Mary and I had a blast at the Craft and Hobby Association Summer Trade Show in Chicago! We snapped lots of photos, checked out some fun make-and-takes (like a felt flower brooch and Silhouette heat transfer tote), and met some fabulous crafters!
Here are some products that really stood out in the crowd.
Craft-e: The eCraft Cutter from Craftwell is unlike other electronic cutters in that it does not use a mat. Paper or other materials (like this vinyl) slide into the eCraft’s paper tray just like a printer, or you can hook up the eCraft to a large roll for continuous cutting. Make wall decor, scrapbook layouts, stencils and more. We like the idea of this cutter, but haven’t tried it out yet, and cutting fabric sounds like it might be a challenge!
Easy Fabric Flowers: Use Clover’s flip-and-fold Flower Frill Templates, or step up your game and try out the new Kanzashi Flower Makers for fun, new shapes! We had fun chatting with Diane Gilleland, blogger, author and editor of Craftzine, at the Clover booth.
More fabric flowers at the Clover booth!
Stamps, Anyone? This machine from Photocentric is impressive in person. You can use a photo negative to make your own stamps with this machine press and a special-formula gel pack. Read more about how Photocentric’s stamp-making kits and supplies work together. Fascinating!
Epic Letterpress: Die cutting, embossing and printing with vibrant inks all in one machine. The Epic Letterpress from Lifestyle Crafts is as compact as it is versatile, and Julie showed me how this little press can be used to make anything from place cards to wedding invitations with custom-printed plates. I want one!
Silhouette Cameo: The Silhouette SD cutting and crafting tool is being discontinued and swapped out for this wider, sleeker version, the Silhouette Cameo (above left). Mary and I thought this make-and-take from Silhouette was fantastic! We each made a canvas tote with a custom heat-transfer that printed while we waited. The new machine is wider than the previous model, allowing crafters to cut larger designs, and will retail for the same price of $299. The Silhouette is unique in that it allows you to cut your own designs rather than being limited to what’s included on a cartridge.
Chatty Stickers: You never knew that you wanted your scrapbook pages to talk to you, until they did. Talking Tag digital labels are a new product that works with a smartphone app to let you record messages which can be replayed later using a scanner on your phone. The voice message replays and can be used in scrapbooks, cards and more. We also liked the Button-o-matic, which was stocked with bar-code badges.
Paper Dolls: My Studio Girl Taggles are an adorable new product. The stickers take paper dolls to a new level, with reusable stickers you can use again and again. (My mom is going to want some of these.) They come from Grant Studios, which carried my favorite scrapbook papers of the day with teapots and vintage ladies.
Heavy Metal: With all this technology around, it was nice to work with my hands and try something truly rustic. These metal stamps impress tiny letters on jewelry when hammered. To make the letter impression look antique, we use a regular Sharpie marker to color inside the letter, then wiped off the excess with a dry cloth.
We enjoyed the Paper Crafts Magazine booth, and we both collected lots of reusable tote bags. Hello, greener shopping! I also won a door prize drawing from 3M (the makers of Post-Its).
Thanks for checking out this week’s Fresh Picks!
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