Archive for July, 2010

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July 31, 2010

Summer CHA Ends – Day Three

Day three is the winding down day on the CHA floor!  I had just a little time before I had to catch my plane, so I was only able to see a few booths before I left. Here’s what caught my eye.

Girls Paperie 8

This Halloween dress form at the Girls’ Paperie was absolutely GORGEOUS! A lot of tulle, ribbons, paper flowers and a really cool hat.

Girls Paperie 1

The dress form was created by Margie to celebrate the new Toil & Trouble line. With Halloween not as far as you think, you should check it out right here.

Girls Paperie 5

I was about to leave the Girls’ Paperie booth when I caught these Mod Podged frames displaying paper! This one was done with maps . . .

Girls Paperie 7

and this one with book pages! Are these cool, or what?

Cricut Owl

On my way out the door I couldn’t help but stop by the booth. There was so much activity!  I was so drawn to the make n’ take, the owl frame you see above. Isn’t it cute? The little owl guy is from their cartridge called , and it’s a Cricut Lite cartridge. I may have to get a Cricut just for the owl above.

Cricut Cake Martha Stewart

Before I left I was also drawn in by a demonstration.  I’m not a baker, but I have complete appreciation for cake decorating now that I’ve seen what you can do with this machine. These butterflies above were cut with the and some frosting sheets.  The results were gorgeous.

Cricut Cake 2

More cakes done with the Cricuit? Can you believe these?? I LOVE the blue and brown one. I’m starving.

So that’s it for CHA!  What a week. So many people, so little time. The show was amazing, and we can’t wait for Winter 2011 in Los Angeles. Don’t forget to comment on this post to win a collection of new FolkArt colors to celebrate our time in Rosemont at the show. We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming on Monday.

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July 28, 2010

CHA Summer Show – Day Two, On the Floor

There is so much going on at this show, my friends! Today I stepped out of the Plaid booth to see what else I could find on the floor. Turns out there is a lot to see, so I have a ton of pictures to share. Before I left the Plaid booth, I caught this snapshot:

Cathie Steve and Erin

Here are our friends Cathie and Steve with the lovely designer .  Do you see the hot glue gun applique on Steve’s shirt?  These two were getting ready for another day of demo-ing their fantastic new product, Hot Glue Gun Helpers!

Graphic 45 Hal in Wonderland

There were a lot of scrapbook companies to see, so I stopped first at Graphic 45.  WOW. One of the most impressive paper displays in the show was for their new paper collection “Halloween in Wonderland.”  I can’t imagine how much time this took to put together, and I’m hoping they used a lot of Mod Podge!

Graphic 45 Hal in Wonderland 4

Here’s a close-up of the clock.  I’m going to tell you right now, cutting that circle around the face couldn’t have been easy. The results are amazing!

Making Memories Slice

Off to the Making Memories booth I went to see some electronics in action.  There were a lot of machines at this show, and I stopped to take a peek at the Slice Elite.  This little guy (or girl, if you prefer) may seem tiny and cute, but he sure packs a punch!  The new Slice cuts more precisely, cuts 40% faster AND can cut through thicker materials. Who can argue with that?

Making Memories Slice 2

Here are some examples of onsies decorated with fabric cut by the new Slice Elite. Love the ducky. LOVE that the Slice Elite cuts fabric!

Spellbinders Grand Nestabilities

My next stop was Spellbinders – I’m telling you, I couldn’t live without their oval and scalloped dies for my Mod Podge projects.  I had to see what was new at their booth, and I was so pleased to learn about their Grand Nestabilities.  These are my small dies on steroids!  These dies (along with the Grand Caliber machine) can cut and emboss up to 8 1/8″ wide.  Awesome, huh? Read more about them here.

Spellbinders Decorative Elements 3

Spellbinders has also released some new holiday dies, and here’s a sampling above. My favorites? The mittens and the bats. I must have!

Dear Lizzy American Crafts

I love American Crafts.  Pretty much everything they make . . . I love.  I got to see a preview of the new Dear Lizzy Enchanted line, and it’s very pretty. Lots of laser cuts, glitter foam, mini pearls and plastic roses – and of course BUTTERFLIES!  Even if you aren’t a butterfly person, you might be inclined to try this line in your paper crafting.

Dear Lizzy Flowers

I liked this display of bottles using the Dear Lizzy goodies. Who doesn’t love paper flowers?

SEI Monsters

I didn’t get to spend much time in the SEI booth, but I did snag a photo of this new banner celebrating their “” line. This is not only cute and colorful, but very unique. Most of the paper lines I saw were pretty, but this is a little more masculine and perfect for kids. Learn more about it .

My Mind's Eye

Off to My Mind’s Eye to see what they’ve got goin’ on!  They have several new lines, but I think you might really like Lost and Found.  It’s another pretty paper line, but this one is unique in its vintage inspirations. Plus there are a lot of blues, and I like that.

MME 3

Here’s a close-up of the Lost and Found rack. Lots of embellishments and even pennant pieces. I love making banners.

Kaisercraft 2

My last stop for the day was KaiserCraft, and they had several new lines to mention.  My favorite was Hippy Girl, because I like the brights, and deep inside I may be a little bit of a hippy. Just a little.

So, as you can see, lots of paper crafting companies out on the CHA floor!  Join me tomorrow for my last day at the show, and see other photos from my walk today at our Flickr photostream.  Also, don’t forget our contest to win some new colors FolkArt paint!  Just leave a comment. See you soon!

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July 27, 2010

CHA Giveaway! FolkArt Acrylic New Colors!

041910_FA_03

Yay!  It’s time for a giveaway to celebrate CHA Summer Show!  What is it you ask? It’s the newest FolkArt Acrylic shades, a total of 17 colors.  Try shades ranging from Pink Melon to Deep Ocean Blue – all colors of the rainbow are represented; it’s a fabulous palette!  Here are the rules, and they are very simple:

WE ARE GIVING AWAY 10 PAINT PRIZE PACKS!!!!

1. Comment on THIS blog entry. Say anything that you would like.
2. Only one entry per person.
3. Contest will close this coming Monday, August 2nd at midnight (EST).
4. PLEASE leave your e-mail address if you post anonymously – I need some way to reach you.
5. US residents only at this time (later we’ll open up contests internationally!)

Thank you for entering, and good luck. Don’t forget to sign up for our feed and our daily recap .

Posted in Contest, FolkArt Acrylic, Giveaway | 231 Comments »

July 27, 2010

CHA Summer Show – Day One, Show Begins

What a day at CHA!  I thought day one would start off slowly, but I was wrong – it came in with a bang. The show actually started not with a bang but with a band, complete with bagpipes. As a company, we were thrilled to see our President, Mr. McCooey, marching along in the procession:

Marching Band Entrance

Mr. McCooey is the CHA Board Chair, and we are so proud. He’s in the blue shirt and glasses above.

Paint Me Plaid Projects

Here’s Chris Williams, our Education Director, posing with FolkArt painted projects (some of which she did!).  We had a display of some of our favorites to celebrate this blog!

Katrien and Libby

Two of our salespeople, Katrien and Libby, are excited to start the day. Check out Tim Holtz in the background at the Ranger booth. . .

FolkArt Enamels Make and Take

Here’s our Make N’ Take – a beautiful painted glass using bright colors of FolkArt enamels and our new adhesive painting templates. These little templates make painting on a glass a snap! The theme? Girls’ Night Out! It was a big hit with the crowd.  We actually have instructions on the website for these glasses. Check them out here.

Enamels Glitter

One thing we were very excited to debut at the show was FolkArt Enamels in glitter colors of Silver and Gold.  These look GORGEOUS on glass!  Not sure when they are going to be in stores yet, but I’ll keep you updated. 

Bright Enamels 3

Fabulous brightly colored glass with FolkArt Enamels and some Mod Podge accents (with fabric!). Combining paint and Mod Podge works for me. . . .

Bright Enamels

More glass!  I couldn’t get enough of these pieces!  I’m just loving the bright colors so much. Aren’t the flowers on that vase cool?

Glass Blocks

Below the entire display were these glass blocks, again decorated with Enamels. NEVER thought I would be a glass block lover, but I think the effect of painting in the front AND the back for a shadowbox look is delightful. My plan? Get one of these blocks and Mod Podge in the back, paint in the front – what do you think?

Gallery Glass New

To finish out the glass painting, there was a pretty cool display of bright Gallery Glass colors and projects.  Six NEW colors were released at the show (see that black triangle in the upper left hand corner of the label?).  There are several very modern Gallery Glass projects in this glass painting roundup on our site. Check them out.

Cathie and Steve

So what else was going on at the Plaid booth?  We can’t forget about Cathie and Steve!  This crafty twosome is not only talented, but they are both just SO nice.  They were there doing a demonstration. . .

HGGH Sheets

of the Hot Glue Gun Helpers!  This product was previewed at the Winter Show in Anaheim, but we finally got the parts and pieces to do a REAL demo live in Rosemont!  They actually did a project for the Girls’ Night Out theme – the silver invite card you see above.

HGGH 2

What is so cool about these tools?  You can read Cathie’s blog entry about them , and then catch a Cathie and Steve exclusive video right .  If you have ever suffered a burn from a hot glue gun, I promise you are going to want to learn more. In the photo above, Cathie is spreading ribbon over HOT glue with her finger – that little cap prevents heat from burning her finger tip! Amazing, huh?

Day one has been awesome – we were also lucky to meet some very crafty peeps today!

Marisa Wyland

Marisa Pawelko of – this girl makes the most fabulously funky jewelry!

The Girls from When Creativity Knocks

The girls from When Creativity Knocks (they are going to film me tomorrow, ack! More on that later).

Amy in front of the Paint Me Plaid Banner

Then last (but certainly not least, right?), here’s lil’ ol’ me, in front of our rotating banner featuring this blog. What a day!  I’ve had a blast, and I’m exhausted. More tomorrow as I examine what else is being featured on the floor.  See you soon!

Posted in Events, FolkArt Enamels, Gallery Glass | 6 Comments »

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July 26, 2010

CHA Summer Show – Day One, Set Up

Here we are at the Craft and Hobby Association’s Summer trade show!  Wow . . . we arrived at O’Hare, drove immediately to the hotel and then went to the to find a ton of boxes like this:

Yes, it was very similar to the warehouse in Raiders of the Lost Arc. Big boxes everywhere!  But never fear, our trusty trade show team was already putting things together:

Here are Shauna and Kasey, setting up a mannequin that displays Plaid iron ons.

Chris comes out of the back room from setting up to give me a smile!

Our painted glass display is amazing! I’ll have to show you some detail shots tomorrow.

We make paint, but we also make jewelry! Here are Chain, Chain, Chain and Flavor, both available at JoAnns

Cathie and Steve will be demo-ing Hot Glue Gun Helpers, the coolest new tool for working with hot glue! Avoid burns . . . glue (and even paint) peel right off the mat and tools. More tomorrow with live pictures of the demonstration.

Plaid staff walks through the booth, making sure everything is in order. I can tell you that it looks fabulous so far, and it’s going to be exciting to walk in tomorrow morning and see it in action!  Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for the first day of the show. I’m going to have SO many pictures!  And a giveaway. . .

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July 24, 2010

Let me tell you something about Plaid as a company – we love to work hard, but we have fun too!  It’s a great place to work, and the above picture shows you one reason why I love it. Someone recently passed around the a “Find Your Inner Duck” quiz from Oriental Trading Company. We all took the quiz and posted our inner duck certificate!  I’m a Superhero Duck – not too shabby.  To find your inner duck, go here and take the quiz. Let us know what kind of duck you are in the comments!

Posted in Miscellaneous |

July 23, 2010

TGIF Project: Painted Bird Tee

I love customizing my own fashion – especially with paint. The only issue is that I’m not the smoothest operator while painting on fabric, and I’m scared to mess up.  When I saw this, I thought “I can do it!”  This painted bird tee was spotted on , and it actually uses one of free embroidery designs as the pattern.  Read more about the project , and then just so you know we have some awesome FolkArt Fabric paint for a painted t-shirt occasion such as this.

Posted in Budget Crafting, FolkArt Fabric, Gift Ideas, TGIF Project | 1 Comment »

Tags: fashion crafting, t-shirt
July 22, 2010

CHA is Right Around the Corner!

I’m interrupting our regularly scheduled programming to bring you an exciting announcement - Plaid is going to be at CHA Summer in Rosemont, IL in a few short days!  For those who aren’t familiar with CHA, it stands for Craft & Hobby Association, and they host the largest convention and trade show in the crafting industry. Of course we are a part of it!  The CHA show is typically a time to release new products and/or show off new projects. I’ll be blogging live from the show, but I wanted to share with you a few preview photos from the booth assembly downstairs in our warehouse.  It’s so exciting to see everything come together. Check out what we are up to:

“Girls’ Night Out” frame using adhesive stencils, FolkArt Enamels and Extreme Glitter

Adhesive stencils for glass in fun, new designs

Painted projects promoting this blog – yay!

Fun new Gallery Glass designs

Hot Glue Gun Helpers, the new and exciting product release from Plaid and Cathie & Steve!

Colorful hot glued accessories from Cathie & Steve

Awesome holiday with FolkArt, Stiffy and – I love Halloween!

More beautiful glass projects with Enamels. I’m digging these bright colors

Iron ons and fashion galore

You may not be there to experience the action live, but check in next week Monday through Wednesday for blog entries detailing everything that happens at the trade show. You won’t want to miss my pictures and updates. Who knows, we may have a giveaway or two. . . .

One last thing! If you do live in the Chicago area, consider stopping by the CHA Craft Super Show on July 30th and the 31st. This is the part of the festivities that is open to the general public. Plaid is giving away FOUR HUGE GIFT BASKETS as door prizes. You can also experience tons of crafty workshops. 

Check back starting Monday the 26th for our CHA postings!

Posted in Announcements | 2 Comments »

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July 21, 2010

Trend Alert: Chinoiserie

I’d like to introduce you to a new trend in the design world – chinoiserie.  I’d never heard of it until recently, my first introduction being on stationary and dishware. So what is it? Chinoiserie is a European expression of exotic Chinese culture. The designs feature pagodas, long tailed birds and graphic flowers; frequently with bright colors. Here are a few visual chinoiserie references for you:

Jasper Conrad By Wedgwood China, 2010.

Chair by Anthropologie, 2009.

Dwell Studio Placemat, 2010.

Ceiling Fan by Horchow, 2010.

Amy Ormond for Keds, 2010.

You can see that there are a wide variety of interpretations – yet all of them have the same common theme. I was thinking about recreating a look on a painted project. The designs are so complicated though, how can it be done?  You’re in luck!  I found some chinoiserie stencils from The Stencil Library – you can find them right here.  They have a huge selection of chinoiserie stencils, with varying levels of ability.

In terms of paint, any of our acrylic FolkArt choices would work with these stencils. The surface (glass, fabric, wood) will determine the kind you use.  Visit The Stencil Library to choose your stencil, then go here to pick your FolkArt paint.  I’d love to see your beautiful chinoiserie projects once they are complete.

Posted in FolkArt Acrylic, FolkArt Enamels, FolkArt Fabric, FolkArt Outdoor, Trend Driven | Leave a Comment »

July 20, 2010

Tuesday Huesday: Marine Life

I love pretty paper and stationary – who doesn’t, really?  This marine life “Fresh Pick” layout from the Summer 2010 issue of Stationary Trends caught my eye.  It feels very modern Americana, and I like the backgrounds of stripes and checks accented by simple graphics. It was easy to put together a palette for you, an I added a base neutral to compliment the red and blues from the palette.

This palette was created using FolkArt Acrylic colors (from left going clockwise): Napthol Crimson, Linen, Night Sky, True Blue, Ocean Cruise

Posted in FolkArt Acrylic, Tuesday Huesday | 1 Comment »

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