CHA Winter 2012 :: American Crafts
In addition to their designer brands Amy Tangerine and Dear Lizzy, American Crafts had quite a few new products in their classic branding, so let’s start today with a look at all that, shall we?
Fresh Squeezed is a summery home-themed line, with plenty of kitchen and fruit motifs mixed with a Scandinavian vibe.
Lots of red, brown, yellow and turquoise.
Sorry about this slightly rubbish photo, but I wanted to show you that last b-side paper – patterned quadrants! One of my favourite ways to mix patterned papers except now it’s already done. Perfect for quick scrapping.
Thickers in a lush spring green, plus layered and flat stickers. The phrases on the flat stickers would be particularly useful for cards, as the reverse includes quite a few things that would work well as greetings.
Recipe cards. Quite pretty and could make a lovely gift.
And hurrah: paper pinwheels are still here. Even if even lighting is not. Win some, lose some.
AC’s new DIY line is something for anyone who ever wanted Thickers in a particular colour or style that wasn’t in the line up… now you can make them yourself.
Start with your choice of font – these are all styles we know from previous Thickers collections.
Then customise with your choice of sparkle, including extra-fine and chunky glitters, tinsel (like glitter in little strips) and microbeads. There were also samples that were heat embossed with embossing powders and coloured with markers, though I’m not completely sure how the colouring with markers works if there is an adhesive layer on the top. Will investigate that further sometime soon.
Chromatics is a new marker line out this spring, and basically American Crafts’ answer to Copics and Promarkers. Chromatics are alcohol-based inks that blend gorgeously with ease. I gave these a try and they do shading and faded colour so very well on the very first try, so these are promising if you’re in the market for markers. Plus there is something they have done that is oh so smart:
They come packed in threes of perfectly picked shades for fading from one colour to the next. No more looking at a zillion markers and wondering which ones will work best or where to start. Choose a colour of the rainbow and then the shades are already ready for you. Smart.
Glitter Tape was a new focus where American Crafts would usually have an entire new section of ribbon. Perfect for adding sparkle that won’t fall apart on the page and has no mess. It comes in half-inch and quarter-inch widths and the colours, like those in the bottles of glitter, match the American Crafts cardstock colours.
Which of course led me to ask ‘is there kraft glitter?’ to which I was looked at with bemusement. Um… apparently if you make kraft metallic, it’s essentially gold.
I may not have thought of that when I asked.
There are, at least, shades of gold and silver so there really is one that is perfect for kraft and not overly yellow. Disaster averted.
Then we have Gardenia, a garden-themed spring that doesn’t go anywhere near the pastel shades. The Thickers for this collection have a new hand-drawn look.
I especially love that green swirl! I must admit gardening lines make me a little wistful from my little flat with no grass to call our own, but on closer inspection these aren’t overly themed and can be used for any number of topics. Just treat them as any other floral or polka dot or butterfly.
Plenty of layers in the embellishments, and again one particular pack that seems well-suited to cards.
These two are must-haves: a really versatile thank you stamp and plain wooden buttons that can be left as-is and look great tied with brightly coloured threads or you can paint them to match your project. You can even sparkle them with some glimmer mist.
Cute printed clothes pegs, but a bit big for most scrapbook pages. Handy for mini books and all other sorts of things that don’t require packing into a page protector. Or break them in half to use them on a layout for the illusion of a whole peg.
The printed die-cut shapes from the original Amy Tangerine collection were so popular the idea is now cropping up in several AC collections. Plus there’s an additional flat alphabet sticker set in the right colours for these papers.
And a few projects from the AC in-house designers to illustrate that Gardenia is useful for far more than gardening photos!
Ship dates: The glitters (called Wow, Pop and Spark) and DIY Thickers ship right now. Glitter tapes and Fresh Squeezed ship later in February. Chromatics markers and Gardenia ship in March.
Click here to shop for American Crafts products.
Read more about: american-crafts
06 February 2012
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6 February 2012, 06:18
Let’s just say I’m going to love Feburary!!!
6 February 2012, 06:19
So excited for the diy thickers, and happy to hear that the glitter tapes are of the mess-free variety :)
The lines are classic AC — useful if not exciting — but we all need useful supplies, right?
6 February 2012, 06:25
Beautiful display! Thanks for the great photos showcasing all these wonderful goodies!! So much to love!
6 February 2012, 06:33
Lovely! I think I read somewhere that you can leave the protective layer of the DIY Thickers on and then you can colour them with anything you’d like, or take it off to expose the adhesive surface for glittering and stuff.
6 February 2012, 06:49
Love the DIY Thickers! I’m sure those will be a huge success as well as the markers! Can’t wait to get my hands on some of that luscious paper!
6 February 2012, 06:53
I like that quadrant paper too and I’m sure I’ll be picking up some of those plain buttons as well.
6 February 2012, 06:53
Yummy new thickers! And look at all those markers… All I need to do now is win the lottery to pay for it all!
6 February 2012, 07:17
I’m intrigued by the Freshly Squeezed line as it looks spookily similar to a much older set I have. And a new marker on the block? Colouring is definitely on trend!
6 February 2012, 07:21
Bright and sparkly are really in! Love the DIY Thickers.
6 February 2012, 07:35
Really like the lined thickers, glitter tapes and the rosettes. The new pens look interesting
too.
6 February 2012, 07:39
Love the teapots in the fresh squeezed line. Love the DYI Thickers. American Crafts has done a great job!
Thanks for the picks.
6 February 2012, 08:06
The glitter tape looks so lovely!
6 February 2012, 08:16
I love that green!!!
6 February 2012, 08:22
American crafts just does it every time for me. Love love love it!
6 February 2012, 08:49
I’m very intrigued by the chromatics…coloring is something I want to try, but I’m very intimidated by copics.
6 February 2012, 08:59
I always love AC!!Especially the Thickers!!
6 February 2012, 09:05
Everything in this post is so magic!!!
6 February 2012, 09:21
I really like the plain wooden buttons! Also I’m curious about what you find out about coloring on the DIY thickers.
6 February 2012, 09:24
Love the Fresh Squeezed colors and the glitter tapes especially. AC B sides are also always fun to use.
6 February 2012, 09:32
I want all of what I have seen so badly it almost hurts ack
6 February 2012, 09:40
I think I’ve got to try out those thickers!
6 February 2012, 10:09
Love the idea of home decorated Thickers.
6 February 2012, 10:20
Lots of pretty things! Thanks for sharing! Those wooden buttons are really cute!
6 February 2012, 10:43
That glitter tape looks soooo cool! And the thickers – I have a lot of microbeads that would be fun to use on it!
6 February 2012, 11:30
So excited for the glitter tape and they diy thickers!!!
6 February 2012, 12:08
Liking the DIY thickers & clothes pins. They would be nice for hanging layouts in my scrap/craft room.
6 February 2012, 13:01
Interested in that glitter tape! Kraft glitter = makes me smile :)
6 February 2012, 13:05
Love the Thickers – as always!
6 February 2012, 13:23
‘Kraft glitter’ made me smile – I have those moments more often than I’d like! Love the glitter tape – their glitter cardstock is fab and can’t wait to try out this new product.
6 February 2012, 13:24
Wow. Wood buttons, Chromatics, and glitter tape. Yum.
6 February 2012, 13:48
Shimelle, you have got the CHA reporter’s eye! Love your reviews of all of the different lines. Appreciate your take on how the vendors have changed from year to year, season to season, what they seem to be good at and where they’re lacking. It isn’t all <gush> isn’t it wonderful? Thanks for the honest reportage. Look forward to your future reviews.
6 February 2012, 14:19
I cannot possibly get enough of Thickers. I love the new DIY idea. I’ll be getting a few of those. Also love that new font with the Gardenia line. =)
6 February 2012, 14:23
I find the American crafts papers a little too bold for me but love the accessories and the diy thicker look fab.
6 February 2012, 14:50
Believe it or not, I hardly used AC until Amy Tan’s. Now I have each product of her lines. Based on your report, I might try these other lines but I am more excited about the white thickers. I can’t wait to play with them and also the new chromatics. Thanks again for your detailed report, Shim.
6 February 2012, 15:36
I love the glitter tape and all the Thickers! There are also some fun patterns in the paper.
6 February 2012, 17:17
Love the DIY thickers and the glitter tape. Sparkly things definitely grab my attention! x
6 February 2012, 18:11
so many great new products! i love AC! thanks for sharing
6 February 2012, 18:30
SO super excited about the do-it-yourself Thickers!!
6 February 2012, 19:02
Do you know what the price will be on the markers
6 February 2012, 19:09
Shimelle, I just want to say your coverage of all things CHA is amazing!!! Thank you so much for all your photos, so much detail and information! You rock!
6 February 2012, 19:32
Oh the colors!! Looks very cheery!
7 February 2012, 04:20
Just loving the DIY thickers – I frequently change the colour of them and it will be great to have an easy way to glitter them.
7 February 2012, 04:49
Such great new products from AC! Do you know if the gliitter on the glitter tapes comes off when being handled, or not?
7 February 2012, 07:30
Wow, wow, wow! DIY Thickers and glitter tape. I’m going to be in absolute heaven when I get my hands on these. I can already see the glitter ribbon working perfectly on my Wedding Invites
7 February 2012, 07:46
I am especially intrigued by the DIY Thickers and the markers. I hope that I’ll be able to get my hands on these sometime soon!
7 February 2012, 09:43
I’m a Thicker Addict. And love all that glitter tape oh-ing and ah-ing over here.
7 February 2012, 10:24
Shimelle—I love these recaps you’re doing. I especially love that you are honest and don’t automatically say, “Everything is wonderful!”
I saw a video (I think it was from Paperclipping) that demoed the DIY Thickers. You can leave the protective covering on to color, mist, or paint. OR you can take it off to reveal the adhesive for glitter, etc.
7 February 2012, 10:26
The DIY Thickers are pure genius, I can barely wait to get them! And the die cut shapes and other embellishments look fab too. Great stuff.
7 February 2012, 10:47
I love the DIY THickers. I have a bunch of these but do many times say “oh not the right color” – well now I have no excuses! Love it all!
7 February 2012, 11:35
I love the customisable letters – perfect
7 February 2012, 13:37
DIY Thickers!!!! I hope they have lots and lots to sell. ;-)
7 February 2012, 14:09
Super excited about the DIY thickers!
7 February 2012, 15:56
I have an idea up my sleeve for those fantastic clothes pins! And the glitter tape?! Be still my heart.
7 February 2012, 16:39
Love the wooden buttons & thickers, as always!!
7 February 2012, 20:55
Just look at those YUMMY Tickers in the PRETTY colours!! :)
8 February 2012, 15:57
I’m a Thickers junkie!
9 February 2012, 08:46
Thickers are my favorite — can never have too many!
5 March 2012, 01:04
I just want every single thing from AC!