The One with CHA Winter 2011

CHA comes but twice a year! I've never been to a summer show, but I've had the wonderful opportunity to attend the winter show every year for the past four years. This year it was practically in my backyard at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Driving through LA on the way to the show, my camera focused on the window instead of the city, but I actually love how it turned out.

I found a primo parking spot then made my way to the show.

Why thank you!

So here are things I loved and found inspiring, so on and so forth... Pretty sure this post is going to be the only one on my blog homepage now!

It seems like THE project to create this year was dresses:

These dresses were particularly cool A) because they were designed by Project Runway contestant Suede and B) because he used American Crafts glitter cardstock for the blue one on the left.

I'm a big fan of ritzy chandeliers.

Pebbles, now a part of American Crafts, had a cute booth and display.

They have a bunch of new products and here are some of my faves: plastic rose brads, layered felt embellishments, paper flowers, banner toothpicks (!!!), decorative stickpins, and more plastic flowers!! Eeeek!

My favorite new release from American Crafts is Hello Sunshine. The papers are soooo pretty.

And the matching Details and Delights are detailed and delightful!

I finally got my hands on some of the Dear Lizzy Enchanted laser cut papers - can't wait to use these as masks!

It's no secret that I don't like glitter. I hear it's called the herpes of the scrapbooking industry. It's messy and gets everywhere even if you're nowhere near it. HOWEVER, American Crafts just came out with glitter paper that makes no mess - for realsies! I rubbed my fingers over it vigorously and not one tiny speck got on me! Hallelujah, glitter paper I can actually use!

I stopped by the Hambly booth to say hello to Allison.

I flipped through their catalog and was ecstatic to see that three of the five projects I made as their guest designer last April were in there!

Fun fun fun.

I ran into an old co-worker at the Doodlebug booth and he gave us the A-OK to take our pictures in the photo booth. Don't mind if we do!

It printed four mini pictures which we divvied up and put in a tiny little photo album:

One-of-a-kind projects made with paper are my favorite.

Doggie made of paper!

Fun paper and ephemera kite.

Gorgeous paper and ephemera wreath at The Girls' Paperie.

Cute mobile.

Felt pillow made with Nestabilities by Spellbinders.

The Ranger booth reminds me of when I first started scrapbooking and the style was very antique-y and "grunge".

Here's Tim Holtz himself. The ladies go ga-ga over him.

I really wanted to make the Ranger "make and take" cuz it was awesome, but alas, they ran out of supplies.

Tee hee.

Cute birthday set up.

Making Memories, usually a hot and trendy company with exciting new products was kind of a disappointment this year. Their ENTIRE booth (okay, like 90%) was these ribbon things called Bravissimo.

Like, what are you supposed to do with these? Wear them? They're much too thick to put in scrapbooks. Weird. I mean, they look really cool, I just don't see the point of them??? Anyways. Moving on.

Kelly Purkey was working the Studio Calico booth!

Each and every one of their design team members is so super talented. I could stare at their layouts for hours and never get bored.

A new colorful Basic Grey line I adore called Hello Luscious.

I thought these were foxes but they're raccoons. Either way, they're still cute. And I used to heart American Girls when I was a little girl.

We had a heckuva time playing around with lots of new EK Success and Martha Stewart Crafts punches.

Here's one of my faves:

I love me some flowers!

Prima is the creme de la creme of flowers.

The Cricut is 5!

There was an employee from Northridge Publishing promoting our new Cricut Magazine at the Cricut booth and when I introduced myself to him he had NO IDEA who I was. Sad. Oh well.

This yarn and crocheted booth had something to do with Vanna White - she'll be there today. I won't be. Oh well, I saw Paris Hilton two years ago, that's still cool :)

The gang. Ann-Marie, Clairice, me, and Richard.

OMG love this apron!

Cute embellished tee.

We R Memory Keepers has this new cool (and freakin' GINORMOUS) punch system called the Lucky 8 and you basically punch around a 12x12 piece of paper to make it a fun shape or have a cool punched edge.

Stellar fabric tree.

Cute birthday calendar project.

The Pink Paislee booth was darling.

I still can't get enough of banners.

What a fun way to store buttons!

Loooove this idea for the ceiling of my future craft room:

And of course, the American Crafts booth. Always amazing, always chalk full of fun, fresh, hip new products that I can't wait to get my hands on!

My head hurts (in a good way!) from the inspiration overload. I could have spent DAYS there, but mommy duty calls!