think fast

card makers post

Feel like I'm wanting to post some products that really "wowed" the card maker part of me. After all, I was attending CHA as a representative of Paper Crafts and we do love our cards! The following products are some of those that made my card making radar spin; items that made me wish I had brought along a paper trimmer and some adhesive.

American Crafts (well- pretty much everything AC including there new Thickers)...but these in particular:

Bazzill Basics paper introduced this yummy paper - I'll leave it to your imagination what it looks like - shouldn't be toooo hard. I'll be making a trip to Mesa for this SOON:

This delightful product from KI Memories:

THIS Piggy Tales paper is a must have for me...

And last, but not least - LOVED the new green line by TI - but these transfers in particular tickled my fancy. They are basically double sided stickers and I want to use them on a clear card right now. LOL!

Okay, I guess that's enough for now. I don't want to bore my blog readers. Updates tomorrow about Chicago and other adventures.

Later.

cha review

I'm a little late posting my CHA review - many of you have read them on other blogs, I'm sure. But, in case you are interested in my humble opinion, read on.

I had a really wonderful, albeit whirlwind tour of the Craft and Hobby Association Show in

Chicago.

Keith and I arrived with Eloise on Thursday night (late) and got to our hotel room around 1am. I met the “girls” – Cath, Susan and Brandy (all editors at Paper Crafts magazine) at 8:30 on Friday morning. It was my first time meeting Susan Opel and I felt like I was meeting a long time friend. She fits in with the Paper Crafts crowd perfectly. We briefly hit the Press Room then off to the show floor. One nice thing about the Exhibitor Badge – we got in early!

Brandy and I headed off to the “new” section while Cath and Susan started at the other end of the showroom floor. Our goal was to meet in the middle, exchange notes and then, time permitting, retrace each other’s steps. It’s amazing how two people can go be a booth and see totally different things. I love that.

So, get to the good stuff already, right? Here’s a recap of my favorites:

 

Love the ocean themed product – seeing a growing trend there. The Menagerie at Dream Street Papers was TDF – very sophisticated and awesome color combinations.  Heidi Grace has a line called Beyond the Sea (I think this was Winter CHA) and Best Creations had a wonderful clear acrylic Whale album that was sooo cute. Looking to see a lot more of this theme at the next show.

 

 

Saw some cool animal prints here and there – love the pink zebra at Glitz Designs.

 

Lots of awesome woodgrained paper – Basic Grey’s Eva line, Cosmo Cricket’s Mr. Campy, Sassafrass Lass cardstock stickers and October Afternoon's Weathervane.Yum-yum.

 

 

 

 

Also lovin’ the graphic looks of a lot of papers and embellishments. This clock paper by Glitz Designs is crazy cool. And the birdcage overlay at Hambly was awesome. Of course, I could just use nothing but Hambly for a good long time before I got sick of it. So off the chart cool. Oh, and saw many other birdcage motifs - some cool ones at Hero Arts and My Mind's Eye. Another trend watch.

 

 

 

Another trend that I think we'll see even more of at the Winter Show is the Dutch inspired look. I'm not talking exactly windmills and wooden shows, but a definite Norway/Denmark look. Think old time fairy tales, tulips and folk art, etc. Here's a few great examples:

October Afternoon:

 

Basic Grey's Urban Prairie:

 

And Cosmo Cricket's Hello Sunshine:

Those are a few of the trends I spotted. Many other products caught my eye. Love the Christmas paper at Luxe and the Itsy Bitsy Spider collection at Piggy Tales. Too much to remember. Good thing I took some good notes! I'm sure I'll be posting more as product hits the shelves. Overall, a fantastic, invigorating and inspiring eight hours! Will recap dinner and such tomorrow.

Later.

see you at CHA

Well - I wish I could see you all at CHA (the Craft and Hobby Association show in Chicago). Some of you, I will. And, I hope you stop by the CK Media booth and say "hey" to me and the other Paper Crafts editors on Friday at noon. We'll be hosting a little get together and giving away issues of our very brandiest - newest magazines. I believe Ali Edwards is going to be in the booth just after us signing copies of her new book! Fun! Sounds like the place to be.

Just to give myself a giggle, I'm attaching the cute little invite that was sent out about our event. I know, I'm easily amused. But, I've only been at this job for six months...the glow still hasn't worn off.

Later.

six months

This should be titled "six months" or "you're going down bear" since first Eloise tried to tackle her bear. Once she dominated, she settled down to play with the ties on her shirt and pretty much ignored Mr. Bear. I totally think she knows she's getting bigger than him. His days are numbered. Ha!

Later.

cutie

As I scroll through my photos looking for one to catch my eye, I realize that I have a tons of photos featuring Eloise eating. Huh? Eating - yep, this girlie likes to eat. She eats cereal and baby food at least twice a day. Then, she nibbles off our plates when we have baby appropriate food (she loves mashed up noodles, waffles, pancakes, biscuit, etc). I can see a bib wearing baby scrapbook page in my future. (p.s. Isn't that the most adorable bib ever? My good friend Jean knitted it for Ello. You can't see but it has a darling little black ruffled edge on the bottom. FUN!)

Oh, and need to edit her six month photo and post that soon. She's getting SO big!

Later.

little edna

After I posted that layout about my Mom's birthday I remembered that I have a fun layout featuring my mother-in-law Edna. Do you recall a few posts ago about Edna having the same name as her mother? Here's the story behind that ... journaled by Little Edna herself.

Later.

happy birthday mom

Some of you may not know that my Mom is a real firecracker. Well, she is. And, she was born on the 4th of July. We celebrated her big 65th up at the cabin this past weekend. Lauri made a fun flag bar dessert and I added a little paper crafted touch. Happy Birthday you Medicare-eligible Mom, you.

Also, I'm going to add a layout I did for Creating Keepsakes Family History Workbook (I can't link it right now since their site is rolling over to a Beta Test Site today, but I will add it in my sidebar soon). Anywhoo, this was a fun one to do. I think if you click on it you can read the journaling, which my Mom wrote. Fun stuff!

Later.

monday blogging

I admit, it does feel good to get back to a routine after a busy holiday weekend. We had a blast up at the folks' cabin. My little brother Russell and his wife joined us. I say "little brother" with some chagrin since he is six foot three. LOL! Anywhoo, we worked on the cabin (painted, hung new kitchen cabinets) and played (lots of Scrabble and Yahtzee) and enjoyed some yummy food. I love this shot of the homemade waffles Russell made. We made good use of the Krups waffle maker the newlyweds received as a wedding gift. Sweet.

Later.

enjoy the fourth

Hey ya'll! Just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful fourth of july! I'll be enjoying some family time, some bbq goodness, homemade ice cream and more. Good times.

Then, when I resurface, I'll be making a decision on wall paint - leave me a vote if you are so inclined. Since the playroom turned out so beautifully (will post photos next week), now I need a brighter color in the living room. It's neverending, isn't it? LOL.

Enjoy (as my PB wall letters remind me everyday).

Later.

scrappy wednesday

Did a little scrapping this morning. I couldn't resist the awesome new Passport line from Making Memories. And, yes, I'm still finishing my Paris album. But, you know? I'm still not sick of these photos. I'm still having fun with them. And that's what it's all about, right?

Speaking of Paris, Tristam should be there next week with two of his cousins. His "euro tour" is a bit more ambitious than ours was, though. They are starting in Paris, heading to Barcelona, then down the coast to various beach hot spots and on to Rome. Wow! And, it certainly helps that one cousin works for the airlines...all of Tristam's plane fares only came to around $550. Whoa! Totally cool.

And, one last thing - in case you haven't noticed the new column to the left there - it's my teaching schedule for the rest of the year. How fun is that? (Have I mentioned lately that I love my job?) If you are attending any of these conventions - give me a shout! I'd love to meet you.

Later.