Tuesday, January 21, 2014

My 2014 CHA Highlights & The Goods

Hi again Crafters! Thank you thank you for the awesome comments on the first post, and more words of encouragement! I love you all! Now, longly...not quickly...here are my favorite booths that I visited at the 2014 CHA Mega Show! There was so much to see and be inspired by, and many types of products that seem to trending. I hope you see some inspiration too!

The Ranger Booth:
Fabulous, fun, and colorful treats from Dyan and Kaz!
 
 
 
 

The Ranger Design Challenge: Using Distress Paint (For some reason I didn't have all the photos of the pieces on my camera...hmmm!!!)
These metal sheet colored butterflies were gorgeous!
 
 
Shelly's flowers were busting with color!
You could pick Wendy's out instantly! I LOVE her style, her Art Parts, her stamps!
There was so much to see on Tim's. I loved all the embellishment!
Paula hand painted those flowers!!!
 
Jim's was genius! The dimension was fabulous!
 
Richele's piece caught my eye first thing! I was in LOVE with it!
Speaking of Ranger, here is a photo I didn't have yesterday, and I so have to post some of my Ranger U Sistas!!! I love them so! 
I'm loving this photo with Cheryl, Linda, Candy, Marjie, and Susan.

The Idea-ology Booth:
Inspiration heaven! These windows were filled with beautiful projects!
I was in LOVE with the old piano music sheet used as the base of this beauty! I totally need to get some!
I love all the new papers and embellies! Wait, haven't I said that?
 
 
 
 
 
 


The Sizzix Booth:
The Susan's Garden line was fantastic! I used the tools and dies in the Sizzix class, and made a gorgeous flower. I so need the tools used to make gorgeous paper florals that really look real. So so so pretty!
 
What a wonderful display! I just loved the top hat on the corner of the sofa!
The wall of books always mesmerizes me!
Americana goodness!
More Artist Trading Blocks!

The Stamper's Anonymous Booth:
I loved all the new stamps from Tim and Wendy. There are some really fun Blueprints and the Hash Tag set is super FUN!!!
 
 
 


The Spellbinders Booth:
I could have sat on the sofa in this booth, and stared for hours! It was so beautiful, elegant, and yet vintage. Shabby chic inspiration abounded with old world European flair! AWESOME!!!
 
Jars of bezels were so so beautiful!
They have so many new bezels, embellies, and metal dies!
 


The Prima Booth:
A new vintage line, with places around the world is out. Cool stuff!
 
 


The Coats & Clark Booth:
Again, I thought I took more photos here! This chair is AMAZING!!! There was even a poster of the new Tim fabrics coming out soon! Gorgeous makes! I need to get a new sewing machine...seriously!!!

The Lion Brand Yarns Booth:
This booth had to be the most unusual and grandiose! The Wonders of the World were all made of yarn! It was truly so COOL and inspiring!!! I wish I would have taken more photos!
 


The Wobble Works, Inc. Booth:
The new 3Doodler is a super cool tool that is like a glue gun, except it puts out colored plastic that is not hot, and you can create all kinds of things with it. The ferris wheel, plane, and all these other goodies were all created with this plastic that you control with the tool. It's so cool! Jim and I had fun playing with it!
 


What's was trending at CHA?
-There were booths and booths of new tools and gadgets galore. So many companies were demoing tools! There is even a new movement called Maker's Spaces or Hacker's Spaces, which are these places filled with awesome crafting machines and tools for people to just go and create. It's my understanding that they are all over the globe, and each one has a monthly fee. Search for one near you, and meet new friends while creating Art! They even had a place set up at CHA, and people were creating and learning to use these incredible state of the art machines! So cool, and a little above my head, but so worth looking in to.
-The chalk board look is still growing strong. Several companies have various chalk board paints in every color, and there were many projects with the chalk board look, even furniture painted with it. It makes a super matte and soft look, and very vintage looking!
-Spray Paints for every job and decor look were available at so many booths as well. From mirrored, to etched glass, to frosted glass, to metallic, to soft and transparent, there seems to be a spray paint for everything now. I LOVE it!
-Handmade jewelry is all the rage, and the more metals, beads, and images, the better! There were so many gorgeous pieces everywhere. So many had a retro grunge feel, and the bead choices were endless.
-Fabric, material, yarns, burlap, and twine were scattered everywhere. People are really back in to sewing, crocheting, knitting, and just embellishing with these tactile yummies! There were even Make-n-Takes at two different places for using your arms and fingers to crochet a scarf out of the most soft, luxurious, and fuzzy yarns! I wish I would have made one, but lines were long!
-There was a plethora of paints and paintbrushes...from acrylic, to watercolor, and even oil paints! There was a booth with the most fabulous Make-n-Take, that you had to have an appointment time for, where an instructor was showing everyone the strokes and you would copy them to make your own oil painted snowy mountain scene. It was GORGEOUS, and everyone did so well with the copying of the strokes. I REALLY wanted to do this one, but by the time I discovered this Make-n-Take, it was the last day and all times were taken. Bummer! Very very very cool!!!
-WOOD items were all over the place!!! Yes, I'm so EXCITED about that, as you know how much I LOVE WOOD! There were papers, tape, tags, laser cuts, embellies, beads, all made from good ol' wood!
-Resins are still going strong. There are now several companies making the clear, moldable goodness! There are now so many to choose from with different properties ranging from drying fast to slow and steady.
-Metallic and prism like papers are going strong. There are so many colors and designs from several companies.

Thanks for traveling along on this 2014 CHA Mega Show journey, and join me again tomorrow to see my Top 10 Picks from the show, as  well as put your name in the running for TWO GIVE-AWAYS! 

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!


25 comments:

  1. I am liking the 3D doodle thingymajig...Must have been fun doing the booths with Jim. Can't wait for your next post.

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  2. Hello Anita,
    Many thanks for all he info on the up and coming products and the tour, it left me with mixed feelings, as I know I will never be able to attend such an exhibition so I feel rather envious, and on the other hand I am so very thankful that you have taken the time to take pics and upload for everyone who maybe in a similar situation.......NZ is so far away and too small for such an event.
    Enjoying this very much.
    Smiles:)
    Sue

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  3. Wow Anita !!! i so want to go to CHA.................................your photographs and Tim's are so amazing. The booth's are a crafter's delight with such wonderful layouts and creations. can't wait for the new releases.

    TFS and hugs annie xx

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  4. Oh what mega fun Anita and fabulous to see so much inspiration through your eyes, you have really spoiled us with so many photos and information. Thank you so much for putting this post together.
    hugs {brenda} x0x

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  5. Love the virtual tour! Best of all, no sore feet!!

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  6. Wow, wow, today's summary is fabulous Anita! The Designers from Ranger and Sizzix have excelled themselves with their stands. I loved seeing the Designer challenge items and like you, I think Richele's piece is stunning, but then they all are! The ATB's stand was brilliant too. Thank you so much for sharing this with us, not as good as being there I guess but wonderful nonetheless! Hugs, Anne xx

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  7. Thanks so much for sharing your excitement at all the artwork on view. Love your tips on what is trending xx

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  8. Loads of gorgeous inspirational makes , products and some fab fab pictures x hugs x

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  9. Hi Anita!! Thanks so much for sharing this with us. I would love to go to a CHA Mega Show someday. A crafting wonderland. Until then ... I really appreciate you letting us live it vicariously through your photos. Thanks for taking the time to do this for us. -- Mary Elizabeth

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  10. Oh my goodness, so much eye candy here. Thanks for sharing everything and for letting us know what's trending this year. I can't wait to see all this in the stores. I'm going to be broke this year.

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  11. Wow Anita you caught some booths I didn't even see and I was THERe! Speaking of which apparently I photo bombed one of your designer challenge pics :)

    PS The Susan's Garden toolkit is a MUST have for flower making IMHO

    Amy*

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  12. Thanks for sharing!!!!!!!!! all that i've seen is stunning! wonderful journey!!! BArbarayaya

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  13. Thanks for another set of great photos Anita!!! So much inspiration! Loved reading about what's trending too, that was really interesting, thanks!!

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  14. Jeepers... how do you cope with the temptation?!? Maybe it's just as well that I couldn't come...

    Amazing photos, Anita - thanks for sharing them... totally agree about Richele's canvas!!

    And what a fab round-up of the hottest trends - definitely going to check out the Makerspace - sounds like a fantastic thing. Looking forward to your Top 10 - I'm thinking it probably wasn't easy to narrow it down...
    Alison xx

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  15. Yay- there's one in Cambridge, UK!
    Alison x

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  16. Thanks for this post Anita and all the work that went into it. I felt like I was "walking the floor" again. I am planning a trends post as well and we definitely overlap in what we took from the show.

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  17. Thank you Anita ! Really enjoyed you taking us on a trip to CHA . Great to see some of the new goods and to hear your thoughts on them..... and look no aching feet ! X

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  18. Wow! So many wonderful new things, awesome samples...wow! It must be like walking into Wonderland!

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  19. Gosh, I have not even finished my morning coffee and am already drooling! I can't even imagine what walking into CHA and seeing all the upcoming goods is like! Hey, just walking into a regular convention is heaven! What a great trip you have taken us on!

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  20. Wow so amazing thing Thank you for sharing:) So many new things of Tim Holtz. I can not look away from your wonderful photos and the cute things I do not know what to look for. Wow CHA it is fabulous place to see so many goodies. Thank you very much that you show us the CHA:)
    Greetings Asia:)

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  21. I never tire of looking at all the amazing samples made for CHA, every single is utterly stunning. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

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  22. Thanks for sharing your photos and trend spotting!

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  23. Super recap! You were an awesome photographer, girl!

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  24. Thanks for sharing so much wonderful info and pics Anita - it all looks such a blast! Nicola x

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