Cath Edvalson
If you joined Susan and me on the Paper Crafts and Moxie Fab World Facebook Fan Pages during CHA itself, and if you’ve been hangin’ around the Moxie Fab World blog during CHA Week last week, you know what fun we’ve all had in, on, and around CHA Summer.
As trends editor at Paper Crafts magazine, it’s my job to make sure that our publications are on trend–which translates to stay super inspiring–which is why I pore over the product the way I do. And once all is said and done, I put together a post which highlights the 12 major trends from each show in my semi-annual Trends by the Dozen post.
So, without further ado, here are the trends that rose to the top, IMHO. They are here to inform you, to inspire you, and to help us all calibrate where our interests and tastes lie in the grand scheme of this ever-evolving industry which we all love so much.
Ready? Set! Scroll!
A trend that continues show after show after show is vintage. I sometimes wonder what it says about our present that is causing our incredibly strong desire to revisit the past visually. Here are some of the best examples of this mainstay trend from this particular show:
Manufacturers represented: Darcie's, Stampendous, Tim Holtz, and Cosmo Cricket
Perhaps related to our desire to return to a simpler time in the vintage trend, what I’m calling the Country and Western trend. There were two lines with the name “Farmhouse,” two major western lines, and more farm and country influences than I could count. Check it:
Manufacturers represented: October Afternoon, KI Memories, My Mind's Eye, Crate Paper, Webster's Pages, Little Yellow Bicycle, and Studio Calico
And while past trends such as banners, doilies, lace, music, cameras, rulers, chevrons (especially as B sides), bakers’ twine, and yes, even owls, are still going strong, the cameo trend, which was so prevalent at CHA Winter, was too rampant not to mention again this time:
Manufacturers represented: American Crafts, Melissa Frances, My Little Shoebox, Studio Calico, Webster's Pages, Maya Road, and Pink Paislee.
Speaking of popular, lasting trends, the sewing trend was honed by focusing on spools and spool tops:
Manufacturers represented: Wendy Vecchi, Jillibean Soup, Pink Paislee, and Maya Road
There are always a handful of icons that are featured at each show. Here are the trendies from this one, beginning with typewriters:
Manufacturers represented: Maya Road and Jillibean Soup
…eyeglasses:
Manufacturers represented: Imaginisce and Pink Paislee
…and feathers:
Manufacturers represented: EK Success and American Crafts
Maps have made their way to the center stage as a design element:
Manufacturers represented: Unity Stamp Company, American Crafts, Inkadinkado, and Teresa Collins Designs
…while the runaway pattern of the show was hexagons:
This paper from Studio Calico is a moxie fab example of this trend!
There were a lot of French influences at the show:
Manufacturers represented: Glitz Design, Die Cuts With a View, Teresa Collins Designs, Darcie's, Prima, and Stampendous
…and one of my favorite trends, what I’m call the retro family trend, reminds me a lot of the television show Mad Men:
Manufacturers represented: Cosmo Cricket, Unity Stamp Company, Suzanne Carillo, October Afternoon, and Pink Paislee
And apparently, this year we want our Christmas lines to be strictly traditional. In fact, most of the lines we saw utilized just the basic Christmas colors–red, green, and lots and lots of black:
Manufacturers represented: Graphic 45, Little Yellow Bicycle, Teresa Collins Designs, Melissa Frances, Webster's Pages, and Cosmo Cricket
So there you have it, friends. The trends that seemed to speak the loudest to me at the show. What do you think? Which are your favorites? Which could you do without? Which can you see yourself actually incorporating into your designs? I’d love to hear the answers to any and all of these questions. And to thank you for taking the time to do so, I’ll offer one lucky (something really trendy and fun from the collections we have on hand.) Just leave a comment by midnight (MDT) on Thursday, Aug. 11 and maybe you will be the winner!
I calls ‘em as I sees ‘em,
Cath
P.S. Our brand new special issue, Card Ideas for Paper Crafters officially goes on sale today! Look for our fun online promotion (both here and on the Moxie Fab World blog) the week of Aug. 22-26. Get ready for this sketch-filled issue by hopping over to the Skipping Stones Design web site. Go-to Gal Teri Anderson is their the guest sketch designer and will be posting a new sketch there every Tuesday during the month of August!
Thanks so much for sharing with us, Cath! I love the traditional/vintage Christmas, especially the return to the basic red and green. Personally, I can do without the silhouettes and French-type inspriations, but that’s me, nad that’s why stores stay in business, because we all love different things!!! Looking forward to more new creations!!!
I want it all!
Thanks for sharing all the fun trends! I love the cameos and feathers. How elegant these are!
Lots of good stuff for sure, but I am drooling over the spool tops!
So many great products…I like the spools (being a sewer) and feathers! Thanks!!
Love the vintage trend, and the traditional christmas.
Thanks so much for the peaks at CHA. I really like the back to basics Christmas colors and love love love those maps, so versatile.
Hi
and first of all, thank you for the chance to enter this giveaway.
It must have been a great show, I would have loved to have been there!
And I agree with you 100% – vintage is here to stay.
I’ve been falling in love more and more with this theme.
I think what would definetly use on my projects are the cameos – have been having a crush on them.
And feathers too! Gotta have me some feathers.
And vintage silhouettes, just love them.
Take care,
Monica
I’ve always been a fan of sewing-themed products, and I just love those spool designs, especially the last one by Maya Road.
OK I really, really, really like the tops of the wooden spools paper from jillibean and the actual spool buttons from Pink Paislee. Gotta have them!
i like other stuff too but these were my faves.. loved the Parisian items…
Thanks for the trend watch Cath! All the stamps featured in the trends are so fabulous!! I think I’ll need to add some to my wish list!
Those spools are so great! Love those and the feathers! I’ve been using feathers for a couple of years so it is nice to be ahead of the trend, lol!
I like them all, but one. You could really says that all the trends you mentioned fall into the vintage category. They all contain motifs that harken to the past. I love everything vintage and nostalgic, but I’m really not feeling the traditional Christmas. I tire of the red & green. Other than that I love them all.
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Great sets! Thanks for the chance!
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Wow that is a great giveaway. Thank you for a chance. Thank you for sharing.
Have a great day
Delama
Thank you for showing us the top trends. Thank you for a chance to win a great prize! Have a wonderful day and enjoy crafting!
Vintage is definitely in! Cameos are fun. I need to figure out how to use them. Thanks for the chance to win!
Those french influences. love. Thanks for a chance to win some goodies!
I love fabric. I am a quilter, sew and paper crafter so I tend to love any trends representing sewing. I am embracing the trends with the spools & spool tops, and the hexagons. The Hexagons remind me of the quilt pattern Grandmothers Flower Garden!
Gee, it seems the vintage has been hanging around for awhile now – I’m tired of it myself (all those deco kitchens & mid-century modern females).
Glad to lose the pink & lime at Christmas time though.
The country/western/farm might be a fun place to go. Spools are a little awkward to add to cards and albums, but spool ends will be briefly interesting.
Maps are staples, not trends! (That means I like them I guess.
Thanks for alerting me to keep my eyes open!
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