I have just returned from 5 days at the CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) Summer Show in Chicago, and, as usual, I was blown away by all the new products! Since this is a trade show, many of the items I saw are not currently available in stores, but will be shipping soon. My head is reeling, but I will give you a short overview here.

The thing I noticed most is WORDS ARE BIG! Monograms have been really popular and they continue to be, but now I am seeing words everywhere. Words like “ Family”, “Home”, ‘Blessings”, “ Friends” “ Inspire”, “ Create” and so on and so on. These words are available as stamps, stencils, rub-ons, chipboard, paper mache and metals. We will be using them in scrapbooks, on cards, and especially in home décor. Picture a large canvas with a soft green background, and “ Love” in a beautiful font decorating it. Plaid offers their new Instant™ Expressions Decorative Paint Transfer Line to add phrases to your walls with very little effort. Many companies offered stencils or stamps, and some offered large (12” or so) paper mache words to decorate. Quick Quotes offered kits with words, quotes and other embellishments, ready to add your photos to create one of a kind wall art pieces. Watch for projects with these ideas in future articles.

Another big trend was recycling or repurposing. Apparently I’ve been ahead of my time for I could never bear to throw away gift-wrappings, and used them in cards, scrapbooks and altered art projects. Now anything goes from recycled paper projects to a vast array of ‘repurposed’ clothes.

On the opposite end, we still crave luxury. Papers seem to all have texture and shine. Many companies showed lines with pearl and or metallic finishes. Glimmer and glitter will still popular. Ribbons are to die for, from soft satins and luxurious velvets to fun and funky in brights and neons. One company is marketing a paper ribbon that can be torn, printed on your home ink jet printer, shredded or curled, or all of the above.

More and more companies are offering their art on stamps. Red rubber stamps are still in demand, but gaining fast are the clear acrylic stamps. These allow the user to see exactly where the image will appear, and they store in so much less space. So we can collect more of them, right ?? !!

I was lucky enough to get into a class given by Tim Holtz, and sponsored by Ranger. They introduced their new Distress Line of inks, paints, and embossing powders. We each received 3 colors of ink, powder and paint to use, but were encouraged to share with our neighbors. With 24 colors in the line, the hardest part was deciding on what colors to use! The class was very well organized, the project was super, and the supplies were such fun to work with. If you’re attending an event where Tim’s classes are offered, they’re definitely worth it!

In the next several weeks I’ll be designing projects with many of the new products I brought home, and posting them on the site, so be sure to check back often. Now I need to rearrange my studio to make room!