CHA Winter 2013

I'm back from CHA with a flash card full of photos from the show!  Hopefully they'll give you a taste of what it was like to be there.  First of all here are the big CHA winners!

Katy Sue designs won the CHA New Product Innovation award for 2013

and Spellbinders Paper Arts won the Attendees Choice award for best new product.

There is so much creativity and innovation at the show, voting for the best is not an easy task.  We're not allowed to photograph all the new products displayed in the Innovations showcase, but the "Hot 20" are shown in my previous post.

Now let's get to the show floor.  This is what you see when you first walk in: 

First stop was where the crowd gathering to see Cathy & Steve's new product, Mod Melts at the Plaid booth.

After that I headed to the far end of the hall and started to walk, taking photos of displays and friends I met along the way.  There's a bunch to see, so grab a cup of tea, coffee, or whatever, sit back, put your feet up and enjoy your visit to CHA!

 

Holly Simone at Spellbinders demonstrating their new mixed media line using Ice Resin.  Check out Holly's ring shown below.

Here's Beth Watson demonstrating at one of the exhibitor booths.

 

 

Jan Mollett Evans shows how to use a new hot tool and encaustic paint, one of the new "Hot 20" products.

Cindi Bisson demoing Ice Resin.

Believe it or not, this heart was made from a glue stick!  One of those "oldie but goodie" techniques seen in more than one booth on the show floor. 

 

 

 

 

Here's Johanthan Fong browsing one of the booths and here's Ana Araujo (Where Creativity Knocks) signing copies of her new book for fans.

 

Theresa Cifali was demoing for Impress Arts and here she's seen with Johanthan Fong and Gail Green.

 

This is the new Artisan Xplorer, a small, high pressure die cutting machine for Spellbinders' mixed media program.

Love these trinkets by Darcie Hunter, a shrink art program.

Tim Holtz, always busy, always creative.... in the Ranger booth.  Below is one of his shadow box projects and below that, a fun new surface to play with when you have "time"....

Here's Julie Fei Fan Balzer demoing her stencils for Crafters' Workshop.

Here's Sue at the Flower Soft booth proudly displaying her new Innovations award.  (Katy Sue designs also founded Flower Soft.)

Ken Oliver in action above and that's me with Michelle Frae Cummins.

The glamorous Cindy Farneth Alexander - Stacey Caron's sister and me posing for a photo op with Ken.

Spellbinders was definitely the gathering place for lots of friends.  Here's Candice Windham.

and me and Stacey.

Here's Heidi Borchers, Starr, Julianna Hudgins and Tiffany Windsor checking out Julianna's beading loom at the Beadalon booth.

By the time Tuesday came around I was definitely "dragon".  The flight home was cancelled due, believe it or not,  to ice and snow in Dallas so my friend, Jean Kievlan and I took a quick side visit to Downtown Disney before heading to the airport to catch a later flight back home.

Got home last night a little after midnight and it was good to sleep in my own bed.  Today I'm being totally lazy....   I enjoyed a good cuppa tea this morning, but haven't even started to unpack.  Tomorrow will be soon enough.

Hope you enjoyed your quick visit to CHA.  Y'all come back now.........

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

CHA Winter 2013

Good morning Anaheim!  We're baaaaack............     It may be sunny, but it's pretty cold here.  Not surprising there's snow on the hills........

I attended the the New Product Innovations sneak peek event, and was also one of 6 judges.  Each year manufacturers are encouraged to submit any of their new products for consideration.  The judges receive a list from CHA and select, what they feel are the top 20.  These manufacturers are then invited to attend the event where they demo the product for the judges, who then select their top 3 choices for the Innovation Award, and 2 runners up.  These are the  "Hot 20" products which were presented for the judges:

Fiskars Brands Inc. – The AdvantEdge™ Punch System adds decorative borders to craft projects while the slide-and-lock technology keeps the paper in one place and slide the punch cartridge from one lock-in slot to the next, keeping every punch perfectly spaced.

Fiskars Brands Inc. – Fuse Creativity System® is the only 12” system on the market that can die cut and letterpress in one easy pass through the machine.

 Global Solutions, Inc.– Self Adhesive wax seals are an easy way to make your project special. Simply peel and stick the seals on to invitations, scrapbooks, cards, soap or wine bottles.

 Craft Attitude – JEWELRY ATTITUDE™ is a way for jewelry makers to personalize their metal, leather, beads, charms and accessory jewelry items with photos and names. By printing right on the inkjet compatible film, photos and words are crisp and clear.

 The DMC Corporation – Emma Broidery: Memory Thread How To Guide features more than 60 pages of instructive photographs and projects that educate, encourage and inspire crafters and stitchers alike. The book includes step-by-step instructions for trendy jewelry making and paper crafts as well as needlework applications.

Environmental Technology Inc. – EnviroTex Jewelry Clay® is a new professional grade Jewelry Clay® that will not shrink when cured. EnviroTex Jewelry Clay® will adhere to glass, metal and wood.

Beadalon – The Jewel Loom™ designed by International Jewelry Artist Julianna C Hudgins fits perfectly in the palm of your hand allowing for ease of use for a comfortable grip and ultimate control while bead weaving.

We R Memory Keepers – Envelope Punch Board is the first and only Envelope Punch Board on the market! Just punch and score for perfect envelopes. No scissors necessary.

Ranger Industries – Tim Holtz Distress Paints are fluid water-based acrylic paints for multiple surfaces and are reactive with water just like Distress Inks and Distress Stains–perfect to accomplish a wide variety of artistic techniques.

 

Spellbinders Paper Arts – Spellbinders Imperial Gold is brings out the 4th dimension with die templates that cut, emboss, stencil and deboss. Never before have you had the ability to cut & create in multiple layers with a single die template.   Spellbinders never disappoints.  The detail on this new line of dies is amazing!

Sticky Sticks LLC – Sticky Sticks are tongue depressor-sized craft sticks with the most amazing adhesive on one side of one end. They stick permanently to paper, ribbon, felt, foam, and wood.

June Tailor, Inc. – T-Shirt Transformation Ruler Center, lets you mark and cut perfect T-Shirt blocks for quilts, tote bags, pillows and more. Printed grid lines and 45° markings to perfectly align and center t-shirt graphics.

Katy Sue Designs – Silicone Molds for decorating cupcakes and candies are FDA compliant perfect for fondant, candy or chocolate top instantly. With developments in food safe colourings such as pens, crafters can now transfer colour techniques to their cakes.

ImpressArt® Metal Stamps – ImpressArt® Design Stamp Packs offer jewelry and mixed media artists collections of metal stamps in themes ranging from weddings and family to sports and shabby chic.

Plaid Enterprises Inc. – Plaid FolkArt Handmade Charlotte Stencils designed by Rachel Faucett, include functional, family-friendly designs that come to life with FolkArt paint.

Plaid Enterprises Inc. – Martha Stewart Crafts™ Glass Paint is specially formulated, high performance premium paints that are permanent, dishwasher safe, and UV/weather resistant.

Purple Cows, Inc. – Encaustic Paint is handmade in the USA from the highest quality of naturally purified beeswax, damar resin with a 1:8 ratio and the finest dry pigments.

Faber-Castell – Mix & Match Gelatos Misting Kit enables the creation of colorful mists using a simple process and the tools using the 8 NEW Gelatos colors. 

Krylon – Krylon® Glitter Blast™ Glitter Spray is a uniquely intense, sparkling glitter finish with exceptional depth that makes it easy to achieve an irresistible look on almost any surface. Sorry - no photo, but it's a spray of colored glitter.

One product really stood out, but wasn't one of the nominations.  Plaid Enterprises presented Martha Stewart's new line of glass paint.  A good product, I'm sure and I'd love to try it, since I love to paint on glass, but the product that impressed me the most was the stencil for the glass paint!  It was a silk screen stencil!  I've seen silk screening for fabric, of course, but this is the first one I've seen for glass paint.  The detail was amazing!

Great products, but this was my favourite photo from the evening:

Hope you enjoyed your sneak peek of CHA's "Hot 20" for Winter 2013.  The winner will be announced tomorrow.  What would you choose?

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

Handmade Home Dec

Mum always said that it was bad luck if Christmas decorations weren't taken down by "Twelfth Night".  That's today - January 6th.  I have a feeling 2013 is not going to be a good year.......  not only did I break a mirror yesterday, it's almost midnight and my tree is still up.  I took all the decorations down and would have taken the ornaments off the tree, but didn't have time to round up the empty boxes to put them in. Ne'er mind, it will get done tomorrow.....  I'm not superstitious, so no worries, I hope

If you read my earlier post, you'll know I'm leaving for the CHA (Craft & Hobby Assoc.) Winter Trade show on Thursday.  Thursday!!!  That's only 3 days away!  Putting Christmas decorations away isn't exactly at the top of my "do do" list at the moment.  The show is much earlier than usual this year.  It's normally held at the end of January/beginning of February, and was a conflict with either Paper World, the European trade show and/or the Super Bowl.  There were lots of complaints over the years, so now it doesn't conflict with either of those events - it's just waaaay too early - another example of - be careful what you wish for.........

Today is also First Monday for Designer Craft Connection bloggers and our theme for January is Home Dec - handmade projects for the home.  The house always looks so bare after Christmas has been packed up, so one or two new things is definitely in order.  Here's a couple of ideas I worked on last night that I thought I'd share.

Both projects use a 12x12 sheet of Smoothfoam™ as the base.  For the first project, I outlined a 7"x7" square at the center using the rounded edge of a craft stick.  To add dimension around the edge I gently pressed the edge of the craft stick into the surface at 1/2" intervals to create the lines from the center to the outside edge.  I've mentioned before that I collect shells, so I glued small shells to the center as shown.  Once the glue had set, I painted the edges, the front, and the shells, with white acrylic paint then glued the large clam shell at the center.  This is going to look perfect on the wall in my guest bathroom.

This second project also started with a 12"x12" piece of Smoothfoam, which I then cut to the same width as the wood frame.  I painted the Smoothfoam with light tan acrylic paint and sponged the frame with white.  Note:  I use a round sponge pouncer to paint the laser frame.  It's so much easier than using a brush.  I glued a 5 x 7 page from an old dictionary at the center then glued the frame on top.  Once that was dry I glued a Starfish, purchased from my local craft store to the center.  Another project for the guest bathroom.  I love it when a plan comes together.

Shells can be surprisingly heavy, so using a light weight surface as a base for these projects is really helpful.  It's also much easier to cut to size.  Don't forget to click on the DCC logo to hop forward for even more creative ideas..... 

It's time to call it a night.  Next time I post will be from CHA in Anaheim, California so, y'all come back now........  in the meantime,

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

Yours truly,
Julie  :)

Scrapbook Soup Series 100 Now Online!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

The end of 2012 also saw the conclusion Scrapbook Soup series 200.   The beginning of 2013 starts with show 101 from the first series.  It started to air today at noon, EST and will be available online at www.scrapbooksouptv.com thru next Friday.  There are 13, half hour shows in each series, so you'll be able to watch this first series of Scrapbook Soup over the next 13 weeks.

Michaels stores was one of our sponsors for this first series, so you'll see a project from Michaels' designers each week, presented by Jo Pearson, or Kathy Kromer.  We also introduced you to our new host, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer.  Julie was a frequent guest on Scrapbook Memories and agreed to step in for Beth for this new series. 

Next week I'll be off to Anaheim, CA to attend the Craft & Hobby Association Winter trade show.  Stay tuned to see photos from the show floor, so you'll be among the first to see the new products coming your way this spring and summer from your favourite companies.

Each new year presents us with an opportunity to set goals and dream dreams.  May your year be healthy and prosperous filled with a multitude of blessings and may all your dreams come true.  Y'all come back now....

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!