Nothing says "shameless cash grab" like a celebrity endorsed line of crafting tie-ins. With very few exceptions*, the line of celebrity crafting supplies is clearly just a semi-random line of products intended as brand extension, where the brand in question is the celebrity themselves.
The last time I was at a Michaels Crafts, I found myself staring, befuddled, at a stand-up display of Tori Spelling's new DIY line of jewelry crafts. And when I say "DIY line of jewelry crafts," I mean "jewelry that you can buy which has Tori Spelling's name on it." Don't get me wrong, Spelling clearly has some crafting chops. But her line of "DIY jewelry" is just "jewelry." Where's the DIY? And who cares? It's utterly bizarre.
Or Hilary Duff's sewing patterns. I mean, some of the patterns are cute I guess. But why Hilary Duff? And why sewing? The only thing I can think is that someone at McCall's decided to target teenage girls, so they picked Hilary Duff as a random teen idol whose name could be slapped on some patterns in order to make some bank.
And who could forget Paris Hilton's line of scrapbooking supplies? They leaned heavily towards rhinestones and the color pink. Because everyone knows that teenage girls love scrapbooking? Wait, that can't be right.
I do love imagining Paris Hilton, hair back in a ponytail, wearing sweats and a T-shirt, laboring meticulously over her scrapbooking project at a crafts table.
* Does Vanna White's line of acrylic yarn count? White is a noted knitter and yarn fanatic. Her yarn is just regular old acrylic, but I think the colors are nicer - more subdued, lots of tertiary shades - than many other lines of acrylic yarn. Then again, it's not like the market was exactly clamoring for a Vanna White knitting tie-in. I'm torn on this one.
Image courtesy Flickr/anacabreradesign
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