For this post I am going to focus on Day 1 of the show itself and then the next couple days I will share the "make and takes" and Day 2! This was my first ever trip to a CHA!
I only went for the floor show part of the convention, no workshops etc. The workshops that I would have liked to attend we're sold out pretty early on. That is okay though, for my first time at a show like this I was happy to just take in the actual floor show. I am going to just talk about highlights...otherwise I could write a book :).
I started the morning in line waiting for the doors to open and excitedly recognizing people all around me. Once the doors opened I went in and just started wandering. I met Amy Tan right off the bat, I have had really good luck getting cards published using pieces from her lines, so I was thrilled to have the chance to meet and chat with her! Her new line looks awesome!
I wanted to survey the whole place before doing anything else. At the back of the room I found the Heidi Swapp/Pink Paislee booth. My friend Kimberly aka Scrap it Girl was working there and encouraged me not to be reserved and just to jump in and chat and create. I needed that encouragement! Heidi was doing a make and take and the line was short, so I jumped in to try it. She was amazing and friendly, definitely makes a consumer want to buy more of her stuff. And she is a mom to five, which was very encouraging to me heading into baby #4! I got to play with her new "Color Shine" mist...it is very user friendly and has gorgeous shimmer to it. I also love the color choices she had...will be adding some of this to my collection!
I headed over to the Bella Blvd booth next. I love their stuff, aside from my loyalties to Momenta and Quick Quotes, no company is higher on my list. I have followed stephanienon Facebook and her blog for a long while so I was thrilled to see her there. It is not my norm to walk up to a person I don't know and introduce myself...but I did and we chatted a bit. I even got a pic with her too! Last winter they came out with a baby boy line and a baby girl line, my friend Kerri joked that I only got pregnant so I could use those...I shared that funny with Stephanie! She is as nice of a person as could be and the booth itself was amazing, I could copy everything I saw there!
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I was so excited to connect with some of the owners from Quick Quotes and my design team leader and a fellow designer!
Jillibean Soup is another favorite of mine and I have to say that after meeting several members from their team, I like them even more. I met Kimber, Jill, and Patty and they were so friendly and chatty. It made me feel like I already knew these gals! They really know how to put their best foot forward with a tremendous front line in that booth! I can't wait to get their new releases and start creating! Just like Bella Blvd, their booth was full of awesome projects!
I spent most of the rest of the first day just angering and soaking it all up. I did lots of make and takes, trying out a wide variety of products. Not every company offers a make and take but I tried to take advantage of any I was interested in. By the end of the day my body was exhausted, note to self...bags get way heavy, roller bags are definitely a must next time! My hubby and I stayed the night in Chicago so I could head back the next morning. I definitely needed that extra time! You could get thru it all in a day but knowing I would have more time allowed me to soak things up and not rush. Day two post will come soon, for now It is time to rest :)
2 comments:
So great to meet you today! Hope you continued to enjoy the show. It's fun to see so many that we chat with or admire online. ;)
So glad that you got to go, it is just the most fun a paper crafter can have! Rest up!
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