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Of course my favorite part of CHA was Tim Holtz….From his Idea-Ology, Stampers Anonymous, Alterations, and Ranger products to meeting Tim to meeting the newest members of Team Tim Paula and Deb.  Tim’s Idea-ology booth looked terrific and was one of the only booths to really have a theme.  Heidi Swapp and DCWV were the other well designed, themed, booths.

 I’ve said it before and I will more than likely say it again but Tim Holtz is really the biggest driving force of innovation in the paper craft industry.  He continues to release new and innovative products at CHA….twice a year….year after year.  I truly cannot imagine how he continues to push the envelope like he does.

 But of course I won’t complain because I love what he designs…he is truly a creative genius.  Not only does he bring innovative products to the market but he has an aesthetic that marries vintage and grunge splashed with an ounce of steampunk…how can you resist that?  I can’t.

Literally the only thing I DON’T like about the artist is his disdain for glitter.  But I have decided that just  because he is a glitter-a-phob, I will not hold it against him.  Just because I have never met a bling or sparkle I didn’t like doesn’t mean everyone has to…right? I can look past this minor flaw and continue to love everything else about him.

In Creative Chemistry 101 Tim talks about Rock Candy Stickles as being very sparkly when rubbed across a tag.  I’m sorry Tim, but it isn’t nearly sparkly ENOUGH.

To my utter delight, Ranger has just released Dry Stickles aka Glitter.  Shut the Front Door!  Tim Holtz has glitter…sort of.  When I mentioned to Tim how excited I was to see Glitter from Ranger, he shuddered. Literally he shuddered.  Like I would shudder if you brought a two-headed snake to a dinner party.

The bleached bottle brush trees….you cannot imagine how excited I am about these.  They are fantastic and they take color.

L to R: Seasonal ChitChat, Woodlands, Seasonal Trimmings

The highlight of Tim’s booth with Idea-ology was the sleigh that I didn’t’ get a great shot of and the colorful Woodland trees.  The Woodlands Trees were dyed using Distress Reinkers.

The trees were simply sprayed with color mist made by adding a dropper full of Distress Reinker and some water to a Mini Mister.

I didn’t do aver good job of getting pics of the other products but you can see them on Tim’s blog

Probably my FAVORITE product….ever.  I love Distress Stains anyway but metallic stains…..Nirvana!

Adorable Lantern that lights up

New design in Tissue Wrap.

Frosted Film

You can see and read about all of Tim’s Idea-ology products on his blog here.

Why did I say Tim is so innovative?

1. Mirror and Frosted plastic that is able to handle being die cut without cracking? I saw it first hand and it cuts beautifully.

2. Distress Stains are amazing but Metallic Distress Stains?  I cannot wait.

3.  Bottle Brush Trees that are already bleached and affordable at around $5 a package.

4. The cutest little lantern that actually lights up.

I cannot wait to get my hands on these products.

Danee Kaplan

It’s Raining JellyBeans

I was at CHA in Chicago 10-ish days ago and saw a lot of the same old thing….different package but I also saw some new, fun things.  If you are looking for the new releases from the major companies…I decided it wasn’t worth my effort to post ALL of the papers and embellishments that are being released over the next 6 months because they are easy to see on each companies website.  Instead I will be showing some of the products I thought were really fun or interesting.

Fancy Pants has some innovative products including these cool frames.

 They come in the patterns as shown but it would be so easy to change the color or pattern with patterned paper and Mod Podge.

   They also make pattern papers in the correct size to fit the Brag Book.  These 4×6 papers are in addition to the traditional 12×12 and 6×6 inch papers.

I will begin by saying that the concept of “craft and hobby” is a little broad considering it is pretty much “scrapbooking and stamping” show but I am not complaining as I ADORE all things paper.  I no longer have any local scrapbook (or stamping) stores and we all know Michael’s, Hobby Lobby and JoAnn’s carry limited products so this was my first opportunity in years to actually see and touch the bulk of the new products being released over the next 6 months.

I am sure it will surprise no one to know that I was mainly interested in Tim Holtz, Ranger, Heidi Swapp, and Jenny Bowlin.  I drove to Chicago with a friend, Mandy Koeppen.  Mandy designs for Cocoa Daisy and is an avid scrapbooker.  I enjoyed walking the floor with her and seeing the booths she was interested in- most I would have barely glanced at-and finding all sorts of fun new designs and embellishments.  She introduced me to Crate Paper, Elle’s Studio, Simple Stories, and Lawn Fawn.  She reintroduced me to Maya Road, a company I used to love but let fall off my radar.

I assumed the entire floor would be mobbed..it wasn’t'…I was shocked at how easy it was to watch demos, do “make and takes” and speak to the representatives…attendance was low.  It is sad.  Partly, it is another fall out of the economy…. but I think the other problem can be summed as “lack of innovation”.  Most of the companies continue to rely on 12×12 papers and a handful of embellishments- this years embellishments are wooden buttons, washi tape, ribbons, small stamps, letter stickers and 3D stickers…that’s it…at booth after booth.  The exception to the been-there/done design concept is Tim Holtz and Heidi Swapp.  Yes, I LOVE everything Tim does, but my devotion to the designer doesn’t make my next statement any less valid…Tim Holtz continues to stand alone and push the envelope; he shows up with NEW product CONCEPTS, products that haven’t E.V.E.R. been seen before.