CHA Winter 2010 News Briefs

Here’s the briefs on all the news you need to know for CHA Winter 2010:

Weather:

The good news is that as the week has gone on, the weather forecast for Anaheim for this weekend and next has improved quite a bit. The chance of rain through Friday is 80-90%, and after that the chance of seeing rain throughout CHA week will be 0-10%, with the exception of 40% on Tuesday, when scattered showers are forecast. Temperatures are forecast to be somewhat comfortable during the day with highs in the 60′s. However, it will be quite chilly at night with lows in the mid-to-low 40′s. So if you will be out-and-about after dark come prepared with some layers!

Graphic 45 Booth Giveaway:

If you drool like I do over the beautiful samples every time you venture near Graphic 45′s CHA booths, you’ll love the giveaway they are running at CHA Winter 201o. At 1:30 pm each day of the show they will give away a selected collection of booth items. Then on the last day of the show they will be giving away items in the booth from all three collections at one time! For every $100 you spend at Graphic 45 you will receive a raffle ticket for this giveaway.

If you aren’t a retail buyer or aren’t feeling lucky in the raffle, there is still a way to win some Graphic 45. At 1:30pm each day of the show 50 people will receive one paper pad absolutely free just for showing up in Graphic 45′s booth for the raffle!  Plus, Graphic 45 will have a roving secret agent out on the show floor giving out paper too…so keep an eye out and maybe it will be your lucky day!

Stacy Julian Finish Line Kit:

Stacy Julian’s popular Finish Line concept and classes help scrapbookers quickly put together finished pages and albums with their pictures. Now she is extending that concept to kits! Julian will be selling a limited number of the premiere version of her new Finish Line kits at the Supershow on Saturday in the Treasured Memories booth (#553).

As Julian explains on her blog, each of the kits will be themed to a certain project:

I love the idea of personality and will therefore give each of my kits a distinct personality and a name. This first kit, just in time for Valentine’s Day is specifically designed to help you scrapbook a big stack of everyday snapshots depicting love at home.

The first kit is called “Complete Bliss” and is themed to be used with photos like those Julian keeps in her Library of Memories organization system drawer called “All About Us” under a tab called “Together Forever”.

Live Reports from CHA!

Scrapbook Update will be reporting live from CHA via several methods:

Paperclipping Roundtable will also be doing a taping at CHA. Stay tuned over the weekend to the above outlets and the Paperclipping Roundtable home page for details on the location as soon as it is available to us!

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CHA Giveaway Winner: Domestic Goddess

It’s time to pick some winners of CHA goodies!

First up is the Domestic Goddess collection from Graphic 45 giveaway!

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The winner is….

KariLynn on August 3rd at 6:39pm:

“What an awesome vintage collection. Really nice and different stuff.”

Congratulations to KariLynn! Please send me an email from the email address that you registered for the giveaway with to verify your identity. I’ll need your mailing address to send your prize along to you!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Top Product Trends from CHA-Summer 2009

CHA-Summer is over, and time has given us a chance to synthesize the new products and trends that we saw. Here’s Scrapbook Update’s analysis of the top product trends that we saw on the show floor at CHA-Summer 2009:

Kitchen Themes

Lots of companies are trying to capitalize on the nesting trend that the recession has brought us, as well as on the upcoming holiday gift market for handmade recipe albums. Food and kitchen-themed collections were shown at CHA-Summer by companies that included BasicGrey, Graphic 45, and BoBunny. For BasicGrey, in particular, the collection was a big expansion of its themed designs (which had previously been limited to its baby & winter holiday collections).

Basic Grey Nook & Pantry

Basic Grey Nook & Pantry

BasicGrey Nook & Pantry papers

BasicGrey Nook & Pantry papers

Vintage Holiday Themes

CHA-Summer always sees the release of the winter holiday lines. This year, there was a heavy emphasis on vintage in the holiday line releases. Certain companies, you’d expect to see that emphasis from, such as Graphic 45, Pink Paislee, and Webster’s Pages. But other companies that are more flexible in their style, such as KaiserCraft, BoBunny, and Cosmo Cricket also showed vintage-inspired lines for the holidays.

Cosmo Cricket

Cosmo Cricket

Pink Christmas

Of all the festive colors you might associate with the winter holidays, pink probably isn’t high on the list. Yet many companies this year were showing holiday lines that incorporated a good deal of pink. Among the companies celebrating a pink Christmas this year were Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker, BasicGrey, My Minds Eye, and Upsy Daisy Designs. In some collections, the pink completely replaces the traditional red, while in others it complements it.

BasicGrey's Eskimo Kisses

BasicGrey's Eskimo Kisses

Cherries

Cherry icons started trending at CHA-Winter and they were seen in several lines at CHA-Summer. Some of the manufacturers showing cherry icons in their designs included Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker, Basic Grey, and Cosmo Cricket.

BasicGrey Bling It cherries

BasicGrey Bling It cherries

Die Cut & Laser Cut Papers

Lots more lines are using die cut or laser cut papers in lieu of higher-priced embellishments in their lines. Some of the new styles are patterned papers with a die-cut outer edge, and some styles are more complicated laser cut “lace” papers. As the offered embellishments in lines have decreased, the offerings of these “paper as embellishment” options have increased. Notable companies on the CHA-Summer show floor that were offering die-cut or laser cut paper options included Little Yellow Bicycle, Crate Paper, BasicGrey, BoBunny, Sassafras, Jenni Bowlin, and Pink Paislee.

Little Yellow Bicycle

Little Yellow Bicycle

Little Yellow Bicycle

Little Yellow Bicycle

Buttons

After falling out of favor for awhile, buttons are back, presumably for their affordability and versatility. Buttons also appeal to cardmakers, an expanding market that many scrapbook companies are trying to reach. BasicGrey, Making Memories and BoBunny were among the companies showing button assortments with their new collections.

BoBunny buttons & bling

BoBunny buttons & bling

Chipboard Buttons

An extension of the resurgence of buttons is a trend toward a new kind of button: chipboard buttons. These are lightweight and easier to adhere than real ones. Jenni Bowlin showed some beautiful ones at CHA-Winter, and added a huge assortment at CHA-Summer. Making Memories showed some holiday ones. If you’d like to design your own buttons, Technique Tuesday has an exciting product – buttons made from their chipboard tile material that can be stamped, inked, glued, or painted!

Jenni Bowlin chipboard buttons

Jenni Bowlin chipboard buttons

Technique Tuesday chipboard buttons

Technique Tuesday chipboard buttons

Journaling Products

Part of the new trend toward affordable embellishments has been an emphasis on journaling products like pre-designed tags, stickers and sheets for journaling. Loads of lines had some form of these embellishments, but standouts included Little Yellow Bicycle, Basic Grey and Jenni Bowlin.

Jenni Bowlin memo books

Jenni Bowlin memo books

Felt Embellishments

This trend is possibly a hold-over from the 1970′s trend that has all but disappeared due to the rise of vintage. Felt embellishments were shown by companies in a variety of styles, from Sassafras’s 1970′s signature style to more vintage looks from BasicGrey & Making Memories.

Making Memories

Making Memories

Pearls

Along with the rise of vintage style in scrapbooking has come a new kind of bling: pearls. Prima showed a large selection of pearl designs in its CHA-Summer collection, and KaiserCraft was among the other manufacturers adding pearls to their line of embellishments.

Prima

Prima

Fabric Embellishments

The trend toward texture in scrapbooking has continued through the use of fabric embellishments. Prima, Pink Paislee, and Webster’s Pages were among the companies showing various fabric embellishments (primarily tags) at CHA-Summer. But most notable were the denim and corduroy offerings of new exhibitor Buzz & Bloom, who won CHA’s Innovations award for the CHA-Summer 2009 show for their product offerings.

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Buzz & Bloom cord patchwork

Buzz & Bloom cord and denim alphabets

Buzz & Bloom cord and denim alphabets

Bingo Cards

Bingo cards started showing up at CHA-Winter and they were back with a vengence at CHA-Summer. Unity Stamp, Tattered Angels, and Jenni Bowlin were among the companies showing bingo card designs in various products.

Tattered Angels

Tattered Angels

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CHA Giveaway: Domestic Goddess by Graphic 45

Graphic 45 made the CHA-Summer 2009 Top 10 Hot Picks list for its Domestic Goddess collection with its unique vintage interpretation of the kitchen and food themes that are currently so trendy.

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Graphic 45 has donated a full 12 sheet pack of the Domestic Goddess collection for one lucky Scrapbook Update reader to win.

All you have to do to be the lucky winner is leave a comment on this entry before Midnight U.S. eastern time next Sunday night, August 9th. Make sure you include your email address in the line for it on the comment form (for your own protection, don’t put it in the body of the comment, where it will be visible to the public – just in the box in the form where only I can see it). You will need it to verify your identity if you are the winner. One entry per person and this giveaway is limited to US and Canadian entries due to postage expense.

Check out all of the Scrapbook Update CHA-Summer 2009 Show Reports and check back because there is going to be a lot more CHA giveaways on Scrapbook Update!

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Scrapbook Update CHA-Summer 2009 Top 10 Hot Picks

I came, I saw, I photographed. I asked questions. I listened to what other people were talking about on the show floor. After weighing all of that, here (in no particular order) is the Scrapbook Update list of Top 10 Hot Picks from CHA-Summer 2009.

1. Toy Story 3D Papers by Sandylion

Sandylion has a new line of licensed papers coming out to coincide with the release of the new Toy Story 3D movie later this year. There are two noteworthy things about this line. First, they will be exclusive to local retailers for the first three months. But what makes them really cool is that the papers are designed to appear to be 3D when used with the 3D glasses that will be distributed for viewing the movie. Yet when viewed without the glasses, the papers look perfectly fine. Between the popularity of the Toy Story license, and the 3D gimmick, expect these papers to be extremely popular!

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2. Pink Paislee

At each show, there is usually one or two companies that absolutely nail their entire collection. This time, one of those companies was Pink Paislee. Vintage is hot and they interpreted it perfectly for the holidays that buyers were looking for at CHA-Summer (Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day). Their embellishments and their papers are both gorgeous, a rare feat in a collection.

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3. Provo Craft Cricut Gypsy

The Cricut is the dominant force in the electronic die cutting market, and this new portable gadget (available in October) is causing a lot of buzz. The Gypsy will let Cricut users carry their entire cartridge library with them on one portable device, great for carrying to a friend’s house for a crop, and also let them plan and create cuts while they are away from their machine. There is a lot of future potential for functionality in this device. (Watch for a future Scrapbook Update article with details on the Gypsy and its possible future.) Cricut devotees will likely love this new gadget.

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For video of the Gypsy in action, check out the Craft Critique YouTube channel.

4. Jillibean Soup Corrugated Alphabet

Corrugated is a popular look with fans of kraft paper, and Jillibean Soup is going to make them very happy with their new kraft Corrugated Alphabet. The alphabet comes in a single lowercase font as a die cut sheet that contains multiples of the most popular letters.

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5.  Prima

Here’s another company at CHA-Summer 2009 that hit a home run with its entire new release. There is something for everyone in the new Prima introductions: bling, pearls, fabric, florals, and papers. There is even a new budget-friendly line called “e.” that wholesales for only $.75/pkg.  Whether you are vintage or graphic in style, something here will appeal to you.

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Check out the Scrapbook Update CHA Giveaway of the Prima e. collection to win your own!

6. Jenni Bowlin Chipboard Buttons

Once again, Jenni Bowlin makes an appearance on the CHA Top 10 Hot Picks list. This time it is for her beautiful (and trend-conscious) chipboard button embellishments. They are simple to use, can lay more flat than real buttons, and the decorative designs on them make them an extra special element on a page, card or tag.

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7. Mudd Puddles

Texture is hot. Mudd Puddles are a sand texture suspended in a glue mixture that can be spread on a surface, creating the appearance of the surface being coated in sand when the glue dries. It comes in about a couple dozen colors, mostly natural sand colors but also a few colors like blue and pink. Mudd Puddles created a lot of buzz on the CHA show floor, and at the Supershow on Friday, seemed to be a hit with consumers who were buying it as well.

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8. Quickutz Lifestyle Letterpress

Quickutz is selling its latest tool under a new brand name called Lifestyle to broaden the reach of the brand outside the scrapbook market. The Letterpress tool is an accessory for the new Epic 6 die cutting machine which uses ink and embossing folders to print letterpress designs and type on high-quality paper. The company is selling a line of inks and cotton paper as well as the tool and the printing plates. Designs are available to create all sorts of social stationary such as cards, letterhead, invitations, and place cards. After printing, the back of the designs are actually raised off the the paper, just like in traditional letterpress printing.

IMG_5797IMG_5790For video of the Letterpress in action, visit the Craft Critique channel on YouTube.

9. Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday

This is the only repeat on the hot picks list from CHA-Winter, but it is a well-deserved one. Ali continues to demonstrate that she has a magic touch for usable product design with her new stamp releases from Technique Tuesday at CHA-Summer. Fans of Ali’s style (and there are legions of them) will fall in love with this release. I have no doubt that these stamps will be as successful as her earlier efforts for Technique Tuesday have been.

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Want to win some Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday stamps? Check out our giveaway!

10. Domestic Goddess by Graphic 45

Kitchen themes and vintage were both big on the CHA-Summer show floor. Graphic 45 combined these beautifully in its Domestic Goddess line. It actually goes beyond just a kitchen theme and includes tributes to other domestic arts practiced by women of the 1930′s and 1940′s. And like everything Graphic 45, the colors are rich and deep and the designs are true vintage.

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Win the Domestic Goddess collection from Scrapbook Update!

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