CHA Update!

Greetings from sunny Los Angeles :)

We are attending the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) trade show and seeing LOTS of FABULOUS new products!

Click here to check out our Facebook page...we've posted pictures that contain new collections coming soon.

ALSO...don't forget that the 'combine-your-FULL-punch-cards-SALE' ends TODAY! You know we don't do this very often, so take advantage of it while you can...

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and don't forget to check Facebook for more pictures!

And coming in at #10...

...is not one product, but several! We found lots of EMBELLISHMENTS that we simply couldn't live without. We'll highlight a few here...

One company that has tons of fabulous finds is Prima. Lots of flowers, pearls and bling are coming your way!


Who doesn't love BUTTONS?!? We have a big jar on our counter that now houses nearly 10,000 buttons in all different colors and sizes. Go head, take the top off and stick your hand in there. The best part? Each button is only 10 cents!

Another fabulous find is the new QuicKutz Vinyl. New colors include cream and silver (perfect for Christmas). But, the really sweet new vinyl is FUZZY! It comes in black, white and brown. Look in our QuicKutz section for a card with the cutest little fuzzy brown and white teddy bear! And, we're anxious to see what kind of Halloween creations you can make with the black fuzzy vinyl. In-stock now and just right for fuzzy black bats!

How about a little smooch?!? Hey now, not that kind of smooch! Smooch inks come in these sleek nail polish look alike containers and are available in several colors. Simply use the foam tip applicator to brush the color on whatever surface you desire...paper, cardstock, clay, glass and fabric. It's completely acid free and archival safe.
(Please note that we have already sold out of our first order of Smooch...well, almost...there are 3 bottles left. But...don't fret...we have reordered a second round!)

Mud Puddles is a new concept to scrapbooking and card making. It looks and feels JUST like SAND (and it's acid free and archival safe)! Simply add the color sand that you want and let it dry overnight. It's totally flexible after it dries and will not crumble or fall off your project. Seriously, you'll be amazed at how much it looks like real sand! Coming soon...

Dew Drops are another sweet find. They are lightly colored jewels that add dimension to your scrapbook pages and cards. They look great when highlighting subjects such as flowers, autumn leaves and water. Click here to check out their blog for some sample ideas.

Niner, niner...

While #9 is a small item compared to some of the other products on our top ten list, it was a BIG hit and made us all happy. I'm not sure WHY it made us so happy, but after seeing it in person, Janice, Jody, Amy and I all agreed that we loved it.

Check out the new Film Strip Ribbon by Tim Holtz!

It really looks like a vintage film strip, and it's packaged in this adorable little tin.

PLUS...you know those little thumbnail prints that come on a sheet when you get your photos printed? You can cut them up and use 'em in each frame :) Love it!



Tim is pictured below with Jody and Amy at CHA. What an extremely talented and nice guy...



Along with lots of other Tim Holtz items, this fun little Film Strip will soon find its way to Beach Scrapbooks!

Just a note...

...to say hello, congrats, you're invited, happy birthday or whatever your heart desires! Yes, coming in at #8 is an all new STATIONERY LINE!

Included in this do-it-yourself custom stationery line are the following, in small and large sizes:
-Circles
-Scalloped circles
-Squares
-Scalloped squares
-Rectangles
-Scalloped rectangles
-8 1/2 x 11 paper
-Envelopes to fit all sizes



There are a few fun features about this line:
*YOU pick what you want...mix & match them, stack them, embellish them
*pre-made templates are provided online (in MS Word format) so that you can run them through your at-home printer
*the papers come in several festive colors, with a metallic finish
*all the papers can be used in your scrapbook (who doesn't love a scalloped circle?!?)
























Coming VERY soon!

Cuts like butta...

Coming in at lucky number 7 is...the Binderie by 7 Gypsies!



The Binderie is essentially a very cool hole puncher. It cuts though paper, chipboard, cardboard, acrylic, fabric, grungeboard, cardstock, photos and more. PLUS, it not only cuts through all those items, but it can cut through multiple pieces all at once. Making your own mini albums has never been easier!

The Binderie works two ways...you can either add batteries or purchase an adapter that plugs in the wall. There is a button on the top...with one finger, you push the button and it punches like "butta".

Below are two videos...the first tells you all about how the Binderie works and the materials it cuts. The second is by Jennifer McGuire...she demonstrates how to make one of the easiest Mini Photo Book projects ever! Note that we have everything in stock to make this : )

Just think of all the Christmas gifts you can make with this little red baby!

Next up...

Number 6 in our countdown comes from Maya Road. They make all sorts of fun chipboard and acrylic albums (that will also be arriving soon), in addition to MAYA MISTS!

These sprays are a lot like Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, except that it's a bit more concentrated. This comes in really handy when spraying chipboard. Instead of spending lots of time covering your chipboard with paper, try spraying it with Maya Mist. You'll be amazed at how NICE it covers your surface and how FAST you can spray an entire album!

You can also use Maya Mist to alter items, such as fabric. Want to know how to make these beautiful muslin roses? Click here for a step-by-step tutorial!

The countdown continues...

...with the new Letterpress by QuicKutz! I'd have to say that this product was probably the most talked about product at CHA. It's new, innovative, easy and very inexpensive compared to traditional letterpressing.

Recently, I was reading a magazine called Stationary Trends. There were a dozen or so ads in it for companies that take custom orders for letterpressing. It's a HOT trend that QuicKutz is now making affordable for us!

The video below features Amy Walton, manager of the QK design team, demonstrating the Letterpress. Yes, it's really that easy :)

The final product is beautiful and very professional looking. Come in...we have samples!



Look for the Letterpress to arrive this Fall!



Another big hit at the QuicKutz booth were the next two releases! Here's a little sneak peek :) You'll see this release at the beginning of September...

Top Ten List Continued...

Coming in at #4 isn't just one product but a company that we all know and love...BAZZILL!! They came out with a few new products that we completely love. We couldn't choose just one...so we chose ALL their new releases!

First...Bazzill introduced fabulous new JEWELS. There are two sizes and several new colors. One of the ways to use the new jewels is for embellishing - see the picture below...a few jewels added to the new Just the Edge borders gives your paper just the right bling to make it pop! (click on any of these images to enlarge)



Another use for the jewels is to use together with your In Stitch'z templates.



There are several templates that are used with the jewels. It works like this...pick out your template...place it on your project (paper, lunch box, notebook, chipboard or acrylic albums, etc.)...get out your Bazzill tweezers...place the jewels in the holes provided on the template. When you're finished, simply lift the template and your bling has blung. Okay, that's not really a word, but you get the point. It's seriously that easy and who doesn't love a little bit o' bling in their lives? Bazzill also has a template for letters so you can create your own bling titles!

Now it's easy to add stitching, jewels AND brads (using the same templates) to any of your projects!

Bazzill has also introduced a new Heritage collection. They are beautifully timeless and work great with the Bazzill Lickity Slip albums. How, you ask? Well, the Lickity Slip albums give you two kinds of page protectors. One is for 12x12 layouts and the other is divided up into 4x6 sections.

Say you have a lot of pictures, but don't feel like making layouts for all of them. You could make a layout with your favorites and then simply add the 4x6 pictures to the 4x6 page protectors (see photo above). You can also add a 4x6 journaling card. With the Heritage papers, there are two papers with those perfectly sized journaling cards. This makes scrapbooking a lot of pictures much easier :) (I like the albums because I take way too many pictures but don't necessarily enjoy scrapbooking 140 pages of the same trip to Disney, ya know?!?)

If you've never seen the Lickity Slip albums, our lovely staff would be glad to show you :)

Yes! More Just the Edge borders! Bazzill introduces new designs for Christmas and Halloween. And, just so you know, they are LIMITED EDITION. Get 'em while they're here :) (go back to the top to see the Halloween borders in color)

The last new product that we absolutely love is the new poinsettia. It's coming soon, along with all the other new products by Bazzill!

Coordinate with Core'dinations!

Rounding out the top 3 spots in the Top 10 list of our favorite items from CHA, is... Core'dinations cardstock!

Core'dinations cardstock comes in several variations. First, their ColorCore Cardstock (which looks very similar to Bazzill) has a core color which "core'dinates" with the surface color. We all know that if you picked a Bazzill Blue, it would be the same blue on the front, on the back and in between. The difference with Core'dinations is that there is one color on the front, then a different(but matching) color in the middle and on the back. You can add your own creative touch by sanding, tearing or embossing.

Each sheet is a heavy weight 80 lb. cardstock that is acid and lignin free (of course!). And, just like Bazzill, there is a canvas texture on one side and a smooth side on the other.

There are several video tutorials on the Core'dinations website that can be found here. Beach Scrapbooks will be selling individual 12x12 sheets in EVERY color!



The Whitewash Collection is a collection of colors under a white wash finish. For example, let's say you choose the Barn Siding white wash color (white on top, red on the bottom) and embossed it with your QuicKutz Diamond embossing folder. With a piece of sandpaper, you could lightly sand the top of the paper. The white wash color would actually sand off the Diamond shapes (which were raised because you embossed them) and reveal the red color underneath. If you are a visual person, like me, don't worry...we'll have plenty of samples at the store to teach you exactly how to do it! Check out all the white wash colors here.



The Vintage Collection appears to have been "pre-sanded"...a special technique that makes the cardstock look vintage without the work. Check out those colors here.



The Chocolate Box collection offers varying shades of brown on top and yummy colors hidden beneath! See those colors here.



Don't be fooled by the black surface of Black Magic...with a little sanding tearing or embossing, you can uncover the vivid core colors hidden beneath the texture! A huge hit with cardmakers, you'll be amazed by the versatility of this line. See all the colors here.

Yes, we know it's a LOT to digest, but trust us...you will absolutely LOVE what Core'dinations has to offer. And for all you Bazzill lovers...don't worry...this does NOT take the place of our Bazzill collection. It only adds to it! Afterall, what is the one thing we use on pretty much every single one of our layouts/cards/projects? CARDSTOCK!

The next question you probably have is...where is it going to fit?? Well, we'd like to build a loft, but we can't. So, you'll see some changes taking place near the bookshelves in the back so that we can accommodate all 240 new papers.

Coming soon!

You asked and we ordered...NESTABILITIES!

The next most exciting find at CHA, coming in at #2 on our top ten list, are Nestabilities by Spellbinders. Our cardmakers have been asking for them for quite some time, so we are happy to oblige! For those who don't know about them, they look a lot like the QuicKutz dies except they are a bronze color. Each die can be used to cut AND emboss in your Revolution and/or Epic Six. Here's what Amy (who didn't know it, but I saw her drooling over the dies while taking these pictures) has to say about them...

These easy to use cutting AND embossing dies are awesome once you see them in action!






Check out some of these examples.

The make-n-take at the Spellbinders booth at CHA was a layered 3D snowflake ornament that was also embossed just like the snowflakes on this page. It doesn’t matter if it’s thin metal or paper, you’ll get a great edge on your shape! It’s difficult to show how gorgeous the embossing is, so you might have to stop by the store to check out my layered ornament in person!





This photo shows off Spellbinders’ ability to emboss a little clearer. Just run your paper through your machine and cut it out, then LEAVE your cut shape inside the die and run it through your machine again with a special rubber mat to emboss! It really is that easy!


This label was embossed and inked before use in the layout. The embossing is something simple that you can do to make your papercrafting pop! It’s easy, fast and yields fantastic results!























Keep an eye out for these new dies coming our way very soon!

I'm back!

Helloooo!

Please accept my apologies for the severe LACK of blog posts last week while we were in Florida. CHA was busy, exciting and PRODUCTIVE! We've got lots of exciting new products coming your way over the next few months.

While at the airport waiting for the flight home, Janice, Amy, Jody and I came up with a top ten list of products that we are MOST excited about. We decided to leave PAPER off the list because there were just too many that we loved.

So...starting tomorrow, we'll disclose our top ten list. Stay tuned :)

Also, tomorrow is a release day for QuicKutz...the theme is Halloween and there are some sweet new dies in the collection.

Have a fabulous day :)