CHA: Day 3

I apologize for not posting yesterday...busy day at my daughters' cheer competition.

Today I will describe for you my final day at CHA, and what a busy day it was!

Kathy and I started off the day taking some portraits of each other, photoholics (and big hams) that we are!


This one is reminiscent of the poses that my tween-aged daughters like to strike! How cool am I?! Hehehe



I had to make sure that I got some parting photos with my fellow design team members:

Kathy Morgan, Jenny Stockard, and me:


Scrapbook Deals 4 U owner, Martha Galvez, and me:


Kathy, me, and Nicole Capote:


We headed off to Provo Craft to do one of their fabulous make and takes. Each day they taught something spectacular. On this day, we made a wonderful Americana wall-hanging. I just love it!


Chatterbox had a wonderful booth, full of new products and inspiration.

Look at this homemade brad making tool. Simply place thumbnail photos into decorative frames to make your own brads...how cool is that?


I LOVED this layout...so pretty!


What a super fun mini-album made out of denim! Another must-have in my book!


Fancy Pants is coming out with a colorful beach-inspired line of paper:


A fabulous Fancy Pants mini album made from chipboard, felt, and transparent sheets:


Of course American Craft is coming out with new Thickers...just love these fun fonts!


Pebbles debuted a super cute paper line called "So Tweet":




I was told that it wouldn't be a CHA without hitting the chocolate fountain at Rusty Pickle!


Here are a couple of paper lines that I really enjoyed out of the company called gcd:




Next we stopped at the Ranger booth. It was decorated with little houses personalized by well-known scrappers. Here were a couple of my favorites:




One of the highlights of the show was when I got to do a make and take taught by, none other, than Tim Holtz! I sat right across from him!!!


The Clear Scraps booth was filled with lots of inspiration. Here are a couple of my favorite pieces:




I'm proud to say that I know Sally Lynn MacDonald, who debuted a new line of hybrid albums for Clear Scraps:


Sally Lynn and me:


And that concludes details of my experience at the 2009 Winter CHA.

Later that night, Kathy and Linda took me to Huntington Beach. We had such a great time! We walked along the pier to get to a wonderful restaurant called Ruby's Surf Side Diner. They had the best burgers and shakes! It was a beautiful night, a little chilly, but with such a refreshing breeze. Afterwards, we visited a street fair. Here are some scenes from our evening together:


















I want to thank everyone who made my CHA experience so memorable and pleasurable. I'll always cherish these memories. A special heartfelt thank you to Kathy and Linda for being so accomodating and such great friends. Love you all.

My LONG road home!!!

All times are in EST:

8 am - Woke up so Kathy could drive me to the airport. Poor thing, it was 5 am PST!
9:45 am - Fly from Santa Ana to Minneapolis
12 pm - Arrive in Minneapolis
12:30 pm - Board plane in Minneapolis to Hartford
12:45 pm - Pilot informs us that Hartford is closed...disembarked plane
5 pm - Fly from Minneapolis to Detroit
7:30 pm - Arrive in Detroit
9 pm - Fly from Detroit to Hartford
11 pm - Arrive in Hartford
12:30 am - Arrive home, after hour drive in ice and snow!

Needless to say, I slept all of the next day!!! ;)

CHA: Day 2

Kathy and I started off Day 2 with another yummy breakfast at Mimi's Cafe (See Day 1 post). Stayce picked us up and we were off to another day of fun. I was out in Anaheim 10 years ago and WOW the Convention Center has changed! They were just starting to build the current fancier glass structure. Here it is today:


Each day we entered and exited the convention near the Creative Imaginations booth. I just had to get a photo with Cheryl Mezzetti! She's so sweet!


I just had to start off the day by doing the Tim Holtz Grungeboard luggage tag make and take. I haven't photographed it to show you yet, but I did take pictures of some very cool product and designs that I found in his booth.

I love these new masks:


Isn't this design amazing?!!


Just look at the dimension in this layout!


The man, himself, standing by some of his new releases. I've got to get some of these new metal embellishments!


Kathy and I got to meet and chat with Heidi Swapp:


Jenni Bowlin had some super cute things in her booth:

I just love her BINGO cards!


Some cute new embellishments:


I thought this was such a sweet project:


Jenni Bowlin, me, and Donna Downey:


Some really cute paper from Pinecone Press:


I just love this new vintage Sassafrass Lass line:


Cosmo Cricket's Everafter line is soooo pretty:






Some new pretty things coming out from Tattered Angels:


Just look at these gorgeous albums!


Stayce and Kathy won Slices, as well!!! How lucky is that? The three of us! Although, truth be told, I think they would have been just as happy with the M&Ms!!! Love you, girlies! ;)


Some of the potential cartridges I will have to get for my new Slice:


We finished off the evening with a wonderful meal at Joe's Crab Shack.

I just love my new sweatshirt...just a little something for me to wear when I'm copping a 'tude, hehehe:


Linda...she looks so regal here! Love this picture!


Stayce and Kathy, posing by some of the other funny shirts:


I love this shot of Linda, Stayce, me, and Kathy!


I hope you enjoyed my recap of Day 2, as much as I enjoyed sharing it! <3

CHA: Day 1

As promised, here is a recap of Day 1 of CHA. Mind you, this was my very first CHA, so I was really excited and not quite sure of what to expect.

Each busy day should start off with a good breakfast. Kathy, Linda, and I went to this awesome place called Mimi's. What an incredible breakfast we had. I liked it so much, we went back the next day! Just look at these super cute sisters!


When I got to the Anaheim Convention Center, I was able to see Disneyland, as it is just a mile away!


We were greeted by Martha Galvez, owner of Scrapbook Deals 4 U, and Jenny Stockard, fellow design team member:


Our first stop was at Theresa Collins' booth where they had such super make and takes! Just check out these fabulous new lines coming out from her:





I am such a fan of her clean and elegant style!

I was super happy to have my picture taken with Theresa Collins!


Attendees do anything to try to win things, like a Making Memories Slice die-cutting system. If you wear one of their aprons and get your picture taken by them, you have a chance at winning one. Just check out this get-up:


Stayce, Kathy, and I were CRACKING up at our friend, Linda. She wore her apron backward and adopted the persona of Super Slice!!! She would throw her arms above her head and pretend to glide along the air with her apron. She is just the funniest!!! Love her!


I can't tell you how excited I was to have my picture taken with the talented Tim Holtz. I am such a fan of his products ...they truly bring out my inner artist


Our next stop was to the Basic Grey booth, where they are debuting four fabulous collections. Here are two of them...hint: they will be coming to SD4U in the coming months. Introducing,

Marrakech


and Lime Rickey


And just look at all of this new bling!!!


The super-talented Kelly Goree taught a make and take:


I love this new line by Cloud9Designs, called Bay Blossoms:


Here's one of Pink Paislee's new lines...love the colors!


Bo Bunny came out with some super cute lines. Two of my favorites are Abbey Road and Alissa:




I have saved, what I consider, the best for last. If I was forced to pick only ONE manufacturer to design with, it would definitely be Prima! I LOVE their products! Check out all of the following Prima goodness coming out this season:

This canvas book is to die for! It comes with both canvas and transparent pages. I so have to have one of these!!!


How pretty are these papers?!


This paper is embroidered...Love this layout!


Some unique and gorgeous flowers:


Aren't these album ring covers so clever?


Prima wouldn't be Prima without their famous flowers:


I was thrilled to be able to see Sharon Laakkonen to tell her just how much I admire Prima products:


Remember how I said that people will dress silly to try to win something, like a Making Memories Slice? Well sometimes it pays off!!! I guess it helped that I tied the Making Memories ribbon around my head like an 80's Madonna! My picture made the wall and I was declared a winner! I and my girls are so excited about our new toy!!!


Our evening ended wonderfully with a dinner at Outback with Kathy and Linda. I just had to get a shot of these beautifully decorated palm trees...something we DON'T see in Connecticut!


Thank you for letting me share my fun experiences with you. Stay tuned for Days 2 and 3 over the weekend. :)

CHA: Day 1...the road there

Hey, everyone, I am back from CHA Winter 2009. What a tremendous experience it was! I am so glad that I went and there is so much to share with you all.

I figured I would break it down into 4 parts: the road there, Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3. So here we go...

Saturday I woke up bright and early and drove myself to Hartford to catch my 7:55 am flight. Everything went smoothly and I landed in Minneapolis for a 2-hr layover. So I'm sitting there, eating my lunch, and I kept staring at this woman. She looked so familiar. I felt really bad staring, but then it dawned on me that it looked a whole lot like Nicole Harper from Pink Paislee and Studio Calico. So I finally got the nerve to go up to her and ask. At first I think she thought I was a stalker, LOL! But it was indeed Nicole!


Nicole was so sweet and personable. It was great to pass the layover time with her. Of all places to meet...in the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport!

After a smooth flight, I arrived in Orange County 12 hours after I left home. I was so excited because my friend, Linda Rankin, was going to pick me up at the airport. I could hardly wait! So I called her and found out that she was at the bottom of the escalator in Baggage Claim. As I got to the edge of the stairs, I saw her. I was waving madly, but she was looking at the escalator and not the stairs, so she didn't see me!!! She was as nice as can be and I felt like I had always known her. We have known each other for 1.5 years online.

So went went back to her hotel and her sister, Kathy Morgan, shortly arrived! I felt the same way about Kathy...like we had always known each other. We both design for the same online kit club, Scrapbook Deals 4 U, and we have known each other from a previous website.

Then it was off to a Creative Imaginations pre-show party. Creative Imaginations is debuting a Star Wars line of paper, so they had a Star Wars themed party...how fun that was! There were Star Wars characters walking all around...it was wild! Wonderful make and takes and super food. Couldn't ask for anything better! There I got to meet my friends, Stayce DeWid, Nicole Capote (fellow SD4U designer) and Alice Carmen. I also met the incredibly talented Cheryl Mezzetti. Here are some pictures from my wonderful experience at this CI party:

Linda and me. I just love Linda...she is always smiling, always bubbly...just a great person all around.

Linda, me, Kathy, Nicole, and Alice. So nice to get us all in one picture. We had such a great time!

Super friends Nicole and Alice. Aren't they cute?!

Cheryl Mezzetti. What a sweet, funny, and talented woman she is! Her Massachusetts accent made me feel like I was home...my fellow East Coaster!

Stayce and me. She is such a sweetie...we had so much fun together!


And now for the Star Wars characters I told you about!

Storm Troopers were everywhere!!! I think they had a really good time!

Kathy's son, Jeremy, LOVES Star Wars so she posed with all of the characters!

Too funny! I didn't tell him that I'm likely to be one of the last people on the planet never to have seen any of the SW movies!!!

Me, Kathy, Linda, and Nicole flanked by Storm Troopers


Check out this super cool product from Creative Imaginations. It's a scrapbook that you hang on the wall. The pages are held together by magnets and you can go up to the wall and flip through the book. What a great way to show off your work!



After the party, Linda, Kathy and I went back to the hotel and hammed it up for the camera:


And now for the funniest picture! Linda and I are both Chemistry geeks. There aren't too many scrapping chemists out there, so we nerds have to stick together! I brought my safety glasses and a pair for Linda and we put on our best contemplative chemist looks. Here's out it turned out:

Too funny, eh?!!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's installment, as I take you through Day 1 of CHA. :)

The New Year is nearly here!!!

Are you all starting to think of some New Year's resolutions yet? I typically don't make a big list or anything, but I do have a couple of things that I really want to accomplish.

First off, I want to resurrect my blog. I have been so remiss with it over the past several months...it's time to breathe new life into it! So stay tuned for better things from me. :)

I think it's time to bring back the Picture of the Day. I've missed doing that. My favorite type of things to scrap are everyday life...random things that make me and my loved ones tick. So I am excited to bring that back.

What are your resolutions?

December Scrapbook Deals 4 U kit!!!

Check out what I have been creating from one of the beautiful December kits from Scrapbook Deals 4U! This kit features the gorgeous "Prudence" line from Crate Paper. You are going to want one of these kits!!!











Also check out the Mega Christmas kit at Scrapbook Deals 4U! This kit features beautiful Christmas papers from 3 different lines and so much more!

Order your kits soon, Ladies!

Layouts from the awesome SD4U November kits!!!

This month I was so privileged to be able to design with BOTH November kits from Scrapbook Deals 4U!!!

The first kit features the sweet and whimsical "Nonsense" line by We Are Memory Keepers (WRMK). I've already made 5 layouts from the kit and there's enough left to make 5 more!!! Check out what I've done so far...











The second November kit features the best of 2 Basic Grey lines: "Ambrosia" and "Granola". They compliment each other perfectly. Again, I have so much kit left despite making 5 layouts already! Here's what I've done so far...











So go to SD4U now and get these kits!!! You will LOVE them!!!

Check out this FANTASTIC October kit by Scrapbook Deals 4 U / GREAT OFFER!!!

Here's a peek at the layouts I created using the gorgeous October kit from Scrapbook Deals 4U, featuring October Afternoon's "Hometown" line:













Not only can this wonderful kit be yours, but if you order one, you will get a free mini-kit with your order! Just mention in the Comments section that you saw this offer in my blog.

Scrapbook Deals 4 U is also offering a super cute Halloween kit! The same offer applies with this kit. Check out what it includes:

September Kit Creations for Scrapbook Deals 4U

I am having a blast working with this lovely September kit from Scrapbook Deals 4U featuring My Little Yellow Bicycle's "Vita Bella".

Here's what I've made so far:











Kits go on sale tomorrow, so get it while you can! Also check out the other wonderful September kit featuring My Little Yellow Bicycle's "Zach's Life".

American Idol in Concert / Company Picnic Fun

Last night we got to see the top 10 2008 American Idols perform in Hartford. What a great concert! Here are the top 10:

Chikezie:


Ramiele:


Kristy Lee Cook:


Carly Smithson...super!


Brooke White:


Michael Johns...he was AWESOME!!!


Jason Castro:


Syesha Mercado:


David Archuleta...sounded great!


David Cook...blew EVERYONE away!!!



Today I went to my company picnic and we all had a really good time!

Alex and I tried the bungee out. Alex, of course is fearless and awesome at it!!!


I, on the other hand, was really scared!!! I had such high hopes of flipping around, but once I got up there, the height scared me! I did do a flip, but Tom didn't get it on film.


We played some BINGO and I won twice (prizes for each girl)


The girls had fun at the pool. Here's daredevil Alex doing flips off the board. If she wasn't so busy with cheer and soccer, I'd love to get her into diving!


Samantha doing a nice split jump:


Just look at the extension that Alex gets on her split!


So far, it's been a great weekend! Thanks for looking! :)

Some Layouts I've Made Using the Awesome SD4U August Kit!!!

I'm having so much fun creating layouts with the super summery August kit from Scrapbook Deals 4U. The Grafton line from Scenic Route is just perfect for scrapping your summer memories. Here's what I've done so far:







Some close-ups of my 2-pager:




Buy your August kit here and start scrapping those super fun summer times you've been having!!!

I'm baaaaack!!!

Hi all...I'm back on American soil after traveling 3 weeks in Europe. In some respects, I feel like I've been gone two months. Yet I still feel like I could have lasted longer there, it was just so beautiful. I'd like to share some photos with you all. I've chosen one photo per day that I was gone. I hope you enjoy them.

Day 1 - Doris and I in eager anticipation of our trip as we take our Red Eye transatlantic flight. So many possibilities ahead of us.


Day 2 - I was immediately struck by the European architecture and the fact that Europe is so much older than the United States. Here a Union Jack flies over a beautiful building.


Day 3 - It was so impressive to see the Big Ben and Parliament building in person. Did you know that the Big Ben is not the clock itself, but rather the bell inside of the clock? I hadn't known that.


Day 4 - Just look at this gorgeous sunset in Holland! On this day, we traveled through 4 different countries: England, France, Belgium, and Holland.


Day 5 - This is a windmill in Holland that has been the inspiration for some of Rembrandt's paintings. It was truly a beautiful sight to see in person.


Day 6 - This is a picture of a schloss (castle) in Heidelberg, built centuries ago. My friend Silvia picked us up at our hotel and brought us to Heidelberg to tour for a few hours. It was so wonderful to see her. Thank you, Silvia.


Day 7 - We stayed in a quaint little Swiss village called Fluelen. The scenery was out of this world. Some of the prettiest I have seen.


Day 8 - A beautiful shot of Lake Lucerne. Doris and I sat outside by the lake one evening after dinner and it was just so peaceful.


Day 9 - A gorgeous shot of Venice here. To the right is Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale di Venezia). To the left is the famous San Marco Bell Tower.


Day 10 - I shot this beautiful view of the Bridge of Sighs from a gondola in Venice. What an amazing experience!


Day 11 - I had never seen Trevi Fountain in pictures before, so I had no idea how gorgeous it would be in person. This was one of my favorite sights to see. I threw three coins with my right hand over my left shoulder into the fountain. One for life; one for love; and one to return to Rome again.


Day 12 - The Colosseum in all of its majesty. I had no idea that it was sitting right in the middle of the city! I thought it would be more remote.


Day 13 - Vatican Square. What a treat to see in person. So surreal.


Day 14 - The beautiful Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy.


Day 15 - A beautiful shot of the Prince's Palace of Monaco at night.


Day 16 - We got to visit a lovely village in the south of France called St. Paul de Vence. It was built on a hilltop and had such lovely views all around it.


Day 17 - The famous Pont d'Avignon, a bridge that was never finished and just stops in the middle of the Rhone River.


Day 18 - A wonderful shot of the Moulon Rouge (Red Windmill) in Paris, France.


Day 19 - The Tour Eiffel, probably the sight I wanted to see the most in Europe (you can tell from my Meez persona on my blog!). Truly magnificent and what gorgeous sky surrounding it on this day.


Day 20 - The saddest day of this trip, when we bid 'adieu' to mainland Europe and headed back to England via the Calais/Dover ferry.


Day 21 - Doris and I have come full circle. This parting shot was taken at Heathrow International Airport in London. Back to reality for us!


I can't begin to express just how priveleged we were to have seen all that we saw over in Europe. To walk those hallowed grounds, to touch the stones and marble. This has been a life-altering experience for me and I am truly blessed. I'm already trying to figure out when I can go back!

If anyone is looking to partake in such an experience, check out this Cosmos website. It's a great and affordable way to see the world and leave the driving and other travel details up to someone else, not to mention door to door service to all of the sights.

I hope you all had a wonderful past three weeks and I look forward to catching up with you all.

Off to Take the Trip of my Life!!!

Tomorrow Doris and I leave for Europe on a three week vacation. London, Amsterdam, Heidelberg, Lucerne, Venice, Rome, Florence, Nice, Lyon, and Paris.

We're just thrilled!!!

I shall have plenty of photos to share when we return.

I hope you all have a great three weeks and I'll catch up with you all later.

xoxo

Introducing the July kit from Scrapbook Deals 4U!

I had a BLAST creating pieces from the super pretty July kit from Scrapbook Deals 4U!!! This beautiful kit is packed with goodies from the beautiful "Delightful" collection by My Little Yellow Bicyle. Here is what I came up with:

Scrapbook Deals 4U June kit / My Scrapbook Nook scrapoff

Scrapbook Deals 4U June kit

I want to share with you the projects that I made with the FABULOUS June kit from Scrapbook Deals 4U! This kit featured the beautiful Urban Cosmos line from Prima Marketing.

Here's what I came up with:























This gorgeous kit includes:

6 beautiful sheets of Urban Cosmos paper by Prima
5 coordinating sheets of Bazzill cardstock
1 package of Prima cream felt alphabet stickers
1 roll of Urban Cosmos tape (so much fun to play with!)
5 Urban Cosmos journaling cards
7 pieces of Maya Road and Basic Grey raw chipboard shapes
2 Prima clear stamps
1 Maya Road calendar turn
2 7 Gypsies Pretoria clip
2 yards of decorative trim
1 large Daisy D's rubon
Assorted buttons

All for the low price of $23.95!

To purchase this beautiful kit, please look HERE.


My Scrapbook Nook scrapoff

I have been having so much fun participating in the Scrapoff over at My Scrapbook Nook!

Here are some of the projects I've been making for the contest:

A white-space challenge:


A monochromatic challenge:


A card challenge:


A numbers challenge (use 1 of something, 2 of something...through 10 of something):


A scrap your week challenge. I scrapped preparations leading up to my trip to Europe:




















Thank you for looking! :)