CHA Summer 08-Trends and Top Picks

Chicago, IL July 18-20

This summer's show was amazing! I spotted lots of great new items and new companies as well as a few continuing trends. Here are the highlights of what caught my eye. Click the image for a closer view.

There are literally HUNDREDS of companies displaying their new lines, when you walk the trade floor you see much of the same and it goes by so fast it's a blurrrrrrrrr. So, for these companies to stand out and make an impression says much about them and their designs or inventions.

CONTINUING TRENDS
1. Acrylic shapes and books. Many more new companies coming out with acrylic books and crafting shapes, Lazerline is still the trend-setter.

2. Flowers. There was no shortage of new lines of fabric and paper flowers. Many companies following up their paper lines with matching embellishments, to include flowers and chipboard.


3. Chipboard of course! A growing selection of chipboard shapes and books with many vendors. Kaiser Craft has new and fun wood shapes! Tim Holtz has new Grungeboard shapes, which is different than chipboard, it's WASHABLE and flexible. GREAT tool for teaching because you can just wash out the ink and use again for the next class!

4. Stamps. This trend is developing rapidly, many scrapbook companies are creating clear acrylic images to match their paper and embellishment lines but one company has something new, JUST RITE stamps uses quality rubber and offers self inking stamps in alpha and number sets as well as decorative circle frames that are interchangeable. You can even buy a machine to custom create your own stamps!


5. Ribbon. There is an overflow of ribbons to match paper lines as well as companies that specialize in printed or fancy ribbons only. EXPO International takes the prize for the most gorgeous trims available to crafters, their newest release is embellished with buttons.


TOP PICKS: NEW COMPANY
1. Powertex by Crafter's Cafe: A new art material for creating sculptures and dimensional board art and so much more.


2. Molly & Mac: look at these gorgeous papers! The booth had fabulous samples and the color palette is to die for.


3. Ernst Freihoff. Although in business over 60 years, this artist was a first time displayer at CHA, now offering his amazing German artistic paper cuts to the general crafting world and also offering much needed horse/equestrian images among vintage Christmas and angels too.

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4. Kelly Panacci. I loved the round tin albums / kits with precut pages and she's jumping into the clear stamps trend too!



5. The Painter's Pyramid. Holds surface up while painting edges and back, quickens drying.


6. The Scrapbook Board. A sturdy easel for displaying scrapbook pages easily. Lean a page against the board or create one directly on the board itself.


NEW IDEAS! Design Originals. Great new crafting books that are more sophisticated than ever, look at those lovely batik scarfs! That was one of their make n takes, an idea from a book and made with Sharpie markers on a silk scarf.



PAPER, PAPER, PAPER!

1. Sugar Tree. The freshest new designs in paper, artistic and muted for fabulous backgrounds and book covers. They also have a new line for equestrians!



2. Creative Imaginations. LOVE this new beach line, the colors are perfect yet still trendy. They also have some adorable shaped chipboard accordion books, my favs are the castle and cake.


3. Karen Foster Designs. Finally! Classy sports designs! woohoo!


4. Me & My BIG Ideas. This display caught me off guard, the paper designs are so pretty.


5. Making Memories. In the spirit of grunge and trendy flourishes, these two new lines for the upcoming holidays are fabulous!


6. My Mind's Eye. I am not surprised at all to see three lines from MME at the top of my wish list! They have a new series by Jen Wilson called Laundry Line and most of them are very remarkable but my favs are the Halloween lines "Spooked" and "Night Light".


7. WorldWin Papers. Cardstock with character! Their new line "Ruche" is textured, tearable, and printable! gorgeous color all the way through, sturdy too. They also have new shaped card sets.


8. Basic Grey: Last, but NOT least, the original grunge trend-setter does it again with two new lines of paper designs that really take first place.


NOTABLE NEWBIES
1. Cloud 9 Design. Epoxy titles with smaller accent pieces, chipboard boxes with handles in 3 colors--do you see custom purses? They actually have mini books inside too. And colorful chipboard alphas with high gloss finish and metal edges!


2. W R Memory Keepers. I just LOVED their new over-sized brads. Lots of trendy patterns and colors, I'm sure they have papers to match! Crop-A-Dile now comes with a kit of embellishments in bright colors and they have orange storage options available too.


3. The Eyelet Outlet. So many cool new shapes! Safari, Sports and Jungle +++many others. Great for layouts, cards and more! Think party favors and decorations.



4. Ranger Industries. Welcome artist Claudine Hellmuth and a whole new line of paints, brushes and surfaces, Most notable is the adhesive canvass. Distressed stickles for Tim Holtz and more Glitz for Suze Weinburg and more colors in crackle acrylic paint.


5. The Rare Orchid. I loved them last year, but they are still SO COOL. Gorgeous Asian and Hawaiian paper designs beneath epoxy baubles and high gloss clips.


6. Makins Clay. The biggest mistake you ever made here is to think this product is only for children. This clay is a versatile, air drying clay. You can sculpt it and mold it, add finishes, paints and pigments to it. If you make your own embellishments or want to add texture to your artwork, please try Makins Clay again.

My good friend, Cindi Bisson demonstrating the clay at their booth while at CHA!