As the keeper of the trends here at Paper Crafts magazine, I’m back from CHA, I’ve had a chance to process and let everything I saw settle down into all my nooks and crannies, and I’m excited to bring you my bi-annual Trends by the Dozen report, friends.

These are the things that, as Susan and I walked the showroom floor, tended to start popping up everywhere. We’d see one or two of the same type of product here, then over there, and pretty soon they started adding up to bona fide trends.

So here they are, in living color. And while you don’t have to be trendy to be a paper crafter extraordinaire, sometimes it’s fun to know what products are hot so you can feel like you’re in the trendy loop.

1. Big Bling. Big box stores. Super-sized fast food. Jumbo packs. And big bling for paper crafters:

Products from Pink Paislee, Teresa Collins Designs, Bazzill Basics Paper, and Tim Holtz Idea-ology

2. Plastic Flower Embellishments. Straight from a by-gone day:

Brought to you by Maya Road, American Crafts, and The Girls’ Paperie

3. French Influences. You’ll be saying “Merci beaucoup” and “Bonjour, mes amis” after working with this product straight from gay Paris:

Brought to you by Lily Bee Design, C-Thru Ruler, Pink Paislee, Die Cuts With a View, and Making Memories

4. Mist-ables. Mist and things to mist upon are still hotter than hot:

Brought to you by Studio Calico, Tattered Angels, Tim Holtz Idea-ology, and Pink Paislee

5. Doilies: Speaking of still hotter than hot:

Brought to you by Maya Road, Pink Paislee, Crate Paper, and Hero Arts

6. Baker’s Twine. Tying it all up in style:

Brought to you by Jillibean Soup

7. Domestic, Housewares, & Kitchen Icons. It’s all about the need to nest:

Brought to you by Lily Bee Design, Doodlebug Design, Little Yellow Bicycle, and October Afternoon

8. Canvas. Archi-texture has never been so stylin’ and easy to use:

Brought to you by Maya Road, Jillibean Soup, Prima, and Ranger

9. Botanical. Take a walk on the natural side:

Brought to you by BasicGrey, Crafty Secrets, 7gypsies, Melissa Frances, and Kaisercraft

10. Lace on Paper. Looks good enough to touch:

Brought to you by Die Cuts With a View, BasicGrey, Sassafras Lass, and Anna Griffin

11. Cabbage Roses. Straight from Grandma’s garden:

Brought to you by Graphic 45, American Crafts, Pink Paislee, and Crate Paper

12. Hot Air Balloons. The runaway trend of the show:

Brought to you by Kaisercraft, Studio Calico, American Crafts, and Graphic 45

Which of these trends floats your boat the most and why? I’d love to hear! Just leave me a comment by midnight (MDT) on Friday, Aug. 20 and I’ll draw five winners to each win a brand new paper collection (Curio, Jovial, Marjolaine, Pyrus or Wander) from BasicGrey!

Five lucky winners will each win one of these collections from BasicGrey!

I love it when trends come by the dozen,
Cath

Jessica Witty

If you’ve met me, you’ve probably seen them. They’re hard to miss. I mean…I’m kind of a small person, but they just keep getting bigger and more colorful. 

I can’t help it.
These days I just love ‘em.  

Accessories, people…accessories! 

Hair clips (usually flowers), necklaces (the bigger, the better), bracelets (why have just one when five is better?)…it goes on and on. Personally, I notice that I like to keep my accessories similar to how I design my cards…only one big statement at a time. 

For example…my latest love… 

I love it. Love it. It goes with everything and always makes me feel great. 

Now, let me be clear; I wasn’t always like this.
I would not have considered myself super girly by any stretch. 
I had two kids…both boys, and that seemed to contribute to me staying on the non-girls side of things.
Boys don’t require accessories other than a stylin’ necktie or cap on occasion.
And I liked it that way. 

And then I had a daughter.
I’m blamin’ it on her. 

She came as quite a shock after five years of mothering those two very boyish boys. 

And then there was the fact that this kid came with a head full of hair right from the get go. Another shock after mothering two very boyish, very bald boy babies. 

And so it came to be that I began noticing a few changes. 
I started to see the reasoning in having accessories to perfectly contrast all of her outfits. {And mine; but that’s a different story.} 

I had to wise up pretty quickly…those tiny little pieces of cuteness aren’t cheap, my friends.  

But I am a paper crafter.  
I have skills.
I have creativity.
And what else do I have? 

That’s right.
Embellishments.  

Ah…the perfect little accessories, right at my fingertips.  

For example…the flower. 

These little sweeties were made with Basic Grey’s Fabric Bloomers and they could not have been easier. Just cover a little clippie with some strong adhesive and stick ‘em on. Done. 

How about in felt? 

This is the same idea, just using a different type of clip and a flower from Little Yellow Bicycle. 

What about in chipboard? 

This cutie chipboard is from Melody Ross’ Artsy Urban line from GCD Studios. I just pulled the flower off of the backing and glued the slide clip directly to the back.  

I’ve even found that brads are super simple to work into hair clips.  

Just put a little adhesive on the clip, then stick the prongs of the brad through the hole in the center of the clip and fold the prongs flat against it. I covered the back with a little circle of felt as well. (The flower brad is from K&Company…I am loving the vintage look on that one!) 

Or, in this case, I was able to just pull the prongs off the back and adhere the top of the brad right to the clip using some foam tape. 

Now that I’ve honed on cutie pie clip-making skills, I’ve moved on to headbands.  

I was able to use a length of wide ribbon that I have been saving for, oh, years on this one. I just took some colored elastic and stitched the ends together. Then I pinned the ribbon in ruffles stitched one line down the center to hold it in place…super easy. 

I’ve noticed that my new obsession has caused me to see products a bit differently. When perusing the Prima booth at CHA, I was so overwhelmed by all the accessory possibilities that I could barely stand it!  

And then there was Webster’s Pages…I am totally imagining Noelle all decked out in a sweet headband using these: 

How about you? 
Have you ever crafted some handmade accessories for yourself or your little one? 
Tell me all about them!
I’m on the search for new accessory ideas, so I’d love to hear yours! 

Later, friends! 

Paper Crafts Go-to Gal
Jessica Witty

Betsy Veldman

Did you know that today is Umbrella Day? You didn’t? Really??? Well, you do now! Good thing I’ve got your back ‘cuz it’s a day you wouldn’t want to miss, right? Let’s make it a celebration, shall we? I’m always looking for an excuse to celebrate. So today, umbrellas it is! 

I did a little research and was pretty surprised at how many different kinds of umbrellas I found! There are umbrellas for the rain, for the beach, for golfers and I even came across…(and this is just for Cath!)…umbrellas for your dog! Yes, siree. 

Photo courtesy of HandsNPaws.com

There are upscale umbrellas made from fine fabrics and bejeweled handles…

Photo courtesy of PasottiOmbrelli.com

Umbrellas for brides, complete with the couple’s monogram…

Photo courtesy of PamelasParasols.com

You can even visit UmbrellaToday.com, where all you have to do is input your zip code to find out if you’ll need an umbrella today. 

And if you’re up for a feast for the eyes, just do a Google image search for “colorful umbrellas” and prepare to be wowed by glorious images and colors!

So…I know what you’re thinking…how does this all relate to paper crafting? Well, umbrellas are trendy and they’re popping up everywhere, from patterned papers to stamps to die cuts and more! They’re fun, colorful and happy! We need something to brighten us up on those rainy days, don’t we? 

So here is a paper crafting project for you, using a fun umbrella die cut image from Provo Craft’s A Child’s Year Cricut cartridge. 

It also features one of my favorite techniques…paper piecing! Umbrellas are just perfect for this technique! Umbrellas need to be colorful, don’t they?

If you like the look of paper piecing, be sure to keep an eye out for the PC 101 column in the March/April 2010 issue of Paper Crafts. Here I explore nine different ways to use paper piecing in your projects. It’s coming to a newsstand or mailbox near you soon! 

Wishing you clear skies…or should that be cloudy?

Paper Crafts Go-to Gal,
Betsy Veldman

P.S. In honor of Umbrella Day, Prima has graciously donated three prize packages that feature what else…their new Umbrella collection! To be eligible to win, leave a comment by midnight (MST) on Thursday, Feb. 11.

Three lucky winners will take home items from Prima's new Umbrella line!

Cath Edvalson

As creative editor for Paper Crafts magazine, it’s my job to make sure that the projects we show are fresh, fun and trendy. So, when I walk the showroom floor at CHA, I’m always on the lookout for what inspires, what’s showing up multiple times in multiple places and what’s getting a lot of buzz as I bop from booth to booth.

On the plane ride home, as I started to process all I had seen, I wrote down the common themes that had risen to the top of my experience. Here are they are—my CHA Winter 2010 Trends by the Dozen:

1. Doilies & Lace. Intricate lovelies straight from Grandma’s parlor:

Products from October Afternoon, Little Yellow Bicycle and Donna Salazar

2. Opaque. It’s been about glitter and twinkle. Now it’s about hard-core shine:

Products from Ranger and Pink Paislee

3. Textured Cardstock. Whether it’s custom to a manufacturer, raised or stitched, it’s all about texture:

Products from Cosmo Cricket, Bazzill Basics Paper and Anna Griffin

4. Canvas. Speaking of texture…

Products from Prima, Canvas Corp. and BasicGrey

5. Peace Signs. A return trend from CHA Summer, these happy icons were everywhere I looked:

Products from Little Yellow Bicycle, Adorn It and Reminisce

6. Altered Art. Anything Tim Holtz is hot and these new tools help seal the deal:

Products from Tim Holtz, GCD Studios and Zutter

7. Music. Carrying its own tune:

Products from Glitz Design, Technique Tuesday and October Afternoon

8. Frames. Picture this:

Products from Teresa Collins Design, Webster’s Pages and 7gypsies

9. Buttons. As in cute as a…

Products from Webster’s Pages, The Girls’ Paperie and Jenni Bowlin

10. Vintage Ephemera. Trinkets, cards, images and more:

Products from Melissa Frances, Glitz Design and K&Company

11. Background Text. These say it all…

Products from Prima, Technique Tuesday and Impression Obsession

12. Sewing—the run-away trend of the show. Keeping us in stitches:

Products from Cosmo Cricket and Maya Road

Which of these trends speaks the most to you and why? I’d love to hear your takes on this trendy dozen, friends! Leave me a comment by midnight (MST) on Wednesday, Feb. 10 and I’d be oh-so-happy to send the Material Girl collection from Cosmo Cricket to one random lucky winner!

Dealing in dozens,
Cath

Megan Hoeppner

Welcome to Magazine Monday! As a friend of the Paper Crafts family (former PC editor), I’m delighted to be guest blogging here today. My name is Megan Hoeppner and I’m the creative editor for Creating Keepsakes magazine. 

In this month of goal setting, I’m here to share an idea inspired by “Taking Inventory,” an organization idea I featured in my January “Tips & Tricks” column. It’s an easy-to-use tracking system to help you remember the supplies you have, using the Inventory Tracking Sheets below. In this example, I transformed the sheet for my supply of pink and red inkpads. 

Download your own free tracking sheets here.  

Inspired by these sheets, I want to share a few additional ways to keep track of the product manufacturers on your supplies, so you can toss the packaging but remember all the information you need. So often we sort our goodies by color or type, which can complicate replacing and/or sourcing products for projects (such as when you submit your work to Paper Crafts and CK, of course). Here are a few easy tricks for remembering where your product delights came from, long after you’ve tossed the packaging. 

Images
Thanks to digital cameras, snapping pictures is free and easy. Create a product file on your computer and take a pic of your product packages before you discard/recycle them. If you want to take this idea a step further, print small pics of these images and write the product info on the image. Here’s how I created an inventory card for photos of some of my accents before I separated them. 

Inventory card for accents

Patterned Paper
If, like me, you file patterned paper by color and occasionally find yourself wanting to reunite a collection, you’ll like this simple solution. Punch out small samples from the collection sheet (the one that comes in the paper pack) and adhere them to a note card with the collection name and the manufacturer. 

Inventory card for paper

Stamps (Clear and Rubber)
Remember which images came together in a stamp set by visiting the company web site and saving the image of each stamp set you own. Then write or type the name of the set and company on a card with the images. Don’t forget the name of the stamp set, the item number (if you want to get that specific) and the company name. This way you can keep track of your original sets, even if they get divided up over time or due to your unique filing system. 

Inventory card for stamps

Ribbon
Ribbon scraps oftentimes end up in jars, which can make sourcing them a challenge. Remember who made your favorite trims with cards containing small scraps of the ribbons. 

Inventory card for ribbon

With the new year upon us, I hope these tips get you off to an organized start. Speaking of organized, I’m always on the lookout for fresh organization ideas to feature in my “Tips & Tricks” column. I’d love to read your ideas in the comments section of this blog. I know you Paper Crafts peeps are a super creative, organized lot, so I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity while I’m here visiting. Thanks for letting me stop by! 

Cheers!
Megan Hoeppner

Brandy Jesperson

If you ask me, one Kim just isn’t enough! So please join me in welcoming Ms. Kim Hughes as the next Paper Crafts Go-to Gal! Kim Hughes’ style is cute and fun – just like her. The first time I met Kim was at the 2006 CHA summer convention. Kim was bee-bopping around with business cards and candy, eager to share the fact that she scrapped every day and would love to be regularly published in the pages of Paper Crafts. 

Luckily for her (and us!) Kim’s persistence and amazing talent paid off. Today, Kim’s unmistakable creations frequently grace the pages of Paper Crafts magazine and now cute Kim herself gets to grace us all with her presence on this here blog. So without further ado… let’s meet the fabulous Kim Hughes!

Go-to Gal Kim Hughes

1. Where did you grow up?  Johnson City, NY

2. Do you work outside the home? If so, what do you do?  No

3. If a movie were to be made of your life, who would you cast to play the part of you?  Jennifer Aniston

4. What song would you choose as the theme song for your life?  “Climb Every Mountain” (Christina Aguilera version). I don’t love the song, but I like the message… I dig adventure and taking risks.

5. What is one thing most people would be surprised to hear about you?  I don’t drive.

6. What/who inspired you to start paper crafting?  Creating Keepsakes magazine

7. What is your biggest paper crafting challenge?  Finding the time to create everything I want to. I have so many ideas but find it hard to make it all happen.

8. If you were only allowed two items to create a card beside cardstock and adhesive, what would they be?  Scissors and a black pen. That way I could draw patterns and words and cut them out.

9. What is your favorite occasion or holiday to paper craft and why?  Halloween because I can use just about any color and there are so many fun images that go along with Halloween (black cats, bats, witches, bare trees, owls… and so many more). That holiday seems to stretch my imagination most.

10. How would you describe your style?  Forever changing and evolving. Sometimes I create cute and whimsical projects, sometimes I like to grunge it up, and other times I like the romantic, shabby look. I let the topic and product that I choose dictate where I go with each creation. I like to try new things and challenge myself to be unique. Overall, I think the majority of the cards I create are fun and cute.

Not only is she a Go-to Gal, but she's also a cover girl! Kim's Witchy Footwear Card appears in our September/October issue!

Kim's Delicate Flower Sympathy Card was a fan favorite from our recent Card Creations 7 Week!

11. When is your favorite time to craft?  During the day when my kids are at school (or out playing with friends) and Friday nights when I crop with dear friends. 

12. What sort of music do you listen to while crafting?  I love listening to 80s music or whatever is on the radio. 

13. How does your family participate in your paper crafting passion?  My kids are my favorite subjects to photograph, so that helps when creating layouts, but as far as card making goes, I sometimes ask them for unique sentiment ideas. I am amazed by their creativity.

14. When it comes to calls and deadlines, how do you keep yourself organized?  A detailed list… can’t live without one. I update and print my list almost daily and work from my top priority down. Everything has a certain color code which helps me keep it all straight.

15. Do you remember what Paper Crafts issue your first project appeared in? How has your style changed since then?  My first card was in the March 2005 issue. I used a wall paper remnant instead of patterned paper and a shamrock punch as an accent on that card. I think that I am much more creative and playful with my cards now. I love using the freshest product possible.

16. What are you looking forward to most about being a Paper Crafts Go-to Gal?  I hope to have the opportunity to teach for Paper Crafts and get the chance to meet more people who share the same paper crafting passion as I do.

17. Have you contributed to any design teams in the past or present? If so, which ones?  Zva Creative, Therm O Web Adhesives, Ellen Hutson LLC, Scrapbook & Cards Today Magazine, Splitcoast Stampers, My Mind’s Eye, Paper Salon, Around The Block, Prima, Cornish Heritage Farms, Core’dinations, Beaux Regards, plus several kit clubs, an online store, and some challenge blogs. 

18. Name three designers whose styles you like and why they appeal to you.

• Becky Rusher – clean, cute, soft and pretty
• Julie Campbell – clever, bold, sweet and witty
• Amy Rohl – whimsy, trendy, makes me giddy

19. Do you have any advice/tips for someone who’s never been published or who wants to submit for the first time?  Don’t compare yourself to others. Instead strive to be the best designer that YOU can be. Create from the heart and watch your style evolve as you create more and more. If you struggle with a project, set it aside and move onto something else. When you are ready to submit, just know that it was the best that you could do and have no regrets. If you don’t try, you will never know.

20. Do you have a blog or online gallery? If so, please provide the URL.  http://paperhugs.typepad.com/

Well there you have it! Whew, just thinking about all the design teams Kim has been involved with makes me tired! Thanks Kim for answering all these questions. I know I for one loved getting to know you a bit better! 

Make sure you show Kim your classic Paper Crafts love by leaving her a comment and welcoming her aboard as the newest addition to the Paper Crafts family. I’ll pick one lucky person to receive the cards she made for our 5 cards, 5 occasions, 5 dollars feature in our July/August issue. All comments must be received by midnight (MST) on Friday, July 10.

Celebrating the addition of another Kim,
Brandy

P.S. Today is the last day you can vote for Gallery Idol’s Round 1 submissions. Please click here and cast your vote for your favorite wedding card! Deadline is 12:00 p.m. (MST). We’ll announce the Top 15 and the next round’s theme tomorrow!