It's a pre-CHA blog party

The "my creative cafe" blog is having a pre-CHA celebration and you're invited. Check out their blog party and enjoy the yummy eye candy here.

What's New Wednesday for Jan '09

Well, here we are another new month in a spanking brand new year!

Today's news is to share three brand new companies in the scrapbooking world. Check them out:

Marks Paper Co.

Scrap Within Reach

Jillibean Soup

In just a couple of weeks, the Craft & Hobby Association will host its winter trade show in Southern California and these are just a few of the new manufacturers that will be displaying their wares. I can't wait to see what else is in store!

What's New Wednesday for December

We all know that Stickles are a wonderful addition to any scrapper's toolbox. Well, now there are even more reasons to love Stickles! Can you say distress Stickles? That's right, Ranger Industries has added Tim Holtz Distress Stickles to the lineup and let me just say the new colors are yummy!

The new Distress Stickles are a little different than what we're used to. They aren't metallic/glitter, instead Tim was going for a "chunky glass-like texture, and nostalgic shimmer of mica" to quote his blog. He also says that the glitter in distress stickles "has a timeless sparkle of vintage glass glitter without the glass". Sounds cool! Now I just need to get my hands on some of this.

If you'd like to read more about Distess Stickles (and see some photos and samples), visit the Tim Holtz blog here.

Blog RAK winner!

Congrats to Jenna Franklin (An Altered Obsession) for winning a blog RAK by commenting in the previous post. Jenna, pls contact me with your mailing address so I can send your goodies on their way (I posted my email address in a comment at your blog).

And to others who participated - thanks for your comments about your DIY holiday plans this year.

Dreaming of a D-I-Y holiday?

With the economy being what it is, the blog "Lifehacker" recently raised the question: Are you cutting back on your holiday gift buying this year in favor of more DIY style gift giving like baked goods and home made gifts?

The Associated Press reports that consumer spending has fallen to its lowest point in nearly 30 years. How will that affect your holiday purchases and gift-giving plans? What do YOU think? Is it time to try out your own crafty skills?

Share your thoughts with us and you'll be entered in a drawing for a blog RAK at the end of the month.

(You can also view comments from Lifehacker readers by clicking here. )

What's New Wednesday for October '08

Today's post is about a fun new cardstock. It's actually been on the market for a little while, but seems to me that lots of scrappers still haven't heard about it. The product is called "Core'dinations" and it's a color core cardstock.

So, what exactly *is* a color core cardstock? This answer comes directly from the manufacturer's website:


* PREMIUM, HEAVY WEIGHT, 80LB, CANVAS TEXTURED CARDSTOCK
* Every sheet of acid/ligin free cardstock has a core color which "coredinates" with the surface color.
* The four swatches in each color family have a tab underneath labeled "Core Color". This tab represents the interior color of the sheet. You can choose to keep that core color hidden or add your own creative touch by sanding, tearing or antiquing.

One of the funnest uses I've seen for this cardstock is to dry emboss it and then sand away some of the surface color from the embossed areas. Some of the cardstocks are tone-on-tone, but the company also makes a line called "Black Magic" which, as the name implies, is a black cardstock. The papers in this line have different color cores. Check it out here.

What's New Wednesday (Pt. 1)

This "industry news" post is really just a teaser, because the news I want to share hasn't been announced yet...

Mysterious enough for you? Are you on the edge of your seat? Dying of curiosity? Okay, I'll share the part that is public knowledge: this week Memory Makers Magazine will announce the ten winners of their annual "Masters" contest. According to the rules, that announcement will be made by Friday but could happen even sooner.

I've been following this story a bit more closely than I might otherwise have, because this year I entered the contest myself! It was something of a last minute decision to enter and I'm not really holding out much hope of winning myself at this point. But I'm excited to know who the 2009 Masters will be.

Stay tuned for a "Part 2" update to this teaser!

***UPDATE!!! (aka "part 2")***
I was browsing old blog posts and realized that I never updated the blog with the list of masters (ooops!) So, this is old news now but thought it would be nice to include it anyway. Big congrats to the new Masters team as well as runners-up:

2009 Memory Makers Masters are:

Melissa Blair (Dover, AR)
Christine Drumheller (Zeeland, MI)
Kim Frantz (Oxford, PA)
Summer Fullerton (Tigard, OR)
Veronica Jennings (Waldorf, MD)
Amy Martin (Colorado Springs, CO)
Gretchen McElveen (Helena, AL)
Anabelle O’Malley (Hockessin, DE)
Ronda Palazzari (Thornton, CO)
Jaime Warren (Rentz, GA)

Runners up:

Lisa Andrews (Chandler, AZ)
Rebekah Compton (Ft. Walton Beach, FL)
Lesley Cooper (Waitakere, New Zealand)
Joscelyne Cutchens (Honolulu, HI)
Anne Jo Lexander (Kleppesto, Norway)
Jing-Jing Nickel (Roseville, MN)
Emeline Seet (Singapore)
Revlie Schuit (The Netherlands)
Kayleigh Wiles (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada)
Jacqueline Yeo (Singapore)

Just Around the Corner - CHA Summer '08

The summer CHA trade show* is held in Chicago, IL and is just a few short weeks away - July 18-20. While I won't be able to attend the show, you can bet I'll be watching for manufacturer sneaks of all the new lines and products that will be released.
(*CHA is the Crafts and Hobby Association and they put on two large industry trade shows every year where new products are released.)

Here's one that sounds tantalising (I'm pasting their press release):

New Mrs. Grossman's "Take the Cake"

Outrageous creations from CHARM CITY CAKES inspire tasty sticker collection from MRS. GROSSMAN’S

PETALUMA, CA. June 2008 - Mrs. Grossman’s, the oldest and largest decorative sticker company in the country, and Charm City Cakes, the Baltimore bakery that turned cake decorating into a hit show, have teamed up to launch Mrs. Grossman’s Charm City Cake Sticker Collection.

The unique line of stickers was inspired by the imaginative custom cake creations of bakery owner and celebrity chef, Duff Goldman. Star of Food Network’s hit reality show, Ace of Cakes. Goldman and his like-minded design team, are legendary for their colorful, made to order cakes which have included everything from classic, one-of-a-kind wedding and birthday creations to a massive, edible Hogwart’s castle for the premiere of Warner Bros, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

“I think these stickers really capture the spirit, fun and diversity of Charm City Cakes,” says Chef Goldman, whose baking tools include everything from blowtorches to power saws. Andrea Grossman, president and founder of Mrs. Grossman’s agrees, saying, “we think this collection is a good mix of elegance and wackiness and will appeal to everyone from fans of the show to home bakers and craft enthusiasts.”

Goldman selected twelve of his favorite cake designs to be illustrated and represented in Mrs. Grossman’s new collection. Each one of the distinctive decorated cake stickers are surrounded by a variety of coordinating decorative embellishments. Ideal for decorating everything from cards, envelopes and gift bags to recipe binders and scrapbook pages, each package includes a bonus - Duff’s favorite recipe for French Buttercream.

Each 4” x 5” package features one sticker sheet – suggested retail $1.99. For more information go to mrsgrossmans.com. Mrs. Grossman’s Charm City Cake Sticker Collection will launch at the CHA (Craft Hobby Association) trade show at the Donald Stephens Convention Center in Chicago, July 18 – 20.

###

Here's one of the new cake stickers (click on the image to see all of them). A big thanks to Lara Starr, Marketing Director at Mrs. Grossman's for the link.

What's New Wednesday for May

This month's "news" falls under a category that isn't exactly all that new - sketches for scrapbooking. They're called by different names -- blueprints, floorplans, grids, page recipes, page maps-- and they are a scrapper's best friend!

If you're stuck, they can provide you with a starting point for your layout or give you the inspiration to spin off your own creation. Using a pre-designed layout grid can also save a scrapper lots of time, so that instead of using precious minutes to decide on page arrangement, valuable time instead is used for creating the page.

What's new in the "sketches" world are two terrific books:

The first is "Page Maps" by Becky Fleck. Here's a review from Amazon.com:

Editorial Reviews

Book Description
Scrapbook Page Maps takes the guesswork out of where to begin by giving plenty of design ideas for their scrapbook layouts!

By referring to the sketches in the book, readers can select photos, papers and embellishments and then bring the page together quickly and easily. Helpful resource information such as a supply list and photo sizes are included on each card, along with page information cross-referencing the sketch back to the book. Scrapbook Page Maps is the essential book for beginning scrapbookers as well as those short on time.

And you get more than just an inspiring, design-filled idea book!
Also included is a deck of laminated cards that includes a thumbnail of many of the sketches in the book along with corresponding finished layouts.

The second of the new "sketch" books I want to share with you is "Layout Blueprints 2" - the eagerly awaited sequel to Amy Elkins "Layout Blueprints":

I haven't seen any reviews of the book yet, but I know it is due to hit stores very soon. I loved the first book and have been anxiously anticipating the arrival of the second one!


You can check out the Layout Blueprints blog here.

Hall of Fame

Today was an exciting day for ten scrapbookers. Why? you may wonder. Well, because ten talented ladies were announced today as the 2008 Creating Keepsakes Hall of Famers. You'll see their work featured in the CK magazine in coming months.

Here's the roster:

* Amy Martin
* Andrea Chamberlain
* Cindy Tobey
* Denine Zielinski
* Irma Peredne
* Kelly Noel
* Linda Rodriguez
* Lisa Habisreutinger
* Melissa Deakin
* Suzy Plantamura

Congrats to the new HOF as well as to everyone who entered for consideration. Putting together a submission package is quite an undertaking and I'm impressed by anyone who can accomplish it.

March is National Craft Month!

Did you know that March is National Craft Month? Well, it is! So here are some tips on how to be more crafty this month (exerpted from CrafPlace.org)

Get involved - Crafting doesn’t have to be something you do alone. Be part of something:

• Take a class- try something new or brush up on old skills. Take a friend and share the experience.
• Volunteer to share your crafting expertise- work with local scouting troops, nursing homes, your local library, after school programs or community centers.
• Join a crafting club, quilting guild or attend a crop - Can’t find a local group? Start your own! Contact your local craft store if you need help spreading the word and getting started.
• Connect with kids - Children of all ages love to craft. Use National Craft Month to get in on the fun with your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews!

Happy crafting!

Some photo collages from CHA

I took nearly 800 photos while I was at CHA. Unfortunately, there are some blurry and poorly lit pics in the lot, so right now I'm busy working my way thru the "pile" and editing those that can be fixed. Here are a few collage "snapshots" of several manufacturer's booths. I'll post some more collages later:









BTW, if you'd like to see full size pics instead of collages, I'll be posting LOTS of them along with my comments & thoughts here.

Winter CHA 2008 Is Here!

What is CHA? Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) is a business-to-business trade association representing all facets of the craft industry and the hobby industry. CHA holds two large trade shows (Winter and Summer) where manufacturers' introduce and showcase their products. For the Scrapbooking industry (and SB mfrs make up a huge portion of this show), this means *lots* of new products to ogle. Many of the manufacturers also conduct demos and make-n-takes at their booths. Some give out samples. It's an exciting event to attend.

I'm excited to say that I'll be attending this year's show for a few days. I can't wait to come back and tell all. Stay tuned!