CHA Block Party

Hello everyone, and welcome.  As most of you already know, the big Craft and Hobby Show, or CHA, opens today in Anaheim, California.

I am honored to be participating with many other designer artists in Sizzix's Block Party at CHA featuring one of Eileen Hull's new Sizzix dies, the Block/Cube/Bank, 3-D, aka the Artist Trading Block™, or ATB for short!   Here is a quick look at mine, with some directions on how I decorated it.

Eileen says this about her ATBs:

 The Block is part of my new Sizzix Cherished collection which is designed around a baby theme. But let me tell you, this die is not just for babies! First of all, it is a ScoreBoards die, which is specially designed to cut and score THICK materials, like matboard and chipboard. This technology is unique to Sizzix so you won't find anything else like it! 

The Block measures 3" square, can be assembled in under a minute and it is super versatile! You can use inks, paint, chalks, mists, or markers with your stencils- the rigid matboard makes the block nice and sturdy so you don't have to worry about wrinkling or tearing- load on the techniques- the matboard can handle it! 

Artist Trading Blocks™ are the next big thing in the crafting world! Unlike tags and ATC’s, Artist Trading Blocks allow you to create in 3-D!  Why show only one side of your creativity when you can express yourself with multidimensional style? Make your mark on these six-sided blocks using all of your favorite craft supplies and techniques.

Supplies Used:

Sizzix Scoreboards die: Block/Cube/Bank, 3-D
The Looking Glass 8x8 paper pad (Kaisercraft)
Distress ink:  Evergreen Bough (Tim Holtz)
Decorative Labels Eight die (left side), Blossom Tags and Accents (front)(back), Damask Motifs (top)(right side)(bottom),  (Spellbinders)
Corner rounder (Marvy)
Wooden clock (Prima)

Hey Pesto, South Pacific, Nougat Fresco Finish acrylic paint (Paper Artsy)

Paint edges and inside of both pieces of box with the three acrylic paints, blending as you brush it on.

Dry fit box together and mark sides and direction, as shown.  This will help greatly when you are decorating your box, especially if your papers and embellishments have a direction.

Now you can see which way to place your papers and images while working on it flat.

Cut 6 pieces of print paper slightly smaller than 3" x 3", ink edges with Evergreen Bough, and adhere to each side, marking with a tiny post-it note as you go.

Add your embellishments, maintaining that direction you have noted on your post-it notes.

Here are some close-ups of each side of the box.

And the completed box, once again.

I hope you enjoyed my project today.  This is going to be a fun new trend this year, so you may want to check out your local stores to get your hands on this wonderful die as soon as it becomes available.  If you are at CHA this year, I hope you are having a blast!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a super wonderful weekend.

Barbara

CHA Anaheim 2013 Product Favorites

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog.  I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to go to CHA this year with my good travel buddy, Candice Windham, and Joyce Shaver, who met us there.  So,  I just wanted to share  some of the new products I fell in love with.

First up would be Graphic 45's two new collections, Secret Garden and French Country.  For your convenience, I have linked to each so you can see the entire collection.

Secret Garden Collection

French Country Collection

Next would be the new Prima Marketing paper collections.  I fell in love with these four, but my wallet is already moaning because I want them all.

Engraver

Lyric

Life Time

Finnabair

Anna Dabrowski has a new line of metal embellishments that are absolutely to die for.  I cannot wait to get my  hands on these.  Here is a picture of the beautiful headband I made with Anna using her metal embellishments. 

Of course, Tim Holtz had quite a few new and wonderful products to show.  I fell in love with his new Sizzix dies collection and Distress paints, which are very much like milk paint, a bit translucent and chalk-like.  Here is a make-n-take card I made at the Ranger booth using Tim's new Eiffel Tower die, crinkle ribbon, stencil clips, ring fasteners, and mini wishbones.  The card base is one of his new cabinet card frames.

Sizzix is also introducing Thinlits, and I absolutely love Eileen Hull's newest collection, From the Heart, which is wonderful for Valentine's Day.  She also has another collection called Picket Fence, which I am told will not be available until June.  This line is so "me" because it is very botanical, and contains birds and bird houses, fences, a watering can, and anything you might find in your garden.

Spellbinders has also done it again with their new line, Media Mixage.  They have teamed up with Susan Lennart Kazmer and made dies to match her bezels for easing cutting.  If you are a mixed media "nut" like me, you are going to love this new line.  They have also come up with the most beautiful dies they call "Imperial Gold", and these dies not only cut with a laser cut quality, but also emboss, deboss (like letter pressing), and stencil.  They use them with a scratch paper product made by Royal & Langnickel, similar to the black-coated paper board in their engraving kits.   After you run this paper through the machine, it embosses and cuts the paper, and then you gently sand away the black coating to reveal the most beautiful gold metal color.  Oooooh, so pretty.  Here is a make-n-take card I made at their booth.

Spellbinders card using Imperial Gold Die

Well, I hope you have enjoyed my first installment of what I saw at the CHA convention in Anaheim.  BlueMoonScrapbooking made several you tube videos that you can also check out by clicking here.  As I think of more, I will post and let you know what I think was really super.  So please check back when you have some time to see what other fun products await you.  

As always, thanks for stopping by, and happy crafting to you all!

Barbara