Extra Long Post from CHA

So here it goes, a really long post that is in no particular order...

I should try harder to get it organized, but there is just so much that I am going to use pictures as my cues.
First picture is Sharon Laakonen in the Prima booth. This was a fun booth, the favorites for me were the canvas line. Very alterable and fun. There were also loads of new flowers that I would love to get my hands on!
















And how cute is Maren Benedict? She has a fabulous laugh that makes your heart happy and we got to spend a little time together in the Pink Paislee booth!
















Speaking of Pink Paislee, here is a fun group pic, we are missing a few people as this was the last hour of Tuesday, and things were winding down.
Rebecca and Barry are such wonderful people and the product release for this show was amazing!! They have some beautiful paper that made its way home with me and the embellishments were so clever! Three of my show favorites came from this booth alone! The Artisan Elements are so incredible, cork buttons that coordinate with each line and pleated twill in beautiful colors, all are must haves for me!

















While I was there I had the opportunity to catch up with a few friends, but hadn't had my camera handy. It was fortune that when Laura Vegas and Lynn Ghahary came by I happened to have it out and we had the chance to snap a couple.

















It was so fun to get caught up with Summer Fullerton, Rachel Carlson and Kimber McGray. Summer and Kimber were in the Jillibean booth which had some darling new products, one of which was kraft cards and envelopes that look super cute when used with their stamps.
















Of course I can never get enough of my Kimmer-kins! I was lucky enough to grab a few hugs from her each day as she walked the halls with the delightful Kim Kesti.
















The new Melody Ross release with GCD was delicious! I got the grand tour from Lori Roop and was given a hug from Heidi Sonboul and Sherry Steveson.

















Dinner Tuesday evening with a few of my favorite crafty girls was the perfect evening! Ellen Hutson and Carmi Cimicata were introduced to each other but hit it right off!
















Claudine is always such a joy to visit with, but sitting next to her at dinner is a little disconcerting! She is petite with a very picky vegetarian palette, and then there is me...

none of the above.
















And Carmi shared dear Audrey Prinzbach with us and she is amazing! Talented in so many
ways, and funny too!


















And how about finishing the perfect evening with the perfect dessert? Dark chocolate fondue, yumm-O!


















This is Caroline from Zva Creative, it was so fun to pop by, check out my booth samples and give her a hug! She and John do a fantastic job of running their business and are a delight to work with.
















Some of the other people that I loved catching up with were April Foster from Studio Calico, the release from that shop is wonderful and their cute booth in the new exhibitors section was wonderfully done, another of my faves!

I had a few minutes to visit with Lisa Johnson in the Marvy Uchida booth, she is so funny and had no problem making fun of me when I walked by with that tired blank look on my face, a girl after my heart for sure! ;o)

Angie Hagist and Charity Hassel were in the October Afternoon booth, it was so fun to meet Angie in real life! She and I have a very similar sense of humor and I love her design style, always witty and clever! And speaking of clever, I got to spend a little time with Teri Anderson and she is about as clever as they come! She was walking the show with Ashley Harris, and it was nice to keep seeing them as well!

Another line that was a real stand out in my mind was the new Basic Grey Basics, so up my alley! Nikki Sivils had some fun releases, but the one that really hit home here was a line called "Dan the Record Man" Laurel has gotten excited about collecting "vinyl" and has an old school record player that her sweet boyfriend has given her. This line is right on trend with that crowd! I forgot to mention the release that October Afternoon had, which is ridiculous because it is wonderful!! Two lines that have a wonderful vintage feel and beautiful colors!! I can't wait to start playing with it!

I spent Sunday in the Teresa Collins booth with some outstanding women, and Teresa's new releases are sure to be a hit! The two baby lines are darling and the others are elegant and have beautiful neutral color palettes that will make them easy to use in any project.

There is so much more, but I am having a hard time remembering without more pictures to cue me. I did better this time, but it just shows me how much room I have for improvement!

I have a funny airport story that I will share later, thanks for popping in for a visit, hope I didn't bore you!!

B-