Queen & Co.

4. Artist Trading Cards

ATC’s have been on the fringe of the paper crafts industry for awhile but lately they’ve been growing in importance as companies like 7 Gypsies have been releasing products aimed squarely at that activity, and stampers and scrapbookers look for more things to do with their supplies.

At the CHA Craft Supershow in Anaheim, one booth was doing brisk business in selling ATC card blanks from specialty papers by Strathmore. At the trade show, companies as diverse as Tim Holtz and Making Memories both introduced ATC supplies. Many stamp designs were being sold that were obviously influenced by the ATC aesthetic, which is infiltrating mainstream scrapbooking.

The bottom example here is of the most importance in illustrating this trend. It is of the Shabby Chic version of the new Tim Holtz idea-ology paper pads. It includes pages that are 12×12 as well as pages that are designed to be cut into smaller sizes. There’s some 6×6, some tiny squares, and then some pages that are a combination of ATC’s and borders. This is a big development in the market, selling a product that is designed assuming that most buyers are interested at least somewhat in ATC’s as well as more traditional scrapbooking and card making.

5. Unmounted Rubber Stamps

The use of acrylic stamps has been exploding in the scrapbooking industry. There are several reasons for the growth of unmounted rubber: Concern about the design limitations of clear stamps, a desire to attract hardcore rubber enthusiasts as customers, or the need to compete with the price of clear stamps.

Clockwise from top left: Eco Green Crafts, Hero Arts, Stampendous, Lizzie Anne Designs, Stamper’s Anonymous, Unity Stamps.

Stay tuned for part two, coming soon!



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May’s CHA Winter 2010 Favorites: Tools & Things

February 1, 2010 By 1 Comment

This is my final post on show picks and favorites, and you will find everything from mists to stamps to punches here. The items in this post are things that didn’t fall under papers, stickers, trinkets, or trims, and so I’m gathering them here. The ideas are endless; the possibilities limited only by imagination. There are a lot of items I really want to take a closer look at.

There are a number of notable releases that you will not find in this article such as Tim Holtz’s new Sizzix dies and machine; Tsukineko’s release of metallic staz-on inks; the Cricut Cake; Fiskars’ new line of scissors; new EK Success punches; and so much more.  Some items I don’t have images for, while others I felt would need a closer look (that I didn’t have opportunity to take at show) before giving my seal of approval. I see product reviews in my future here at Scrapbook Update, so you should be hearing more from me on products mentioned here and many others.

For now, let me show you my last batch of show favorites:

Sometimes it’s the little things that get me excited. This slow-dry medium from Ranger and Claudine Hellmuth will let me play with my acrylic paints even longer than before. That’s awesome news.

Melody Ross and GCD are hitting it out of the park with unique stuff. I heard these stamps described as similar to leather tools you used at summer camp to put your name on a belt. They are something you can use on leather, chipboard, and lots of other materials.

Here is a shot of more of the fonts available. I really can’t tell you which is my favorite because I want them all. They look like so much fun.

Ranger had a lot of amazing products worth mentioning, including this new black and white enamel accent set that took my breath away. Opaque, glossy, and dimensional, this is a product I’ve wished existed for a long time. Now I can add detail and accent to my projects without pulling out paint.

On first glance these artisan elements by Pink Paislee look like they are hard ceramic, but in reality they’re a bendable, flexible polymer that can be inked, spritzed, painted, and customized however you desire. I’m really looking forward to experimenting with them and seeing what I can do, and how I will be able to make them work for whatever color palette I’m working with.

Distress Ink is nothing new, but Tim Holtz has added twelve new colors and that is something to celebrate. They are wonderful colors and I look forward to writing about them in detail here at Scrapbook Update. (Stay tuned!)

Acrylic stamps continue to pop up in so many lines and I continue to love them. This set from the Dear Lizzy line at American Crafts will work well for any number of layouts and paper craft projects.

I’m not sure where to even start with Tattered Angels. They added in new colors to their classic glimmer mists and have products designed by Heidi Swapp that are noteworthy. They also added new products such as the chalkboard mists shown below. Their new releases were all outstanding and I’ve chosen three to highlight here. The chalkboard mists are hard to describe because they produce a creamy chalk like finish but they still have the sparkle and shine you’d expect from Tattered Angels. They are really something cool.

I’m excited about the glimmer glaze from Tattered Angels as well. I love that I can get a more controlled application than the glimmer mists but with the same beautiful sparkle and shine you’d expect.

The glimmer glam from Tattered Angels also has a really nice daubber in it and the glitter and sparkle is off the hook. Private Meadow was a favorite color, but honestly, I want a lot of these!

I have to fit this stamp from Pink Paislee in here too. I just love that they’ve come out with such lovely little stamps that go with their collections but also can be used with anything you like.

Tonic Studios has a new punch that is unique. At first glance I thought “oh, cute butterfly punch” but it’s not JUST a punch…

As you can see, the butterfly does not punch all the way out as a normal punch does, but you could cut it out if desired. I just love the butterfly being a part of the paper and it’s intricate wings lifting up with a contrasting color or pattern underneath.

This concludes my picks for Winter CHA 2010, but do stay tuned for trend articles, reviews, and much more. Now that I’m home from CHA my head is full of ideas and things to share with you. If you have any questions, comments, or want to share anything with me please feel free to leave a comment here or e-mail me at may@scrapbookupdate.com

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