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CHA Summer 2011 | Innovation Showcase Favorites

By on July 19, 2011 in CHA, News

Today was the start of the Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show Conference and we got a peek at some new products at the Innovation Showcase. Celebrity judges Terri O (PBS-TV’s Super Simple With Terri O), Ana Araujo (WhenCreativityKnocks.com), Maria Nerius (FaveCrafts.com) and Torrie Nelson (Creative Retailer Magazine) judged the CHA’s 20 Hot Products; a great start for this year’s show. Each show, the Innovation Showcase features some of the most unique products about to hit the craft aisles.

Here are just a few of the products that caught our eye and we can’t wait to put to the Craft Critique test…

Little Pink Ladybug has come out with the Brilliant Bowmaker Ultimate Kit. With 19 templates, 3 instruction booklets, and a stapler, this kit has everything you will need to make almost any kind of bow. This system is designed to achieve bow making simply and quickly, allowing crafters to mix and match templates creating a distinct bow style.

With the popularity of die cutting systems, it is no surprise that we selected this next product as one of our favorites. Paper Layerz from Worldwin Papers is crafting paper that makes coordinating die-cut shapes and layers from any die-cutting machine faster, cheaper and easier. This paper is lightweight enough for your machines but strong enough to layer and use dimensionally.

The C Thru Ruler Company’s Let’s Face It stencils are not just for illustrators or artists, these are going to make drawing faces for art journals, mixed media project, and more a breeze.

When you say the name Tim Holtz, people’s ears perk up. Well, here’s his new Picket Fence Distress Stain by Ranger Ink. This stain will turn fluid water-based dyes for papers and other porous surfaces, into unique opaque colors.

Here is a little video demonstration of just what this product can do…

Organizing your craft stash has always been a challenge; here’s a new product with a great solution for all those ribbons you’ve been collecting. The Ribbon Carousel by Cropper Hopper will organize and dispense up to 54 spools of ribbon. And the coolest part is that each layer spins independently to assist you with finding the perfect one for your project.

We know how the kids love their Silly Bandz, but we think these Twistz Bandz are definitely gonna give them a run for their money. This cool kit creates rubber band links in a variety of styles and designs. This will be a hit with kids and adults alike.

Faber-Castell has some new Mixed Media sets, as well as colored pencils and artist pens that are going to catch the eye of all kinds of crafters. Whether you are an illustrator, mixed media artist, scrapbooker, or cardmaker, these new tools with their wide array of colors are going to get those creative juices flowing.

Epiphany Crafts has added charms to its already wildly popular Shape Studio. With handmade jewelry being all the rage, this easy-to-use product makes it simple for anyone to make rings, charm bracelets, and necklaces.
And finally the product we were most excited to hear about is the perfect marriage of tech and craft. STKR.it Stickers allow crafters to use QR codes on their projects so that they can attach digital memories to all their projects. Whether you have a great video of the event, audio, or just more photos that won’t fit on that scrapbook layout, this little sticker will allow you to include them all. With your smartphone, media tablet, or computer, people can access this additional data allowing you to include every part of that special memory.

And here’s STKR.it to explain how it all works…

So, that’s a few new products to get us started with our CHA coverage. Remember to check back daily for all of our articles; we will be bringing you the best of the show! And we can’t wait to test out these products firsthand and let you know what we think.

So what do you think? Which of these products are you most excited about? Which would you like to see us test drive for you?

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20 Responses to CHA Summer 2011 | Innovation Showcase Favorites

  1. KimMJ July 19, 2011 at 8:54 am #

    Of course the Tim Holtz picket fence stain! I also want to get my hands on the new stencils form the c thru company! Looks like you are having a great time.

    TFS

    KimMJ
    bast830@comcast.net

  2. Annette July 19, 2011 at 9:19 am #

    Love the Tim Holtz stain…
    I just love his product… it is just so different then the rest…Have fun.. and thanks for sharing

  3. Kelly Sas July 19, 2011 at 9:51 am #

    I really want to see the Let’s Face it Stencils in a video or tutorial. I don’t understand how they work, plus I can’t draw a face to save my life!

  4. Tamikko July 19, 2011 at 10:49 am #

    nice, I love Tim Holtz. and that stain is going to show up on everything in my house 🙂

  5. janine July 19, 2011 at 11:12 am #

    I love CHA—even though I’ve never been. I just enjoy this time of year when all of the vendors show off their new stuff =) Looking forward to checking out the Little Pink Ladybug bow system. Plus, what I really could use like…right this minute…is the ribbon organizer. Currently all of my ribbon is shoved in a drawer. As for Tim Holtz…hey, we all love that guy. He could come out with toilet paper or dental floss and I’d buy it…lol I’m a little confused on the STKR thing. I get what it is and how it works, just confused about how it ties in with your every day crafter. Someone perhaps more involved in the business aspect of crafting but, your every day crafter, I’m not seeing the STKR thing…yet. Although SmartPhones are big business, I just don’t know how big it is in the every day crafter market (?). Maybe they will surprise me =)

  6. Bernie July 19, 2011 at 12:29 pm #

    I have such trouble with bows I’d love to see how the Brilliant Bowmaker works. Have fun at CHA!
    Blessings Bernie

  7. SuZeQ July 19, 2011 at 1:35 pm #

    LOVE the Picket Fence idea … perfect!

  8. Sage July 19, 2011 at 2:21 pm #

    what a cool idea stickrs is! my techie family would be SO impressed with me 🙂

  9. Toucan Scraps July 19, 2011 at 2:36 pm #

    thank you

  10. Kathy July 19, 2011 at 2:49 pm #

    Wow, how do they keep coming up with these new inventions! Love the bow maker and of course, Tim Holtz picket fence stain!

  11. Regina aka Mrs. Ham July 19, 2011 at 3:01 pm #

    I would like to see the Tim Holtz picket fence stain and the Paper layers.

  12. Jun Bug House July 19, 2011 at 3:39 pm #

    Little Pink Ladybug
    I have two little grand daughters, with thick dark hair.
    If you need a tester, send them my way!!!!
    **U**
    Nance

  13. Lisa Mala6 July 19, 2011 at 4:19 pm #

    wow! What great reviews. I can not wait for my lss to get some of these products. What fun the picket fence distress ink look great. 🙂

  14. Ippity Chick July 19, 2011 at 4:50 pm #

    This comment has been removed by the author.

  15. Kayla and Samuel July 19, 2011 at 5:04 pm #

    Wow, the twistz bandz look really neat, I’d like to see some more options about those. The product I’m most interested in is the Brilliant Bowmaker Kit, that would be so great to give to my piano students after recitals! Thanks!!

  16. ann July 19, 2011 at 8:46 pm #

    The Stkr.it thing looks interesting. Can’t wait to see the review.

  17. Vic July 19, 2011 at 11:33 pm #

    Well, I think I need the face stencils!

  18. Leisa July 20, 2011 at 2:15 am #

    STKRit sounds AMAZING! If I had a smart phone, it would be very useful to add extra info (video/sound) to cards and scrapbook pages.

  19. Carol L July 20, 2011 at 5:44 am #

    I’ve got to see more of that brilliant bowmaker! I’m also fascinated with STKR, what an innovative way to scrapbook!

  20. java diva July 23, 2011 at 1:25 pm #

    Stkr.it is amazing concept!!!! I am very excited about that.
    Love the Faber-Castell watercolor pencils! Gelatos are fun too.
    Want some epiphany to make fun rings!