Update | CHA, Kerri Bradford, New Calls, & More!
Lots of news has been happening, so it's time for another Update column already! Let's take a look at all of the industry happenings!
Popular designer Kerri Bradford has made an announcement about a big new addition to her online store's product line: stamps.
Kerri_Bradford_stamps
Bradford has long been known for her design work for Creating Keepsakes and for designing several Project Life editions, as well as for both Cricut and Silhouette. Her online store is a popular source of "clean and simple" style digital supplies and cut files, and she is now adding a small release of stamps to the line as well. The stamp line is designed for scrapbookers, and is in Bradford's signature clean style.
The initial release sold out in a little over 24 hours, but the stamps are now available again for order.
It's long been rumored but Google has finally made it official: there is no future for Google+ as it now exists. Google has announced a reorganization that includes new management of the area responsible for Google+, and Streams and Photos appear destined to be spun off as independent products instead of remaining features of Google+.
What does all this mean for scrapbookers - or more specifically, scrapbook businesses? It means that investing heavily to Google+ as a primary marketing channel is probably not the best use of marketing investment, and that companies who are invested heavily there should be making efforts to shift their audiences to other channels.
American Crafts has extended their warehouse sale again, this time until March 31st. The sale is being held at 475 N. State Street in Orem, Utah (an Old Kmart building) and is open Mon-Sat 9am-6pm.
The Craft & Hobby Association is partnering with Crafter's Home for its CHA Paper Arts+ show in July. The show will be held from July 21st-23rd at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center. Crafter's Home will hold its summer showcase in conjunction with the event, from July 19th-20th. For the first time, Craft & Hobby Association brick-and-mortar retailer members will be able to attend the Crafter's Home Sample Showcase. Admission will be free for CHA members, and registration opens on June 3rd.
The design team calls continue to roll in!
Gina's Designs, which creates lasercut chipboard designs, has a call open until March 15th for their new team. A blog and YouTube channel are required for this team. The call is for a 6 month term and team members may be on up to three other teams during their term.
Graphic 45 also has a call out for their new team until March 22nd. This application requires authoring a blog post with the title "Graphic 45 Design Team Audition 2015" and finalists will be required to create a video as part of the selection process.
