ScrapFest 2008: The Vendors, Round Two

...And on we go!

EK Success This little bookmark gave us an opportunity to try many of the EK success products. We used the Zig calligraphy pen to great the flower stems and the border edging. With some practice it was pretty easy to control the width of the line and to get the feathered effect with the chiseled end. The fine tip point gave us the thinner lines and detailing. It seems I don't often use "plain, boring, old stickers" anymore, but sometimes it is nice to get back to the basics. These flower stickers were a good change of pace. The 3D-dots are not the ones I usually grab off the shelf, but work very well and seem to have good hold. EK Success punches continue to be one of the best on the market (If I am not mistaken speaking as a former Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, their punches are manufactured for SU! by EK Success.) Aren't these EK Success ArtBlanche mini-books the best? (ETA: that darn link just won't work! Search 'chipboard book' when the page comes up.) Another gift from my buddy Edwina (she is the best travel adventure partner I must say!) The ghosty was actually used in one the ScrapFest classes we couldn't fit into the schedule and the spider... well I'm trying to develop a better relationship with my dreaded nemesis and the "Itsy, Bitsy Spider" book they designed shown on the back cover is darling!

Hambly My love affair with Hambly continues! I wish I could adequately describe the quality and production of these products. When Allison Kreft told us about them in our class it was easy to understand why they are so easy to work with and why they look so great. Something about the thickness of the paper and the metallic dies going through out (looks extra cool when you use a tearing technique!) There is a post on the Hambly Blog that shows the screen print process and how they created their new kraft stickers. This little notebook looks so polished, but was so easy to do. We had tons of choices (kinda puts you in a mode where you just stand and drool and hold up the line!) and we selected a background paper, and overlay, and a rub-on. They provided the chipboard backing and pages inside. It was easy to construct. A standard size hole was pre-punched through all layers. We were given a small piece of wooden dowel (most likely a shish-ka-bob stick) and a regular hair ponytail holder. We used a bobby pin like a needle to thread the pony holder through the hole, slipped the stick in the loop on the first side then threaded the pony holder through the second hole and slipped the stick in place. Clear as mud? Can't wait to make some more of these as gifts! I picked up the Owl Rub-ons for just such a project!

Hero Arts Always great stamps here - this year was no exception! This make and take was simple and quick but very cute. Sometimes those are the best ones! The sketch map is one I've seen before and can easily be modified for other occasions with different stamps or phrases. I know there are those that say there are too many owls out there, but I am not one of them! How fantastic are these guys!? Had to have them. Ghost Owl and Kitty Owl crack me up! And those others with the scarves, sweaters, and hats!? Perfect for those North East Ohio winters!

K&Company These guys win the new millennium prize for being internet savvy! When I went to the website to grab the link, I found a page which has downloads for all the Scrapfest 2008 Projects! Thanks guys! Even if I didn't already love all your products I'd still kiss you! We made the Amy Butler Lotus Earth Day pocket photo holder. Also pictured are some of the Amy Butler products I picked up while in Archiver's (and the spinners are actually urban rhapsody). So lovely! We discussed just framing the butterfly 12x 12 sheet as is! Isn't that a fun little license plate they gave away? One of the projects we missed featured the Halloween Whimsy Collection. (Some of which I have acquired below!) Edwina also bought these fantastic pins - guess which one she gave me as a gift!?

My Little Yellow Bicycle Another one of my favorite booths! (Tip - anybody that give me a pin for my crop bag gets an automatic boost on the list!) Although we did not actually get to create these fun ornaments, they were made on one of the Make and Take days... very cool! They used the Sharon Ann Christmas Magic Line. It would seem you too could make these if you purchase the kit (photo ornaments - glitter project MC-118). The day we were at the booth, we made a nifty Halloween pocket album from the Frightful Line. It came from a single 12 x 24 sheet of paper and included tons of cardstock embellishments to finish off the project! They also gave us some cute bat buttons and brads as extras. This one is also available as a kit (fold out album kit HW-170) In the background you see a fantastic value die cut stack from these folks chock full of alphabets, borders, frames, and more all for $1.99! (I believe it may say C-thru Ruler Company as they are connected.)

QuicKutz Isn't it a hoot that they decided to use the Chi Omega Owl for their make and take? Just funning with you! They gave us the whole alphabet with matching numbers and I chose my own phrase rather than using the very clever "Wise Guys" from the sample. Let's see, what can I spell out with the rest of the letters?! Wasn't kidding about the owl though - it is most assuredly one of the new Archiver's exclusive dies from QuicKutz. I'd give you a link to all of them... but I've spent the last 20 minutes searching for a page that apparently does not exist! I guess I should have taken a snap of the display while I was in the store. For the sake of duty for my readers maybe I'll need to take a drive out there next week! We used the Revolution Table Top Die Cutting Tool to make our hooties. This would be the fourth die cutting unit I've demoed... Let's just say I'm still not turning in my CuttleBug! But you cannot beat their dies. I also have purchased their fantabulous Ohio State Buckeye and Block O (exclusive to Cord Scrapbook Studio) Since you can use most any die in most any machine with a bit of finagling - it's all good! I used my free cardstock coupon to pick up the fixings for many baby hooties!

Reminisce I'm not very objective in these posts... I realize I seem to like everyone! Reminisce is no exception. So many great lines. We created this fun altered spiral note book with the Enchanted Autumn Line. Well, we would have created it, but after waiting in line for 2 hours, we would have missed our class, so since we were the next to sit down, we grabbed our fixins and hurried to our next class! (Thanks for helping us out and not making us listen to the instructions.) Here is the sample from the project board. When Edwina saw all the owls she said she had to get these for me! What a pal!

Stampendous We created a sweet envelope minibook with Stampendous, featuring their perfectly clear stamps, and Dot Sparklers Class A'Peel Stickers. First off, I think these stickers are sensational! We used them on last years project too - this time I bought some! I will say though, I am not certain what rolling stamp sets we used, I did not care for them... I could not locate them on the Stampendous website, so perhaps they were not actually one of theirs. Still though, the project is very reproduceable. Each envelope has an insert that you may add a picture too, or journal on and return to the envy. Great quick and easy gift or Christmas card idea!

We R Memory Keepers Good stuff here! I promised you more from these folks and here we go. First, the new White-Out paper lines are gorgeous! The Frenzy, Hoopla, Promenade, and Explore lines have already been released and the Nonsense, Halloween, and Christmas lines are coming soon if not already out. Melodee Cloud was the expert at the booth and was very knowledgable about the products. She was a delight and answered all of our questions. Girl - you totally sold me on some new wish list items! The make and take at this booth was mainly designed to showcase the new twist ruler and circle cutter coming soon from We R Memory Keepers. You may know them from the Cropadile, The Big Bite, and the Ultimate Cutting Tool Kit. I was unfamiliar with this last item, and I had a slendid time playing with it! The soon to be released Magnetic Anywhere Twist Ruler is designed to work with the magnetic pad and can therefore cut virtually anywhere. The blade retracts inside the round blade housing and so can be easily caried without risk of damaging it or the other things in your tool bag. It is designed to work with the Magnetic mat and it an upgrade to the metal ruler in the tool kit. You simply turn the housing to expose the blade and cut as needed. They are also coming out soon with a new circle cutter which is an upgrade to the one in the kit. It is very sturdy and fits in the hand well. It is easy to set the circle size and simple to use. The cuts are smooth and even. There are many circle cutters out there and this one should rank among the top ones. Here is the project, a nice 6 x 6 scrapbook page block. The papers are from the Frenzy Line. In addition to cutting our circles, we also used the Big Bite to set our grommets. Speaking of grommets... have you seen the new "Designer Gromlets" they've put out? Oh, wicked cute! They were not featured at ScrapFest, but they are the website!

Zutter A most amazing make and take. Possibly the one with the highest retail value? We recieved the "Spooktacular" 9 x 9 Faux Wood album covers designed by Teresa Collins especially for Bind-It-All systems. Also included were a pack of page protectors to fit. The cover of the book has break out embellishments and a frame to use inside the album. Of course rushed to get the coordinating 8 x 8 pages too! I'm really coveting the " 'Tis the season" and "Travelogue" versions too. On the wish list!We put it all together using the Zutter Bind-It-All V 2.0. (Am I the only one that doesn't like pink?) Although I had not used the original, rumor has it that the 2.0 version can cut a greater thickenss, more types of material, and has some other added features for ease of use. I really want to get one of these book binders. It really is simple to use and makes such a lovely finished product.

Just for Fun! Just a few fun items I picked up at Archiver's to close out our journey... I had been looking at the Sakura 3-D Glaze Pens for a while and can't wait to try them out. They will create an embossed look on any non-pourous surface. With my new found love for acrylic albums, these should be terrific.

I also came across these awesome "boos and tattoos" rub-ons by Imaginisce in their Hallowhimsy Collection. I think these are some of the coolest halloween designs I've seen this year. The colors are subtle but really nicely used and the images are really different and fun.

This is the first Penny Black stamp set I have acquired. I'm not sure why I felt I needed this one called "Zoophabet" from their "T is for Transparent" line, but it could be that it is absolutely adorable! I'm seeing some A through Z albums and name plates and lots of other fun. (And don't accuse me of buying it just because "o" is for owl!)

Well, that about wraps it up! Hope you learned something fun... Ya'll come back now!

Related Posts: The Classes & The Vendors, Round One