By Christina Kudym
A new year brings with it many things, but a fresh start seems to be what I hear and see commented on the most. What will you do with your fresh start? Do you want to create and design wondrous things that no one has seen before? Create THE hottest “must-have” item, or maybe start using different and new media in your creations? Maybe you want to create some additional revenue with your creative talents for the first time or maybe, just maybe you want to do all of the above. All I have to say, regardless of your answer, is “GO FOR IT!”
In this post I’d like to touch a little on what was popular in 2011 and a few things I think will be big hits, possibly trends in 2012. To start I’d like to recap our 10 most popular items in 2011. These are listed in order of popularity.
2011 Top 10 Popular
- Pinnovation
- Circles
- Envelopes
- Anything A7
- Flowers
- Cupcakes
- Boxes
- Frames
- Albums
- Squares
I am not surprised that our Pinnovation dies came in at number one; these dies are seriously a must-have. We’ve seen your requests for these unique dies to be made in different sizes and shapes and believe me when I say, “We are listening”. Were you surprised by anything on this list? Was there anything you thought should have made the “Top 10”? If so leave me a comment and let me know, I would love to hear from you.
Now onto the top five Trends for 2012, or at least things that I think are fantastic and should be the top 5 trends. Hey, it’s my post and I can dream all I want. Make sure to let me know if you think I'm way out in left field or right on target.
Drum roll please...
- Felt, Felt and more FELT – I love this media and really can’t get enough of it. Many people use felt, but I think it will be used even more than before and in new and fun ways. FYI the GrandeMARK multi-craft cutting machine cuts felt and all other fabrics. Did I mention I think this machine is crazy awesome!
- Hats! – You think Mustaches are adorable (we obviously do, which is why we have a mustache die) just wait until you see hats hit the scene. Adorn picture in your albums or just use them as accent pieces. Place a bowler atop Dad’s head perhaps? Maybe use a fedora and a sunhat on shower or wedding invitations. LOVE!
- I’m a little… - You fill in the rest. Hint: It's a song and an adorable shape.
- Copper - The color itself and the media I think will be a big hit this year. Coincidentally I’m wearing a copper hued sweater today. Just saying.
And last but certainly not least…
- Recycled Media – This isn’t your mama’s recycling bin. I’m talking about anything that can be re-used. Flatware, plates, denim, old scrapbook pages, cards & invitations, plates, playing cards. Heck, find old textbooks from college, tear the pages out, put cardstock in and bind it with your favorite binding system to make an awesome college scrapbook.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an advocate of destroying books; but really, what were you going to do with them anyway? You could leave some pages inside that are highlighted to kingdom come as a reminder of those infamous “all-nighters” if you want. Now that’s the kind of recycled media I’m talking about!
Just imagine the fun projects you can create and classes you can teach with the five things I’ve mentioned; the possibilities are endless. Also imagine the profits you will make from your project classes especially the one using recycled materials as your media. I’ve imagined both, which is why I picked these as the “Top Five”.
So, after seeing my picks, what do you think should be or will be the Top Trend in 2012 in the creative world?