CHA Winter 2009 Video Blogs

In addition to all the great blog updates, many others reporters (::cough::: CHA obsessors) are uploading video tours of CHA booths and new products, direct from the Winter 2009 Show. Here are a few highlights:

• Stopandscrap.com - Making Memories New Slice Demo


• Jane Seymour was at CHA, I have no idea why. Studio Calico is very excited about this.


• Oh, and Paris Hilton was too. Just in case you didn't know.


• Pink Donut - Provocraft YuDu Demo (the screenprinting gizmo)


• Pink Donut - American Crafts


• Pink Donut - 7 Gypsies


• Spellbinders Impressabilities


• ArtDeclassified - They put together a cute segment on how the booth was assembled.

CHA Bloggers

Hey readers - I'm obsessed with CHA. Someday I would *love* to go and report on all the exciting new products. But for now I live vicariously through others. Everybody tried to get Paris Hilton pics. Some were more successful than others. Personally, I think she looks great and think the line looks cute. Here's a collection of a few blogs I've found with CHA 2009 Winter updates. :) Do you have a link you'd like me to share? I'm especially interested in pics from the Sizzix and Provocraft booths. Please? Pretty Please? Don't look for pics of October Afternoon's booth, because apparently someone made a big, stinky, shipping, boo-boo. :( And is it me, but is Basic Grey confusing India with Morocco? The new Marrakech line has lots of peacocks and elephants - and frankly, I've never seen either in Morocco. I associate elephants with India, but that's just me.

This black denim zippered & blinged-out album is pretty awesome, I think I want one. And We R Memory Keepers (creators of the Crop-A-Dile) have something called a Corner Cruncher. (hat tip Scraptime)

Ok so apparently Sizzix is not allowing booth pics. Really? Get out! Wassup wid that? Nevermind, Eva from CA managed to sneak a few pics of some new dies.

Also, don't forget to check out my two posts about new exhibitor booths at CHA Winter this year.

Happy "Blurfing"!

• Eva from CA - Hero Arts, Sizzix, Inkadinkado, May Arts Ribbon, Tim Holtz, Webster's Page & more more more. Good, large pics.


• Lisa's Collage Stuff - Lisa of collagestuff.com (fantastic site) has pics of new 7 Gypsies stuff, including their binderie product (binding machine). Also photos from Ranger/Tim Holtz/Claudine Helmuth, Melissa Frances, etc.


• Allison Orthner - Paris Hilton interview and real scrapbook pics.


• CraftCritique - Finally, some Provocraft booth pics! Hannah Montana and European Decoration Cricut cartridges. Paris Hilton & some DCWV (although this stuff is old, right?)


• Debbie Olson - Some nice pics, including Simply Swank (I want more!) and Cosmo Cricket. And some Day 2 pics.


• Scrapbook Oasis - LOTS of pictures, Jenni Bowlin, KI Memories, Sassafrass Lass, Jilibean Soup, Webster's Pages, etc.


• Papermonkey - Paris Hilton CHA launch & Prima


• Cake, Cocoa & Gossip - A couple pics and paragraphs about new finds


• Jenallyson - Nice updates & pics, including the Provocraft YuDu and Darth Vader


• Making Memories - They do cool contests throughout the day


• Scraptime - She is very likely going to have lots more updates as things move along. Her flickr photostream is a great/amazing/fantastic place to look for pics that haven't been blogged yet. Be prepared to sift through hundreds of pics, but she has close-ups of Basic Grey (Marrakech - stamps - OMG), Quickutz, etc.


• CraftStylish - Paris, Mary Engelbright and a couple other pics


• Studio Calico - Nice descriptions of what they've seen and done so far.


• scrappy NAN - Excellent pics and updates, including Prima, Creative Imaginations (including Star Wars) and more.


• binding memories - A few slideshow pics, including the Bind-It-All booth.


• Lifetime Moments - Links to sneak peeks and show picks.

Pirate Booty and a card....Arrrgh!!

Ahoy there mateys! There be pirates in Tampa Bay! The annual invasion began yesterday with the children's parade on Bayshore Boulevard, and will wrap up with the larger, traditional parade in two weeks. Olivia and I went yesterday (Lizzy was ice skating) and we caught TONS of beads and trinkets.

In honor of Gasparilla, I made this card. The skull is a Bosskut die and the stamps are from Rusty Pickle. I hand drew the little dashed line for the treasure map which leads to the red X.

CARD RECIPE
Stamps: Rusty Pickle
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress, Versamark, Stampin' Up! Real Red
Paper: PTI Poppy, scrap of gold, Paper Studio Parchment
Accessories: Boss Kut die cut, sponge, gold embossing powder

Papertrey Ink Ponk Life Swap

I finally finished my PTI swap cards for SCS today. Swaps can be fun, especially when you receive them and see what cute things other stampers have created. But I always feel so much pressure to make some nice, that I think, and think, and think to come up with something cute. Too much thinking!

This is what I've come with. I ended up making a Mother's Day card, although according to my own mother, she can't see the connection between the lily pads and Mother's Day. I asked her just to go with it! I used the Papertrey Ink Pond Life set, along with my nestabilities ribbon tag dies and some retired Stampin' Up! DSP (Haiku).

Recipe
Paper: Stampin' Up! Haiku, Baja Breeze Cardstock, Certainly Celery Cardstock
Ink: Variety of PTI palette inks
Accessories: Martha Stewart Ribbon, White Gel Pen, Prismacolor Pencil, Nestabilities Ribbon Tag Die, Making Memories Crystal Brads

Top Note Die Valentine Treat Box

Happy Wednesday! Did anyone else enjoy watching the Inauguration coverage yesterday? I did too! I also did a little crafting last night. My stamp area is still a mess but I hope to get it cleaned up today so that I can get some stamping done. I have a SCS swap due soon, and I can't seem to come up with any inspiration to get it done. Hopefully cleaning and organizing my area will help.

I wanted to make a box to show you a different way to use some of your dies. This one uses the negative space from the Top Note die from Stampin' Up!, but you could make a smaller box using a flower die, or anything you want. I made this box using some black cardstock and patterned paper I had on hand. I need to get some clear acetate sheets (i.e., from an overhead projector), then I will cut a rectangle to fit the top panel of the box. I'm going to "alter" some candy bars for my older daughter to give to a couple of good friends using the box.

Cut out your box according to the pattern you are using. Any box pattern will do, as long as it is big enough to fit the top note die. I created a pattern on my own, it's really very simple. If anyone is interested please post in the comments section and I will provide more detailed instructions on the cutting. Once you've cut your pieces, run the top through your die-cutting machine, then assemble the box. Add a piece of acetate to the top and some patterned paper to the bottom. I highlighted the die-cut area with a white gel pen, and add a little white flower from Eastern Elegance for an extra touch.

Enjoy!

Aimee

Happy Hearts Day

This set is so cute and I'm so happy it's still in the new catalog (I will upload it as soon as I can, promise - it's taking soooo long to download).

The elephant looks great when you stamp him (or her) on grey cardstock, cut-out and mount using dimensional adhesive.

Recipe:
Stamps: Happy Hearts Day
Ink: Basic Black, Versamark
Accessories: Ribbon, pencils or markers for coloring, red glitter

New Exhibitors, Winter CHA 2009 - Part 2

This is a continuation from the previous post about new CHA Exhibitors at the Winter 2009 CHA (Craft & Hobby Association) Show in Anaheim.

• Paris Hilton, The Creativity Collection - Yes, it's true. Paris Hilton now has her own line of scrapbooking products, as well as fabric embellishments and sewing kits. I don't know quite what to say about this. Except, can I be on your design team? ;) (P.S., Paris herself will be at the booth on Sunday from 2:30-3:30 PM) Booth #2500 


• Tree of Life - These are small, decorative trees (think of an ornament holder) that are designed to be 3-D scrapbooks. The idea is that you can have little themed trees throughout your home for birthday, anniversaries, graduation, etc. Ok, ok - I realize my explanation makes no sense. Just go to the web site and check it out. Ok? Ok. Booth #2818


•  Sounds Easy - This is not the first voice embellishment for scrapbooking, but it designed to be more economical. I've always been interested in adding sounds to scrapbooks, but have been turned off by the price of one chip. I'd love to add little voices, recitals, etc to my books, and this looks like a cool way to accomplish that. Booth #21 


• Ribbon Ring - This product for ribbon storage is not new, but they are new to CHA this year, so if you want your LSS to order it, then make sure they visit. Booth #2707


• Joy of Stamping - It's a new stamp cleaner, which promises to clean every kind of ink and every kind of stamp. Sounds cool, I'm always looking for a good stamp cleaner, but I have to admit the name was kind of a letdown. I didn't really expect a booth called "Joy of Stamping" to only have stamp cleaner - but hey, a good cleaner can make all the difference right? Booth #11

That's all for now - I think I've covered all the new papercraft companies (and then some). If I've missed anything, please let me know in the comments below.

New Exhibitors, Winter CHA 2009 - Part 1

A few of the new companies exhibiting this year have some cool and funky products. If any of these look interesting to you, make sure you let your local scrapbook or stamp store know that these are products you would be interested in purchasing (and let them know the booth number as well)!

Check back Friday for more new CHA exhibitors to be on the lookout for!

• Animal Spirit Stamps - A line of clear stamps based on the stunning, Native-American inspired artwork of Sue Coccia. These would be beautiful to color with your favorite markers or pencils. You must see these stamps. Booth #2711 


• jillibean soup - A charming line of scrapbooking products, including patterned paper, journaling blocks and ribbon with fun names and some are printed on kraft paper. Booth #2712


• Me and Carrie Lou - (Settle down stampers, I can hear you squealing already!!) This line of stamps was recently acquired by Sande McDonald of Violette's in Lakeland. (Sidenote: Violette's is the most amazing, stamp and papercraft store ever to grace the planet). If you are not familiar with these stamps, Jerri Jimenez uses these frequently on her beautiful blog. Booth #2505 


• PhotoPearls - This is not a papercraft company, but it's so unique and cool that I had to share it. Do you remember pegboard art, those little plastic shapes which use little beads that are ironed and melted to make fun little craft projects for kids? Well, PhotoPearls, a Swedish company, has taken pegboard art to a whole new level. Using a computer, photos are scanned and then converted into a grid that is then printed on a home printer. Place the grid under your clear pegboard, and place the corresponding bead color (kind of like paint-by-number). The final result is pegboard art that resembles the original photo! Booth #2817 


• Riff Raff Designs - Intricate and stylish laser-cut chipboard designs. Check out their etsy shop for a little sneaky peek at these really pretty shapes. Booth #2819

PART 2

A Sympathy Card

Unfortunately we needed a needed two sympathy cards over the holidays. Here is one of them.

Recipe:


Stamps: Eastern Blooms, Sympathy (both Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Haiku DSP (Stampin' Up!), Tangerine Tango

Ink: Various
Accessories: Chalk, Nestabilities, Scallop Edge Border Punch (SU!)

20th Anniversary Stampin' Up! Embosslit

Here's a couple pics I took of the 20th Anniversary Stampin' Up! Embosslit die. It's the same size as the scallop punch that Stampin' Up! sells. It cuts and embosses at the same time, cool die - but limited use. This was previously exclusive to demonstrators, but is now available to everyone. And it's on sale!

My Crafty Resolutions

New Years Day is probably one of my favorite holidays. The slate is wiped clean, and it's a chance to start fresh and try new things. I always enjoy reflecting on the past year, and sorting out my priorities and where I want to be at the next New Year.

I have high hopes that this year will be incredible. I am finally done with school. Most of the major transition events (grad school, moving, etc) in our lives are over, and we can focus on getting settled and embracing the life we have here, and returning to activities we love. I still have one hurdle in my way (that pesky bar exam) but of course, one of my resolutions is to get that taken care of this year.

This year, in addition to a number of financial and health-related resolutions, I have some crafty resolutions as well. You'll notice that many of these are scrapbook related. For some reason (and I think it's the whole "starting fresh" thing) I tend to do a LOT more scrapbooking at the beginning of the year. It might possibly be the 40% off sale that happens at my favorite scrapbook shop every year, or the pathetic attempt I make at trying out for a certain DT every New Year (yes, it's true), but I'd like to think that it all comes back to my desire to reflect on the past, and be ready for the new year.

Without further ado, here are a couple of my crafty-related resolutions for the year:

• Project 365 - I plan to fully commit to taking a daily picture and keeping up with this project. I LOVE this idea and I think the kit looks great. I'm not going to do one specific theme, but will just keep it focused on the little events and things that happen in the life of our family. The kits go on sale today, and I have a feeling I'd better order quickly because there is a little buzz about this already. (Edited to add, this sold out so fast, I didn't even get a chance to try to order it :( )


• Finish getting my photos into albums. Not necessarily scrapbooks, but I at least want a hard copy of my digital pictures in an album. This is going to require the purchase of a good printer and several albums, as I currently have 9,846 images in iPhoto. I have the Stacy Julian book Photo Freedom, but have not had a chance to put her system into place, now that we are "settled" this is one of the projects I would like to put into action.


• Build up a stash of cards, especially thank you and birthday cards for 5 and 6 year-olds. :)

Do YOU have any crafty-related resolutions? I'd really love to read them. Please post in the comments below. If you need help getting started, I have a few suggestions.

• Use more, buy less. 


• Backup your digital photos. If you are not doing this, then please, make this task a priority. I have a double backup system, but it still needs improvement. I backup nightly to an external harddrive and monthly to Flickr, but I want to add a second drive to my plan and store it offsite, like in safe deposit box. Yes, I am really obsessive about this.


• Scrapbook at least one layout a day/week/month. Whatever works for you.


• Have your Christmas cards finished in October (ooh, I might use this for myself!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!