Are you excited about the CHA 2015 PAPER ARTS+ SHOW 2015?

Right now, my friend and fellow DigiScrapGeek Podcast co-host, Karen Poirier-Brode is at the Paper Arts show. I admit that I am a bit jealous and wish I was there on the floor. I joined CHA along with my co-hosts a few months ago and were it not a matter of distance, you can believe I would have loved to go.  I have had a peek at the industry trend report and have a few thoughts on that which I may share later on( possibly on an upcoming episode of the DSG Podcast).

Sitting here right now, I am wondering how tempted I will be by the new supplies. I think that many of us( me included) get caught up in the excitement of new things. I often lament that I want to buy it all. If you want to hone in on the key things from your wishlist, check out this article I wrote about How to Navigate Cha Temptation on a Budget.



I have been pretty good with my craft spending this year. I have stuck to using my kits to control my budget. I currently subscribe to Cocoa Daisy( Scrapbook Main and the Project Life Kit) and to Pinkfresh Studio. Cocoa Daisy has continued to deliver a nice mix of new supplies( Stamps, various manufacturers and a great embellishment selection) which has kept me satisfied. They also recently introduced the concept of a la carte add ons. Rather than buying full kit add ons, you can buy only the individual items you want. It's much more budget friendly for me. Pinkfresh Studios offers me a nice selection of embellishments, a new stamp and a new die every month. It also keeps me from feeling I need more. Otherwise, I have only gotten a few items from this year's CHA wish list separately. Definitely smarter spending and it's keeping my small creative space from overflowing.

What exactly did I get from my January 2015 CHA wishlist? Not everything. Once the glamour of "new and exiting" wore off, I kept to just a few things. Ready for a little enabling( and a few affiliate links)?



I purchased the Fuse Tool from We R Memory Keepers. After reading a bit about it  and asking Karen who saw it demonstrated at CHA), I added the Precision Glass Mat to my purchase. The mat helps to protect your work surface and also enable the Fuse Tool to work optimally.

A few sheets and some die cuts from the Basic Grey Prism Collection made it's way into my supplies. Mostly, these came from my Cocoa Daisy kits. After using up those kits, I realize that I love this line so much I may just end up buying the whole collection. I still want to get all of Pink Paislee's Atlas line as well, though I haven't gotten around to it.

It remains to be seen whether or not I will find anything interesting at the Summer Paper Arts Show. If I do then I'll be sure to share my favorites. What I do know is this...I have a tendency to choose the same motifs and materials over and over again. Take a look at your own wishlist to see if this is true. Then, take a look at your own supplies to see if you already have similar items. Chances are that you might not need that shiny new whatever. Once you realize that, you can make smarter buying choices and narrow down your wish list.

When I do purchase, I continue to shop mostly at  Paper Issues, Amazon and Scrapbook.com. Otherwise, I am sticking to my kit club subscriptions as the main source for my supplies. If you are not sure whether a kit club is for you, check out this article. It may help you decide.