The One with CHA Highlights


Sunday, January 24, 2010

CHA happens but twice a year - in January and July - and when the convention center where it's held is just 20 minutes away, I have to, without a doubt, no questions asked, go.

CHA is the Craft & Hobby Association and basically all scrapbooking companies work around these special dates in January and July to design and release their next big product lines. So this morning I drove to the Anaheim Convention Center, which is HUGE (815,000 square feet of exhibit space to be exact) and it was packed full of hobbyists and scrapbookers just like me :)

Last year at CHA, "The Girls" (Nichole, Lindsey, Alisha, and I, the in-house scrapbookers of American Crafts at the time), took a roadtrip to Vegas then CHA. We were excited to see all of the new products, but really what took the cake was being literally inches from Paris Hilton. (This is not zoomed in.)

Read all about it and see more pictures here. I wonder how her scrapbooking company is doing?...

This year, I was fortunate enough to get hooked up with a badge from American Crafts. Can I just say how much I love all of their new stuff? I'm in heaven. Where do I begin?

Here are all of the new releases:

I'm most excited about the Dear Lizzy stuff. American Crafts has teamed up with the one and only Elizabeth Kartchner to create a whole line of amazingness. Check out her special section of the booth:

Sooooo stinkin' cute.

Things I'm most excited about? These crocheted flowers:

This beautiful ribbon:

And these fabric covered brads:

There's also fabric-sticky-backed paper and stamps and rub ons and dimensional stickers and so much more. I can't wait to get my hands on it all. (Hurry up Lyndsey! :) And I got this super cute bag to tote around all my loot:

I was excited to see the Letterbox line in its entirety. This is the last line I helped design while working at American Crafts. It sure is lovely, if I do say so myself :)

It was a fun surprise to see pictures of my sister used on sample layouts and transferred to signs:

And whoever made these flowers (Alisha or Lindsey?), they're awesome and I want to make some:

After perusing the American Crafts booth for quite some time, I wandered off on my own. The following pictures are of things I found inspiring while trudging around.
I don't make jewelry. However, Making Memories is releasing an entire line of jewelry fixin's and I think I might give this hobby a whirl.



Love the cute pink and blue scooters Making Memories was giving away (or auctioning off? Or using as props? I'm not sure).

Pretty.

Neat.

Cute.

I really like handmade paper flowers.

Some gorgeous pillows at Hambly Screen Prints.

Beautiful paper mache rose balls at the Melissa Frances booth.


An awesome chandelier at 7 Gypsies.

A pretty arrangement of flowers.

Loooove these new stickers by K & Company.
Cool paper birds.

I like the design of this sign above G.C.D. Studios.

In-between halls there was this ginormous canvas made completely out of perler beads. A sign said it was the world's largest perler bead canvas. I believe it. Here is a closeup of the flag that appears on Obama's jacket:

And here is the canvas in its entirety:

Moving on...I heard tons of screams and shouts coming from the Provo Craft booth so I moseyed on over there.

They're releasing a new Cricut called the Cricut Cake.

If I baked cakes, I would have to buy one of these. Or perhaps, I should get one of these now and then learn to bake cakes and decorate them! Basically, you can use any existing Cricut cartridge (or some of the new cartridges are made specifically for cakes and have really intricate designs) and you can use the Cricut Cake to die cut shapes from fondant. I saw it with mine own two eyes and I was flabergasted. It's amazing what people can come up with. Technology is my friend.

Um, excuse, Mr. Shrek, Sir, I think you're confused, Disneyland is next door....

Shortly before I called it a day, I ran into Nancy Doren, sporting her hott pink hair and bedazzled shoes. She knows how much I love tulle right now so she tore this page of of Marie Claire and saved it just for me! I'm so glad I ran into you Nancy!

And that's all she wrote. What a fun and inspiring day. I can't wait 'til next year!

24 comments

  1. Thanks for this peek. I love to see everything!

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  2. You've gotta figure out how to make those paper rose ball things. I love 'em. I sure wish I could have gone to this with you. Next year? July?

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  3. Oh man.... great stuff! Thanks for sharing Paige! I wish I was there!! :(

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  4. so wish i was there! I LOVE seeing all the booths and creative inspiration!

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  5. um, because of you I have been recently converted to all this American Crafts. The stuff they carry is simply divine. AND oh so cool that you got to go AGAIN!

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  6. Paige! How big was that layout of me? Haha I'm just wondering because my boss Ria from Ben Franklin is there right now to preview all the stuff and I hope she saw me on there! Did you make the layout?

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  7. That looks like so much fun! I LOVE those rose balls. So pretty...

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  8. These are such fun photos! Best I have seen yet...I am loving the Lizzy line too!

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  9. Okay this post is very inspirational! The companies have a lot of talented people working for them! Love everything you showed. I made the flowers on that layout. :) I'm glad you like them. I'm not much of a jewelry person myself, but after seeing making memories it makes me want to do it too!

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  10. thanks for sharing!! love it all.

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  11. wow! those booths are all amazing! what a fun day!

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  12. http://creativedesignscakes.com/

    you SO don't need a special cricut to cut gumpaste for cakes.

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  13. Love the pictures. I need to make sure I hit several of these today! Hopefully I can run into you and meet!

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  14. Thanks for sharing these Paige. I'm lusting after that Cricut Cake - what fun!

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  15. Wow...I had no idea a convention like that even existed. That looks AMAZING!!!

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  16. Eeeek! I am loving all of it! How lucky are you!?

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  17. wow i loved looking through all of your photos, now i wish i could have gone to cha even more! :) I hope youre having lots and lots of fun!!

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  18. Thanks so much for sharing with those of us who couldn't go!

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  19. wow..thanks so much for sharing these pictures... wow, wish i could be there tooo... maybe, one day (keeping my fingers cross) :)

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  20. Great photos! I SO wish I was there! The Dear Lizzy line is on the TOP of my must have list! I LOVE that cute tote bag, too! I want one!!! So much inspiration there and cute goodies I must have! :-D

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  21. i took some of the same pics as you, and missed some of the cool pics you took. (the big tree, where was that!) anyways, missed catching up. let's grab a bite someday.

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  22. yay. it was so fun to see you! you certainly made the rounds...i think we had a lot of the same favorite things @ the show :) can i hack some of your photos?

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  23. great pics of the show. My goodness. You captured it. love it!

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  24. Hi Paige!
    I love your blog! I don't think I've seen it before. You do beautiful work! Those paper mache balls in your post from Melissa Frances booth were mine..heee! I adore those...love, love making them. Thanks for featuring them! :)
    Danielle

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