CHA Winter 2013 :: BasicGrey
Lots of work done and some decent internet found, so on we go to a few more booths at the winter CHA trade show. Next up is BasicGrey. (You can find their current collections here, and almost everything is at least 25% off while it lasts.)
BasicGrey have four new collections, and the first two are companions: Knee Highs and Bow Ties. Though interestingly enough, there are neither socks nor dapper neck accessories included in the motifs. Go figure. (Also, if it’s not already, I’m sure Knee Highs and Bow Ties should be the name of some adorable tap dancing boys and girls somewhere, yes?) Knee Highs is the girly collection and Bow Ties is BG’s boy option this spring.
Pretty chipboard pieces. Glitter Girl is rather fond of all the hot pink + turquoise going on in the Knee Highs collection.
Three Knee Highs stamps – two clear on the left and one red rubber background stamp on the right, which looks promising as I’m not sure how on earth I’ve never seen a background stamp in something so lovely as a heartified polka dot. (Polka heart? Again, it sounds like a dance troupe.)
Brads and some fancy bottle cap-inspired embellishments. (Sorry I didn’t get a better photo of those as the booth is always quite crowded!)
Um, why, yes: those are lyrics from One Direction. I am somewhat speechless, but every girl under the age of about twenty probably just jumped for joy. Or nodded ironically.
These little embellishments are always my favourite part of the BG booth. It makes me want to start crafting instead of keep working though!
Both Knee Highs and Bow Ties have alphabets I like a lot, and this 12×12 sticker sheet looks really useful. It’s only the owl that will take some creative thinking, but owls work great on cards if they don’t fit your scrapbook look. I have a friend who seems to be collecting quite a stack of notebooks with owl motifs so perhaps that’s a project I need to remember!
Knee Highs papers – lush colours.
Exemplar pages and a few cross-over embellishments that link the two collections – wood veneer banners, a printed notepad, and metal tabs in the style of bookmarks.
This is something new at BasicGrey – the 6×8 minibook with a ring binder and woodgrain-embossed chipboard cover. The spine is patterned (there’s another pattern option in another collection coming up) and there are a variety of tabbed dividers and pocketed page protectors to fit.
Which leads us to the Bow Ties collection!
The paper flags in this collection are very sweet and I think they would work for any age really, depending on the other page elements you chose.
Two stamp sets with this collection – a background of old cars or a clear set of rocket ships and comic book POW!s.
If you never scrap boys there is one thing you still need from this collection – the letter stickers. They are notebook paper with a stitched detail at the edge (printed stitches rather than actual stitching). My picture doesn’t make them look nearly as cool as they are, I’m afraid. They are on my must-have list.
And the papers to round off the collection.
Hipster is the darkest colour palette for BG this show, and it’s not too dark – and will easily mix with brighter colours, I think. That sounds good to me.
I’m pretty sure there are no One Direction lyrics in a line called Hipster, by the way.
…though there may be plenty of moustaches. (But I know some of you are not fans of this motif and I can safely say there is plenty in this collection without carefully curated facial hair so don’t skip it completely!)
This last board even shows how Hipster can look quite feminine.
File folders and chipboard buttons…
Brads and a die-cut acetate alphabet…
and printed chipboard pieces.
But the stamps are my absolute favourite! I always wanted an excuse to stamp ‘rad’ on every third layout! I look forward to this new phase of my scrapping. (No, really: in real life I say ‘rad’ far too often, so I’m not even being sarcastic.) I like the distressed touch to that Polaroid frame stamp too.
And three more – five sets of stamps in total for Hipster! The two backgrounds are red rubber, the other three sets are clear.
Hipster has the ransom-style alphabet with the two smaller fonts at the bottom, and the 12×12 sticker sheet includes things like mix tapes and vinyl, which could be just what you need for those no-photo pages telling stories from the days before digital cameras. (Because you know if there had been camera phones in 1985, we all would have been Instagramming every mix tape we ever made, received, or tore piece by piece from the failing car stereo.)
And the papers… I like that last one with the boxes especially. BasicGrey don’t really do cut-apart sheets but this one could definitely work that way as a less expensive form of embellishment.
I also look forward to the day when researchers wonder why circa 2013, there were so many people in the world suddenly named Awesome. (The name badge trend is still going strong!)
And here’s the final collection from BasicGrey at this show: Mint Julep. Light and sweet and delicate… and there are deer.
Told you. (Also: check the bottom right badge. Love it.)
Interesting die-cut patchwork pieces, plus two kinds of brad embellishments.
All sorts of prettiness, actually!
Five stamps in this collection too – three backgrounds and two clear sets. All the deer are in one set so you can be pro-deer or anti-deer with ease. (I say embrace the deer! But if we have deer with moustaches and name badges next season, that is GOING TOO FAR. Anything other than that is acceptable.)
The stickers are surprisingly primary coloured, but they do look very lovely with the papers, I promise.
And there are the papers, by the way!
Card inspiration!
And ahem: enamel dots in every colour needed to match all these lines. Perfect for stocking up.
And one last look at the BG binder – so you can see both paper options: one for Hipster and one for Bow Ties.
Now… when will all this actually be available to buy? Soon:
Knee Highs and Bow Ties will arrive in stores in mid February.
Hipster and Mint Julep is available in April. Enjoy!
Click here to shop for BasicGrey products and here for the inspiring BasicGrey blog.
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Previous post: CHA Winter 2013 :: Jenni Bowlin Studio
14 January 2013, 12:52
Thanks for sharing all your photos and commentary Shimelle. Now I can’t wait! The emails from Basic Grey didn’t entice me as much as your report.
14 January 2013, 13:13
Thanks for the reports from CHA Shimelle. You take lots of photos so we can see all the details.
14 January 2013, 13:16
Oh man, deer with moustaches… I would have laughed a lot more but I have laryngitis and it’s not good for me! =P There is so much to love here! My wish list is getting ever longer… =)
14 January 2013, 13:29
Wow! Fantastic recap! Thanks for sharing it all.
14 January 2013, 13:44
I really appreciate all the photos! Hipster is definitely my favorite of this release….and LOVING those stamps!
14 January 2013, 14:14
I love it that you are having internet :-) I really enjoy your updates. Many thanks! I especially like the cars stamp and some of the stamps from Hipster.
14 January 2013, 14:18
Am liking the look of these far more than their last few collections.
14 January 2013, 15:05
I used to love Basic Grey but then they lost me for a while. Have to say with these collections they have lured me back. Love the colors and the embellishments are especially nice. Can’t wait for those enamel dots!
14 January 2013, 15:25
Well my wallet is now looking like it will be rather empty soon. Did anyone else notice that the brads with the crinkly edges look like cupcakes!
14 January 2013, 15:36
Lots of things just waiting to join my stash. Wonderful!
14 January 2013, 15:44
I need all of this stuff NOW!!! :)
14 January 2013, 16:03
Really like this ‘boy’ collection. Great papers for lots of things not just little boys. I think that tool paper would work well in this house.
14 January 2013, 16:26
Lots from each collection I can see using, but Hipster’s my favorite. Also, thanks for letting us know when we can expect to see these lovelies in stores. You rock, Shimelle. :)
14 January 2013, 17:09
I LOVE Basic Grey. O my!
14 January 2013, 17:36
Wow ~ there’s a lot of stuff in those collections! Thanks for all the photos and details.
14 January 2013, 18:26
Lots of new embellishments for BG this time around!
14 January 2013, 18:42
I have to say I wasn’t very thrilled with BG’s new lines until I saw your post. The Knee Highs stuff looks so fun! So glad I saw your post and won’t miss out!
14 January 2013, 18:46
Thanks for all the detailed pics! I’m lovin the Knee highs and Bow Ties looks, and the Hipster stamps are awesome! Enamel dots in every color? Yes, please!
14 January 2013, 19:07
I’m partial to Mint Julep because of the clear, bright colors. And just look at all those enamel dots! Thanks for the peek.
14 January 2013, 20:04
Ahh Shimelle, I love your posts from CHA, always informative, full of photos, inspiration and almost always make me laugh out loud! Thanks!!
14 January 2013, 21:34
I love all your lovely photos. And your clever commentary is always a treat
14 January 2013, 22:02
So fun! Love the heart polka dot stamp, and so many other things!
14 January 2013, 22:16
I was so happy to find another CHA post up—love the details! I think those alphas look good, along with the chipboard accents and the enamel dots—so many colors to choose from!
14 January 2013, 22:32
Seriously, you win for best CHA commentary. My husband can’t figure out why I am snickering at my phone in the middle of the night. I’ll be checking all future deer that stop by my backyard for name badges and mustaches. However, they should not expect to be embraced.
14 January 2013, 23:41
I used to love Basic grey, but the past few years did not thrill me. THIS blows me away! I need so much of it lol
15 January 2013, 01:08
Love the background stamps especially. Love your photos and reporting! Thx!
15 January 2013, 01:54
Lots of bits to mix and match through out the collections there I think. Thanks for the note about the release dates, it will stop me hovering over the ‘new in’ sections of the shops!
** Kate **
15 January 2013, 03:00
Eeek! Such lovely new lines from BG! Not sure about the OD lyrics but love the rest!! Really like those binders too. TFS
15 January 2013, 04:50
Have not had any new BG stuff for a few years now, may have to buy some this spring. Love the colors of Bow Ties papers!
15 January 2013, 05:07
So many spring colors! Love it since I’m in the throes of winter here in the Northeastern United States. Thanks for the great post.
15 January 2013, 07:53
I think the background stamps are great!! Thanks for the tour of the new products :)
15 January 2013, 07:54
Kinda wishing you hadn’t told me about the lyrics I was happily living in blissful ignorance! (needless to say I’m over 20!). I think the black glasses in Hipster r my fave of all of this.
15 January 2013, 08:01
I see a lot to love in the Basic Grey lines. Can’t wait to get my hands on some. I’ll be stalking to stores beginning in February.
15 January 2013, 09:50
Four lovely lines – I think Mint Julep has my name written on it LOL!!
15 January 2013, 11:41
Enamel dots? the more the better!
15 January 2013, 12:50
love the new lines and enamel dots…sigh…I’m in love.
15 January 2013, 14:45
I am in love that heart stamp and the enamel dots!
15 January 2013, 14:53
i really like the hipster collection!
15 January 2013, 15:06
This is the best BG line I have seen in ages. Love the colour and in particular, the Hipster collection. Also, have to have the ‘one direction’ embellie (lol)….I have the perfect idea for a LO about my OD mad nieces ;-)
15 January 2013, 16:16
I’ve got two little girls and a little boy and love the colors in both Knee Highs and Bowties. That rainbow chevron is especially fetching. Thanks for the sneak peek at all the goodies!
15 January 2013, 19:15
Wow! What gorgeous pictures! Enamel dots in every color . . . drool
15 January 2013, 21:08
You do the best job of reporting at CHA. I love BG and the Knee highs and bowties collections are high on mynwish list. I especially love the colors!
16 January 2013, 00:23
Have to say I am not a fan of Basic Grey, never understood all the hype. However, i love these collections so much I think I may have been converted.
Loving your round up and can’t wait to see many more ranges from CHA.
16 January 2013, 20:49
Oh, that knee high line might just make me forget about my no buying new product this year rule! So sweet!! And I have an 8 year old obsessed with owls so I may need to throw that one in my shopping basket too!
17 January 2013, 21:22
you are hilarious about the name tags and moustaches! too funny! The sticker sheets from Mint Julip look like they might match Ready Set Go by AT? am I crazy to think so? Its a funny kind of in between colour palettes collection, seems like it will either be super versatile or super hard to use with everything else?
22 August 2013, 04:28
This could work all along. Thanks, I enjoyed and bookmarked.