We R Memory Keepers – Sew Easy

So I am going to try to continue posting about some of the products I saw and used at the CHA Trade Show.

I am going to start with the Memory Keepers “Sew Easy” Product, here is a photo of the products that they are selling under the Sew Easy Label:

Sew Easy

So they have the Stitch Piercer and 6 different heads, a mat, needles, and floss.

First of all this product does not pierce the paper at all, it only makes an indent, also the heads that you put on it to help you make other stitches seem to make very similar marks. I tried to make it pierce the paper for about 5 minutes and then I asked the demonstrator if it was supposed to make holes or just indents and he said it was made to make indents.

So it’s misleading in my opinion as it is marketed as a piercer. Also the needles are the same as regular embroidery needles and the floss is just embroidery floss nothing more nothing less. You could buy all 3 colors in more quantity for a heck of a lot less money. 

Honestly I wouldn’t spend my money on this item, I like the Bazzill Basics In Stitch’z templates for sewing better, they are plastic and have holes in them where you take a pencil or pen and mark through the hole onto the paper, then you sew with a regular embroidery needle and DMC embroidery floss that costs .37 for 8.7 yards.

Bazzill Basics In Stitch'z

These come in tons of patterns including the basic ones like cross stitch and blanket stitch, and they also come in cute patterns like dogs and cats.

So I would get the Bazzill templates and pass on the Sew Easy I just don’t think it’s worth it for what it does or should I say what it doesn’t do.

Summer CHA 2010 – Update – Provocraft and others

Ok it looks like I got my internet back 🙂 I ended up staying in a hotel and their internet went down the night of the Cricut Gala so I couldn’t update that night and then I had to travel home so now I am back and on my own internet :).       

CHA was great I love going to the trade show, I got to go because Kim from Cutters Creek had a helper drop out at the last-minute, I had applied for a Blogger press pass but we get last priority and all the spots were filled fast so I was glad Kim invited me to help her!!!       

I saw some really great stuff this year at the show, let’s start with the thing everyone wanted to know more about the Cricut Imagine:       

Cricut Imagine

Cricut Imagine

As you can see by the pictures this is a large machine, the head is very much the same as the current Expression head, the mats are not interchangeable as far as old mats being able to be used in this machine, the reason is the new mats have black registration lines on them that the unit uses to print and then cut precisely. It will print on thin mediums like plastic sheets, vellum and regular paper, as well as thick mediums like thicker chipboard and thick cardboard like corrugated cardboards. I was told it will also cut all these items as well as it has a deeper than the current deep cut blade included.     

The inks will of course be replaceable at a cost of 34.99 for black and 39.99 for color and should be available at large scrapbooking and craft retailers as well as places like Wal-Mart. I think this is a good price for the inks it is comparable to current HP ink cartridges. I asked if the ink was waterproof and was told they couldn’t comment on that but he assumed it would be as well as archival quality. I asked why they chose to go with a single color cartridge over the multi cartridge types such as Epson has and HP has gone to on higher end printers and he said they decided to go with single cartridges because it would be easier to replace and would print more pages. I can see the advantages of the multiple color cartridge system but I also see their point of view as well.  They hinted around, at least when I asked, at future software having the ability to print from our computers, something like Design Studio but with the added ability to design a page or card from the bottom up by picking out the background pattern, adding elements and all on different layers to be cut out separately. I really hope this will happen, it wasn’t told to me for sure 100% coming but as I said a few PC people told me off the record this was the future they were hoping for and working towards.       

I really do like the projects I saw that were made with this machine, it’s like hybrid scrapbooking in a way but still different. I really like that you can print 12×12 patterned paper and it’s infinite so you’ll never run out of paper in the middle of a project, unless of course you run out of ink LOL :). I was told that you can print 125 12×12 pages on best per ink cartridge, this is a small number comparably I do realize that but maybe the cartridges are smaller or maybe the pictures are of a higher quality I will have to see more to know that. I do know that I can print about 800 pages on the text + image setting which is the normal equivalent, this is on my Epson. Now it has separated colors too so that may make a huge difference as I have a high-end HP printer that will get about 400 pages on normal and about 200 on best full color 8×11, the Epson would be full color 12×12, but on photo it might be more like 200 full color 12×12.       

Here are a few examples of some things that were cut and printed on the low setting and the high setting from what I was told:       

Printed and Cut with the Imagine on Best

Printed and Cut on the Imagine on Fast

Notice the vibrant crisp dark color on the top image which was printed on Best, and the muted washed out color on the cake this was done on fast. It’s still a good image and would look great distressed like take some sand paper and rub and scratch some of the image to make it look old. Maybe use some sepia ink or chalk around it to give a worn look.       

This shows the machine cutting things out after they were printed I really like the ability with the Imagine to print an image and then cut it into parts thus giving us the option to have depth to our projects, here are a few projects showing this: Cute layered cow project

A few more Imagine projects

The images that they have put together and the patterns for the backgrounds are really nice, I think the characters I saw were really cute like the chef and the cupcakes above so darn cute :).       

I really like everything I have seen from this machine and I cannot wait to get one, I was one of the few invited to the Gala so I will be receiving one from PC in the fall when they are finished and available to the public.       

The release date is sometime in October of 2010 in time for Christmas and will be featured on HSN. There should be a website live www.cricutimagine.com it’s not fully ready yet but make sure you keep checking it so you can see more about it as they release info.       

One thing I did ask was if they were working on the machine becoming backwards compatible with the current Cricut cartridges, an example would be the ability to print faces on the paper dolls or print accents that we have been drawing in on our own, or the ability to print the little things on cutouts like eyes or buttons etc. things that we need tweezers to place on now. I was told that no they were not considering that at least not right now, I asked if maybe there would be an accent Imagine cartridge made to go specifically with certain cartridges sort of like the new Cuttlebug folders. He said yes that this could be a better possibility in the future but it wasn’t something they had in the works right now.       

I have a few other photos from Provocraft showing the inks, mat, and some of the imagine cartridges:       

Cricut Imagine Ink Cartridges and Mat

Cricut Imagine Best Friends Cartridge

Cricut Imagine Cartridge that Comes With the Unit, Imagine More

Cricut Imagine Kates Kitchen Cartridge

Cricut Imagine Nursery Tales Cartridge

Cricut Imagine Yummy Cartridge

Some more Provocraft new things are a new Cuttlebug machine, it’s green and has a handle that lies flat now for easier storage, however I would have thought they would have made it better by changing the embossing size ability but they said that was not something they felt the public wanted at this time. Here are a few photos of the newer unit and some new folders I thought were really cute:       

New Cuttlebug Machine

New Cuttlebug Handle Out

New Cuttlebug Handle In

Party Bird Folder

Cars and Trucks Folder

Baseball Diamond Folder

Gecko Folder

Circus Monkey Folder

Juggling Circus Beaver Folder

Bowling Folder

 I didn’t get any more photos of the other folders but these were the few that really jumped out at me, I think he said there are 27 new 4 piece sets coming out this year and a ton of them coordinate with the cartridges already out, I didn’t see very many of those out on the table but the ones I saw were nice.       

I do have some images though straight from Provocraft notice the names as they go with the cartridge of the same name, see also some new names we haven’t seen yet:       

New Cuttlebug Folders

New Cuttlebug Folders

New Cuttlebug Folders

New Cuttlebug Folders

 These are the new names I was talking about, see above the “Coolio”, “Nifty Fifties”, “Birthday Bash”, and “Boys Will Be Boys” I do believe these will be the next 4 announced, but don’t hold me to that I am just guessing :).       

New Cuttlebug Folders - these are the dual purpose ones that emboss and cut all in one

Continuing with Provocraft product news Yudu has some great new products out this year as well, although lets hope that they keep their promise of them arriving in stores before Christmas as last year it took forever for the new stuff to come out. There is a new product called Screen Printing Adhesive and can be used with the new screen coming out only, the new screen will be a 70 mesh which is a more open mesh allowing the thicker glue medium to pass through it with ease.       

So this will give us the ability to make things with glitter, foil and flocking. All of which will also be sold by PC for the yudu, the glitter is pretty much a standard fine glitter and you could use Martha’s if you had it on hand before buying specific Yudu glitters. PC claims their Yudu glitter line will be washable and not wear off like regular glitter would but i do believe any glitter would work just fine. Next they have a foil sheet line so you would screen the glue let it dry tacky and then stick the foil sheet down and rub until it sticks to the glue these will come in various colors. And lastly they will have a flocking sheet that you do the same way, wait for the glue to become tacky and then stick down the flocking sheet and rub it until the flocking sticks and again these will come in various colors. I can see a huge potential in this product you could use it on paper products and wood and fabrics to add neat glitter, foil or flocking designs. Here are a few photos:       

Yudu Screen Printing Glue

Example of a shirt printed with ink first and then screened with glue and glitter added

Example of foil

So cute onsie with example of foil

Yudu Flocking Example

 I still love my Yudu machine and cannot wait until this stuff comes out I am going to make a ton of cool stuff.       

Ok onto the Cricut Cake, this machine seemed to have a huge following this year a lot bigger than I actually thought it would which is good, I wish I had a use for it to justify the purchase I just don’t make enough cakes and cupcakes right now, well I guess I do I make something every month of the year since we have a big family with 7 of us living here and a bunch of other family close by we have either a birthday or a holiday or both every month of the year. I still can’t afford to buy one of these those but I wouldn’t say no if PC offered me one to play with or if I won the one over on Martha Stewart. I do have the Cake Cartridge that comes with it though a friend of mine had an extra one from her bakery and she just gave it to me, I haven’t used it to create anything yet though.       

So here are the new products announced for this machine:       

Cricut Cake Premade Frosting Sheets

Cricut Cake New Tools and Covers

Cricut Cake New Aprons

So some of you know I was invited to the Cricut Imagine Gala, it was a blast I met some great new people and some I already know from the internet only. They had an airbrush tattoo artist giving tattoos to anyone who wanted one so we got in line and I got the Playboy Bunny on my chest it was the one he said no one had asked for yet and I thought why the heck not. They had music and finger foods and a bar out in the waiting area. They rushed us all into a great room with big fluffy white couches and more music dimmed lights and some high top tables. We got to see an awesome artist named David Garabaldi who did some really nifty painting with a DJ and awesome dance music. We watched the video footage of the 2 finalists stories for being the first to recieve an Imagine, got to see the Imagine introduced and hear them talk about it a little bit. At the end we all got a gift bag with a cool Imagine t-shirt, Cricut Imagine sunglasses (the same ones being given out at the trade show), a Cricut Cartridge, and a Certificate for a new Imagine machine 🙂 yep I said it we all got an Imagine. It was so awesome everyone screamed and jumped for joy definitely a joyful room. I got the cartridge I wanted which was “Country Life” I had been wanting this one because we live on a farm out in the country and it’s perfect for my life and my family. The other ones given out were the new ones Winter Frolic, Happy Hauntings, and Rock Princess.       

Here are a few photos, one of me and the 2 ladies I met and spent the entire Gala with (I am the one on the right), and a couple of the artist painting:       

My New Friends and Me at the Cricut Gala (I'm on the right)

David Garabaldi at the Cricut Gala Painting Martin Luther King

David Garabaldi at the Cricut Gala

Alright finally I have a few photos of other products I liked at the show that I will share with you here not too many though, maybe I will post more in another post later but for now these are it :).       

One new paper line I love is the new Harry Potter line coming out I just love the papers and embellishments and who doesn’t have a son who went as Harry Potter at least one Holloween, I know my son has been him like 3 or 4 times but he looks oddly very much like Harry :).       

Harry Potter 2010 Paper Line From Creative Imaginations

I liked another one of their new lines a nice Halloween or Gothic Paper line:       

Creative Imaginations

I also liked this new line from Jillibean Soup called Chicken Soup it’s a farm based line and is just so super cute 🙂 :       

Jillibean Soup - Chicken Soup

Jillibean Soup - Chicken Soup

Look at those cute little piggies LOL 🙂 I just love them. I tell you I saw a farm, country, folk art type of trend this year in a lot of the new items as well as a continuation of the nature and outdoorsy animal trends from last year.       

I have a ton more info and photos but I wanted to get this stuff up as soon as I could so you all wouldn’t have to wait for too long, as it is it took me a few days after I finally got home from the show, I will start working on the rest of my photos and probably post more next week.       

And remember any questions you have about anything please feel free to post them I will try to answer them if I can 🙂       

Summer CHA 2010

So it looks like I will be going to the trade show convention this year as a helper for Kim B. over at Cutters Creek, I was going anyway to the Provocraft Gala Saturday night to see the new Cricut Imagine and she had a spot open up on her team of people going so I offered to help her get the info she needs so you all get the best products at the best prices from her :). Seriously though Kim’s store is one of the best online stores for papercrafting items, I have never heard a bad thing not one about her and would recommend Cutters Creek 100 times out of 100 times for everything from selection to price to shipping times and especially customer service she is awesome and will go out of her way to make your ordering experience as easy as possible. So if you need anything check out her site Cutters Creek and look there in the future for all the great stuff I will be showing you from CHA.

I am excited I will have my camera of course, probably 2 of them since I have my Pro camera but I need to see about getting a shorter lens so I can take pictures up close again I dropped it and now my little lens won’t zoom in or out, I have my 300 but of course it will be of no use in this setting, well maybe at the Gala depending on how far away they seat me :).

I am a little nervous about the Gala I have never been to something like that alone before so if your going and you read my blog hey look for me or message me and we can look for each other 🙂 I will be wearing a plaid patchwork quilt looking dress (It’s nicer than it sounds LOL) with spaghetti straps short above my knees and a white sweater. I have short hair now as my MIL talked me into cutting it all off a month ago but it’s cute and curly and brown.

Well I am sure I will know some of the people there, I met people a few years ago when I wasn’t even a popular blog yet who had heard of me and everyone was super nice.

I will be taking tons of photos at the trade show some I can upload via my Omnia II during the show especially if anything really gets my attention, and then I will be updating Wednesday sometime as we have to come home Saturday night for my husband he has to take a medication that is regulated by a Dr.’s visit every month and he cannot survive without it and it just so happens his appt. is on Wed. morning so we are going to drive all night to make it back.

So I leave you with a photo I found on the net somewhere, but it’s been posted a bunch of times all over so I should be safe :), it is speculated that this machine on this table is the new Cricut Imagine.

Cricut Imagine