To watch the TV segments, click HERE to see Part 1, HERE to see Part 2 and HERE to see the Paris Hilton video and coverage. To check out the companies, simply click on their company name!
BEST OVERALL COMPANY - Little Yellow Bicycle
This company impressed me from the get-go! They have years of experience behind them with the C-Thru ruler company and have a keen awareness of what we all love to see and play with AND are super NICE to boot!! See us demo their "Layering Rub-ons" on my TV segment Part 1!FAVOURITE PAPER LINE: Crate Paper
Crate Paper is an amazing family run business (LOVE THAT!) who also has a great grasp of beautiful paper lines that will appeal to the masses (appropriate for beginner and advanced scrappers!) Simplicity and beauty combined!COOLEST NEW GADGET: My Pages Talk
These gals have come up with a creative way of preserving "sound" in our scrapbooking and crafting! The "My Pages Talk" gadget will record up to 30 seconds of sound (child singing, baby cooing, personal messages, journaling, etc.) AND it can then be decorated to be used in a layout (is thin enough!) or to use as a magnet, Christmas ornament, etc.!! I'd give almost anything to have my Grandma praying her heartfelt German prayers preserved on a device like this added to her layout to help remember her! See it in action on my TV segment Part 2.MOST FUN COMPANY - Bo Bunny
I have to admit that their personalized albums are way cool (see the Cruise one they did above), but what really impressed me about this company is that despite the "doom and gloom" hanging over the economy, these ladies know how to have a good time and they focused on FUN!! What a refreshing attitude!!FAVOURITE STORAGE LINE: Neatnix
You can't help but be distracted by the fabulous bags and organizing products from this great new company!! Neatnix has a wide array of not only products, but fabrics, colours and patterns and their tote bag is to die for (huge with zipper and pockets on the outside!!). Watch for these to arrive in stores here in Canada!BEST FOR BOYS (and STAR WARS FANS!) - Creative Imaginations
Creative Imaginations had everyone's attention at CHA!! They did their research and came up with a line that is sure to be a hit... Star Wars!! Although not personally a huge fan, I have been assured that anything Star Wars is in HOT demand and they expect it to fly off the shelves! I simply liked the characters wandering the show!!MOST INNOVATIVE PRODUCT: Heidi Swapp Invisibles
I only took one photo but you can see the TV demo on my Part 2 segment. What Heidi has done is design basic white papers, letters and cardstock that has a built in "resist" design or pattern that emerges only once you apply ink or Tattered Angels or some sort of colour of your choice. Way cool and especially great for those of us who do not enjoy the longer process of creating "ink resist" ourselves! Now will Canadians overlook Heidi's attitude towards us and buy this great product of hers? Probably because it is so very cool!!FAVOURITE GUY - Lance Anderson from Rusty Pickle (Mr. Pickle)
We love Lance! And not only is he a great guy and designer, but he is an amazing instructor and is coming to Calgary to teach at the Scrapbook Pantry in February!! Apparently he has a Canadian connection (his wife is from Alberta) so we may get to see him a fair bit over the years! And if you ever get a chance to go to CHA, be sure to visit his booth... hungry... chocolate fountain... need I say more????!!!!TOP FUN NEW IDEA - Fancy That Decorative Packing Tape
I figure anything and everything that adds a bit of fun and beauty into our daily lives is noteworthy and this little company has hit it big with an array of colourful and decorative packing tape!! Their booth was FULL of fun ideas and potential uses and would be perfect for all kinds of crafting (not acid free, but oh so fun!)MOST EXCITING PARTNERSHIP - Technique Tuesday and Ali Edwards
Two amazing entities come together for a wonderful partnership!! We LOVE Technique Tuesday stamps and now Ali Edwards has designed some of her "down to earth" heartfelt type stamps that are just perfect for everyday crafters!! I am going to try to get my hands on some of these to play with, but don't you just LOVE the concept as well?!!BEST NEW CONCEPT - Prima's Artful Cardboard
When I saw this layout, I got real excited as "finally someone did this for us!" thoughts ran through my head!! Prima has created Artful Cardboard that has gentle designs on the outside and corrugated cardboard on the inside!!! And it's acid free so we can now use corrugated cardboard in our layouts!!! LOVE this one by Sharon Laakkonen that my good friend and Prima Designer Trisha Ladouceur is holding!! Sooooo excited to get my hands on some of this!!!FAVOURITE TRANSPARENCIES - Hambly
The more I get to know this company, the more I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!! Not only do they have the MOST AMAZING transparencies around, but they are just wonderful, genuine lovely people behind the company (that always helps!!!)BEST INTERNATIONAL COMPANY - KaiserCraft
I heard about the "ruckus" this company was causing by tossing handfuls of BLING to the crowds at CHA!! Unfortunately I didn't make it for that part, but I did get to see some amazing stuff and a very helpful gentleman (Michael Davies I think) introduced me to this fun company! Be sure to watch as Canadians get to see more and more of their products hitting our shelves!FAVOURITE CRAFTING CELEBRITY - Jane Seymour
This woman impressed me from the first time I ever saw her on TV and seeing her live and hearing her story of how "creating" brought life back to her after losing everything (her house, her money, her marriage, etc.) She is truly beautiful inside and out and watching her paint was captivating! I wish she would have gathered the crowds that Paris Hilton did... she is truly an artist and passionate about creating!And speaking about Paris, for those asking, here is a couple "product shots" from her booth...
And... last, but not least, I had a lovely lunch with the Creating Keepsakes crowd (Scrapbookers of the Year, Hall of Famers, editors, contributors, etc.) So very nice to meet everyone in person!! And did you know that CK has a new BLOG? Check it out!
Wow! That's a long post, but thanks for patiently waiting on my TOP CHA picks and I hope you enjoy!! There were way too many awesome companies out there, but these are the ones that caught my eye for assorted reasons! And of course we had some AMAZING CANADIAN companies that I will showcase at another time as they are deserving of our attention!!!
3 comments:
Fabulous pictures Allsion.
Really like the product that Crate Paper has come up with, that packing tape is to drool over, and
I have always liked the gentle nature of Jane Seymour so would love to hear her story some time.
Maybe Scrapbook Your Heart!
Thanks so much for posting all of these for us! Well done, as usual!
Hi Allison,
Thanks so much for sharing this great CHA recap. I love seeing the show through unique eyes. And lunch was great. I really enjoyed meeting you. :)
Oh, and thanks for helping us spread the word about the CK blog. It's much appreciated.
Cheers!
thank you for the twinkle tour of CHA. Such an energy surge and very inspiring.
connie paxman
Post a Comment