CHA

Note from Jennifer. I’ll admit, I’m a little, no really, bummed that I’m not at CHA. Rhonda was kind enough to write this post about her experience in January – our first CHA. And I’m planning how we can go in January 2013….

2012 CHA Winter Conference & Trade Show Re-Cap

Hi there! Where does the time go??? With summer and 2012 Summer CHA fast-approaching, it is Jennifer’s friend Rhonda with a very belated 2012 Winter CHA re-cap post. A heartfelt thank you to Jennifer for making this amazing experience possible with more crafty endeavors to come (please stay tuned)!

The trade show floor seemed to go on for miles and it would be impossible to write about all of the inspirational companies and organizations that were in attendance, so I am just going to highlight a few personal favorites.

The first of which is Lindy’s Stamp Gang (http://www.lindystampgang.com/). Though their staff deserves a “shout out” just for being incredibly nice, their products are amazing. Their two-toned sprays, paints, and embossing powders can add such vibrant colors and shimmer to your projects. If your style is more vintage, they have their Moon Shadows line which has a rich, brown undertone. And it looks like they have just started to release some beautiful, non-shimmer colors, as well. I have found that their sprays do take a bit of practice (and old clothes if you are messy like me), but there are several how-to videos available on YouTube and the efforts are worth it. Here is a picture of the make-and-take with the colors I chose:

 

3D flowers were big at the show, and EK Success has partnered with Jolee’s Boutique to create some lovely felt versions. I was so excited when I recently found these at Michaels:

In case you are wondering about size, they are slightly larger than a quarter.

 

EK Tools 2-in-1 punches were easy to use and would make great borders or design elements for cards or scrapbook pages. I hope to add a couple of these to my stash of supplies soon! Decorative strips can also help make small gift boxes gifts in themselves as seen on their make-and-take here:

So quick and easy! See how the Groovy Flower punch was used to make the border strip out of patterned paper and also the purple chain design layered on top? Add a couple of pearls (one is hidden under the leaf) and a felt flower and you are done!

 

EK Success also showcased a beautiful Travel 2012 collection by Tim Coffey. Here is a link to the sneak peek at all the wonderful product lines they showcased: http://www.eksuccessbrands.com/CHA_Winter_Show_Sneak_Peek.htm

 

Ranger Industries, Inc. is another company who continues to bring us innovative and beautiful products. I will let the pictures speak for themselves, but please check out http://rangerink.com/ for more information.

 

Stickles with fine glitter and Ice Stickles with chunky glitter

 

 

 

For simpler designs and projects that still have that something special, I was drawn to Lawn Fawn’s display. It looked like a sunny day outdoors that just happened to be happily covered in fabulously adorable scrapbooking supplies . Unfortunately, I did not ask them if I could take pictures, but one of my favorite elements was a three-tiered clothesline. They used clothespins to clip their stamp sets to the top two levels and their card samples to the bottom level.

And after watching their “Intro to Gnome Sweet Gnome {Lawn Fawn}” YouTube video (http://youtu.be/ZMza5_q8uwU), I had to get the stamp set:

Thanks again to Jennifer for making this all possible! And thank you for reading this and coming along on the adventure! Whether it was seeing the latest from long-standing favorites like Ranger Ink and EK Success, or new finds like Lindy’s Stamp Gang and Lawn Fawn, it was an amazing trade show. I hope that you saw some things that will inspire your creativity!

 

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