Found Relatives

I have created a lot of projects for CHA over the years.  In fact, by my calculation I have participated in approximately 16 shows since 2005.  For the majority of those years, I have been in on the design work at some level, so I know what will be in the product box when it's delivered...meaning, I know what to prepare for or think about before the box arrives.  Working with Tim is no exception.  Preparation for a a show can start almost a year in advance and that gives me a lot of time to think about what I want to do with the product.  Found Relatives was one such product.
Tim and I collected vintage photos for this set of cards then laid them out on his table to choose the ones we liked the best.  I wanted people you could cut out, and he wanted some of his signature "men with moustaches" photos.  After a bit of debate, I think we got a perfect mix of men, women and children to create with.

So maybe your like, "why would I want a pack of pictures of people I don't know?"  Well, I hope to show you why over the next week or two in the projects I created.  I personally like to make up a little story to go with the photo, give them a name, a place they came from.  Super easy to grab one from the stack and get started on a project.  I do use old family pictures from time to time but I am limited on what I have to choose from, the contrast is not great on most which makes them hard to cut out and most are a bit blurry when made larger than a 2 x 3".  This pack solves my problem of wanting to create art with photos that are easily accessible.
The cards come in a pack of 24.  I say cards because they are printed on heavyweight paper...nice a thick so the image can be cut out and still stand up. 

The back of each card is printed like a playing card so either side can be used in your artwork as I did in this first piece I am sharing today.

I had this little black case sitting on a shelf in my workroom.  I think I bought it on Etsy or Ebay years ago when I was searching for glass vials.  This one came with vials filled with watch stems.  I took out the vials that were left and removed the velvety cushion that kept them in place.

I used one of the 6 x 6" papers that is at the back of the new Wallflower Paper Stash to cover the left side of the case (it was heavily inked to match the right side).   I also gathered some new (and past) products to add to the mix.

Industrious - frames and trims

mini numerals

Adornments - nature

Corners

2 Found Relatives cards

I inked the back of one of Found Relatives card, then used Crackle Accents over the top.  After it dried I added Distress Stain - Vintage Photo over the cracks.  Some of the crackle broke away as I was wiping the stain away, but not enough to make a difference.  I was very happy with the result.

I cut out the bride a groom from the card, then colored the flowers with a Distress marker.  Because the card is slick, it allows you time to color and wipe away before drying (Just have a bit of a paper towel or cloth handy).  I like how the flower, although a subtle color of Victorian Velvet, added a bit of faded elegance to the bride.  For the groom, I used one of the new Heart Charms held with a Mini Fastener.  Once that was done, I mounted the couple on foam tape so they are popped up on the card back.

Heart Charms come in a pack of twelve with eighteen stickers and matching epoxy.  I like them because the are small and lightweight...a super easy add-on to the top of a tag, a card, or mixed media piece.

On the left side, I used Iced Spruce Distress Paint (you are going to read the word Iced Spruce a lot in the next few weeks...I used the entire bottle doing my projects!) and a couple Alcohol Inks - Mushroom and Pebble over the top of the paint on the Corners, Mini Numerals, Adornments bough and Alpha Parts - framed (together).  I only used the Alcohol Ink on the Industrious Sticker - oval frame.

The new Alpha Parts looks like this.  Yes, it's black plastic but it doesn't have to look like it.  Amazing what a little paint can do to change it up.

So I think I covered about all the info that you might want about this piece.  It's simple but still a favorite.  I love the bride and groom.  They really take on a whole different appearance once cut away from the card...and they are going to work great on a Halloween project too! 

Now what you have all been waiting for....

The winners of the Idea-ology tote bags are:

Beulah Bee
I've always been very partial to all of Tim's Paper Stash and will make a point to look for the new Wallpaper in the stores. I enjoyed the photos (especially the poor fellow needing a charge) and your stories too. I bet you wish you'd had more time to see all the new products. It is mind-boggling how big the craft industry is!

Butterfly
It all looks absolutely stunning - so much eye candy it's not true!! I love the display windows and boxes - genius, and the whole Wallflower vibe is so completely up my street...

I'm so excited to see (and stroke) the papers, I adore the bug dies, and the fantastic confetti/stencil decorative strip dies, oh, oh and the Framelits butterflies - totally fantastic - but I think the ones I'm most keen to get my hands on are those fantastic Frameworks repeated patterns (have a couple of'em on pre-order!!)...

Thanks for sharing your side of the story - it's been such a joy to get a glimpse behind the scenes!

Jo Lynch

Great recap Paula!
OMG!! I love everything!! So many products and inspiration… so little time!!!
I think I need to quit my job just to do all of the things I am inspired to create! =)
However, I L-O-V-E the new Letterpress print blocks!!!! I have several projects in progress that I am going to use them on.
And I am really looking forward to finding my lost relatives to use them in LOTS of projects!
Also, I love your dress form!! Have admired it in past photos, so glad to know it's yours!

If you are one of the lucky winners, please email me your shipping address to paula@oneluckyday.net

now carry on,

paula

InLinkz.com

CHA Recap

Hi everyone!  

Back to work today after a long trip to CHA in Anaheim and a family wedding this weekend. 

We had a really wonderful time at CHA, from setting up to tearing down.  I will start with a few pictures from our trip to Disney for Tim's birthday and then on to an in-depth look at the steps involved in setting the Idea-ology booth.

I will admit it right here.  I have not been to Disneyland in probably 15 years so this was a fun experience for me.  Thanks Mario and Tim for the invite!

I love the Tea Cup ride...needless to say, when you ride in the same cup with Tim he may just be taking your picture.  

Glad he did.

 The group!

We ended the night with one last celebration at Naples Restaurant in Downtown Disney.  Is that a pizza or what?  What a great way to spend a birthday with friends!

 And now on to the show!

Day 1: January 8th
We arrived on the showroom floor about 2:00.  The booth floor and walls were set that morning and girls from Advantus (our distributor) had already unpacked the props from the crates. It's a lot of boxes!

 

You might notice the white walls at the back of the booth.  Tim had them painted over when the booth was still in Florida so he could paint and glaze them here at the show.

You can see the girls still unpacking props from ONE of the large crates and someone working on the booth lighting up on top.  Mario is working on social media and Tim is getting ready to start painting.

Tim mixed the paint and glaze together in a small bucket.  Richele painted the wall and Tim spread it out with a rag to get the effect he wanted.  I just had to stand back to point out any bad spots and quickly wipe up any drips on the flooring.  The whole process to paint the two small walls took about 30 minutes.  People might not notice the subtle difference but it does look much better than the flat painted walls we had before.

 Someone should have worn gloves....

We had to let the walls dry of course, so we moved back to organizing the props.  Cameras together, pins together, books, cages, bottles, etc.  We also separated out small props for the windows which will be the main feature in Idea-ology, as well as props for the Stella and Sizzix booths.  Lots of things to consider when looking at the stacks of items.  I will be honest, we never know where props will end up at when we start.  Even if we look at pictures from past shows, it never turns out the same.  I think that's part of the fun.

 To set the booth, we start by splitting up the props between the sides of the booth.  Tim always helps us prop the top shelf which is really a 3 person job.   One person on the decking and a couple people to hand props up to that person.  It really is a team effort.

In this shot, you can see the newly painted wall and the "foundation" of the Idea-ology signage.  Some props have been placed on the the lower shelf, but that is just a start to the layering process.

 On the right side of the booth, Rana and Tracey have already hung all the Idea-ology product.  Again, we have the "foundation" pieces of the upper shelf in place, ready for day two of the layering process.

You might have noticed that we did work on the cart of suitcases and cages.  Since our new paper is called Wallflower, which includes birds on a couple papers, we decided to include the cages amongst the suitcases to support the paper images.  And with that, we are done with day 1 of set up.  I admit we were so excited at how far we had come in just a few hours time!

Day 2: January 9th
Today is all about the second layer of props and a third layer of greenery and twigs.  The greenery is always stored in a metal shopping cart (used for giveaways during the show)...it's easy to roll it out of the crate and even easier to transport foliage around the booth.

Today, Richele, Debbie and I worked on the upper shelf as Tim had to work in the Ranger booth.  One person has to be on the decking and one person on the ground to decide on placement of the prop.  We think about shape and size and color of each object before it is placed and in the end, it is up to the person on the ground to make the final decision if the prop works or not since being 5 feet away is better than being inches away.  These girls are always so willing to "make it work".

 

 The famous windows arrived and were unpacked by Mario and Chelle. 

They really were a labor of love by Mario who worked on the finish and the chicken wire and Art who made the shelves.  My husband Jay cut 12 panels for the empty spots, painted half with chalkboard paint and wrapped the other half with burlap to make pin boards.  Once again, team effort.

Time to hang the chandeliers over the cart of suitcases.  You might also notice the wall panels of bugs in the background.  Each show we pick one of the new papers to be blown up and printed, to cover the white walls at the back of the booth. 

The following pictures were taken on day three - we're done!
 Up close on the left side -

 Up close on the right side -

Well, this has turned into quite a long post.  I think I'll save the rest of the finished booth for tomorrow and maybe a little give away too!  You knew I couldn't come home empty handed!

By the way, Tim wrote a wonderful re-cap of all the booths on his blog here.  Please be sure to stop by and check it out, along will all the video clips that go over the new products. 
carry on,
paula