First off, let’s talk about CHA in terms of wedding-specific items. There’s not a lot of product geared specifically towards wedding crafters. We are very much an  under-served market and I’m working very hard to raise our visibility with the crafts industry. The good news is that there are many “mainstream” craft products are wholly, wonderfully, perfectly adaptable for wedding use. (And, yeah, I’m your go-to girl to show you how!)

Here’s what I saw at CHA. It’s a short round-up of trends and thoughts about what’ll be available in the craft stores in the coming 6 months or so. Some of it will influence wedding crafts, for sure, but a lot of it won’t. I see a lot of innovation from you guys that could actually influence the industry instead of the other way around.

Overall Trends:

• Vintage. Oh, lordy, vintage everything is huge right now and it covers such a wide range of styles from Shabby Chic ™-esque, to 1940’s-50’s, to Steampunk, to … you name it.  Distressed elements, rich patinas, and antique bling was really hot. There wasn’t a lot geared towards those of us with a  more modern, minimalist esthetics in the context of what was on display but that’s ok. We can adapt!
• Steampunk has gone mainstream. I saw quite a bit of steampunk-inspired product. Papers, stamps, watch parts, gears.
• The die cutter market has exploded. There were several manufacturers of die cutting machines at the show along with companies that made compatible dies, software, accessories. Lots of great stuff to talk about here – and I’ll be doing so shortly. Die cutting is an exciting advance in the paper crafting community and really needs to be incorporated more into the wedding crafting pool. If you’re looking for a die cutting machine, hold on for another couple of month until the new cutters hit the market.
• Color schemes were jewel-toned and muted or distressed (it’s that whole vintage-thing). Rose, deep purples, darker greens and strong reds were hot. Orange was big. Grey, too.
• Motifs that were hot: butterflies, sunflowers, birds, feathers, nests, birdcages, watch parts/gears, damask,  floral prints. Damask is still huge but this year it’s distressed and aged.
• Paper flowers were EVERYWHERE. It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that almost every booth had some sort of paper flower on display.
• I hope you like bling! Rhinestones, crystals, and glitter are hot, hot, hot.

Products: I’ll be doing a round-up of some of my favorite products from the show later this week but, as a sneak peek, here’s what I really loved.

• The Cricut Cake by Provo Craft. This is a food-safe die cutting machine that’s dedicated to cutting fondant and gum paste. Check out what you’ll be able to do with this thing (below)! I fully believe this will revolutionize the cake decorating industry (and that’s really exciting to me).  I’ll be doing a full product review when the machine hits the markets in April.
• The Easy Arranger. DIY flowers are fairly commonplace now. This product, a wire “disk” type contraption that fits over the top of a vase, makes arranging your own floral centerpieces a snap. I’m really excited about their version for bouquets as well.
• I’m pretty sure I’ve discussed (ad nauseum) my obsession with finding the perfect adhesive for invitations/paper crafts on these pages. Wait ’til you see the Glue Glider Pro from Glue Arts. Love this thing! They also have some really, really neat removable adhesive for sticking things to walls.
• PSA Esstentials has very pretty customized stamps that will take you from your Save-The-Dates through your Thank You notes and beyond. I adore multi-use craft tools. This is one of them.
• DB Card Studio has lovely DIY invitation kits that are affordable and easily customizable.
• Craft-N-Spin won me over with a “lazy susan” type turntable for crafters. You’ll have to see it.
• The passionate and creative team at GCD have some of the most beautiful and creative papers and embellishments on the market. I am in love with their entire line.
• FancyThat! has some super cool printed packing tape that’d be fun to embellish favors packaging with. Can’t wait to play with it.
• Jenni Bowlin’s line of products is the epitome of vintage cuteness.
• The Unibind folks have a unique album (photo/scrapbook) system that used repositionable resin I’m digging.
• Provo Craft have a new Cuttlebug (one of my favorite craft tools) coming out with some really cool plates that cut and emboss. These are going to rock wedding invites!

I’m missing dozens of others in the list. I’ll be going through my notes and posting pics/videos all this week. There’ll also be product reviews of the things I have in my hands already. It’s craft overload!

Related posts:

1. CHA: Live Blogging & Twittering
2. DIY Bride At CHA
3. DIY Letterpress, Pt. 1

Plate Quality Issues

First off, I can attest that there is a problem with breaking plates. The first plate I used snapped on the very first run. This pretty much made that plate as unusable. Not good.

You can see where the plate snapped - on the first run - rendering it unusable.

Die Machine Compatibility

There have been mixed reports about whether the L Let can be used in other die cutting machines. Yes, it can. I report that it works in my Cuttlebug (Provo Craft) and others have reported it works great in the Big Shot (Sizzix). There’s absolutely no wiggle room, width-wise, in the Cuttlebug but it ran right through.

Inks

L Letterpress Gold & Silver Inks

• The gold and silver inks are really pretty.
• Clean up of the plates, lid, and packing mats is really easy. I used baby wipes (having a 10 month old is paying off!) and the ink came up with minimal scrubbing. FWIW: Pampers Natural Aloe Unscented wipes were used. Please thank Zion for his contribution to this experiment.
• The inks are oil-based. Work in a well-ventilated area. The odor can be overpowering in confined spaces.

Ease of Use

The machine is very, very easy to use.

• The grid system on the lid and mat is tremendously helpful for accurate placement.
• If you’ve ever used a die cutting machine before, this will be super intuitive. If you haven’t, don’t worry! It’ll likely take newbies just a few minutes to get up and running.

Notes

• Definitely check out the L Letterpress tips over at Boxcar Press. As Harold mentions, get a better brayer (the roller that applies ink). I happened to have a soft roller from Speedball (around $13.00) and it’s much better than the one supplied by Lifestyle Crafts. A good roller will make a world of difference in ink application.
• Paper is also important. Regular cardstock won’t take an impression – or a very good one. Get proper uncoated cotton paper. See my list here of paper resources.
• An unexpected use of the L Letterpress kit: use it with unmounted acrylic or rubber stamps for perfect stamping placement each time. Stick the stamp to the lid and the paper on the base like you would for a letterpress run, ink your stamp, press the top plate onto the paper (manually or through the machine). Stamps won’t deboss but they will leave a perfectly placed image behind.

Related posts:

1. DIY Letterpress Resources
2. DIY Letterpress, Pt. 1
3. L Letterpress Tips from Boxcar Press

Here’s a video demonstration of the L Letterpress in action:

Stay tuned for my tutorial on making your own plates! I’ve made plates for custom embossing and polymer clay projects. I’m just waiting for my supplies to come in so I can shoot step-by-step instrux.

Related posts:

1. Update on the L Letterpress Machine
2. DIY Letterpress Resources
3. L Letterpress Tips from Boxcar Press

Lisa asked what printing plates the machine comes with:

@Lisa – I’m looking at the Letterpress packaging right now, and seeing that the printing plates include 3 shapes: two of which are kind of flower-like, and the other is kind of a thin, border-type flourish.

It also contains 5 phrases: “Happy Birthday” in a cursive font, “Thank You” in a sans-serif font, “I Love You” in a slightly serif font, “for you” in a bolder cursive, and “Hello” in the same font as “Thank You”.

Tonya wanted to know if the machine would be available at her favorite big box stores:

@Tonya – I have heard all three of these names tossed around the office quite a bit in Letterpress-relevant discussions. I would imagine that eventually all 3 will be carrying the tool, as it is planned to be available in large chain stores, although I don’t know what the plans are for it when it first is released.

And, finally, Tony volunteered the scoop on the delivery status:

The tool was delayed somewhat by the overseas manufacturer, but is scheduled to arrive here VERY soon, so be looking for this as a potential Christmas gift. I know I am strongly considering it for my wife.

Related posts:

1. Update on the L Letterpress Machine
2. DIY Letterpress Machine
3. DIY Bride L Letterpress Review

While I once loved this printer, it is now so problematic that I can no longer give it a recommendation. Here’s why:

• After less than a year of use, it is now completely unusable due to an error message that keeps popping up on the display screen. (It says to turn off the unit and restart it. I do; the error pops up again. Lather, rinse, repeat.)
• Constant paper jams. The paper tray feeder is exceedingly sensitive and paper jams are commonplace.
• Printing on cardstock is hit or miss. I’ve found that when I’m printing multiple pages of cardstock that sometimes it’ll accept a few pages of CS and then reject the next page for no discernible reason. It’s the same cardstock – no tears, wrinkles, or other things that may cause problems.
• Smudges, smudges, smudges. I spend a lot of time (and wasted ink) cleaning the print heads to get clear text prints on regular printer paper. I find that full-color photo prints get lines, streaks, and smudges in most print runs no matter what photo paper I use (fwiw, I use Epson’s own photo paper as suggested by the mfgr. and have tried other brands to no avail.)
• See the comments on the original review for others’ experiences with this printer.

For what the retail price is on this unit I expect better quality, especially from Epson whose products I’ve been very pleased with in the past. This one simply disappoints after less than a year in use.

Related posts:

1. Product Review: Yudu Screen Printing Machine
2. Product Review: JIGster
3. Inkjet Printer Recommendations

As I often mention in these pages I am a hopeless gadget queen. If it’s new, bright and shiny I gotta get my hands on it because I’m always on the hunt for cool tools that make the lives of us creative (and not-so-creative) types much easier.

The swell folks at Envelopments sent me their new tool called JIGster.  A jig, for those of you not familiar with the term,  is a guide to help with exact placement of objects. In the case of the JIGster it helps invitation designers (that’s you!) perfectly align layers of paper/cardstock for each and every invitation you create.

I adore this tool. Seriously, this is on my top 10 list of all-time favorite craft tools. I create several hundred (thousands? yeah, probably) of layered invites, programs, menus, and other papery goodness every year so I can say with some authority how much trying to get uniform alignment really sucks. The JIGster made a recent project a total no-brainer and cut down production time significantly. My crafting minutes are very limited these days so that in and of itself made the tool totally rock in my book.

The JIGster allows you to create standard border widths (the amount of area showing between the edges of the layers) of 1/8”,  1/4”, 3/8” ,  1/2”, 3/4”,  and  1”. The unit itself is pretty compact, about 12″ x 12″, making it easy to store in your craft space. It’s made of heavy plastic, is easy to use, and will last forever.

The price for this baby is $69.95. In my estimation it’s well-worth the price for the quality, ease of use, and functionality. Buy here.

Check out a video of the  JIGster in action.

{Disclaimer: Per FTC guidelines, it is my duty to mention that Envelopments sent me this product for review without charge. No money was exchanged for this review and the content of the review reflects my personal and honest opinion about the merits of the product.}

Related posts:

1. Contest: Win One of Three JIGsters
2. JIGster Winners
3. Product Review Update: Epson Artisan 800

Michelle from Lifestyle Crafts responded to our questions about the L Lettepress Machine.

Thanks for your comments and interest in our new product line! I thought I’d answer a few of your questions…
…our printing plates come with an double-sided adhesive sheet that is used to adhere the plates to the L Letterpress tool so you can print as many plates as you’d like at one time.
…the current alphabet printing plate designs are designed to be used as monograms. You could of course use them to spell a word or name but the size and design probably functions best as a monogram.
…the other printing plate skus available all contain a variety of phrase dies that work well for many different occasions
…we are going to offer a custom program that will be announced very soon! This will allow you to create your own words, phrases designs etc.

I’m totally excited about their custom program! Can’t wait to hear more. And, yeah, I pre-ordered mine this afternoon.

Related posts:

1. L Letterpress Update
2. DIY Letterpress Resources
3. DIY Letterpress Machine

The L Letterpress is a kit that is used in conjunction with the Epic Six Tool (a die cut and embossing machine).

{The Entire Kit}

{Some of the printing plates}

{Ink colors}

{Editing to add video of the L Letterpress in action}

The L Letterpress is due on the shelves this Fall. What do you think?

Related posts:

1. Update on the L Letterpress Machine
2. L Letterpress Update
3. More on the L Letterpress

Thanks to Hudson Paint, chalkboard paint, is now available in 24 colors! {Queue my girlish squeals of delight here.}  Quart cans are only $7.00 making chalkboard goodness within the reach of most DIYers.

Related posts:

1. DIY Workshops in a City Near You

For the record: printmaking is one of my crafting obsessions. I love doing it. I love teaching it. I adore other printmakers and buy a considerable amount of printy goodness every year. In 2000 I bought my first Print Gocco (and then sold it – doh!). A few years ago I picked up a Speedball screen printing kit. You could say that I have a decent background in the basics of print. I’m no expert, just a crafter who digs getting her fingers inky.

The Basic Info

The MSRP of the Yudu is $300, though you can get it online for around $200. {Oh My Crafts has it for 184.99 at the moment}. JoAnn and Michaels are also carrying the machines in store but do not yet allow their coupons to be used to buy the machine. You can, however, use their coupons to buy supplies – which you’ll need.

In the Yudu box you’ll find:

• Yudu machine
• Adult t-shirt platen
• Blank ink-jet transparency
• 110 mesh screen
• Squeegee
• 2 fl oz black ink
• Platen adhesive sheet
• Instructional DVD
• User manual
• Emulsion sheet

A quick run-down of the process (there are other steps and details in here but are not covered in this review):

1. Place emulsion sheet onto screen.
2. Place screen in dryer. Wait for it to dry.
3. Put your artwork onto glass.
4. Top that with emulsion screen.
5. Burn artwork into screen.
6. Rinse screen.
7. Get your print on.

What I tested:

• Cardstocks – some scraps in my never-ending pile.
• Tshirt
• Silk pillow cover
• Metal flashing
• Wood veneer

What I love about the Yudu:

• Print area. The screens are  11″ x 14″ which is a great size for stationery and many other wedding crafts. By comparison, the ever-popular Gocco PG5, has a max print area of 3-9/16″ x 5-9/16.
• The all-in-one design of the machine. There’s no need to buy a lot of supplies just to get started and the all-in-one makes storing it easier than with my other screenprinting kit. The product design team at Provo Craft did a great job.
• Ease of use. Overall, this was pretty darned easy to use. There is a bit of a learning curve but I think even the timidest of newbies could get the hang of the Yudu with just a few tries. Read those instructions, kiddies!
• Handles large prints and designs beautifully.
• Prints great on wood, metal, and fabric.
• Yudu inks offer nice coverage and opacity.
• Screens are re-usable and were easy to wash out.
• The quality of the machine is very good and I think it’ll last forever.
• No special lightbulbs for the machine.

What I didn’t like:

• The machine itself is pretty big, about the size of a large scanner or all-in-one inkjet printer. For those of us who have very limited craft space, the Yudu footprint is cumbersome. However, it has the 11 x  14 print area so it really couldn’t be much more streamlined than it already is. If you’re used to the Gocco’s size, the Yudu will be an adjustment.
• The process is long. It took about 50-ish minutes to do a single print – not including the drying time of the print. Getting the emulsion set up and everything ready to go takes some time. Once you get going, doing multiple prints is pretty easy and quick.
• The supplies are not cheap. Screens run about $28.00, emulsion sheets (2 pack) are $19.00, 5 pack of transparencies are $6.00, inks are around $22.00 for a 3-pack. You’ll also need more platens (if you’re doing multiples of t-shirts), emulsion remover, blockout, adhesive sheets, registration panels, and then all of your clean-up tools, things to print on, etc. etc.
• Screens are available only in 110 mesh. I found that the 110 didn’t do well with small text and very fine detail. On my test of an invitation with 10 and 11 pt fonts (script and serifs), it wasn’t as clear as I would have liked. I’ve heard Provo Craft is working on different mesh sizes.
  
• It didn’t print all that great on some of the cardstocks I had. The ink was too runny on some of the cardstocks and this could totally be the cardstock itself rather than an ink/Yudu problem. I haven’t had a chance to go back and do more tests yet.
• The inks were drying REALLY fast for me on the day I tested so I had to hustle to get prints made before they clogged the screens.
• There aren’t that many ink colors available.
  
• The demo video is not very good.

My overall impressions:

I really, really like the Yudu and am happy to have it. I am eagerly awaiting other mesh sizes to see if they handle finer text and small detail better – an important thing for invitations/stationery design. Bottom line: If you’re serious about taking on screenprinting as a hobby or career, I think it’s worth the investment especially if you’re new to printmaking. If you’re considering only making your invites and a few other projects this is probably way too cost-prohibitive to make it worthwhile.

In comparison with the Gocco, I have to say that I like the Yudu better. Supplies are readily available for the Yudu, the print area is larger which allows opens up a whole new world of print possibilities, and the process seems more intuitive than what I remember from my Gocco days. (If you have Gocco-specific questions, please ask!)

Related posts:

1. Do You Yudu?
2. Product Review Update: Epson Artisan 800
3. Real Yudu Project: Alie’s Save-The-Dates