CHA - A Review

First of all, let me just tell you how lovely it was to feel the warmth of the sun for four days in a row. The temperatures were in the 70's - warmth we won't feel in Spokane until June. Maybe May, if we're lucky. I was very happy to wear flip-flops and short sleeves for a change. Amazing what a little sun will do for your heart.

The show itself was great. Lots of great new product is on it's way to stores...

Among my favorites were Cosmo Cricket's Cogsmo line... the robots are just TOO cute. Can't wait to get my hands on this stuff and make some pages with my boys on them.

I also LOVED Maya Road's booth - it's always a favorite and this year they continued to blow me away with their amazing products and the ingenious designers. I just want to make one of each of all the fabulous samples we saw. I'm especially excited about a new medium we learned about from the Maya Road designers for coloring raw chipboard called Glimmer Mist. It's a spray that totally saturates the chipboard with deep, rich color and a touch of mica powder. It's just lovely stuff in oodles of colors.

My favorite paper line has to be the new stuff from October Afternoon... There wasn't a paper in either of their two new lines that didn't just absolutely make my heart go pitter-patter. Great colors and patterns, cute, but not too cute... I can't wait to get my hands on this stuff. We ordered both lines.

KI Memories continues to rock the lace paper thing... unfortunately, oodles of other manufacturers are copying them and coming out with their own copy-cat designs of this amazing innovative product from the Winter 2007 show. KI came out with great new designs, including words, butterflies and more florals. Love this paper.

Basic Grey, SEI and American Crafts did it again - with great new paper and embellishment lines. I especially appreciate the consistency of American Crafts... year after year they release incredible new designs with amazingly fresh color combinations. And I was positively ga-ga over SEI's Dill Blossom line. Ga-ga, I tell you.

At a show like this, there are always trends. This year we saw lots of outdoorsy colors and trees, trees everywhere. Birds continue to be popular, but we were pleasantly surprised to see a couple of lines introducing new icons, like deer! Butterflies were abundant, and every other booth was jumping on the felt and acrylic bandwagon. I'm so glad I'm not a manufacturer, having to try to come up with new, innovative stuff. There is tremendous pressure on them.

We placed loads of orders for great new stuff that will find it's way to the shop over the next couple of months... it's my favorite time of year, opening boxes full of new product and dreaming up class projects with all the inspiration we took in at the show.

All in all, I think it was a successful CHA. Kathy and I walked over 15 miles in the course of four days there, wandering the huge show floor from one end to the other. We compliment each other, I think, as we shop. It seems we're able to balance each other out almost perfectly - and are comfortable saying when we disagree about something without offending. We have a great working relationship. I'm thankful.

So here are a few pictures of some stuff. I found myself shooting pics of projects more than products - I guess on the neverending quest for inspiration and class ideas... I always wish I'd taken more pictures - but it's overwhelming trying to remember everything - and digging the camera out in every booth just doesn't happen. But here are a few goodies for your perusal... enjoy!!!