Last year I shared with you my BTS CHA 2014: Behind the Scenes with Vicki post from CHA and I thought I would do the same this year. It’s fun to go to CHA as a designer member and as a member of the media for Craft Test Dummies. I get to attend lots of great functions and chat with some amazingly creative people. The first event I attended was on Friday evening and it was the “Designer Sneak […]
Five Top Craft Trends at CHA 2015
Going the the Craft and Hobby Mega Show is a must, not just to drool at the new product releases for 2015, but also to spot trends and colors that will be must-haves for crafting and home decor. Wanna peek? I made you a video: But just to recap….. FOILS: The trend of shimmer and shine extends from home decor to paper crafting to fashion. There is even a new foiling machine from Heidi Swapp called the Minc! Foiling is […]
CHA 2015; Precision Base Plate for Sizzix for Tim Holtz
Ever have difficulty cutting through certain materials while using your thin-rule dies like Framelits or Thinlits? Well, Sizzix has come up with a new metal base plate that allows you to cut more precisely and cleanly! Take a look: And don’t those new deco sheets look fun as well?? The Precision Base Plate will be available in March, and we are hoping to have one at CTD to give a full review then.
CHA 2015 Day 2
Today was my 2nd day on the show floor. I concentrated on scoping out fashion brands and products for new things and people to work with. It was a crazy day of talking and walking. I saw more things than one post can contain, but I’ll share some highlights. I might go into depth in later posts. The day started with touring the Plaid booth with various designers and people. They have a chalky finish line complete with wax, antiquing […]
CHA Show 2015 – New Jewelry Products to Watch For
The second best thing about going to the Craft and Hobby Association Trade show every January is seeing all of the new products being released. Of course the best part is leaving the snow and cold and going to Anaheim for a few days. There are several new products being released soon that we here at team CTD thought you would want to know about. Check out this list of videos I shot during the show. CHA Show 2015 […]
CHA Show 2015: What’s New From Spellbinders
Spellbinders is again expanding their line of papercrafting into mixed media and home decor with new dies, embossing folders, and now…… rhinestones and trims! I was invited to the media breakfast and snapped these pics and video for you. I’m hoping we’ll get some of these goodies to review for you, too! I was invited to the media breakfast and snapped these pics and video for you. I’m hoping we’ll get some of these goodies to review for […]
CHA Show 2015: Yarnia
You just never know what you will find at the CHA show. Giant elephants, life size hot air balloons or a full scale knitted or crochet version of The Chronicles of Narnia. Or in this case YARNIA. The folks at Spinrite (the makers of Patons, Bernat, Caron and Lily Sugar n’ Cream) went all out with this booth. While I read all seven books to my sons when they were younger I can’t remember the name of this […]
CHA 2015: Day 1
Technically this is my 2nd day at CHA, but the 1st on the show floor. Yesterday, I traveled from Richmond, CA to Atlanta, GA, to Los Angeles, CA, to Anaheim, CA. It was a long day of traveling, but I was happy to arrive in sunny California to see new products, companies and long time friends. After I got checked in, Jenny and Vicki took me to get our show badges. Sara arrived, and we went to the Hot 20 […]
#CHAshow 2015, Here We Come!
Tomorrow I head out with my crafty BFF Vicki to the CHA Mega Show in Anaheim, CA. If you have no idea what that is…well, check this out! Follow along with us! TWITTER: Jenny: @CraftTestDummy Vicki: @CreativeGoddess Sara: @SaraJaneCrafts #TeamCTD/#CHAshow INSTAGRAM: Jenny: @CraftTestDummy and don’t forget YOUTUBE! New videos will be added daily!
CHA 2014 – Sara’s Crafty Picks
Hello crafters! I know many of you have heard about the new hot products like the Brother ScanNCut and Tim’s Distress Marker Spritzer, (I will be needing both of those in my studio ASAP,) but I thought I’d show you some of my personal favorites spotted at CHA 2014. These will be my tried-and-true booths that I always look forward to going to visit as well as a couple new things that made me catch my breath when I saw […]
CHA 2014 – Ranger Ink Booth Sights and Sounds
It shouldn’t be a big surprise that Ranger Ink is my favorite booth to visit at CHA! I love seeing all of the happy, familiar faces of people that work with the company and running into my friends from Ranger U. I also love watching and taking video demo’s from the designer’s and getting to see how their crafty brains work! (Make sure to check out Craft Test Dummies YouTube Channel to see all of the awesome demo’s we got […]
CHA Show 2014: Booth Love for Imagine Crafts
Sometimes I get sucked into a booth at CHA not because the displays are so spectacular, but because the PRODUCT LOOKS SO YUMMY. This happened at winter CHA show 2014 at the Imagine Crafts booth. Er. Meh Ger. So much luscious color and inky goodness! Take a look: I just love this display of color, showing how all of the products work together! I’ve also gotten VERY excited about the new colors of Staz-On- LOOK AT THE YUMMY COLORS!!! And […]
CHA 2014: Behind the Scenes with Vicki
I’m sure you’ve been enjoying all of the great new craft products Team CTD found for you at CHA this year but have you ever wondered what goes on BESIDES walking the show floor? A LOT! I thought I would share a little behind the scenes look a la Vicki O’Dell The Creative Goddess (that’s me!) First of all, can I tell you how hard it was to leave the frozen tundra of NE Ohio and visit Anaheim, CA? […]
CHA New Product: True Angle Rulers
If you’re a quilter or papercrafter looking to take your designs to the next level, you’ve probably considered adding unique angles to your work. But angles are hard. It is hard to get them accurate. They are not easy to measure. But not anymore. Thanks to the folks at Quint Measuring systems. But before I go on, let me share this with you: Yes. She is BENDING THE RULER. I have your attention now, right? Carol and her husband, the […]
CHA 2014 – Tim Holtz Idea-ology Booth Tour
Hello Crafters! It was a great season for Tim Holtz‘ idea-ology line with so many new products to ogle over! Personally, I love the new adornments, letterpress blocks, Found Relatives cards and ephemera packs! But don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty more to see and get excited over! I filmed a little video tour of the booth, but as it’s movin’ and groovin’ on the show floor, I dance around other crafty patrons and the camera gets a little shaky. […]
CHA 2014: New Product: SandIts
I’ve gone to CHA for a couple years now, and hands-down my favorite part of the show is the new products section. This year, one of my favorites was SandIts. Paul and his son (who is manning the camera for the video below) were charming, and their product is just plain neat. Paul told me that he came up with the idea for SandIts when he had some battery corrosion that he was scraping away, using an expensive kitchen knife. […]
CHA 2014: Spotlight on New Products
As expected, CHA did not disappoint in showing off the newest products that all of the paper crafting companies were on hand to launch. After wandering up and down aisle after aisle of awesomeness, I’ve narrowed down all of the cool things that I saw to my top 5 favorites. Are you ready to see what I’m most excited to see in stores? 1. I know that I’ve discussed washi tape in a previous post and all of the new […]
CHA 2014: Trend Spotting – Needle Arts
Part of the fun of going to CHA is trying to spot new emerging trends. One trend I spotted coming out of the CHA Mega Show this year has to do with needle arts. I’ve done some looking around since I’ve been home as well and I’m pretty sure all sorts of needle arts will be a big upcoming trend. Or a re-newed trend for those of us who’ve been in love with needlework for a long time. By needle […]
CHA 2014 – Spellbinders A Gilded Life Booth and Video Demo
This year at CHA 2014, Spellbinders debuted their new line with A Gilded Life. We caught up with A Gilded Life desiner, Shea Fragoso, at CHA 2014 where she demonstrated a make-and-take for us, creating a gorgeous necklace in mere minutes! I was very excited to see the new acrylic covers that come with all of the bezels; now you don’t need to wait overnight for resin to set, you can just glue a quick cover on and you’ve completed […]
CHA 2014 New Product: Amazing Tape
As I was strolling through the new product section at CHA, I came across a product that I’ve seen in my Local Quilt Shop, but might be new to lots of crafters: Amazing Tape. What’s so amazing about Amazing Tape? First: it isn’t tape. That’s right, it has no adhesive at all. It is best described as “cling wrap on steriods”. Quilters have been using Amazing Tape for years to secure thread onto spools. It can be used just as […]
