Scrap-booking king at Craft & Hobby Show

ANAHEIM New scrap-booking technologies and green products were key trends at the annual Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) Winter Show that ends today in Anaheim. One of the hottest new products on the floor was the Slice digital cutting machine ...

One of the hottest new products on the floor was the Slice digital cutting machine from Salt Lake City-based Making Memories. The digital cutter lets scrap bookers select from thousands of images and convert them into die cuts ranging from a half-inch to four inches tall.

“The things that really makes it (Slice) stand out are that it’s portable, battery-operated, weighs less than two pounds and fits in the palm of your hand,” said Making Memories director of marketing Keith Willes. Slice will debut in July at a price of $149.

Products made of recycled material were another trend on the show floor. Pentel showcased its new Pentel Recycology line that includes pens, pencils and tape made of recycled material.

Show officials estimate attendance this year was down slightly from 2007 when 20,000 turned out for the show headlined by keynote speaker Martha Stewart.

“We expect attendance to be about 18,000 this year,” said Craft & Hobby Association spokesman Victor Domine. “And products related to scrap booking make up about 65% of the show.”

More than 1,000 exhibitors packed the Anaheim Convention Center during the four-day event that kicked off Feb. 10 with a keynote speech from personal finance guru Suze Orman. The CHA estimates sales of craft and hobby products generated more than $30 billion in sales in 2007.