Just a few of the projects I've created so far this year...

Notebooks for the Remember When Design Team (made using Zutter's Bind-It-All & Cover Alls, Fancy Pants ribbon, Scenic Route paper & chipboard letters, Quick Quotes Powderpuff Chalk ink, Avery tabs & Autumn Leaves stamp) - each included a section for assignments & sketches, and personalized with each design team member's first initial.  These turned out so well, I may use them for more gifts!

This is a card that I created for one of my co-workers - we used it to accompany a group gift, so I needed it to be large enough for a dozen people to sign & write messages in.  I used a mix of Prima (flowers, canvas dressform & butterfly paper), Making Memories (paper & word fetti), Basic Grey (rub-on), Sakura Stardust pen aceents, Stickles(on the flower centers) & Bazzill (tulle & cardstock).  I was so inspired by Donna Downey's album cover (see photo below from CHA) - had been dying to find a way to use her technique with the bunch of flowers as a skirt on the dressform.

We've had a parade of visitors this Spring - and I created this layout about Bill's brother's visit.  We'd been looking forward to hosting Chris for months - and we had a wonderful time while he was here.  We both have a great relationship with him - but Bill & Chris share a special brotherly bond.  This was an emotional time for both of them & I wanted to make sure that I found a way to document it on a layout (while the memory was still fresh).  I used the new My Mind's Eye "So Sophie" line  - with a few accents from Cosmo Cricket (letter stickers) & Ranger (crackle accents). 

I've been teaching lots of classes & make-n-takes this year, so I've been constantly creating projects that can be created by using "only" the items contained in a product kit.  I created this card for Remember When's National Scrapbook Weekend using beautiful papers by American Crafts.  For the sentiment, I just printed a sentiment on cardstock (using my crrent favorite font, Pharmacy) and then used Glossy Accents atop the letters to create an epoxy feel.

Completely neglected...

Dear Blog -
If you were a child in my care, a government agency would likely take you away due to extreme neglect... it's not that I don't love you, it's just that 2010 has been ridiculously busy for me.  I've been swamped with work, teaching classes & design team assignments.  Honestly, I've been working on lots of creative & artsy projects... I've just spent all available time & energy on those, instead of updating you.  Please forgive me - I promise multiple catch-up posts to come soon!
xoxo,
Steph

CHA recap, part 2

Aside from all of the new yummy products on display, CHA also gives me the chance to catch up with lots of friends from all over country... not to mention my own bff's from SoCal!  We all get so busy throughout the holiday season, CHA seems to serve as a great excuse to spend time together... and wow, do we make the most of every moment.  Not sure that I actually got 8 hours of sleep total over the course of those 4 days!

We started this year's experience with the CHA Super Show on Saturday - which was so crowded that Dana & I literally did one quick loop of the show floor, said a quick hello to friends & headed out the door... with the exception of the Scarlet Lime booth (where we both had to exercise extreme wallet discipline), there really wasn't much we hadn't seen (or purchased) before.

Next, we hit the World's Largest Crop Attempt, hosted by the Scrapbook Royalty team... we had such a great time... and a lucky one at that!  Several of us won Silent Auction prizes... but it was Dana & Lori who would walk away with the biggest wins of the night!  Both of them won Provo Craft's special raffle - with Lori winning a My Story, and Dana winning not one, but TWO Cuttlebug machines!!  She gifted me with one of them within seconds (such a great friend!!) - and set herself up with great Scrap Karma for twenty-ten!

Before it got too late, we headed downstairs to the CHA Kickoff event, where we met up with the Quick Quotes team (love them!) and had a glass of wine & some food.

We also met up with girls from our 2008 SoCal 2  Provo CKU Bus Tour mates:

(Steph, Jen, Lori, Dana, Susan & Elizabeth...Erin was MIA!)

Sunday & Monday were all about the show - but the best part really was experiencing it with my friends... all the while running into old friends (some that I hadn't seen in years!).  We started with a group breakfast on Sunday and then headed to the convention center for the opening ceremonies... as soon as the doors opened, we dashed to Teresa Collins', followed by Little Yellow Bicycle & Provo Craft (to see Erin in her cute Cricut Cake uniform!):

Then we headed a few halls over to see Maya Road, October Afternoon, My Mind's Eye, Cosmo Cricket, American Crafts + Dear Lizzie (!), Tattered Angels and so many more! Lori is our Slice queen, so a trip to Making Memories was near the top of our list... we all got caught up in their new jewelry line & posed for pictures with their super cute aprons & Vespas... Dana even won a Slice!!

We made jewelry, used the best new trimmer EVER, distressed it all, got our hands dirty, and learned several flower-making techniques... all the while checking out the incredible displays & products!  We barely paused to eat or drink - managed to come home very hungry & tired...

(Trish & Dana making jewelry @ Making Memories)

(Dana, Lori, Judy, Sandy & Trish @ LYB)

CHA Recap

Yes, I realize it's been about a month since the amazing CHA trade show in Anaheim... however, now that I've had a month to digest & actually start working with the new products, some of my intital impressions have evolved into much more informed opinions! :)

This was my thrid year attending - and without a doubt, the most exciting show yet.  The innovations, designs, demos & displays were great - which made each night all the more challenging as we poured over catalogs  - comparing & contrasting product lines.  I truly love walking the floor and discovering the latest and greatest - and learning new techniques (this year I even conquered my fear of jump rings!).  Top trends included canvas, anything sewing related and jewelry!

In no particular order, here are a few of my favorite new products from this year's show:

1. Teresa Collins' Welcome Home, Mr. & Mrs and Bebe Chic lines
2. Prima/Donna Downey's canvas line (love her blue album too!)
3. Making Memories new jewelry line
4. Studio Callico's Anthology (love the fabric strips!)
5. The Girls' Paperie - loved it all

And here are a few of my favorite projects:

not much of a start...

wow - worst start to a blog ever... talk about setting the bar really low - at this rate I'm avaeraging one post per month... totally unacceptable! i promise that from this moment on - i will average at least two posts per month... baby steps! :)

Seriously though, it's been a very busy month & I can't believe it's nearly March already... well, before we get too far into twenty-ten - I wanted to share a few of my favorite projects from 2009:

I made this Advent calendar for one of my co-workers using a few of my favorite products - Scenic Route paper & Marshmallow Glimmer Mist. I was inspired to create this when one day @ the office, my co-worker was lamenting about how her 2 yr. old son was still too young to really understand & experience the holiday season in a meaningful way. She mentioned that they didn’t have any decorations, and I took that opportunity to share that it’s not about the decorations (as much I love them & own nearly enough to require a separate storage area to house them) – but it’s about traditions. Suffice to say, she (& her sone Sinjin) loved their advent calendar and it was a great tool for him to learn about the true meaning of the holiday season.

One last thing to note – I opted to use a brush to apply acrylic paint… thanks to my brilliant friend Erin, if I ever make one of these kinds of projects again, I will absolutely use spray paint instead… I strongly encourage everyone else to adopt that method as well! Gotta love trial & error…

finally...

For the past few years I've been "planning" to start a blog to chronicle all of my creative efforts... didn't manage to get around to it in 2009... or 2008... or in 2007 when I first became so aware of the incredible creative community of scrapbookers, papercrafters & artists online! I'm sure that my friends are so tired of me talking about my eventual blog - well, here it is - clean & simple for now... someday it will be more personalized & less of a template - but the important thing is that I'm doing it!

The main reason that I've wanted to start a creative blog is to have a record of my art - since I seem to give away at least 60% of my creations as gifts... I love giving handmade items, but I don't always remember to document them - so (hopefully) now I'll have an easy way to keep an archive of my creations. I love to revisit, innovate & expand on my designs (a la Project Runway) - so hopefully this blog will help make that an easier process!

Along with my projects, I'm also planing to include highlights of the crafty side of my life & activities... just hoping to make sure that I update (semi) regularly...

P.S. this post officially allows me to cross off "start blog" on my list of 2010 goals!