CHA Winter 2014: The Mega Show

Hi, it's Gia!  I am so excited to be writing my very first post on the Clique Kits Blog. It is the most wonderful time of year for paper crafters! It is a brand new year, new products are being revealed and critiqued every day, and CHA happens!  In case you haven't heard of it, or have had your head buried under a heap of snow, CHA is the Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show- I am pretty sure the biggest one in the business. How lucky am I that I was invited by a close friend and business owner to attend ? I have been on the design team for her company for the past year, and she values hearing the opinions of those of us creating with the products she sells (a pretty awesome perk for me.)  Even though my primary mission was to seek out and test new art supplies for mixed media artists, I also couldn't help but absorb the scenery at the scrapbooking booths! A complete win-win wouldn't you say?

What do you say you pull up a chair (like this one from the Bo Bunny booth) and take a little tour with me as I try to hit some of the highlights of the show! As much as I loved taking pictures with the giant (human) jar of Mod Podge, I know you really want to see the good stuff. Can anyone say stimulation overload?

A little background about the show this year since it was my first time and I had nothing to compare it to: It is HUGE! Although people said it has been way bigger in past years, it literally took me all three days I was there to feel like I had actually made a dent in getting to see everything I hoped to. So I apologize in advance if I missed something or someone you were hoping to see.  The heart and soul that the exhibitors put in to their booths  is unbelievable.  It's better than Disneyland for paper crafters!

I am going to start at the American Crafts section since they encompass so many different designers and companies. First up, is Amy Tangerine's Plus One Collection (inspired by the new addition in her life.) The Clique Kits girls are huge fans- and we will be doing a blog share in February showing off her Cut & Paste line- which was released just prior to this one. Stay tuned for that happening February 21st!

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This is one of my favorites from Amy Tangerine's Plus One collection; acrylic script words. Don't they just pop?

Puffy stickers

Clear stamp set

Die cutting set--CUTE!

Wood stamps-why not?

3 x 4 cards to cut up

Notice the watercolor accented flowers! Watercolors are hot!

rub ons-more of that fun script lettering!

Another cute flair collection!

Embroidery thread in new colors to match the collection and a new embroidery template as well (not shown)

Signing Scrap-lebrity autographs I think!

This script seems to be a theme- and I love it!

Nearby I had a chance to glimpse another one of my favorites- see if you can guess whose booth this photo is from:

If you guessed Maggie Holmes you were absolutely correct! Did the cork M give it away?

Maggie Holmes designed her third line for Crate Paper called Style Board.  We love her shabby chic-updated vintage look combined with bold florals and so many fun embellishments. Back in October, when the idea for Clique Kits was still a seed, we hosted a Maggie Holmes Blog Share featuring her previous line Flea Market.  If you would like to check it out you should start here and stop by all the links.

Such a cute display.

Give me that die cut camera!

Gold rub ons-I'm still crazy about gold are you?

Gold washi tape with a shiny gold stripe against kraft

Label style words in Gold with white type

The signature Maggie camera on a doily

For some close ups of the whole paper collection take a look at this post.

We want to hear what you guys think about these new releases! So please leave us your comments ! We want this blog and your whole experience with Clique Kits to be interactive. Stay tuned for more posts about CHA coming soon! Click. Create. Connect.
-Gia