Winter 2015 CHA Wish List

In case you missed my post from Sunday, check it out for my observations on the big 2015 color trend in papercrafting. Today wraps up my CHA 2015 Mega Show Armchair Attendee blogging (it's a light version, I'm very busy this month!). Here are my top five collections, in no particular order. 

1. Pebbles Jen Hadfield Cottage Living Collection

It's clean and simple. It's elegant. It's bold colors plus neutrals. It follows on the heels of one of my all-time favorite collections from last summer (or maybe ever): Pebbles Jen Hadfield Home + Made. 

 
2. October Afternoon Saturday Mornings Collection

This is the first time in six years that I am on the customer side vs. the design team side. I already ordered this and it is en route to me as I write this. It is so perfect for my 70s childhood (and for lots of other things as well).

3. Lawn Fawn Pint-sized Patterns Beachside Collection

Love this color palette! It will be fabulous for summer layouts and cards and the basic patterns are so versatile.

 4. Pink Paislee Atlas Collection

I am a sucker for travel lines, especially clean and graphic ones. If you look closely there's a gold foil map print and what looks like a blue polka dot map print. There are so many fantastic basic prints in here as well, making this a very versatile collection.

5. American Crafts Shimelle True Stories

This line is just fun. Fun colors, fun patterns, fun icons.

There may be a few other things that I will buy, but these five collections are my must-haves!

What's caught your eye amongst the new products?

 

It's CHA Armchair Attendee Time!

This weekend, the 2015 CHA (Craft & Hobby Association) Mega Show kicked off in Anaheim. As many of you know, since I stopped attending CHA shows about five years ago, I've made a tradition of "armchair attending." If you are new to armchair attending along with me, read the introduction below to understand the process. If not, feel free to skip right on down to trends. Either way, I am armchair blogging light this year, with just today's trend post and a wish list post on Tuesday. 

Introduction

Some of you may be wondering what it means to be an “armchair attendee.” How can you “attend” the show if you’re not there? Well, here’s my process.

• In the weeks ahead of the show, I regularly frequent websites that compile manufacturers’ sneak peeks. Most manufacturers “sneak” their new releases prior to the show via their company’s blog, but that can be exhausting to follow without the aid of websites that do the work of compiling sneaks for you. A good website for this is Scrapbook Update. I also try to spot sneaks as they appear on Facebook and Pinterest.

• As I look at sneaks, I make sure to check out both official product images as well as any projects showcasing the new products. Often a line or a product that doesn’t grab me at first looks different when I see it on a layout or a card.

• Once the show starts, I watch online for photos and videos from the CHA show floor. Not all companies do sneak peeks or extensive sneak peeks and seeing new products together with projects made with them in the booth can inspire. You can try searching #CHAshow on Twitter, check magazines' and manufacturers' Twitter feeds/Facebook pages/blogs, or follow targeted CHA product reveal websites (like Scrapbook.com's video from the show floor - I'm not seeing any video yet from this show, but am hoping they will be posting some soon).

• I use Pinterest to grab images that catch my attention, posting them to a CHA Winter 2015 board.

• I start my process by looking for any new and unusual products, and then, as the sneaks accumulate, pore over them for continuing and emerging trends. 

• I finish my process by making a wishlist of the products I want to be sure to buy.

Trends

As was the case last summer, I didn't see a whole lot of new trends emerging; instead, there seems to be more of a continuation/expansion of ongoing trends (watercolor, gem shapes, etc.). I did pick up on one big color trend, however.

Pink and Green and Gold
This trend in color is omnipresent. Metallics have been on the rise for a while now, but with this show, gold is taking the papercrafting world by storm! With lines geared towards spring and summer, it makes sense that the gold would combine with pink and green. I'm seeing those two colors trend more often toward peachy pinks and minty greens, but some more traditional pink and green can be found as well. Here are some examples of what I'm talking about:

1. My Mind's Eye Fancy That!

While the papers in this line are primarily pink and gold with neutrals, the green makes a bold statement in many of the embellishments. 

2. Pink Paislee Citrus Bliss

 3. Simple Stories I Am

4. Pebbles Jen Hadfield Cottage Living

 

5. Crate Paper Journey

 

 

6. Lawn Fawn Polka, Mon Amie

 

 

7. Pinkfresh Studio Up in the Clouds

I could go on and on with more examples of this trend, but I think you get the idea. :) I don't think I've ever seen such an overwhelming trend before! And...in case you happen to find some pink and green (or peach and mint) without gold, you can always bring Heidi Swapp's new Minc Foil Applicator to the rescue!

I will be back on Tuesday with my wish list, so stay tuned!

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a happy new year!

This year is already shaping up to be a significant year in the Masket household. Eli will become a teenager, and, one day later, celebrate his bar mitzvah. Sadie will start her last year of elementary school in August. Seth will finish his second book. As for me? The grant funding runs out at the end of the school year for my department and the job I love; I will be starting a job search shortly. 

Hopefully, this year will include more time for scrapbooking than 2014 did. I have discovered that I appreciate my family more when I make the time to look at photos and reflect on significant events and everyday moments. Not surprising, but a good realization nonetheless.

I'm closing out the old year with a top ten post showcasing my top ten layouts and top ten cards from 2014. Many of these are projects I've not posted anywhere online before, but others have appeared on various websites and in publications. Without further ado, and in no particular order (save for layouts first and cards second):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Happy New Year!

The Fall Issue of Scrapbook & Cards Today Is Now Available To View or Download!

I am thrilled to have had a layout selected for the Reader's Gallery in the fall issue of Scrapbook & Cards Today. I have a long been a fan of this fabulous magazine and this issue is no exception. My hard copy arrived in the mail earlier this week and it's full of fabulous work by many of my favorite papercrafters. Be sure to check this issue out, and look for me (and Seth, and some pumpkins, and some stunning mountain views) on page 65.

CHA Armchair Attendee Thoughts, Continued: My Wishlist

Let me preface this post by saying that I'm not doing that much papercrafting anymore. I haven't made big announcements, but I've let all of my industry commitments go. I am still creating and submitting here and there, but work and family have taken up more and more time each year and it became harder and harder to keep up. I don't know where I will head in the papercrafting industry from here - I may continue to dabble, I may jump back in with two feet - but I do know that it will continue to play a role in my life.

That having been said, I am not making a big wishlist since I am still working through my stash of products from the winter releases. I will share here my top five must haves, in no particular order. Some of my top five must haves are entire collections, while others are individual products.

Without further ado, here is my list:
  
Pebbles Home + Made Collection
Home + Made is everything I want in a collection: bright and neutral colors; a mix of bold, small-scale, basic, text-print, woodgrain, and fun patterns; sans-serif, all-caps text; and perfect for both cards and layouts.

 

 

 Check out this video, from A Cherry on Top, that showcases this collection:

Gossamer Blue On My Desk Badges
These badges are a fun mix of script, serif, and sans-serif text, and I love the colors (and they will play nicely with the Pebbles Home + Made collection above). This is such a versatile set - it could be used for travel, everyday, birthday, and school-themed projects.

  
Bella Blvd Halloween Magic Collection
This fun Halloween collection combines cute and sophisticated patterns, mixing bright colors in with more neutral gray, white, and black.

 

Crate Paper Notes and Things Reminder Paper
I love the combination of soft colors and a bold print here.

 

Chickaniddy Crafts Jolly Good Sentiments Stickers

This is a great mix of sentiments with a varied and unusual holiday color palette. The sticker set can be used for Christmas, New Year's, winter, and everyday projects. It could also be used for "Frozen" projects. :)

 

What's on your wish list? What did I miss that I should add to mine?