Monday, February 28, 2011

White Rabbit!


The March wind doth blow, and we shall have snow 
And what will the robin do then, poor thing?
He'll sit in a barn to keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing, poor thing......

There are so many little sayings I remember from my childhood about March.  Another one is, that as soon as you wake up on March 1st, you should say "White Rabbit".  The first is from a child's poem, but I have absolutely no idea where the second saying comes from.  I have to admit though that, I always try to remember to do this each year.

Don't forget, if March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb and vice versa, so let's hope for a nice day tomorrow!  Y'all come back now.......

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Saturday, February 26, 2011

FREE Cricut Expression!


GIVEAWAY - Would you like a FREE Cricut?   Check back here on 03.03 (March 3rd) to find out how YOU can win!


This could be coming your way!  Y'all come back now....

yours truly,
Julie :)

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Product Innovations


Trade shows are a time for manufacturers to show and promote their latest and greatest products.  CHA is no exception and each show a panel of judges votes on which product they think is the most innovative.  I was excited to be on the panel this year (that's me on the left)  together with (from left to right) Jenny Barnett Rohrs - Craft Test Dummies, Candi Spelling, Terri "O" - CHA Spokesperson, Deborah Norville - TV Celebrity and Craig Nakano - LA Times Home Section Editor.


The evening before the show opened, the panel of judges and many CHA members enjoyed one minute presentations from each of the 20 manufacturers chosen from a total of 100 product submissions.  Here are some of the products we saw in no particular order:

Kandi Corp - deColourant.   This product acts like a bleach on colored fabric, but there's so much more to it than that.  Check out the website for all the details, projects, techniques and much more.


Dave's (Riba) shirt patterns were created by stamping with deColourant.  The amount of color removed is determined by how long the deColourant stays on the fabric and also the type of fabric.  It's a fun product.

Uniformed Scrapbooks of America.  Album covers are covered with a uniform shirt that can be removed to allow for customization and personalization with items such as insignias, badges, pathes and name tags.  The products are officially licensed and available for all branches of the US Armed Forces, police and fire departments.


Design your Own Sticker from Momenta.  Create custom alphabet stickers with an unlimited number of design and color combinations.  All you have to do is purchase an 8.5" x 11" sticker sheet, select your design, pattern and color from the website then print.

Bead Buddy.  Crimps beads in one step.  A great tool for all jewelry enthusiasts!

Color Me™ - Hot Off the Press.  These papers are covered with a raised design that resists ink, so the paper sheets can be custom colored with ink pads, chalks, mists, or Spritz inks.  Designs are gold and white and Glossy for use with alcohol ink.


Romantic Roses Necklace Kit - Quilled Creations.   Use quilling techniques to create sweet paper roses to embellish a necklace.

The Knit Kit.  Perfect for knitting on the go.  This fun set of knitting tools provides everything you need and it is TSA compliant for air travel.


TAP™ aka Transfer Artist Paper - C&T Publishing.  Transfer your imagination into art with this premium-quality transfer paper that allows you to transfer images to virtually any surface with the heat of an iron.  Have fun with fabric, paper, wood, glass, metal, ceramic and more!

Any Book Reader - Franklin Electronic Publishers.  This is a recording tool which uses specially coded stickers to assign your own personal recordings to scrapbooks, photobooks and much more.

Yudu® CardShop - Provo Craft.  This is a small version of the YuDu, perfectly sized for printing cards and other small items.

Rock-A-Blocks by Claudine Hellmuth - Crafters Companion.  The perfect mounting tool to stamp perfect images every time!  

Perfect Crafting Pouch - Scraperfect.   Use this small multi purpose crafting tool for all your big projects. Use for printing, stamping, ink drying, embossing, anti static, clay releasing and sticker deactivating.

And, there was so much more.  SMASH Journals from EK Success, Glubers, which are really big glue spots from Cosmo Cricket to help you create flowers from ribbon, paper, fabric, etc., and Distress Stains from Tim Holtz.   Read about these products and more at Scrapbook Update.

You'll be seeing a lot of these products at your local craft and scrapbook stores over the next few months, if you haven't already.  If not you can always order online without leaving the comfort of your home - especially if it's icy and snowing outside - a great time for crafting.   Check out these photos of my granddaughter below and remember, you're never too young to be creative......... enjoy! Y'all come back now.

 

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Monday, February 14, 2011

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!


I hope you had a wonderful day today, surrounded by loving family and friends.  May we all be so lucky to be so blessed throughout every day of our lives.

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Friday, February 4, 2011

Craft & Hobby Association Winter Trade Show - 2011 - Part 2


Here are more photos from the show - can you believe these dresses were all made from paper!!!

  












Sample Zentangles and Vicki shows how easy it is to create your own photo books with Unibind.

Trade shows are always so inspiring - the creativity on display is amazing.  Manufacturers consistently feature exciting new products and projects that industry designers have created with them. Designers are definitely the heroes and heroines of the Arts & Crafts Industry.  Check back in 2-3 weeks to learn about the Designer Crafts Blog Connection.  Featuring 50 CHA designers, you will be able to quickly hop from designer blog to designer blog to check out what each one of us working on. Y'all come back now!

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Craft & Hobby Association Winter Trade Show - 2011

 
Postcard from LA -  Having a wonderful time!  Wish you were here!

For those of you who have wondered what it's like at these trade shows, here are some miscellaneous photos for you to enjoy.  You'll see a variety of manufacturers booths where they display their products in the most creative ways to delight and inspire.  There are Make It Take Its where retailers can sit and make a small project to familiarize themselves with new product and tons and tons of projects to feature the latest and greatest ideas, tips and techniques.  You can also take workshops and attend seminars, all designed to help us in our business endeavors.  Enjoy!




Standing in line for the book signing by Stacey Caron at Spellbinders






This was a great Make It Take It at the Elmer's booth, sponsored by When Creativity Knocks


What's not to love about this line.......



Julie Fei Fan Balzer taking a quickie Zentangles class at the Sakura booth.



Yummy desserts - no calories and lots of fiber!  Look more closely and you'll see they are made from ribbon!


Linda Peterson with a demo at the Amoco booth.








Julie Fei Fan Balzer in her License & Design booth.
























Anna Griffin with a selection of bags!











"Crafty Chica" Kathy Cano-Murillo



















More photos to come, so y'all come back now!

Yours truly,
Julie :)