Lauren Ferguson | There are no mistakes in art, just opportunites to embellish. (tm)

I had a blast at CHA!!

Oh my goodness!!  Where do I start??

I am floating so high from all of the great energy that was exuding from the most amazing people.

Ok, so let me start from the beginning...

The Designer Showcase was great!  I went with what I had made. I must admit that I always have these grand plans of what I am going to be able to accomplish. As the time gets closer and closer, life starts to just get in the way and plans get changed.

I had originally wanted to make 15 sets of cards. Then it was 10 sets. I set up my Showcase with a total of 10 cards - 5 sets. 

It worked out great! I used lentils and rice to hold the cards up on the table. It was perfect.

I had wanted to put up a nice backdrop made out of acrylic, I even had the acrylic shipped. It just did not happen, but I was still excited at how it looked.

Demoing on the show floor is exhausting. Not only do you lose your voice, but by the time the show is over, you are so beat.

I ran from one booth to the next. Next year, I do not want to pack my schedule as full.

The Eco-lounge was fun. So many people came by the table to see and touch all of the flowers. I had a crowd that was 5 people deep. Most just passed the flowers around and tried to guess what materials I used to cut them.

I had a fabulous time in the GlueFoil Booth. I love that stuff. I love how it works with anything that I can think. I had such a great time with these fabulously talented people at the booth.

I got to see Rebecca Peck, Bernie Berlin and Kelly Snelling. Kelly Snelling signed her A Charming Exchange: 25 Jewelry Projects To Create & Share book for me. Oh how much fun is that.  I acted just as dumb as I did with Bernie Berlin. But it was FUN!!!

I was also in the Amate Studios booth. WHile I know that everyone knows them for the bezels, I love the handmade bark paper. I used i ton a number of the cards th I had done for my Desinger Showcase.

Then I went to the Sizzix Booth to demo.. Let me just say this... They gave me a clip on microphone and told me I could do anything. I did and I shocked the powers that be...

I got very little time to just walk the floor, but what I did get to see, I enjoyed.

I met Margot Potter. No one told me that she was more fun in person than I could have ever imagine.

I hugged the Crafty Chica. I hope some of her glitter drama rubbed off on me. I need as much glitter drama as I can get.

I met Donna Downey. We were separated at birth. She is from NJ and I am too. She moved to the South and so did I. So see we were separated at birth.

I met my idol Anna Griffin. I used only her paper when I first started scrapbooking. Anna Girffin was the one who taught me how to use my craft kinife rather than a paper trimmer.

I got to Schmooze with Suze Weinberg. I just love her spunk and personality. Love it Love it Love it!!!

I promise to post the answers to the flowers tomorrow and announce the winner.

until we meet again,

CHA and all my Peeps...

Yesterday was a busy day.  I spent most of the day running from here to there.

I could not seem to hold on to anything. I was dropping and losing things all day.

I lost all of my Press Kit CDs. Come to find out that they had fallen under the table at the Helmar Booth.

I left my notebook at the ketchup counter and a Retailer found it.

Wow, I am glad that my shoulder are attached to my head, because I would have lost those too.

But, most of all, I had a blast just doing what I do.

So who did I just happen to run into...

 My first photo of the day was with my very first paper celebrity Anna Griffin. I reminded her that we spoke on QVC in December of 2003.  Like she would remember...  Nope, she just laughed and thought that I had lost my mind.

Then Donna Downey was walking past and you know that she is from NJ and moved to the south just like me.  So she says Cauw-fee too! I took a photo with her and tweeted immediately. Oh that was so much fun!!

Then Bernie Berlin and all her peeps came by to say hello to me at the Cardstock Warehouse Booth. If I had just a smidgen of the raw talent that she has in her pinky finger in my whole body, yall would be calling me Picassa.

The last part of the day I at the Sizzix booth showing what I do with my Machine.  OK, first, for the record, and to all those who may ever want to work with me in near future or far future.

If you tell me that I can do anything I want, then I will probably do something to shock you or something that I probably should not do but it works for me and I do it.

Well, let me just say this, I shocked the Jules, I think I made her pee her pants. But there was a bunch of wow factor and they liked the things that I did with machine.

No, I did not get my picture taken with Paris Hilton. First she showed up two hours late and second the line to meet her started forming at 1.00pm for her 3.30 appearance.

I had things to do.  Yep, I did I did.

until we meet again.

I'm at CHA. Where are you??

I am at CHA and it starts today!!  This is going to be a really really big show.

Could you hear Ed Sullivan in my voice. 

The Designer Showcase Meet and Greet went very well. It is always nice to be able to see old peeps and get to know new ones.

I was pleasantly surprised at the number of Editors, Manufacturers and Publishers that came through so early in the show.

Anyway, if you are on the floor or plan on coming to the show, come by and see me. 

Here is my schedule:

Sunday 1/25/2009   
9.00am to 5.00pm .......... Designer Showcase Room 303 ABC
9.00am to 12.00noon .......... Cardstock Warehouse Booth #1772
3.00pm to 4.30 pm .......... Sizzix Stage Event Booth #1959, 1969
   
Monday 1/26/2009   
12.00pm to 1.00pm .......... Eco-Lounge Make & Take
2.00pm to 5.00pm .......... Cardstock Warehouse Booth #1772
   
Tuesday 1/27/2009   
9.00am to 11.00am .......... Streuter Technologies Booth #1235
12.00pm to 1.00pm .......... Eco-Lounge Make & Take
2.00pm to 5.00pm .......... Cardstock Warehouse Booth #1772
   
Wednesday 1/28/2009   
9.00am to 12.00 noon .......... Amante Studios Booth #2501

I need to freshen up for the long day ahead. I will tweet when I can.

until we meet again,

More flowers for your garden...

This is the second to last installment of flowers.

Enjoy!

until we meet again,

I heard from Paris Hilton!!!

Well, not exactly Paris herself. I heard from Wooky Entertainment!!!

So I must have passed the is she crazy test.

The answer was of course Yes!

Just crazy enough to think of it and yet alone give it life.

Oh, but I digress...

I have been told that the actress, singer, model, scrapbook entrepreneur has committed her time to previous requests and will be unable to attend.

I just have to be honest and say that I had actually given up any hope to hear anything at this late date.

The fact that I did really makes me giggle. You know that dumb laugh that makes you call your friends and tell them to get out of bed giggle, yep called two people.

Am I disappointed?

HELL YES!!! 

I was just that much closer to scrapping with Paris Hilton! 

You can't blame a girl for trying.

Don't hate me because I am beautiful, just hate me.

until we meet again,

Yes, there are still more flowers

OK, so we are finally getting close to the end of the flowers.

I will not post the answers to the flowers until Monday morning of the CHA show.

Happy guessing!!! 

until we meet again,

More flowers for your garden...

I just wanted to say that I have not heard back from Paris Hilton yet.

But when I do, I will let you know.

until we meet again,

A few more flowers

Here is another group of flowers for you.  Enjoy!

until we meet again,

Flowers are growing under my feet

So I just counted and I still have over 35 flowers left to reveal. Actually, I stopped counting after 35.

So I have got to get to getting.

I am fired up about CHA and even though there is more to do than time will allow, I am having a blast.

Have fun with the flowers today.

until we meet again,

Scrap Attack!

OK so some of you may have heard that Paris Hilton has decided to back her very own line of craft products.

I have read some of the most interesting stuff on any number of message boards.

Some of it has made me laugh and other stuff has just made me shake my head and say "are you serious?"

On January 7, CHA sent out a press release announcing the following...

Elmwood Park, NJ, USA; January 07, 2009 — The Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) is pleased to announce that internationally recognized celebrities including Deborah Norville, Vanna White, Jane Seymour, and Paris Hilton will be attending the CHA 2009 Winter Convention & Trade Show in Anaheim, California held from January 25 – 28, 2009 discussing their passion for crafting and various craft product lines.

Celebrities are people too and they also like to craft.

Do you remember when Rosey Greer "came out of the crafting closet"?

Men all across America decided that they needed to learn to needlepoint and hook rug that year.

I know my Dad did it because Rosey did it.

Now, did Dad think that it was his cup of tea, no, but it opened his world up just a bit more now that this famous football player was doing it.

So Amen and Rock On!!

So let's hope that she can craft as well as she can sing and act.

I am publicly and officially challenging Paris Hilton to a Glue Stick Smackdown.

I will meet you anytime anywhere on the CHA show floor bring with you:

• your paper line -- embellishments and all,
• a glue stick, and
• a trimmer.

We will have 30 minutes to complete a two page layout.

That's it. Are you game? Are you up for the challenge?

until we meet again,