Sunday, January 18, 2015

CHA 2015 Favorite Booths and Products

I have just returned from my first ever trip to CHA and I had a blast! I am going to share with you in this blogpost some pictures and my favorite products from the many many booths there. There were thousands of booths and I did not make it into every booth and probably even missed some wonderful stamping related booths. But here is what I did see and love:


I have to say the Sizzix booth was my favorite. I ooohhed and awwwed over most of their new products (especially dies) and wanted them all. And yes, I was this close to Tim Holtz demoing in the Ranger booth which was unbelievable too. I ordered many of the new Tim Holtz Sizzix dies you can see on this blog post at Tim's blog. 

I also was very impressed with and ordered the new Big Shot Plus from Sizzix which is big enough to cut or emboss 8 1/2" x 11" paper and larger embossing folders and dies. The rep told us they have changed the pressure on the plates to get rid of the bowing of plates issues many of us have after time. It will be shipping in April and I cannot wait to get it.

The product that won the CHA 2015 Hot New Product award in Papercrafts was also from Sizzix. It is Sizzix Inksheets and here is a video introducing the product. I did not personally see a demo on this product, but my friend took a class and made some great cards like the ones in the video. I am going to order the Inksheets and Transfer Pad and will share here the cards I make and my impressions.



My favorite surprise of the show was to find out Tonic Studios also sells dies. Gorgeous dies! Of course I knew they had great scissors, paper cutters and punches, but wait until you see the beautiful dies they also carry now. They were being sold mostly in England, but will be available soon in the U.S., and Notions will be carrying their whole line soon so your local stamp shop will be able to order them for you.

I went into many booths looking for magnetic die storage and the one I liked the best was in the Magnum Magnetics booth. We saw and tested a prototype of a super strong but lightweight two sided magnet sheet that will be perfect for my die storage needs and is made here in the United States. Their magnetic die storage product should be available soon and I am going to wait and order from them as I was that impressed with what I saw. I will share here on my blog when the time comes we can all order.

On the last day, many of the booths were selling their booth display products so they did not have to ship or bring them back with them. I found some real bargains that day and one of my favorites is this rolling Smart Cart from dbestproducts. 



It is so lightweight and folds flat to store, but holds several 12 x 12 containers for a stamp camp or a stamp show, or any other time you want easy rolling storage. I am thrilled I found this booth and this great product. My friend, Vicky from Crackerbox Palace who went to CHA with me, bought 4 different styles including a trolley dolly.
I just had to share this picture too from the CHA Facebook page. See the lady on the right in the black and white shirt staring adoringly at Tim? That's me:) I watched his demo for quite some time and enjoyed every minute of it!  I am a a huge fan of Tim and his products for Sizzix and Ranger and other companies.

To see all my pictures from CHA, feel free to visit my CHA 2015 Flickr board here. If you have any questions about the products you see here, just contact me via the contact feature on the side of the blog.

10 comments:

Vicki Dutcher said...

Interesting products you showcased. The new and improved Big Shot sounds awesome~ Are you a retailer?

KT Fit Kitty said...

Way to go, you! I would have been watching Tim all day! Thanks for sharing your experience at CHA - great new products!

Jane Luxem said...

Great reviews of products, Karen. Thanks for sharing

Margy said...

So happy you had this experience, and are sharing! Loved your proximity to Tim - I would never have given up that seat. :-)

Cindy deRosier said...

I didn't realize the exhibitors sold product on the last day! I left at 10:00 on Tuesday to start the 7 hour drive home. I might need to plan to stay a few hours later next year!

Carol L said...

Lucky you to be close enough to Tim to stare! LOL TFS your thoughts on new products - I'm really loving those Tim Holtz new line of punches! So glad you were able to go to CHA!

Unknown said...

I enjoyed reading your take on products! Very informative!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jennifer E. said...

How lucky for you that you made it to CHA!!! I'd love to be able to go one day. Thanks for showing off some of the new products coming out. Can't wait to get my hands on some of them as well!

Verna Angerhofer said...

First of all I am so happy you fulfilled your dream of attending the show. I envy you too! And, love that you shared some of your adventure with us as well. And, a question about the new Big Shot. Is it still done with a crank or handle? I am almost getting to the point that I might have to get an electronic one and since I love my present Big Shot I am interested in the Sizzix line especially.