By the end of the first day here at CHA my feet were screaming at me.  I only walked around the first floor!  While the show seems a bit smaller than years past the booths are clearly larger in many cases.  More to see when you get to them.   There are new products from some of my favorite companies!  That’s the good news.  The bad news while not terrible is that shipping of some of the newest items won’t happen until February, March and in some cases April. It’s not the worse thing in the world but waiting is sometimes tough!  They will be worth the wait you will see.  I will have a catalog show at my studio in a week or two, so look for the e-mail.

 Many of the booths here are decorated and not just with bunch of cards and layout pages.  There are often projects that can make ones head spin.  I love seeing all the talented work from people around the globe that show up in these booths.  In fact the Communiqué book that I did as a workshop at Friends and Company was at the Graphic 45 booth have been done again by someone on their design team.  Look for the book in the slide show!

Speaking of decorated booths one stands out far and above the rest!  Not that their booth isn’t always nice but this year it is incredible.  The dresses are to die for.  I know you are asking what manufacturer am I talking about, well it’s DCWV.  They are the standout booth of this CHA and you will see when you take a look at the slide show.  Remember you can double click on any picture in the slide show and slow it down and you are going to want to see these dresses.  The work and detail that went into them is mind boggling.  Makes one wish they got to “play” at their jobs and create something like these dresses.  Everyone is taking pictures of them, me included.  I took pictures front and back of all of them.  When I was talking with my friend Erin form DCWV she was telling me about them and how they had to be transported to the show!  They had to hang in the truck and at angle so they would not touch anything else and when you see them you will understand. 

I took pictures throughout their booth.  Be sure to look at the “Twilight” dinner party with the Immortal Love paper line. This dinner party theme is going to play out all over the country I am certain. There is also a children’s birthday party that just makes you smile.  Hats off to DCWV for just an outstanding display of creativity.

 I saw t!m for a moment at the Ranger booth for just a moment.  He was doing a demo using the new “stains”.  They got my attention and showed some great versatility.  I can seem them in some upcoming classes very soon.  The best part of them is they are not just watered down re-inker in a bottle it’s a total new formulation.  I loved that they can be used direct to rubber by rubbing the applicator right over the stamp. The clean up was easy!  I will stop over there today and see some other items in the Ranger line.

 I roamed around the hall and stopped to do a few make and takes.  I did the most beautiful flower using a new type of template from Clover the sewing folks.  I’ll do a make and take on these soon.  You’ll be making them by the dozens!  After the end of long day of being on my feet I ended with another make and take at Blumenthal-Lansing, the button people.  We got to back the cutest bracelets from a little piece clear tubing, duck tape, yarns and of course buttons.  I’ll take a picture later and up load it.

 

Back to the hotel and then off to dinner with Becky Conley.  We dined at The Conga Room our last choice in a string of restaurants that had waiting times far too long.  Let me say this; the last choice became the best choice.  We had an amazing meal of Cuban food.  If you are in LA check it out you will not be disappointed. 

 

Then it was back to the hotel with the intention of writing this blog post.  I got the pictures uploaded to the computer and the slide show created.  I was nodding off waiting for the pictures and decided that sleep was needed more than this so I did exactly that, I went to sleep.  Now it’s around 6am and I am wide awake and read to head back for another day.  Until then I will relax a moment and wonder just what I will see from my window seat today…