CHA Winter 2013 | Scrapbook Update Top Ten Hot Picks!

It's been a tough decision to make this time around...there were a few hard choices to make in narrowing it down...but it's finally here: The CHA Winter 2013 Scrapbook Update Top Ten Hot Picks list!

[Editor’s Note: This website has become Nally Studios since the publication of this article.]

The show was buzzing with excitement as we rang in 2013 in Anaheim. Attendees were very optimistic about the future. The Hot Picks definitely reflect that excitement over new directions and a new evolution happening in the industry.

So, in no particular order, here's the Top Ten Hot Picks for CHA Winter 2013!

Becky Higgins' Project Life

So let's just get the obvious out of the way, shall we? Project Life was already hot, hot, hot with consumers before the announcement that it would be available wholesale starting at CHA Winter 2013, and in Anaheim, retailers flocked to the Project Life booth so that they can give their customers the latest trend they are asking for!

There was plenty for visitors to the booth to see! Becky unveiled seven new Project Life core kits for CHA Winter 2013, along with a wide variety of accessories. Retailers who want to bring in the line are faced with a huge number of SKU's to choose from and try to purchase.

The new Midnight collection, a major style departure for Project Life, is getting a lot of buzz from Project Life fans.

To learn more about Project Life at CHA Winter 2013, read Tami's report on the Project Life booth and new products.

Elle's Studio

Our next Hot Picks company is also a company that extended itself in a new way at CHA Winter 2013. Elle's Studio made a splash with its show debut at CHA Summer 2012, making our Hot Picks list as a new exhibitor. For their second round of exhibiting at CHA Winter 2013, owner/designer Elle Price introduced a major new product to their offerings: patterned paper.

In total, Elle's new offerings include 14 double-sided patterned papers spread across three collections. The results are very usable, and perfectly coordinated with the company's tag embellishments.

Elle's Studio also introduced a new kind of "tag" to their popular line of paper embellishments - a tabbed card design that is compatible with pocket scrapbooking systems like Project Life.

All the new Elle's Studio products are shipping now, with the exception of the Serendipity collection, which will ship in mid-March.

Spellbinders

Perhaps the surest sign of being hot is to win an attendee's choice award for your products at the show, and Spellbinders did just that at CHA Winter 2013.

Spellbinders was the winner of the Attendee's Choice award from the CHA Winter 2013 Innovations Showcase. Although Spellbinders won the award for their new Imperial Gold dies, the most buzz at the show seemed to be about their new partnership that is taking them into mixed media and jewelry.

The new Media Mixage line of products is a partnership with Susan Lenart Kazmer's Ice Resin product. The line includes nested dies with matching jewelry bezels, designed for use with Ice Resin. The products are also sold by Susan Lenart Kazmer under the brand name Art Mechanique but in different packages.

Spellbinders also introduced a new die cutting machine at the show as well. The Artisan X-plorer retails for $89.99 and is stronger than Spellbinders' previous machine, the Grand Calibur, allowing it to be used effectively for a wider range of mixed media materials like chipboard, metal and fabric.

Media Mixage will ship to retailers in March 2013.

Craft Attitude

This company has been rapidly growing its presence at CHA and in the industry. The growing wave toward personalization projects has made Craft Attitude's entry into the market perfect timing. The printable self-adhesive film, sold packaged under various brand names to appeal to various different craft segments, can be adhered to almost any surface and will take on the texture of that surface, becoming invisible except for whatever is printed on it.

For scrapbookers, the printable film plays into a big trend - customization. The film was displayed being used to add photographs to everything from wedding thank you's to the cover of albums.

Scrapbook Attitude, while not a new product, is certainly gaining a lot of traction and I think we will be seeing a lot more of it in retail stores and in published projects after this show.

Maggie Holmes for Crate Paper

New signature lines almost always garner buzz and this one was no exception! Maggie Holmes joined the American Crafts line-up of brands under the Crate Paper banner with her own signature line. Show attendees seemed to agree that it was a match made in heaven. Maggie's feminine style meshed well with the Crate Paper aesthetic and her debut line was uniquely hers and charming.

Maggie's fabric instagram frames were perhaps the most buzzed-about item in her new line:

Glitz Design

Rainbow color schemes are hot, hot, hot, and Glitz Design's Color Me Happy collection made everyone happy it seemed with all of its bright rainbow colors! The collection mixed the rainbow color trend with two other trends: chalkboard and woodgrain.

These gorgeous graphic styled rainbow washi tape designs from Color Me Happy are sure to fly off of store shelves!

The collection's matching stamps are perfect for Project Life enthusiasts, featuring funky type arrangements of the days of the week, and trendy camera, phone and typewriter icons as well.

Color Me Happy is shipping to stores now! Look for it near you - before it disappears!

Allison Kreft Designs for Webster's Pages

This signature collection from Allison Kreft wasn't a debut but rather a return of an old favorite of scrapbookers. Allison was a popular designer for Hambly before it closed, and designed for Echo Park during the last show cycle. Hopefully she has found a permanent home at Webster's Pages, as her gentle retro vibe is the perfect extension of their vintage style!

Allison's first Webster's Pages outing includes two collections: Composition & Color, and Sweet Notes. The collections are large, consisting of a dozen double-sided patterned papers, plus a variety of embellishments, including washi tape and a trim card.

Pictured below are some patterned papers from the Composition & Color collection:

Fans of Allison's work with Hambly will be thrilled to see these pieces of her new collections with Webster's - transparencies! Each collection includes three overlay designs. Pictured below are the Composition & Color (top) along with the Sweet Notes (bottom):

Allison is also putting her own unique spin on Websters' popular alphabet combination sticker sheets. Her version features two alphabets - one large die cut and one small block alphabet - along with some decorative elements as well. Allison also brings something else new to Webster's - patterned alphabets:

Both of Composition & Color and Sweet Notes by Allison Kreft for Webster's Pages will be shipping to retailers this month.

We R Memory Keepers

Many consumers don't realize that We R Memory Keepers was producing divided pocket page protectors long before Becky Higgins made them trendy with her Project Life kits. We R produced albums for Becky Higgins LLC from late 2011 into 2012, but since Project Life is now part of the American Crafts family, We R Memory Keepers is now aggressively pursuing marketing their own brand of pocket scrapbooking products.

Their "Albums Made Easy" kits are packaged in flat trays, and include 275 cards. The first four kits will be shipping in March, and they MSRP for $9.99.

Along with the Albums Made Easy kits, We R Memory Keepers introduced a new tool aimed squarely (rectangularly?) at pocket scrapbookers - a 3" x 4" card punch with rounded corners. This punch will certainly be popular with the market of scrapbookers who like to create custom elements for their pocket albums. The Card Punch ships in June, and has an MSRP of $29.99.

We R Memory Keepers also had a tool offering for the other popular market right now: card making. Their envelope punch board creates custom envelopes in a variety of sizes, and has an MSRP of $19.99. The envelope punch board ships in April.

Another We R Memory Keepers product that was also getting a lot of buzz was a new page protector. The company has created a new ring bound 12x12 page protector that holds a double page layout side by side with no gutter in the middle of it. The Ring Flush Bound Page Protector comes in packages of 5, and MSRP's for $5.99. It will be shipping to stores in March.

My Mind's Eye

The My Mind's Eye booth always has plenty of beautiful stuff to look at but this time they exceeded even their usual high standard of expectations.

For starters, My Mind's Eye dived into decorative tape in a big way! All their new collections included tape, and they also introduced decorative tape sets. The sets consist of 8 rolls of tape in two different colors, and they MSRP for $12.99:

Although the company's look has traditionally leaned heavily toward the shabby chic and vintage aesthetic, they broke away from that for their Boy Crazy and My Girl collections at CHA Winter 2013. The collections are kid-themed and very bright and graphic, with a retro bent to them.

(photo above by Tami Morrison)

Fans of My Mind's Eye's signature look will have plenty to love, though. Jen Allyson has designed a new "mega collection" for the company that will fit right in with their past collections. Featuring four sub-collections called Notable, Memorable, Remarkable, and Unforgettable, the Collectable collection offers a wealth of vintage-inspired patterns in a broad color palette, along with the typical My Mind's Eye embellishments: brads, word stickers, title cards, buttons, and 3D stickers.

All of the CHA Winter 2013 releases from My Mind's Eye are now shipping to stores.

Lori Whitlock for Echo Park

The fabulous Lori Whitlock is a perfect fit at Echo Park, and she really outdid herself with the three collections that she showed for them at CHA Winter 2013.

First up, shipping in February, there's the dual boy/girl themed collections called Sweet Girl and All About A Boy. These fun collections mix modern color with vintage-tinged elements to create something that is both workable and beautiful to look at.

Echo Park showed tape for the first time at CHA Winter 2013 with their collections. Lori's collections used the new embellishment beautifully, as shown above from the Sweet Girl collection.

The third collection, shipping in April, is called A Perfect Summer. Designed with a combination of summer icons like fish, popsicles, waves, and the sun, mixed with small colorful patterns, the collection will be perfect for scrapping all those happy summer days.

So there they are...Scrapbook Update's CHA Winter 2013 Top Ten Hot Picks! What did you think will be hot from CHA Winter? Tell us in the comments!

CHA Winter 2013 | Scrapbook Update Top Ten Hot Picks!

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