Doug and I just returned from the annual Craft and Hobby Show in Anaheim, where we introduced the newest additions to my line of dies for Sizzix.
Although CHA only lasts five days, we’ve been working for several months with Sizzix art directors Cara Mariano and Beth Reames, set builder Marty Graff, designer Anna Pasquale and stylist Lauryl Lane; sketching ideas, creating examples using the new dies, and antique shopping for props.
The theme of this year’s whimsical display was magical fairy forest, with real birch branches overhead, vintage floral wallpaper, miniature handmade mushrooms in moss, little birds and nests, brightly colored pendants, floral wreaths, and tiny white LED lights intertwined everywhere.
Doug re-purposed an old oval mirror for the signage by replacing the glass with a chalkboard. I added my logo using a custom stencil made with the Eclipse die cutter, and used acrylics to paint the border roses freehand.
This year's CHA release presents eight new dies including several beautiful large flowers and leaves, a vertical pendant, butterfly gift card, cupcake stand and new embossing folder designs. Fortunately for me, May Flaum was there at the show to capture all the details with her lovely photography. Thanks, May!
The vertical Heart Pendant is really stunning and easy to assemble. It includes sweet icons like flowers, hearts and butterflies. I’m thinking it would look great suspended over a baby’s crib.
The eight new dies all coordinate beautifully with my previous Sizzix dies. The dozens of hand crafted examples show how well they all work together.
These sweet little candy boxes are made using the Shadowbox die from my last collection. We taped a piece of 5 ml acetate to the inside of the windows, wrapped colorful seam binding ribbon around them and added some mini rick rack and vintage millinery flowers. Voila! An adorable Easter party favor.
The wreath features three lovely new flower dies: Gerbera Daisy, Camellia and Lotus. To bring in some textural interest, we used a variety of different types of papers: scrapbooking paper, gift wrap, dip-dyed coffee filters, tissue paper, crepe paper, and vintage book pages. The flower centers were made from pom poms, which were hot glued to floral wire, dipped in white glue and then glittered. After they were dry, we layered the individual flower parts onto the wire. We made about fifty flowers for this wreath, and it came together surprisingly quickly!
The Teacup die was used to feature a hand painted technique. We found some inexpensive white tagboard (available at any drug store or dollar store) and die cut the pieces. After assembling, we painted the cups with three coats of white gesso. Next, I painted them with acrylics and used a fine point felt pen for some of the details. The last step was a very thin wash of raw umber stain, to create an aged appearance.
The little cottages were made using the Country Cottage die. I really enjoy the versatility of this die. By changing the colors and materials used, it's perfect for Christmas, Halloween, Easter, birthday or baby. The house is designed to hinge open from the back, so a small tea light can be added. We used a wood paper to create this example, and added bits of twigs and moss for a woodland feel.
The roof of this house is made of heavy card stock with a doily spray-glued to it and then coated generously with clear glitter.
Finding all the antiques for this display was so much fun! Fortunately, we live close to the amazing Alameda Antique Faire (first Sunday of every month), which is the ideal spot to hunt for all kinds of irresistible vintage treasures, like old wooden frames, bell jars, vintage documents, woven baskets and (semi-functional) chandeliers. It’s amazing how much stuff can fit into one station wagon!
I am very grateful for the loving hands that helped to make my Winter CHA display a reality. Many thanks to the amazing and talented staff at Sizzix. You make a great team!
The newest additions to my Favorite Things Collection will be in stores in March. In the meantime, I’ll be busy designing my next collection!
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