My Craft Room and CHA 2010

Hello bloggers! I am so excited to share with you all the fun things I've been up to these past couple of weeks. I think the most fun thing I did was go to the CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) consumer Super Show in Anaheim last Friday. What a crazy day! I had to drive through snow, fog and rain to get to the show, but just like the post man, nothing was going to stop me from getting to my destination! After all, this was the very first winter consumer show that CHA has sponsered, and I wasn't about to miss it.

I met alot of great people at the show, and I even bumped into a few friends as well. My first stop was at the Split Coast Stampers (SCS) booth. I made a cute button and had a chance to chat with Lori Craig ("stamp_mama") from SCS. She's such a sweetie!

I roamed the first few aisles just admiring all the crafty goodness that sparkled before my eyes. It wasn't long before I ran into a couple of very familiar faces. Anyone recognize these two ladies?

That's crafting queen Carol Duvall (L) and Hot Potato Fabric and Wall Stamps owner Mary O'Neil! I've been watching Carol Duvall ever since I was a little girl when she first started appearing on the Home Show regularly in the late 80s. I was tickled pink when she got her own show on HGTV, and even to this day, I enjoy watching re-runs of the show. Mary O'Neil was one of Carol's regular guests, and she offered unique ideas on using potatoes in your crafts while dishing up some good old fashioned southern humor. They were both a delight to talk to!

After meeting my crafting hero, I stumbled upon my friend Taylor at her booth, Taylored Expressions. I was so happy so see her again, and I was thrilled that her booth was busier than ever. Way to go, Taylor!

On my way down one of the last aisles, I spotted a very familiar face. Any guesses?

That's Robyn from My Pink Stamper, and she's just as cute in person as she is on her blog! She's full of energy and spunk and it was a pleasure talking with her about her crafts as well as her running journey (she ran a marathon last year!).

Honest to goodness, I thought I was going to CHA to do some major shopping, but it turns out I had way more fun meeting people than anything else! After finishing one lap around the show room floor and thinking that my day couldn't possibly get any better, I was wrong! I found the insanely talented Lisa Pavelka doing a demo at the Bezel Blanks booth. She is such a sweet, sweet person, and I've admired her work with polymer clay for many years. She, too, was a regular guest on the Carol Duvall Show.

I picked up her new book, The Complete Book of Polymer Clay, at the Barnes and Noble booth. She signed it for me, and we had a lovely conversation.

After that, I wandered around the show picking up things that I had seen earlier and wanted to get. I passed by the Hancock Fabric booth for the third time and decided to put my name in the drawing for a serger. I set my cell phone alarm to five minutes before the drawing and continued on my way. I was about to sit down and do a felting make-and-take when the alarm went off. I walked back to the Hancock Fabric booth and waited until the drawing. The representative came out, took the box, and had the lady next to me pick the winning entry. When he called out my name, I was in total shock! I started jumping up and down like a little kid. You would have thought I won the lottery! I couldn't believe I had just won a Juno by Janome serger. Woo-hoo!

That night, my friend and I went to the Cheesecake Factory to have dinner, and while waiting for our table, I saw Tim Holtz leave the building! He debuted some pretty nifty things at the CHA trade show this past week. I can't wait to watch his YouTube videos, but it seems there's a bit of a delay in getting them uploaded on to YouTube. Guess I'll just have to be patient.

On a random note, before going to CHA, I won a vintage typewriter off Ebay. I've been wanting one for a while, and I wanted it to be a small, portable and baby blue. It arrived yesterday, and I'm very happy with it so far! I think it needs new ribbon, though, but that's easily doable.

Lastly, I made a short video showing my current craft space. Because I'm always bringing new stuff into the room and because I'm an organizational nut, my room is always in a state of evolution. For now, I'm happy with how I have it, but I'm sure it will undergo some type of face lift in the future.



Tomorrow I'll share with you a video I made showing my how I organize my stamp collection, so stay tuned for that!