Trendspotting at CHA Summer 2012

I had a whirlwind tour at CHA. I was there for one day. I was up at 4:30 a.m. and got home at midnight. Now that I’ve digested my photos and looked through all the catalogs, I wanted to share with you some of the trends that are emerging or continue to be popular. Noticeably absent is chevron as it’s own category in my list. Chevron is everywhere and makes its appearance in a couple of the photos below. Here are my top 12 trends from CHA Summer 2012:

1. Feathers

I’m really digging all the feathers. These lovelies come from Jenni Bowlin Studio.

2. Arrows

Arrows continue to be popular, like these from Pink Paislee.

3. Basic Brights

A lot of companies are offering some sort of basic brights line. The one below is from Jillibean Soup.

4. Corrugated Paper 

I spotted corrugated paper and alphabets at a couple of booths. This set of corrugated paper is from Fancy Pants Designs. Corrugated paper is some of the first specialty papers I bought when I became a scrapbooker. I rarely used it and still have most of it. Maybe it’s time to dig it back out, though I think I like the colors from Fancy Pants Designs better than what I have.

5. DIY backgrounds and embellishments

Yes, more feathers. These mistables come from Studio Calico.

6. Divided page protectors in various sizes

Several companies are offering 12×12 divided page protectors and others are offering smaller sizes, such as these 6×8 divided page protectors from Simple Stories.

7. Washi tape or decorative tape

It came as no surprise to see washi or decorative tape all over the place. The biggest innovation with washi tape has to go to We R Memory Keepers. Not only are they making this cook washi tape dispenser, but also 12×12 sheets of washi tape.

8. Versatile themes

Most themed collections, included papers that could easily be used for other subjects. The least themey-Christmas collection I saw was this one from My Mind’s Eye.

9. Tiny types/mini alphas

The tiny types are still big. I often wish I had a type slightly bigger and a few companies have type that fits the bill including this type from Basic Grey.

10. Nordic-inspired

I spotted a few Nordic-inspired lines for winter or Christmas. this one comes from Authentique.

11. Black or Navy with Brights

Brights continue to be popular, but pairing brights with black or navy was a noticeable trend. Check out these embellishments from Glitz Design.

12. Stencil words

A couple of companies are making stencil words either as actual stencils, like these from Balzer Designs for The Crafter’s Workshop, or as embellishments and stamps.

What’s your favorite trend? Comment below.