CHA 2006 Las Vegas Wrap-up

On the heels of a big trade show, I get asked all sorts of questions:

"What was your favorite new product?"

"What are the new trends?"
"Did you see anything that really blew you away?"
"What should we expect for the next 6 months in the scrapbooking industry?"

CHA Las Vegas was no exception. Even before I had stepped off the carpet of the trade-show floor, I was being asked these questions. Now that I've had a few days to look over catalogs, learn about new products, and evaluate the show, I have a response! Here's my take on what's in store for scrapbooking for 2006 and a peek at some of the new products:

Patterned Paper

We saw tons and tons of new patterned paper designs. While the stand-bys of stripes and dots were still prevalent, the most prominent new designs I noticed were flowers and swirls. Several companies have released gorgeous new lines in all kinds of color combinations with flower designs, paisley patterns and free-flowing swirls.

Flowers

I saw flowers everywhere--big, small, colorful, subtle, hand-drawn, stamped, printed and nearly any variation you can imagine. Flowers are definitely the new polka-dot of 2006.

• Flowerful by Junkitz
• Groovy, Sugar and Spicy by Three Bugs in a Rug
• On the Dot Collection by We R Memory Keepers
• Winnie's Walls by SEI
• The Wildflowers, The Garden, and The Meadow by Heidi Grace
• In Stitches and Sew Fine by Sassafras Lass
• Retro Garden by Paperwhite Memories
• He Sings at Weddings, Treasure Hunt, Carnival by Imagination Project
• Garden by Paper Salon
• Lime Rickey Collection by Diane's Daughters
• Charlotte Collection by Scenic Route Paper Co.
• Dulce Collection by A2Z Essentials
• Chi Chi by Fancy Pants Designs
• Attic Heirlooms by Daisy D's
• Flower Show by Arctic Frog
• Hang 10 Collection by BasicGrey

Swirls

Scrapbooking is going curvy. With the doodle-craze going strong, the paper companies have followed suit. Swirls, flourishes, and paisley have taken over patterned papers.

• Uptown Collection by Cloud 9 Design
• Paisley & Petals by SEI
• Sweet Shoppe by Paper Salon
• Ever After by Imagination Project
• Boho Chic Collection by We R Memory Keepers
• Splendor by Autumn Leaves
• Bitter Sweet and Midnight by Preserving Cherished Memories
• Delight Collection by Crossed Paths
• Crillon Collection by Li'l Davis Designs
• East Meets West Collection by NRN Designs
• Bookshelf by American Crafts
• The Goods Wedding by American Crafts
• Twitterpated and Vintage Heirloom by Rusty Pickle
• Dapper by Fancy Pants Designs
• Metropolitan Collection by One Heart, One Mind
• Urban Couture Collection by BasicGrey
• Inked Heirloom Collection by Polar Bear Press

Embellishments

Overall, it looks like the industry is slowing down in creating brand-new, innovative embellishments. Instead, I saw great expansions on our favorite embellishments as well as more coordinated embellishments to match our favorite patterned paper lines.

Flowers
A favorite embellishment we discovered from several companies was silk and paper flower embellishments. It seems the industry is ready for spring and is blooming with products to support it!

• Tinseltown Glitter Flowers by Li'l Davis Designs
• Tailored Florals by Scrapworks
• Flowerz by Junkitz
• Blossoms by Moments Defined
• Precious Petals by Bo Bunny
• Flowers by All Natural Accents
• Petals by Petaloo
• Silk Flowers by Doodlebug
• Got Flowers? by Prima
• Florals by Heidi Swapp
• Fab Flowers by Queen & Co.

Chipboard

The chipboard craze hasn't slowed down yet. As common as coordinating stickers and die cuts were in the past, now chipboard embellishments have taken over. Many companies are now introducing coordinated chipboard embellishments as well as "naked" chipboard that you can dress yourself.

• Chip Chatter by Pressed Petals
• Framez, Tagz, Cornerz and Circlez by Junkitz
• Chipboard Stencils by Scenic Route Paper Co.
• Shapes by Cloud 9 Design
• Monograms by Cloud 9 Design
• Chipboard Sheets by Grafix
• Ornaments and Frames by Heidi Swapp
• Chipboard Circles and Letters by Heidi Swapp
• Big Board Chipboard by Fancy Pants Designs
• Chipboard Shapes by Maya Road
• Chipboard Letters by Around the Block
• Really Big Bazzill Chips by Bazzill Basics
• 8" Chipboard Letters by Making Memories
• Alphaletterz Chipboard Stickers by Provo Craft
• Undressed Chipboard Hardware by BasicGrey
• Chipboard Alphabets by Cactus Pink

Decorative Brads

Brads are so easy, and make such great attachments for vellum, ribbon and so much more. Now they're more than just silver or gold. You can find them adorned with gems, fabric, words, and even in all sorts of shapes.

• Sprinkle Brads by Queen & Co.
• Ribbon Brads by Karen Foster Design
• Soft Brads by Around the Block
• Ribbon Brads by Bazzill Basics
• Bazzill Brads by Bazzill Basics
• Gemstone Fasteners by Magic Scraps
• Ribbon Brads by Making Memories
• Sports brads by Scrappin' Sports & More!
• Decorative Brads by Cactus Pink

Patterned Ribbon

Everyone's favorite embellishment is now available in all sorts of patterns; dots, stripes, words, and more. Some even have a scalloped edge!

• Accessories Ribbon by Arctic Frog
• Cloud 9 Design
• Doodlebug
• Ribbon Sets by Scrapworks
• Wrapped in Ribbon by Bo Bunny Press
• Shaped Ribbon by Li'l Davis Designs
• Double-sided Designer Ribbon by We R Memory Keepers
• Rob and Bob Studio Ribbon by Provo Craft
• Tie Rack Ribbon by American Crafts
• Rolls of Ribbon by BasicGrey
• Soho Ribbons by Maya Road
• Ribbon by Cactus Pink

Doodle Rub-Ons

Doodling designs looks to be a BIG trend for 2006 and these doodled rub-ons do the job with precision if you aren't confident with your own doodling abilities.

• Wholy Cow! Rub-ons by BasicGrey
• Scribbles rub-ons by Autumn Leaves
• Color Rub Shapes by Scrapworks
• Sew Easy Rub-On Stitches by Doodlebug
• Fuzzy Rub-On Images by Heidi Swapp
• Rub-on Ornamentals by Pressed Petals
• Icing RubOns by QuicKutz
• Doodle-Rubs by Polar Bear Press
• Sticko Monogram Rub-ons by EK Success
• Librarie Rubbings by 7 Gypsies
• Artisan Collection Rub-ons by Fontwerx
• Swirls Rub-ons by Cactus Pink
• Grafik Rub-ons by Chatterbox
• Artsy Doodles by Maisy Mo Designs

Clear Stamps

If you're incorporating stamps into your scrapbook pages, clear is the way to go. Easy to store, easy to use, and easy to clean.

• Autumn Leaves
• Heidi Swapp
• Simply Chic Stamps by Provo Craft
• Nesters by Sassafras Lass
• Clearly Wordsworth
• Fontwerks
• Clear on Clear by Inkadinkado
• Carolee's Creations
• Tin Box Creations
• Gel-a-Tins by Scraptivity

Foam Stamps

Also popular are foam stamps which are great to use with acrylic paints. Many of the foam stamp options even come with a clear back to make placement easier.

• Making Memories
• Heidi Swapp
• Li'l Davis Designs
• Junkitz
• QuickStampz by QuicKutz

Albums

We saw tons of decorated albums, lots of 8" x 8" albums, fun ways to create mini-albums, and even ways to cover an album with any fabric you want.

• Modern Albums by American Crafts
• Max & Emma Albums by Making Memories
• Shiny Embossed Scrapbooks by Paper Salon
• Oversized Album Tote by Handbags Full of Memories
• Collected Memories
• Zoom Album
• i-makit Album Covers by Maude Asbury
• Fabric Covered Scrapbooks by Scrap Artistry
• Custom Book Making Program by 7Gypsies
• Plushtop Albums by Amanda Blu

Storage

And now that you have all this great stuff on your shopping list, where are you going to keep it? Don't worry, there are plenty of storage options-and stylish ones too!

Portable

For traveling scrapbookers, you'll have tons of options to fit your needs. Big totes, little totes, and really really cute totes.

• Memory Dock Tote by We R Memory Keepers
• Junk Bagz by Junkitz
• Scrapbook Satchel by Around the Block
• The Cube by Pao Designs
• Pink & Chocolate Mimi Totes by ThermoWeb

Non-Portable

You'll love the new storage options for your home that are practical, attractive, and affordable.

• Maple Lane Studio Storage System by EK Success
• Memory Dock System by We R Memory Keepers
• Desktop 12" x 12" Paper Organizer by Scrapbook Solutions
• Supply House Storage System by Cactus Pink
• Easy Access Paper Holders by Cropper Hopper
• Divided Storage by Cropper Hopper

Totally Unique

There are always those products that don't quite fit into a regular category, but definitely deserve a mention. Here are some products that made me go "wow!"

• Design Runner by Xyron
• Transparency Letters by Chatterbox
• PDQ scrapbook pages by Bisous
• Urban Bling Rhinestone Names by Me and My Big Ideas
• 6" x 6" Magnetic Paper sets by Wube
• Poppets by Lazar StudioWERX
• Crop-A-Dile by We R Memory Keepers

New Companies

The new exhibitors section was pretty quiet this year. It looks like the number of new companies trying to get into the business has slowed down considerably. However, in our search, we did spot a few new companies with great products that we loved.

• Rita Marie and Company
• Be Blessed Scrapbooking
• Crate Paper
• Delish Designs
• Craft-A-Frame

Editor's Note:

The year 2006 looks like another good year for scrapbooking:

• Look forward to seeing a more free-style and artistic flair added with flowers, doodles, and stamped designs. Pull out your pens and ink pads, because you're going to use them!
  
  
• Companies have made creating fabulous pages easier by providing all-in-one kits with coordinated embellishments. That way you can design layouts with your own style, but save time and money by buying coordinating products.
  
  
• Scrapbooking is easier, but still allows each person to make personal design choices. Pre-distressed papers, doodled rub-ons, and clear stamps make the process faster and easier, but don't take away the personal artistic touch.

Tell us what YOU think of all the new products! Check out the Product Review section of Scrapjazz.com for pictures and descriptions of even more products released at CHA 2006 Las Vegas. We'll be adding new products everyday.

Andrea Steed
Editor, Scrapjazz.com

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