The most amazing thing about walking the show with other editors is how we visit the same booths at the same time and blog about different things. So be sure to check out the Memory Makers blog at www.memorymakersmagazine.com 
to see some photos and more information on what my sister editors Beth Williams and GenaMarie Reda liked at the show.

The second day has not altered my opinion of the 1970s redux. I saw more versions of the trends previous noted and want to add the following....

• flamingos- check 'em out at BasicGrey
  
• Circus animals (giraffes and lions especially)- especially on youth novelty lines
• Beach themes- shells and surfing
  

In fact, the only thing missing is a big surge in avocado/brown color combos although we are seeing those colors paired with other hues- avocado with rich teal, plum and russet and brown with wine-colored  pinks.

Another thing I noticed which I am informed is not new but seems to be picking up steam is mini albums with different sizes and die cut shapes of filler paper so you don't have a neat paper edge but some sticking out further than others. Adds to the  texture.

Now... folks have asked me about a  breakout product. I've seen a lot of line extensions and variations or improvements on tools at this show. But truly breakout for this show would have to be Kathy Cano Murillo's new Crafty Chica line with Duncan Enterprises. Kudos to Larry Duncan for letting his team execute a vision that is unlike anything on the market.

Esta cosa is muy muy interesante and no debes ser una latina a comprarla. (Pardon the college Spanish but I am excited)

This line includes religious statues than can painted and glittered, little shrine kits and products sporting artwork designed by Kathy's husband that  incorporates Mexican imagery. The kits are based on Kathy's best selling classes over the years. If you know about the Sacred Heart, Frida Kahlo or Dia de los muertos this line will interest you. Iconography at its best.

Plus... Kathy could not be more generous spirit. Considering her MySpace friends list just passed 10,000 people, I'd say she is doing something right. Buena suerte Crafty Chica.

Other interesting products- so many to mention...but here are a few.

At the Amate booth were all these silver or nickel- not sure jewelry components with cups to add scraps that are then covered with a resin or wax to create scrapped jewelry. I liked the wide range of choices particularly a ring with a long vertical rectangle opening. That's the one I want to make.

New lines from Teresa Collins incorporate office supply themes and biker tattoos. Fun and much talked about.

The Ring Ring from Carla Craft. If you like to make spiral bound books this is a great tool for the system punches 5 sheets of 20lb copy paper, it's easy to squeeze and the colorful ring choices vary in size and color.

EK always has great tools we liked the powder brush, the Zig Zag Piercing bug and the 3-D card punches.

Making Memories is making a lot of noise with their Slice machine. Digital die cutting plus scaleability in an attractive compact package.

In our own F+W Publications booth the PageMaps book from Becky Fleck is a runaway winner and Michael DeMeng's in booth workshop had folks blocking the aisle to take a look.

Before I sign off I'd like to say THANKS to all of you who have made a point to stop by and tell us you love Scrapbook Retailer magazine. We value your story ideas and  your positive feedback inspires us to keep getting better. Thanks for the vote of confidence.--Beth

Still on the age of Aquarius roll. The best part of this trend is that it designers are taking only the good things from the 1970s and not the scary polyester/bad outfit ones!

Lots of impressive booths Little Yellow Bicycle had a crisp set up with little sheds sporting corrugate tin roofs an occasion skateboard and the requisite yellow bike. Neat, read boy/teen boy but didn't narrow the them at all.

Trends- Journaling cards- we saw this a few months ago but practically every paper/and or sticker line had a version of journaling cards, often card stock die cuts or stickers with lines for neatly penned copy. Making Memories had a super cute baby version that was really practical for the new mom on the go.

Jenny Bowlin's booth downstairs in new exhibitors was terrific, I love her take on vintage. She had all different takes on the movie ticket. Loved the wiredress forms with vintage clips. dShe wasn't the only one using dress forms in her booth. Dressforms of all types, the foam covered ones and old wire ones are great in scrapbook store displays so keep your eyes peeled at garage sales and thrift shops.

Also in new products... Home Essence/Molly West great line of well-priced upscake albums- hand bound books that really had a fine quality. We liked the School Days album for saving memories from K-8. Great for the scrapper and non scrapper alike with lots of pockets so you don't have to scra-=just put the ephemera in there and let the kid scrap it when they get older!

Core dinations lack Magic line was great for distressers- black paper with a colored core for neat effects.

A shout out to Debra at Rubber Stamp Plantation who sported some great jewelry ideas that incorporated stickers based on vintage Hawaiiana (I made up that spelling but you know what I mean). Some stickers were put on chunky wood bangles, other mounted on metals that were rolled into frames. Neat art jewelry.

Clear Scraps acrylic sheets- Loved them especially the word sets because the letters were extended so that each piece of acrylic added to the word and the album wasn't as bulky.

On my way back out there to see what else is new. Check in later tonight!

Beth

"When the moon is in the seventh house and jupiter aligns with mars...."

Whoops sorry, I have Age of Aquarius on my mind and 1970's style was front and center trend-wise at the show today. All the palettes and motifs were there, only thing missing was the macrame or perhaps I didn't get to that yet.

Color palettes- very important was Adams Blue with Adobe/Rose Red with white accents. Otherwise plenty of pink and green and brightly colored groups with happy yellow undertones.

Motifs: We spotted the owl and the butterfly. Still plenty of birds. Danish Modern stylized trees with leaves and mushrooms. Still some bird stamps and emphemera flying around.

Themes:

Baby, Baby- most companies had baby on the brain with new collections that were shown as pages, cards and home decor. Not much in the way of teddy bears, more in the way of circus animals incorporated in the prints.

Oh Boy- lots of juvenile lines from sports motifs to rockets and robots. If you are a mom frustrated because you can't find cute clothes for your son, at least you can find adorable paper.

Wedded Bliss- Very impressed by what Ellison showed- whole bridal suite from the dress (die cut fabrics to create faux lace) to invitations, favor boxes, paper floral nosegay and more. Shows the mileage you can get with party planning using paper.

Find photos and more product trends at the editor's blog at www.memorymakersmagazine.com.

Other  observations:

The aisles weren't packed but traffic was steady.

A visit to the new product area was well worth it with neat lines from Jenny Bowlin and Pink Paislee.

Great keynote from Suzy Orman who went to the trouble of trying to customize her speech to this audience.Her advice: "People First, then money, then things." Oh and she wants everybody to check their FICO scores!

In the pressroom- again not alot of year  which is shocking for the amount of vendors at the show. Vendors- you are missing out on a great opportunity to put your info into the hands of editors. There seemed to be a preponderance of chunky kits  Lots of chat around that. As for most of us a great press kit is releases and great photos on a CD maybe with a product sample tossed in.

I'm starting to fade because the east coast body clock had me up at 4:00 am so more tomorrow morning!--Beth

Hey from sunny Anaheim, where the CHA Winter Show will open tomorrow. Not only does it put everyone in a good mood for the rest of the show it was welcome by those of us who were schlepping boxes of stuff back and forth between the hall and the hotel.

Scrapbook Retailer presented our Turning Trends into profit- 72 people a packed house (good thing because we had 75 precious and well stocked goody bags). thanks to all who came out. Thanks also to all of our sponsors who contributed to the yummy goody bag. It was the gold star at the end of the session.

My colleagues David Pyle and Tim Langlitz also had a packed crowd and continued their conversation about online marketing after their one hour was up.

I wish we had more time because there were tons of excellent questions - especially about online marketing. Send me your questions- those are great fodder and leads for future articles and editorials.

I was THRILLED to see so many international friends, we had lots of representation from the UK, Australia and New Zealand (feel free to invite me any time, I have a passport!) I wonder if I can just set up the Scrapbook Retailer education lounge and we can just hang and chit chat about challenges and successes. There never seems to be enough time to do questions in the end.

I am so pumped for the show now and I feel like now I can really have fun. IF you are in Anaheim stop by and say hi during our meet the editor sessions Sunday- Wednesday.

If not stay tuned... more to report tomorrow!--Beth

Women are contributing to purchase decisions and TV is not such a big influencer with men as it used to be. Those are the findings of the Vertis Customer Focus: Decade of Data study.

The Customer Focus: Decade of Data study, which surveyed 3,000 consumers via telephone, further revealed the following:

27 % of adults indicated they look for information in advertising inserts as part of making a purchase decision. That's up from 19% ten years ago.

Vertis revealed that for adult men 18 and older, TV advertising is no longer the main influencer in their purchasing decisions, down 8 percent from 1998 to 22 % What has eroded that number? It's not like we are looking at fewer screens- I am guessing that the Internet is also more of an influencer. Or could it be now  we can easily flip through and bypass the commercials or the we just are so oversaturated we ignore the commercials?

In 2008, 91 percent of women ages 18-24 report they are a part of the decision making process when it comes to technology purchases, with cell phones, desktop computers and digital cameras being some of the most popular purchases for this age group. That is up from 68% 10 years ago. Women are buying and using technology, as an industry we need to reach out to these customers by using that technology both to facilitate crafting as well as communications.

68 percent of women age 50 and older now have access to the Internet, up from 30 percent in 1998 (see above!)

In 2004, 31 percent of adults indicated they entered a store without any prior research; this number is down to 17 percent in 2008. Prior to entering a store in 2008, the study indicates approximately 57 percent of   adults will look through advertising circulars, 50 percent will conduct research on the Internet, and 38 percent will utilize catalogs to retrieve additional information. This tells me the consumer is more informed than ever When they come in your store, they know about products and their uses, it is critical for retail staff to be just as knowledgeable.

Folks, the consumer is more informed than ever. My only concern about all of this "research" is that just as the Internet is a great source of facts, it is also a source of misinformation and disinformation.

If you promote products on your website you should consider linking to the manufacturer's website as an additional informational source. We want our customers to get the correct information, particularly about techniques. We all know how not following one critical step in the use of a product can change the outcome of the project for the worst.

Websites are going to be the key method of communicating with customers in the next five years. If you haven't looked at having a store website, now is the time.

My publisher David Pyle and our Interactive Media Marketing Manager Tim Langlitz are doing a terrific program at the CHA-Winter Show on Saturday at noon. If you want more information on this topic- in lay terms.... I urge you to check it out.--Beth

Day two of PMA was another day of advocacy for the scrapbooking industry. Lots of folks were curious about "What is scrapbooking" and how it applies to their photo businesses. PMA draws numerous international attendees who clearly weren't familiar with this crafing hobby and it was fun to sort of walk them through our magazines and explain traditional versus digital scrapbooking.

After my second day at PMA I've come to the conclusion that this show would best serve the needs of a retailer seeking to move into the digital service world. The digital scrapbooking product companies present all reported great shows. The traditional scrapbooking people have opportunity there but there needs to be more general education on scrapbooking in order to bring the PMA show buyers to our side.

If you are a retailer ready to make the step into photo services PMA would be a great show for you. You can find all kinds of equipment and software for scanning, printing, book binding and other imaging activities. There is a wide range of price point- under $2000 to get started with Lucidiom's Luci Connect and in up from there depending on the backroom space and financial investment you want to make.

Interestingly there may be an opportunity for scrapbook stores where the business for traditional photo stores are feeling the pinch- Printing photos. Photo processors are printing fewer photos, now that users have the choice to print select photos on demand. (Plus with digital you don't have to print all the bumbled photos of the ceiling or your feet).

However, because scrapbookers use prints in their pages it makes sense for a scrapbook store to have a kiosk where customers can print photos.  It  seems there are more print size options available and the price of the hardware is not off the charts.

And once you do decide to print photos, there are many places to go. Plans for creating a website with photo gifts and digital scrapbook pages are attainable with programs that provide retailer with the web and back room software There is an upfront investment but after that you pay an annual membership fee and a percentage of a sale.

In the meantime.... or if the photo arena is not where you want to be... Scrapbook stores should be reaching out to local photo processors. You have similar interests in that you want folks to print more photos. If you can work with your photo retailer to introduce your customers to new photo products, they can introduce their customers to photo crafting.

In fact, photo crafting is a term our industry should adopt. Scrapbooking is just one type of photo crafting. And photo crafting is a generic term that the non-crafting general public can embrace more easily.

On my way back home to gear up for Anaheim next week. See you all then--Beth

We had a great first show day at PMA today, due in no small part to a tremendous curiousity about scrapbooking, particularly digital scrapbooking. For photo stores, digital scrapbooking is likely to be the point of entry in our business because these retailers are selling digital cameras and tend to be more comfortable with the technology rather than the craft angle.

Three people asked me what a scrapbook was. They had no idea. It was really fun to page through Memory Makers and Scrapbook Retailer and say "They use these products to make pages that look like this. "People there were extremely impressed by the artistry we take for granted.

There was some disappointment that more scrapbooking companies were not represented under the MemoryTrends umbrella. It appears that the The MemoryTrends exhibitors were folded into the PMA Show and this may have worked to their benefit as people who walked the aisles methodically didn't have to make a conscious decision to visit the scrapbook section- they just happened upon them.

Hot Trend: PHOTOBOOKS start with digital programs that people drop their digital photos into. Some pages have a bit of design, others just offer large edge to edge photos. If folks aren't going to print photos, maybe they will create a photobook.

I need to do some more legwork on this but there appears to be options where the retailer uploads the files to a backroom operation that prints and binds as well as the option where the retailer does it all inhouse. Quality and and prices cover a wide gamut from cheap and cheerful to polished and elegant.

Trend on the rise: More substrates (surfaces) for printing. Not just traditional gloss or matte papers but some textile products (canvas, linen) as well.

Products of interest.....

HP PhotoSmart Pro 8850 this is a scanner/printer for the Advanced Amatuer (somebody told me they were also calling this customer the Pro-sumer. )Prints poster-sized prints on a variety of substrates like canvas or linen. I can see retailers having this in the store and selling poster size prints or using it to scan pages-- the $549 retail price made it very attractive as a service vehicle.

ArcSoft had two CD products one for pages and scrapbooks and another for cards and calendar.

Fujifilm had a neat camera that you just held it up to their printer and the digital file transferred wirelessly (no cords are media cards) the photo printed out super quick.

FotoCommunity.com is a social networking site for photo enthusiasts. It's based in Germany and has a large international following.

Tomorrow I am on the lookout for more gifty items that you can easily transfer photos to- there's a fancy term for the dye transfer process but essentially you can put photos on mugs, tiles, mousepads and other surfaces. I'll let you know what looks good.

I'd have to say the thing that makes this show worth a visit is all the opportunities to identify new SERVICES to offer. Yes, they sell all kinds of camera accessories and papers. However, there was tremendous activity in booths that promoted technology that made it possible for retailers to offer new digital photo-related services. Make the investment in the equipment and make money. Excellent way to bring in traffic from non-traditional as well as tradtional scrapbook customers.

Oh and FYI if you read my entry yesterday...the magazines showed up. They were sitting on a pallet behind the booth next to us that was curtained off. Literally five feet behind our booth but miles away in terms of a visual and show traffic. Nobody could find them until a nice person said "Hey did you know there is a skid of boxes with your name back there? Good thing because we weren't getting anywhere with the discovery process. Ah well- all's well that ends well. Good night!-- Beth

Greetings from Las Vegas, if I hadn't spent 5 hours on a plane getting here I'd swear I was still in Philadelphia. This is the first time I have ever set up a trade show where the hall has been cold during set-up!

Learned a little lesson about shipping things to a trade show floor that I feel compelled to share. 1. Always send whatever you can to the advance warehouse. 2. If you ship to the show floor get vital pieces of information like the driver number, van line number, location of where goods are delivered and the shipment number.

Often truck lines will consolidate shipments at a local depot so a driver is delivering shipments (as in our case) for 7 companies. If the driver checks in as a "multi" delivery instead of under your company name or booth number it will be very hard to find the exact location of your stuff. You'll be able to confirm it arrived at the convention center but from there... it will take some time to sleuth whose booth your boxes landed in. Trust me... you never want to end up in the no man's land of the shipper having a signature for delivery and a decorator representative who says there is no record of a delivery from that company.

So if you are missing boxes and the shipper insists they are delivered, get the fax number for the decorator and ask the trucking company (the local office) to fax the bill of lading- ask if it is a multi delivery and if it is get the list of other companies freight was delivered to. That will reduce the size of the haystack. The delivery may not show up under your company name in the computer BUT the decorator may be able to track it under the driver number. Do that right away and you will save hours of back and forth.

Now onto the event at hand...
Tonight is a press event called Digital Focus, featuring representatives of digital camera products manufacturers. I can tell you just nosing around the show floor to see what is going up I think there are some great items at this show- particularly for retailers who promote photo printing and digital scrapbooking in their stores. More on that tomorrow.

Met one person from Argentina who wants to know why scrapbooking isn't big down there. I'm betting it's because our products and magazines haven't aren't distributed there. I need to turn her on to the Scrapbook Retailer and Memory Makers websites!

I'm off to the press event.I'll fill you in on details tomorrow a.m.--Beth

The Channel Integration and Benchmarks in the Retail Industry report says that commercial and nonprofit marketers spent $173.2 billion on direct marketing in the United States.  Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures generated approximately $2.025 trillion in incremental sales.

That's not a typo, Trillion with a T.

Here are some other tidbits from DMA's report  that are worth consideration as you plan future retail expansion and movement into e-retail.

• The absence of a brick-and-mortar store is becoming prevalent among retailers, since 41 percent of survey respondents don't have a physical store.
• The website is the most consistently used direct marketing channel, followed by email and direct mail.
• Mobile is the direct marketing channel retailers are least likely to use.
• Only 33 percent of respondents provide cross-channel order fulfillment.
• Discounts remain the most popular loyalty program, with 80 percent of respondents using them.
• Brick-and-mortar stores (20 percent) and websites (22 percent) produced the highest level of revenue in 2007.

Keeping in mind that DMA is the trade group that advocates for direct marketers, there is some food for thought here. Clearly commodities like office supplies and product parts are easily purchased online. But scrapbook retailers sell more than scrapbooking supplies.....

You sell possibilities.... and possibilities can't be shrinkwrapped and mailed in a standard size box.

This research supports my belief that brick and mortar stores cannot just be places that sell stuff. Stores have to be a haven for their customers, a place to find a sympathetic ear, to learn something interesting.

Brick and mortar stores that stay alive and thrive offer experiences that cannot be replicated in front of a computer screen. Do you need to look at e-retail as a way of expanding sales. Yes, that is where the trend is going.

But remember, selling supplies is not the only revenue stream you can find in your store- clubs, classes, loyalty programs. All those things are not found online.-- Beth

P.S. Tomorrow I am off to the Photo Marketing Show in Las Vegas. Be sure to check back for reports from the show!

Sorry I've been awol for a few days but like you I am knee deep in PMA and CHA Show preparations.

I've also been shaking alot of trees to see what kind of new product comes out. I should have had a lot more press releases come in by now. I had hoped to share a bunch of new products before the show,but I can't share what I don't have.

Please Vendors- share your new product info- I don't stand on ceremony- just send me a good photo and a few sentences on what you like about it and we'll take it from there!

You know that British Airways commercial where the guy shouts "Where is everybody?" that's what it feels like right now. Not alot of communication happening which tells me folks are maxxed out on show prep.

I suspect manufacturers are introducing fewer new products and lines at this show. I think this conservative approach is merited in light of the economy but also the fact that retailers simply cannot keep up with new product introductions at the old velocity.

Fewer good lines means less choice overload... think of a diner menu versus one at a fine restaurant.  Hard to choose on the 12 page diner menu. But the fine restaurant offers you the chef's best choices- much easier to make a successful choice.

 Thanks to all you scrapbook product chefs helping retailers make decisions about products that will have a little longer life span. Now THAT's good.--Beth

Let me start this little editorial by saying I am unabashed supporter of trade shows. During my career I have been on all sides- show management, exhibitor and buyer. I have seen the good, bad and the ugly of shows (nothing is more excruciating than being in show management when the aisles are empty). But what I've learned is there is usually one bright spot for everyone in attendance.

So when vendors call me to tell me their retail customers are saying they likely aren't going to a trade show, I am saddened.

Folks, I know many of you are worried about the economy or have hit a rocky patch.  I am not denying that these are valid concerns.

But now is not the time to skip a show.

Now is when you need new inspiration, friendly rapport with colleagues in the same boat, a meeting with a new vendor... a few seminars on best business practices.

Let me take a stab at overcoming your reasons not to attend a show.

Travel is more aggravating and expensive- Can you look at what you spend on travel and see what you can trim? Stay a little less time, take a middle seat if it means a cheaper air ticket. Bunk in with a pal? Can you take a shuttle instead of a cab, spring for a few less pricey dinners and instead split a pizza with new retailer friends? Little economies add up.

I can't afford to bring any staff- Well, one person at a show is better than no people at a show. If you are uncomfortable travelling alone, find out if anyone else is going from your area- a sales rep, a competitor or a local designer and tag along for the travel part. Stay in a show hotel and you're bound to run into other showgoers to connect with.

I have no money to spend on new product- Note to Vendors ...now don't get mad... but  retailers, who says you have to place  thousands of dollars worth of orders at the show? I bet at past shows most retailers picked up  catalogs from folks they didn't place an order with at that particular show. Sure vendors prefer it and they do need your orders to prove to their bosses that the show is worth their financial investment. But vendors also want the chance to introduce you to their new products and for you to see demos.

Plus shows are much more than new products. Spend lots of time at seminars you won't have access to at home. Take advantage of inexpensive or free networking events. Look for ideas for demonstrations, make and takes and classes. Chat with retailers in other parts of the world and find out how they are coping.

Can you find some money to spend by clearing out the product that has been sitting around too long? Plus you don't have to order things for immediate delivery.

My rep will come to me. Yes, some will. But what about all those small (not usually sold in chain store) suppliers who don't have sales reps on the road. How will you find them? Plus your rep misses you, he/she likes to see you often!

I order online- Web sites were created to enhance the face to face sales process not to replace it. Plus few promotional products are offered online.
 I don't know about you but my screen never shows the real color of anything.

Friends, we want to see you at the show. PMA is around the corner and CHA is less than a month away. It's not too late to hop online and find that discounted fare. Do it for your business but most importantly ... you need a break... do it for yourself.

Have a great weekend--Beth