Hello, Hello from the great big gathering we all know as CHA! I'm here at the show and loving every minute of it, minus the oh-so-hot weather. I'm managing to stay cool by perusing the aisles of the show and along the way, grabbing a couple photos of some of my most favorite projects on display. CHA is a haven of inspiration beyond anything imaginable. It's a literal feast for the eyes!! I chose not to photograph product this time around. Normally, I would, because I know how much you guys enjoy finding images of new product on my blog. Let me apologize upfront for not sharing the new stuff..I honestly wanted to focus on projects only and so far, I don't regret the decision..not one bit. I figure you'll *heart* the plethora of projects I intend on posting here in the next couple of days or so. I picked some of my favorites thus far - see them below! Also, I had Steve (Owner of Crate Paper) capture a photo of me and Lisa at the Crate Paper booth this afternoon. I've been spending a lot of time with them (Lisa & Steve) while at the show as I'm extremely devoted to these two wonderful people - it's so great to catch up with them in person! I just love it! They have lots of yummy stuff on display in their booth, including exquisite projects from the CP Girls..I'm so proud of the team!! They did an amazing job with the three new collections!! I feel so very lucky to work with them and of course, Crate Paper. A huge shout out to the Crate Paper crew!!
The show is on the "small side" this Summer..I had the opportunity to bump into a few friends during my CHA journey and chatted it up like no tomorrow. One of the most positive aspects about the show is the huge sense of community that is ablaze during the event. There are creative people everywhere!! It's a dream come true for artists and others like myself wanting to reconnect with friends from far away places. I'm actually attending the show with dear sweet Lolly Chessie from "LollyChops"! She's come up from Texas, which is quite far from Minnesota. Chicago is the ideal meeting ground for the both of us as it's not an extensive distance for either one of us to travel and partake in the show. We had a chance to stop off for pizza with Crate Paper tonight and boy let me tell you, it was soooo good!! Talk about feeling spoiled right now..this is exactly the kind of trip I needed before September's arrival.
I have one more day at the show before I leave - I fly back home on Thursday!! I miss the little guy already, but I'm not at all surprised by this cause he's so adorable and every three year old needs his mommy. I can't wait to hug the guy!! From what I hear thus far, he's having a jolly good'ol time with grandma and grandpa. Supposedly, mommy isn't even on his radar...that's because grandma is allowing him to stay up 'til ten o'clock at night!! Grandpa has also been turning on the underground sprinkles upon request - Ethan loves, loves sprinklers!! I get a total kick out of it! I'm just so happy that he's enjoying his time with the gamma & papa cause then it allows me to not feel so bad about being away...it's always difficult to leave him, even if it's only for a couple days. I so can't wait to see him on Thursday!
Ok and now for the good stuff..here's a snippet of some of my faves from CHA thus far...I'll post the rest when I get back! I promise...
Prima is the epitome of perfection when it comes to scrumptious, intricately designed projects at CHA. Their display is covered from head to toe in altered goods, layouts and mini albums...lets not forget flowers too! I could spend hours at their booth staring at everything on display. Their designers know how to kick it up a notch + some. They've got every detail covered!! Love their designers...and product..lets not forget the pretty stuff.
You couldn't walk past their booth without wanting to dilly dally in and see all the lovely items hanging from their walls and bookshelf units. Pink Paislee always puts on a spectacular presentation with their latest products and design team creations. This cutely ruffled dress form caught my attention immediately!! It seems that everything is massively textured this year!! Everyone is blending papers with fabrics and mixing materials of all varieties. It's so very cool! Antique frames are also all the rage - especially altered antique frames. I'm now quite tempted to work up an antique frame when I get home...so many possibilities here.
Another purty creation from Pink Paislee's booth...look at the old Polaroid photo!! Isn't it just great!? The products on the layout are from the "The House of Three", whom paired with Pink Paislee to create their new Parisian Anthology collection - it's quite beautiful.
Vicki Boutin is a total natural at the whole scrapbooking thing. She can convert paper into prettiness any day of the week! This lil' album is from her..I sighted it at a Seven Gypsies display. I really like the series of tags that peek out the side of her album. Seriously inventive! I asked her today where she gets all her amazing ideas and she responded quite candidly, "I sit down and they just happen..." One can dream, can't they?! Laugh. If only such ideas found their way into my world - I'd be so very content...oh yes I would.
This sweet tray almost walked home with me. Not sure who the artist is of the tray, but if I were to guess (and I'm sure they'll email me now with an answer...laugh.), it's of someone who works for Seven Gypsies. I like the variety of non-traditional items used to adorn the tray - it's strikingly simple and softly spoken. A definite treasure.
A continuation of trays, window boxes and inset frames...still very popular this season. Artists are bringing their wares off the foreground with the help of alternative strong binding adhesives and stacks of foam or lil pieces of wood. It's a special treat to visit these in-depth pieces of art "in person". They're breathtaking. Really, they are.
I would of never thought to convert a library card drawer into a storage place for memories, both old & new. It's another alterable product from Seven Gypsies this Summer (Fall)..I fell upon it nearly by accident (almost missed it!!) as I thought it was just another one of their "non-purchase" booth decorations. So glad to hear that it will be up for grabs in the very near future..I'm super tempted to buy one since having found it today. Yayy!!
The smallest creations are some of the best creations at CHA! This glimmering, shabby chic ornament sat upon a shelf in the Ellison booth. I gently removed it from it's hook to find out it's make and model. I would so love to make a few during the upcoming holiday season, but on a much larger scale! They'd be perfect hanging from a wall or fireplace mantel. Definitely going to delve further into the this idea at some point in time:)
There's much I still need to share with you about the show, but I'm going to save the rest for when I return home! Again, you won't have to wait very long..I have only one more day to enjoy Chicago - my goal tomorrow is to revisit the show, though only for a couple of hours.. with "Windy City Scrapbook Store" only a half hour or so away, I may just catch a cab and visit them tomorrow afternoon. I always shop Windy City while in Chicago! Huge fan of the store! I'd like to fly away with at least one bag full of new scrappy items..can't travel and not buy scrapbook stuff! Right?! I'll have another update for you as soon as I land home - hope you guys are having a great week! Take care!!!
