As the editor of AllFreeChristmasCrafts, I am constantly searching for new and innovative holiday tutorials and products. When I entered the 2012 Craft & Hobby Association Summer Show in Rosemont, Illinois, I was so excited to take a look at the newest Christmas products!

Scrapbooking, cardmaking and paper crafting companies were well represented at CHA. Many companies displayed their newest Christmas papers and embellishments and included sample layouts for festive scrapbooks. Some manufacturers went the non-traditional route and featured drawings and cartoon images on bright paper. Other companies stuck to the green, gold and red motifs traditionally found during the holiday season. It seemed that overall craft companies were really trying to reach out to crafters of all ages.

Here’s an example of the cute Christmas cardstock from Doodlebug. Their North Pole collection is bright, fun and non-traditional. The cartoon-like snowmen and reindeer add a fun, unexpected touch to the design. This would be great for young paper crafters who want to make a statement.

Cosmo Cricket‘s Jolly Days collection immediately caught my eyes because, let’s face it, the characters featured on in their chipboard package are adorable. How could you not love a smiling Santa? I also liked that they displayed the products and showed how to use them. You’ll notice that the actual layout above features a variety of chipboard images (the photo of the adorable redheaded child is not included, unfortunately). These products would be perfect for a family album. The light colors make this collection a delightful treat!

Not all of the Christmas products were non-traditional. Little Yellow Bicycle showed off some green and red designs that make me want to pull out my Christmas tree and warm up some cocoa. The understated patterned paper and pretty layouts screamed Christmas. I also liked the “Peace on Earth” and “Believe” embellishments, which were featured on an example scrapbook layout.

Though the temperature outside was almost 100 degrees, winter was on the minds of many craft companies at CHA. Colorbok showed off some pretty winter embellishments that can be used for seasonal cards and paper crafts. The images used in the Woodland Winter collection immediately caught my eye. The self-adhesive metal accents were so pretty and unexpected – I don’t usually associate birds with winter! Birds were also featured in the self-adhesive sticker collection, as well as phrases such as “Boughs of Holly.” Overall, the muted colors and unexpected images were unexpected and anything but boring.

Don’t forget to check out our complete coverage of this summer’s CHA show.

You’d didn’t think we’d go to CHA Summer 2012 and not bring back something for all of our lovely readers did you? We went to the Craft and Hobby Trade Show like we do every year and collected all the swag we could into a large CHA Swag Bag Giveaway! We picked up some awesome prizes from Mod Podge, 3M, October Afternoon, and so much more! So don’t hesitate! Enter today by answering the question below in the comments section.

Giveaway Rules:

• Contest open to US and Canada residents 18+
• One comment/entry per person per blog post.
• Contest closes Sunday, July 29, 2012 at 11:59p CST.
• Please comment on any of the Summer CHA 2012 blog posts to enter.
• Winners will be posted on FaveCraftsBlog.com and notified by email.

When do you start crafting for Christmas?