CHA Summer 2013 | Hot Pick: The Crafter's Workshop

Welcome to the CHA Top Ten Hot Picks list!

So here, in no particular order, is the next hot pick for CHA Summer 2013 (aka Create-n-Connect)…

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Like the previous pick (Lawn Fawn), this is another company that grabbed this honor for their continued upward motion in the market and for showing increasing signs of being a mature company with a completely solid offering and development program.

The Crafter's Workshop now has a stable slate of four big-name signature designers, and their efforts for CHA Summer 2013 showed how all these names mesh together, complementing each other without really competing.

Ronda Palazzari's new stencils really stood out because of the nature of their design. Her style I'd describe as outgoing, in contrast to Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, whose style is more introspective. This distinction is reflective of their backgrounds, with Ronda's work focused more on layouts that cater more to an audience, and Julie's more focused on art journaling (which to most is private and personal).

These stencils of Ronda's have multiple designs on them, making them quite versatile:

Ronda Palazzari stencils

This layering stencil is great for travel pages!

Ronda Palazzari stencils

Ronda Palazzari stencils

This next template contains multiple designs as well, but Ronda's sample layout shows how beautifully they can work together on a project:

Ronda Palazzari stencils

Ronda Palazzari stencils

Retro graphic is huge right now, and tape cassettes are becoming a very trendy icon. Ronda gives you plenty of options to choose from with her "Mix Tape" stencil:

Ronda Palazzari "Mix Tape" stencil

Ronda Palazzari "Mix Tape" stencil layout

Project Life lovers will really find something to love in Ronda's new releases. Her "Captured" template contains photo frames, patterns, and camera graphics that are sized well for use on 4x6 or 3x4 pocket cards.

Ronda Palazzari Captured stencil

"Twas The Night" is another of Ronda's stencil designs that will make pocket scrapbookers happy - as well as fans of December Daily albums. I especially love how Ronda has used the stencil on top of patterned paper in the sample.

Ronda Palazzari Twas The Night stencil

Ronda Palazzari Twas The Night sample

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's stencils will certainly make her art journaling fans happy, especially this pony tail girl filled with script text!

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer Silhouette Script stencil

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer Silhouette Script stencil sample

Julie also has some designs for more general use, like a U.S. map (great for travel!) and an abstract circle pattern.

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer stencils

Dina Wakley is known for her "all-over" repeating and somewhat abstract patterns, with a touch of grunge.

Dina Wakley stencils

Jaime Echt, the fourth designer, is known for her graphic, hard-edged designs (but I somehow missed photographing them).

Besides the Ronda Palazzari templates, it is obvious from several other products that the company is serious about courting pocket scrapbookers. Julie Fei-Fan Balzer has a new collection of mini stencils called "Balzer's Bits", most of which are perfect sizes for using on 3x4 and 4x6 pocket cards.

Balzer's Bits

Balzer's Bits tag samples

Even more exciting for pocket scrapbookers - because it is designed just for them -  is the new line of stencils from Jen Boumis, called LifeBits. They create perfect 3x4 cards with a border and fun phrase on them!

Life Bits by The Crafter's Workshop

The company also has expanded their line of dies for pocket scrapbookers. Having previously released 4x6 sized dies, The Crafter's Workshop is now offering 3x4 sized die designs!

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The Crafter's Workshop sample

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The Crafter's Workshop sample

The result of all these additions, along with their previous releases, is a great selection of options for creative pocket scrapbooking:

 Stencils are rapidly becoming a papercrafting "standard" product, and The Crafter's Workshop is the place to be to get them!