Noodle Soup

CHA early trend predictions

The CHA winter show sneak peeks have really started flooding in this week! If you haven't checked out the Scrapbook Update Winter Sneak Peek page, you should. It's my go-to source for all the latest product info.

I'm the type of person who gets a lot of inspiration from product. I know I'm "supposed" to say I'm inspired by my stories and photos, and I definitely am. But if I'm completely honest, it's usually the desire to use a particular product that lights the fire under me to actually pull out those photos and tell that story I've been meaning to tell. So you can imagine how pumped I get when CHA rolls around!

I've only seen a fraction of what will be offered at the show so far, but I am already noticing a few trends emerging, so I'm going to go ahead and call them. Here are some predictions of what we'll be seeing a lot of on the show floor.

Motifs

Spring and travel motifs will abound as usual at the winter show, and in particular there will be a lot of map motifs within the travel category. Florals, birds, and butterflies will continue to be standard issue spring fare. Keep an eye out for loads of bicycles, kites, and honeycomb/hexagon shapes all over the place. Bicycles in particular seem to be the motif of the moment...it seems there's a bicycle something-or-other in just about every line I've seen so far. Banners still seem to be still going strong, so look for them to continue to be incoporated into product lines, both as a printed motif and as an actual embellisment. Ditto for tickets, doilies, and baker's twine. Are you a lover of chevron zigzags? You're in luck, because it seems even more manufacturers are jumping on that bandwagon.

Crate Paper

BoBunny

Studio Calico

 

 

Prima

Jenni Bowlin

My Mind's Eye

My Little Shoebox

Prima

Webster's Pages

Studio Calico

Moxxie

My Mind's Eye

Jenni Bowlin

Jillibean Soup

Dear Lizzy/American Crafts punch-out banners

Prima

Studio Calico

 

Jenni Bowlin

GCD Studios

American Crafts

My Mind's Eye

 

Despite the current phoneography craze, classic and vintage camera images could capture a spot as the next big product icon. I predict that the newest offerings from Amy Tangerine and Studio Calico will spark a camera trend that will carry over to the next show. Vintage telephones also seem to be making a good showing this time around.

Amy Tangerine/American Crafts

Amy Tangerine/American Crafts

Studio Calico

Jillibean Soup

Nikki Sivils

Wendy Vecchi/Studio 490

Claudine Hellmuth/Stampers Anonymous

 

Another trend I believe could be on the cusp is mason jars. I spied one in Cosmo Cricket's Tea For Two diecuts, and a whole sheet of them from Jillibean Soup. Based on what I've been seeing out in the world and on Pinterest, I think we'll see a lot more mason-style jars both in print and as storage or home decor in coming releases. And I wouldn't be surprised if they popped up at this show in booth design, as well.

Cosmo Cricket

Jillibean Soup

 

Products

Washi tape continues to gain popularity, and we'll be seeing it from even more manufacturers in a wider array of patterns at the upcoming show. Also be on the lookout for mini mixed-media books and accessories that capitalize on the Smash craze and make art journaling more approachable for the scrapbooking crowd.

Prima

Cosmo Cricket

Studio Calico

Prima

Prima

Fancy Pants

Studio Calico

 

Colors

I think we can expect fun, happy rainbow brights to dominate the offerings. Hot pink seems to be particularly hot this time around.

 

I'll be tweeting from the show floor January 29 - February 1, so be sure to follow me on Twitter for the latest updates and photos. And let me know in the comments if there's anything in particular you'd like me to report back on!

Now trending, part two

In this final installment of trade show coverage, enjoy a sampling of the latest product and color trends seen at CHA Winter.

Products

Jewelry made a crossover to the scrapbooking market this show. The Making Memories and Vintaj findings could adorn a page or altered project as well as a wearable trinket, offering scrapbookers a way to expand their crafting interests or their embellishment repertoire. Scarlet Lime, known so far as a fun kit company, introduced an array of colorfully bling-y watch kits at the Supershow, which are strictly for embellishing the scrapbooker herself. Or maybe for keeping tabs on how long you've been working on that page, so you don't lose track of time and forget to pick the kids up from school again. 

(Wait...maybe that's just me.)

 Making Memories

 Vintaj

Scarlet Lime 

I love that some manufacturers have begun duplicating their paper designs on fabric, another crossover crafting trend. I have some Cosmo Cricket and My Mind's Eye fabric in my stash already, and was excited to find Adornit offering these adorable prints in fabric form as well.

I will admit I am stuck on decorative tapes, and judging by the many varieties on the show floor, I'm not the only one.  

 Pink Paislee

 Pink Paislee

Kiki Art 

Love My Tapes (April and I actually scored some of this tape at the Supershow in Orlando over the summer, and I recently used it on a project for an upcoming BPS Workshop.)

 

There was a back to basics movement beginning at this show that I think will continue to grow stronger. Scrapbookers are exercising more purchasing caution during this economic downturn, and are sure to appreciate products that are versatile enough to coordinate with both old and new acquisitions. Notable were the monochromatic color stories of Lush by My Mind's Eye and the neutral colors and journaling-friendly grids and lines of Basic Grey's The Basics collection.

 My Mind's Eye

  Basic Grey

My favorite product trend this show is what I have dubbed Granny Chic - softer color palettes and depression era-inspired buttons, lace, doilies, gingham and dainty florals just like Granny's. It's vintage with an extra pinch of nostalgia, yet is still really useable on non-vintage pages and projects.

 Bazzill

 The Girls' Paperie

 

  Webster's Pages

 Webster's Pages

 

 Jenny Bowlin (photo borrowed from Wendy Smedley's blog)

 Little Yellow Bicycle

 Little Yellow Bicycle

 

 Cosmo Cricket

 

 Dear Lizzy by American Crafts

Colors 

As noted in the Granny Chic trend, muted colors and pastels are in. Bright, happy hues still abound, but are sharing the playing field with a batch of new, softer incarnations like coral instead of orange, tomato instead of fire engine red, and buttery yellow instead of bright lemon.

The 80s neon revival seen recently in the fashion industry is not quite as garish in the scrapbooking arena translation (thank goodness!), but its influence can be seen in many of the show's color stories.

 My Little Shoebox

 neon-inspired packaging, American Crafts

 
 We R Memory Keepers

One color combo that particularly caught my eye was violet paired with turquoise. Since turquoise has been named the color of the year by Pantone, it will surely be even more prevalent by the summer show.

 We R Memory Keepers

Bo Bunny

 

Flirty by Bella Blvd (via their blog)

What new releases are you excited to get your hands on? What do you think of the latest trends? Weigh in with a comment - I would love to know what you think!

Now trending, part one

Last week I told you about my favorite CHA finds...this week I'm talking trends. Today I'll show you some of the motifs du jour spotted on the show floor. Tomorrow, I'll cover product & color trends.

Dogs seemed to be a scrapper's best friend at this show, along with some other playful pet counterparts. Pooches (many of them with big, googly eyes) were spied at the likes of Imaginisce, Basic Grey, American Crafts, and October Afternoon.

Basic Grey

 American Crafts

  Imaginisce

October Afternoon

Faces were getting plenty of face time, in unlikely places such as whimsical vegetables, sea creatures, vehicles, and other inanimate objects. Let's face it - the Japanese Kawaii influence that has been sweeping pop culture has finally made its way to the scrapbooking industry. Kawaii is the Japanese word for cuteness, and in these uncertain economic times, who couldn't use a good dose of smiling cuteness?

 American Crafts

 Imaginisce

 Cosmo Cricket

 Cosmo Cricket

 Prima

 Doodlebug Designs

Spring was in the air with motifs like butterflies, bees, chicks, umbrellas, and lots and lots of flowers. The cloud trend has continued to pick up steam, as I predicted after the summer show, and layered flowers were a big, blossoming design trend in and of themselves.

Prima

 Jillibean Soup

 Jillibean Soup

 My LIttle Shoebox

 We R Memory Keepers

 

 Adornit

 Doodlebug Designs

 Cosmo Cricket

 K&Company

 Hampton Arts

 Little Yellow Bicycle

part of Bazzill's display

 

 

Epiphany Crafts (enjoy the irony that this photo is out of FOCUS)
 
 

A couple of manufacturers were hoping that scrapbookers would give peace a chance. 

 Doodlebug Designs

 Little Yellow Bicycle

Other frequently spotted motifs: banners & pennants, barnyard animals, birds & owls (still!).

My out-on-a-limb predictions for "the next big things"?

Balloons (particularly the hot air variety), birdhouses, and bicycles.