CHA Day 1 and 2 - Spellbinders Listens

Excitement is in the air!!! If you are here at CHA I would LOVE, love, love for you to head over to the Innovations display - I am SO thrilled. To see a vision I shared with others as being innovative - well... needless to say I am thrilled! BUT we need your votes - if you are at the show and you are excited about this product we would love to have you share your opinion with the crafting world, by placing your vote.

Be certain to check out the beautiful framed artwork that has been created by Debbie Olson. It is beautiful in this picture, but the depth when seen in person is truly stunning!

Now the news you have all been awaiting. Yep, I've seen it, touched it, watched it in action and learned more about it. Xcalibur is smooth, quiet and does a beautiful job of both cutting and embossing!

If you have the opportunity to head over to the Spellbinders booth and see it, you really should! They have a questionnaire that your participation in may make a difference in the final product. Spellbinders is a company that cares about what it is that their customer is looking for. They would like to hear your reaction to this machine - do you like the color? What do you think of the fact that it has a handle on the top to carry it? Do you like the fact that there is a drawer in the bottom to hold all your plates?

I know you are all wanting to know the price point of this fabulous new tool. I am thrilled to tell you that it will be less than $150, with the goal being $129!!! Being that it is still in prototype stage it is difficult to pinpoint a final pricepoint.

Will it cut and emboss at the same time? This question has been one of the questions that has been asked most frequently. One of the distinctive qualities that Spellbinders dies offer is versatility - the option to cut only, emboss only, as well as cut and emboss. If Spellbinders designed the Xcalibur to cut and emboss simultaneously that flexibility would be lost. Thus this machine works identical to the Wizard in how the sandwiches are designed. The space between the rollers is the same as the original Wizard - and thus there will be no new sandwiches for Wizard users to use. Yes, you will still need sandwiches. Why? The answer again is simple - versatility. This machine will still have the flexibility to use most manufacturers dies. The only ones that will not be recommended for use with the "X" will be the ones where you would actually need to push the die in further using your fingers. As soon as I can confirm the details I will share them with you. (I learned so much these last two days that it is all beginning to muddle in my mind - LOL!)

What has impressed me most so far? Well it's little things -

• Xcalibur of course - that's a given :D
• We have NEW NESTABILITIES!!! The much anticipated long rectangle series - I believe I asked for them to be 6" in length. Again they reduce in size scaling down to a size that will be PERFECT for sentiments. Wait until you see some of the ideas we have for using these!
• More TAGS! developed methodically by my wonderful colleague and friend Debbie Olson!
• Yes - mine was the first order placed and so I am hoping to have news for you soon as to when they will be arriving in our store!!!
• COPIC has some new prototypes on display. A fabulous new larger sized glitter pen that is quite stunning and works on fabric. A metallic pen that the jury is still out on being I really need to see it in broad daylight instead of under the convention center lights.
• Ranger's new white pen is the talk of the town! It is totally cool! and the new ink pads - I can not wait to give them a whirl today.
• New adhesive - a girl can never seem to have enough glue in this industry.
• Felt abounds everywhere and I have some fabulous ideas I cannot wait to share with you in regards to using rubber stamps and felt together.
• What are the trends - black and white, black and white and color, bright neon-like color, more purple than I have seen in previous years; new chipboard shapes, colors

Oh dear - I am running late again, so I will stop for today. I will get back to answering more questions, probably upon my return home. It is ubber busy here and finding time to blog is extremely difficult. The best part of the show in a nutshell are the people! I am having SUCH an AMAZING time meeting women who I have only had the opportunity to meet over the internet. It is such a thrill to be able to put a real person together with women that I have had the pleasure of knowing for years!!!

Thank you for stopping by and I hope to share more news soon!

Comments

[Katie]

Thanks for the sneak peeks. I LOVE the idea of having a drawer for the plates...very handy indeed. And a handle is great too, as I don't have a place to store it out in the open, but in a drawer, probably. Time to start saving pennies!

[tylersmum05]

Thanks so much for the little inside peak of CHA. It sounds so fun. -Molly B

[dana j]

Wow! The Xcalibur sounds cool. Wonder though, what size is the machine and how big of cs/dp can it cut/emboss? Thanks for the updates! it's greatly appreciated!