CHA Recap - the finished result

Back today to share some of the completed booth photos.  I am in debt to May Flaum for sharing her wonderful photos of the booth!  Every show she is able to capture the true beauty of the booth.  This time was no exception.  Be sure to click on her photos to see the enlarged version.  Thanks May!

Love how everything turned out.  From the paint on the walls to the windows...just love it.  The booth really came together to reflect the feeling of Wallflower, just what we were aiming for. 

Glad to have my dress form in the booth this show, it's a little piece of home!  Connie Fong's necklaces look beautiful hanging around the neck.

Here is another of Connie's necklaces, made from the new Letterpress, that we had hanging on the window latch.

Great Burlap panel by Kaz Hall - loving all the layers.

 Project by Vicki Boutin - you can see the inside on Tim's blog.

I love this shot May took of the right side of the booth because it shows the shelves and wood boxes we used to prop samples.  Every time we set the booth I think, "this is the best it has ever looked"but this time I really mean it! (until next year of course)

 Project by Mou Saha with the new large Collection Folio.  Always love what she can do with the "leftovers" once a die has been cut.  I wish I could think more like that!

Once the booth is set, it's time for the doors to open!  And open they did.  People came running up to get one of the giveaway totes (which were quite beautiful) and get into the make and take line.  Deb had a line...all day, every day of the show. So very fun when the booth is super busy!

Hey, I see Monica and Rita....

and Hebie and Anne from New Zealand. 

Jan Hobbins also stopped by the booth (middle) with her sister Pat (left) and Lori (aka Sandra Bullock) who own the Urban Scrapbook in Edmonton, Canada.  These girls make me laugh every time they visit the booth which is quite often!  Jan created all three of the projects hanging on the wall.  She does amazing work which such an attention to detail, something we look for in our booth samples.  Thanks so much Jan!

be sure to check out Jan's blog - she has GREAT pictures of each project - you have to see the clock!

The Show Floor

I don't get out too much except before the show starts and lunch - but when I did, I ran into a few friends!

I stopped to see this lovely lady, Dina Wakley.  Glad to see her in the Ranger booth - what a nice fit.  What I like about Dina is that she has no pretense.  She is as nice and kind as she seems and that is hard to find in any industry.  

I have been reading Dina's book Art Journal Freedom since I picked it up at Whim So Doodle in Florida.  What a great book for inspiration, as well as learning.  Even though our art is very different, the foundation techniques are the same.  What I like most is that Dina's writing style is easy to understand.  She makes you feel like you can really take the challenges and be successful.  Thank you for that!

Then there was these two mad lunatics...Louise Nelson from Australia and Dyan Reaveley (we all know Diane in not from the UK, but another planet).  Love seeing these two just because you never know whats coming next.

 Like my new glasses?

Then there is Richele.  Walking the show floor with her is fun because she is never afraid to be in a picture.  I got her playing a pink piano, standing next to the yarn Easter Island statue among other things.  Richele was a great help to Deb and I prepping the booths and then again writing orders when the show started.  We loved having her as part of the team!

My favorite photo of the event...this guy who is sleeping at the charging station.  Hope he gets going again!  Seriously, that carpet alone could give anyone a charge!

And then there's this guy.  

The one who makes it all happen.  

So lucky to work with him.  To be involved in the process of thinking, creating, and sharing.  I am at a loss for words over his generosity, but suffice it to say, I am a lucky girl.

Thanks Tim.

do you not love this photo? 

(fake moustache provided by Heather)

I have 3 show tote bags to give away!  

Just pretend (the ever amazing) Mario and I are handing it to you in the booth!

Leave a comment and tell me what new product are you most looking forward to seeing in person.

I will pick the winners on Friday morning the 24th.

seriously, who can resist that smile?

(you know i'm talking about Mario right?)

If you haven't checked out Tim's blog today - it is a must...two words, Show Samples.   Richele has a nice recap on her blog too!  So much to see!
now carry on,
paula

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

CHA Inspiration

I have spent the better part of December next to this window working on CHA projects.  To say that I am happy with the result, is an understatement.  I'm ecstatic!
I was so inspired by the new line of paper called Wallflower, Found Relatives (which I have wanted for a long time), our new metal pieces and to be quite honest...the Distress Paint color Iced Spruce.  Everything was about Iced Spruce...I used up the whole bottle (and we all know Distress Paint goes a long way).

It is all cleaned up now. 
Well, except for the paintbrushes.  I mentioned on Facebook that maybe I should go with the "clean as I go" method rather than the "use all I have" method.  Funny thing is that I did clean as I went, but still ended up here. 

So now it is all packed up. 
A months worth of work.
Sometimes work is just work.
But this time I got to tell stories - I ALWAYS do my best work when there is a story to tell.  I think we all do. 

So even though I can't show you what I made just yet, I can show snippets of three of the projects. 

A story of my father

 A story of a trip to France

 A story of things precious to me

Now the 2nd half of the process begins...traveling to Anaheim, unpacking the props and setting the booth.  Debbie and Richele will also be there helping to get everything set up and ready for CHA to start on Saturday.  I'm looking forward to the process (I really do love it).  I also am looking forward to seeing old friends and talking to those that stop by the Idea-ology booth. 

Many hours were sacrificed this month by the group of women that created samples for us (creating samples in December is always a challenge).  Seriously, why does CHA have to be so early in Jan?  I know it has to do with the paper crafting show in Germany, but still it makes us all just a little bit crazy.

Thank you girls!

Mou Saha

Jan Hobbins

Vicki Boutin

Richele Christensen

Tammy Tutterow

Shelly Hickox

Anne Kristine Holt

Kaz Hall

Connie Fong

Heather Smith

Chelle Fowler

I will be posting on Facebook and Instagram during the show set up.  I never want to commit to a real blog post during the show, since our schedule is hectic.  So if I get one out to you it might be a small miracle but I will cross my fingers.
now carry on,
paula

2014 CHA Sneak Peak - Idea-ology

This week has been spent finishing CHA samples as well as directing a group of women that are also making samples for the show (I have never encouraged my husband to play so much golf on his school break!). 
It's a little unnerving to think there are only 2 days left to finish everything, but on the other hand we have been "living" this release of products for many, many months now and it's time share it (even the cover of the catalog is wonderful!).   So very PROUD to be part of this small team...I hope it shows!

Wait till you see what is inside...enjoy!

You can preview the entire catalog on Tim's blog HERE. 

I hope something you see will spark your creative spirit with new ideas!

carry on (after you view the catalog!)

paula