CHA Day 2...

I don't have as many pics for day 2, but I will try to remember what we did :-) I do know that the day started with us rushing to the Studio Calico booth, as Jenn wanted to sign up for their wood veneer mini-album make and take (alright, alright, I wanted to do it too... ;-) We ended up signing up for an afternoon slot, and the mini-album was adorable! We got to meet and chat with some of the SC girls (Nicole H. and Davinie) who were both awesome!

We then went by Teresa Collins booth again b/c every day, she was doing a new mini-album make and take with her new lines. Day 1, we got the home line which is super cute. On Day 2, she was giving away the wedding line which Jenn really wanted to get for her sister. Unfortunately, the line was super long that morning, and it didn't seem to get any better, so we did miss that one. We did, however, have the pleasure of chatting with Teresa for awhile, and she was so friendly and sweet (and pretty too!).
Stopped by the JBS booth again, and Doris introduced me to Jenni Bowlin which was a huge treat for me since I think all my blog readers know i'm a huge fan! She was also very warm and genuine. I feel like I keep saying how wonderful everyone was so that it sounds insincere, but really, everyone was so great!! It was so nice to see that even the big names behind the products are "real" people, and both Teresa and Jenni seemed very down to earth.
Loved the new Lily Bee lines!
The Girls Paperie booth was one of my very favorites that I saw. Pure eye candy throughout!

This did not photograph well, but the Making Memories booth had this awesome butterfly mobile hanging from the ceiling, and all the butterflies were cut out from transparencies using the Slice - very cool effect!
Me and Michelle giving each other some love... :-)
Ok, so that recap wasn't so great, lol, but my memory is already fading (I guess that's old age kicking in lol). I should have taken detailed day-by-day notes like Jenn did!

I still have more pics to post from Day 3, so stay tuned...

CHA Day 1...

I'm baaaack! And wow, did I have a blast! I just knew I would love all the AMM girls (which I did!) since I already felt like I knew them, but it was SO cool to also meet so many other people who i've "met" online. I can honestly say that every single person I met was so warm and friendly - it truly felt like meeting long lost friends who i've known forever!

I took a ton of pics, and my computer is not cooperating tonight, so i'm going to divide them up by days. This first photo was actually taken Saturday night, the night before CHA day 1. I met up with the AMM girls at our condo, and then we headed to the SEI party. Although the huge pack of newly released paper lines was very cool to receive, I think the awesome ice cream bar may have been my favorite part, hehea. I finally got to meet Anabelle, and it cracks me up that we met for the first time in CA when we live about two hours away from each other on the east coast. That's Anabelle and Jenn in the back row and Michelle (AMM owner), me and Tonya in the front row:

The first stop I made on Saturday was to the Fancy Pants booth where I got to meet FP owners Jodi and Jared for the first time. They were both so wonderful!! I also got to meet their new baby who was super adorable :-) In the FP booth, I also got to meet fellow design team member Ronda. Not only is this girl amazingly talented, but she is so super sweet, as well!
I can't even remember which booth I took this photo in now (prima maybe?) but cupcakes were one of the many themes I saw all around the show (along with dress forms and handmade flowers). They were making me hungry! :-)

Stacy and I are constantly dealing with people confusing our name spellings since we're both on the AMM DT. Poor thing had to walk around with her CHA name tag with a spelling of Staci lol. Lucy and I have talked on the phone a bunch of times, so I knew we'd hit it off, and I was right. Both of these girls are awesome, and I kept hoping some of their talent would rub off while I was with them lol! That's Krista on the left, who was a total sweetie, and Karen next to her, another AMM DT girl (who was also awesome and had the cutest baby!). Teresa Collins' booth was gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!
So, who watches The Bachelor (come on, you know you do... lol)? Well, i'm sure those of you who watch remember "Psycho Michelle" who just got kicked off last week. Well, actually, she told Jake she wanted to leave and he told her to go ahead. Anyway, as we were walking across the street from the convention center to get lunch at the Marriott hotel, who do we see waitressing at the restaurant there but Michelle?! We asked her for her picture, and she was very happy to oblige (she's the pretty brunette dressed in black).
Yay, I got to see Sherry again! Thanks to CHA, Sherry lost the title of being the only scrappy friend I had met in real life, lol. It was so good to see her again, and I may get to see her next month, too, when she comes to my neck of the woods :-)
Anyone recognize this scrapper? Ok, ok, so Kathy Ireland is not a scrapbooker (at least not that I know of), but she was at CHA promoting her new fabric line. And she was super sweet and gracious, shaking all of our hands and introducing herself. And man is she TALL!
Aaaaah, Doris! It was hard for me to believe that I'd never actually met Doris in person before this, because I feel like i've known her forever. I totally wish I could have spent more time with this girl, but i'll take what I can get ;-)
Loved the homespun feel of the Unity Stamp company booth. They had these adorable sewn flowers...
and this super cool tree! Wouldn't this look so cool on a child's bedroom wall?
The Dear Lizzy line by American Crafts was super cute, and I was loving all the awesome shadow boxes they had displayed with the product.
Well, my friends, i'll be back soon for CHA day 2 :-) For now, I must get my jet lagged self to bed!

Yes, I am alive....

Wow, it's been awhile, huh?? So sorry for being a blog slacker here, but sometimes life just gets in the way!

We had some family tragedy - my first cousin died of cancer last week, which, of course, was a blow to everyone. He was an amazing man, and he died way too soon. He lived in LA, and I had tacked on a day at the end of my CHA trip to visit him, and unfortunately, I never got that chance to "say goodbye."

In happier news, I can't believe I leave tomorrow for California! I'm really excited and also a bit nervous. I've never left the kids for more than a weekend, and I know i'm going to miss them and Tony like mad! I do believe, though, that it's good for all of us mommies to take time for ourselves, and I know i'll have a great time. I can't wait to meet so many of my scrappy friends that i've gotten to know over the last couple of years!

Speaking of scrappy stuff, Fancy Pants has shown their 4 new lines up on their blog. You guys have got to check it out - the new lines are amazing!! Here's a layout I did for the new line About a Girl. The blue damasks are actually a flocked transparency - it's so pretty!

And this layout is from the new line Road Show, which I think is my favorite of the new lines.

Well, everyone, I hope you are all doing well, and I will try not to stay away for so long next time ;-) I can't wait to update you on all the CHA loveliness that I see!

Better late than never...

Ok, so yeah, Tony and I got married 7 1/2 years ago, and I finally just got around to doing a layout about our amazing wedding party. What can I say, the last 7 years have been busy! ;-) The truth is, I don't do nearly as many event/holiday layouts as I do "everyday" type layouts, so our poor wedding has been very neglected. I'm sure when the kids are in college i'll get it all done!
Journaling reads: Thankful for the amazing friends and family who stood by our side on such an important day. They helped to make our day even more special!

I had fun playing around with lots of stuff in my stash that i'd been hoarding - Creative Imaginations papers, Making Memories frame, acrylic circles and gold leaves, and Heidi Swapp butterfly.

In other scrappy news, i'm eagerly awaiting the new soon-to-be-released-at-CHA Fancy Pants stuff! Can't wait to dig in and create! I also still can't believe that i'm actually going to CHA, and that it will be here in less than 3 weeks, wow! I'm so excited not only to attend the show, but also to meet so many people that i've come to know in the scrappy world over the last few years!!

Anyway, hope you all are having a wonderful week! It's been an eventful one here, and i'm ready for the weekend to relax!

My top 10

Happy New Year, everyone!! We went on a vacation to the Pocono Mountains for New Years - we usually take this trip every other year and spend several days with good friends of ours. Our kids are similar ages to their kids, so it works out nicely for everyone! The 4 little ones had a blast playing together, and us adults enjoyed several days of hanging out and relaxing :-)

I wanted to post my 10 favorite layouts from 2009. It was so much fun to look back at my work over the last year and see which layouts I was drawn to the most. I am posting these in order from when I created them, and the first one was done last January, with the last layout being completed just last month.
Thanks for taking this walk down memory lane with me!

I hope that all my friends out there in blogland have a wonderful 2010!!