CHA Winter 2012 :: Crate Paper
Crate Paper is up next, and their first collection has a name that certainly got my attention! I do love a Pretty Party, especially when it’s made from paper!
Since the last show, Crate Paper has been acquired by American Crafts – but the company has remained intact with its own product designers and its own design team and so forth, so there’s not any big difference to the experience you’ll have shopping for Crate and using their products. The differences are on the manufacturing and fulfillment side, and that shop owners can now order from Crate, American Crafts, Pebbles and Studio Calico all at once – which could mean some smaller shops will do what’s known as ‘cherry picking’ and choose just bits and pieces from all those companies rather than picking up full collections. But expect larger stores to still carry the full inventory. Right – that’s enough business talk – let’s look at pretty papers, shall we?
Lots of lush 12×12 Pretty Party papers. I love that they have gone with patterns that are easy to use. I love looking at Crate’s collections but sometimes I find them a bit of a challenge once they are on my table – only sometimes. This isn’t one of those times. Bring on the Crate goodness, I say!
Pretties from the Crate design team – Rahel Menig on the left and Jaime Warren on the right, I do believe. (My apologies if I’m wrong!)
Embellishments include layered stickers (that have gems and buttons in the designs), brad assortments with fabric and epoxies and photo frames in interesting materials. More on that in a minute.
Beautiful layers from Christine Middlecamp.
I wish they made this as something we could buy! Sadly no, it’s just part of the display. But what a pretty find and it displays the buttons so well I would be happy to hang it on my wall just like that. I wouldn’t mind if we saw this in reproduction form at the next show, would you?
So many lovely layered cards – sorry I can’t identify the crafters here, but all from the Crate design team.
Crate’s second collection is darker in colours and called Story Teller. It has themes that fit general family life, with a vintage twist, and again a collection that will be easy to move from stash to completed pages. (In general, I think we saw a lot more of this at this show: a focus on papers and embellishments that will make great pages rather than the papers that are so ornately designed we don’t know where to start and they end up languishing in our stash because they are too special or too complicated. More crafting than collecting, which is good in my book. My lacking-in-storage-space book.)
Again, layered stickers and a mix of brads, plus wooden bingo chips for all your numbering needs.
Though they didn’t have samples just yet, Crate added printed washi tapes to their collections, and that blue floral design definitely has my attention. Heading to the right, buttons, printed clothes pegs and 6×6 patterned paper sets.
The 12×12 chipboard sheet gives the best feel for all the motifs in this collection. Lots of cameras and flowers plus typewriters, bicycles and luggage. I love that they added a date stamp as a chipboard piece – although many of us use a date stamp in our work, seeing the image of one was something a little new and I like the library feel it adds to Story Teller. (By the way, that’s the second time I spotted protractors at this show – JBS also had it as a stamp design. Geometry is the new cupcake?)
Paper designs include maps, florals and stripes, with a primary colour base that has been distressed just enough that it seems mature and perfectly worn.
And I promised we would come back to frames! Here’s a better look at the Story Teller frames – in wood. The equivalent frame in the Pretty Party line up are in metal. Something a little different and perfect for a special page or an album cover, perhaps. These even made me think they would look lovely on a Christmas tree – but I promise it is officially WAY too early to be thinking of evergreens and baubles. Definitely.
Both collections ship to stores in February, so look for them to start appearing very soon.
Click here to shop for Crate Paper products. (By the way, they have a current collection that is vaguely Valentiney but would work for many topics, and it’s worth checking out before it disappears to make way for these two collections.)
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5 February 2012, 07:56
Crate Paper has such gorgeous papers. Love those wood frames, too.
5 February 2012, 08:34
Absolutely gorgeous!! Crate Paper never fails to amaze me…
5 February 2012, 08:42
I love crate paper and these new collections don’t dissapoint
5 February 2012, 09:11
I love crate papers collections. Both of these are on my to get list. i love how Christine layers all the stickers and chipboard on her layouts.
5 February 2012, 09:27
Those floral papers in the Story Teller collection are stunning. I can immediately see uses for them
5 February 2012, 09:35
Gorgeous! I love Crate and how amazing are those patterns?
5 February 2012, 09:41
Crate has definately been one of my favorites for the past few releases … and they’ve done it again! Washi tape you say? Can’t wait :)
5 February 2012, 09:47
Ohhh those maps, that tape!!
5 February 2012, 10:00
totally wish the buttons were sold in that photo! either way, I love the variety!
5 February 2012, 10:18
I can’t wait to get much of this! I am such a fan of Crate, and never have a problem using their papers. I love so much of this, and am sure to blow a large amount of scrapping dollars their way!! :)
5 February 2012, 10:58
i’m do like a pretty paper and these are luch!
5 February 2012, 10:59
I see Studio Calico incorporating lots of these in our monthly kits! You are so right about the previous patterns they had that I am so scared to scrap up to now but thanks to these new tiny ones that they came up with. Bring it on Crate Paper!
5 February 2012, 11:25
Crate is one of my favorite lines and I will probably be buying both of these although Pretty Party is definitely my favorite of the two.
5 February 2012, 11:41
I’m soooo in love with Create Paper! Forever!
5 February 2012, 12:53
“Geometry is the new cupcake!”. I NEED this on a T-Shirt. To wear to all my lessons. The students will not know what has hit them.
But Crate = lush. Loving these CHA posts :D
5 February 2012, 13:24
Oh, I adore the pretty paper line by Crate Paper, they’re one of my favourites, and have certainly done it again. Washi tape too, roll on it all being available to buy!
5 February 2012, 13:41
loving these
5 February 2012, 13:56
I LOOOOVE Crate Paper! Pretty Party is so awesome!
5 February 2012, 14:10
Never saw a piece of CP that I didn’t love! :) The new releases are no exception. Love them!
5 February 2012, 14:51
I’m certainly liking those buttons.
5 February 2012, 14:57
pretty party is nice. love the buttons too shame you cant buy them!
5 February 2012, 15:02
I’m loving these small floral patterns! Thanks for showing us.
5 February 2012, 15:13
Oh, Yummm! I like Crate Paper! That button display was awesome. I would buy it too. Love their products! Thanks for showing us their booth.
5 February 2012, 15:23
The Pretty Party stuff is nice- I love that tag paper.
5 February 2012, 16:52
Lots of Hexagons around too which also fits with your geometry theory. Hey did you ever think you would have a geometry theory?!
5 February 2012, 17:26
I want, no – I NEED it all!!!
5 February 2012, 18:43
I am in love with everything Crate has put out. Loved that button display too and totally agree it could be sold exactly that way. Thanks Shimelle for all the wonderful photos of all the vendors and their products, it makes me feel as if I attended the show!
5 February 2012, 18:59
Oh Crate, how I love thee….
And this is no exception. I’m glad the AC acquisition hasn’t changed their direction. I’m hoping their papers still have that lovely texture, too. Sigh.
5 February 2012, 19:25
Storyteller is one of my favorite lines from CHA this time around
5 February 2012, 21:19
I really liked both lines and agree the button display is very cool.
5 February 2012, 21:23
Love the card samples in the both.
5 February 2012, 21:30
The Story Teller collection will have to be mine so I can tell some stories of my own…
5 February 2012, 23:19
I really like those journal tags!
6 February 2012, 02:14
Some lovely stuff here…adding more to my wishlist :-)
6 February 2012, 03:03
Crate Paper never disappoint me I always find something I want in their lines.
I so want a pretty party with those pretty papers
6 February 2012, 06:41
Nice! I too loved that button display and would buy it as is!!
6 February 2012, 07:00
That 12×12 paper with all the tags really caught my eye. I will definitely be on the lookout for that!
6 February 2012, 08:26
I;m liking that Storyteller line…those blues!
6 February 2012, 10:40
I have only recently become more aware of Crate Paper, and their products are just stunning. The colors in the Storyteller collection are fab.u.lous.
I used to sort of take-or-leave pink, but since having a little baby girl, I am definitely appreciating it more! Pretty Paper Party has the perfect balance of pink! (too bad I couldn’t think of a “p” word for balance! ;-))
6 February 2012, 11:45
I am loving that button display as well! I guess we should start and email campaign to get them to reproduce them lol! TFS!
6 February 2012, 14:24
I’m a big fan of Crate Paper – esp love their embellishments!
6 February 2012, 21:43
My absolute favorite is Crate Paper!!! Thanks for the sneak peek!
6 February 2012, 23:58
Liking the storyteller line.
7 February 2012, 16:25
There were patterns in both of the lines that jumped out at me. I really like all the tags, too.
5 March 2012, 01:07
Love the new lines!