CHA 2010 Favorite Things

Last Friday through Sunday, I was in Anaheim, CA, for the CHA Consumer and Trade shows. We have a big booth there to show off all of our products and to showcase all the fabulous things you can do with our products. The dyed velvet dress (above) is an example. It is so beautiful! And you can make this with our dyes! Wow!

I only had less than a day to walk the entire CHA Trade show (let me tell you, it can't be done and done well). So, I tried to walk fast, grab brochures, say hi to old friends and take pictures of all the cool things I saw. I tend to notice how things are displayed - I love interesting ways to display things - as much as I notice what is on display. Anyway, in no apparent order and with little or no explanation, here are some favorite things I saw at the show.........

Love this coat - it is so on-trend with it's patchwork construction and fabulous rosettes!

Love these paper rosettes.

Great way to display.

Lots of chandeliers at this show.

Me with Susan Lenart-Kazmer, a mixed media and found object artist. I am a big fan of her work.

Pressed velvet petals to make vintage floral embellishments.

Love how these bracelets are stacked. I think I am going to make a bracelet holder like this one for my many bangles.

This table (below) was in the Vintaj booth. I LOVED it!

My friend and co-worker at iLoveToCreate, the Crafty Chica, Kathy Cano-Murillo. She is always such a vivacious person to have in our booth. Everyone loves her!

A zillion butterflies dangling from the ceiling.

Loved this batik look that was being demonstrated.

My sweet friend, and former boss, Chris Wallace of Walnut Hollow.

National Dress Up Your Pet Day Contest

If your pet is just as stylish as you are, than this contest is for you! In honor of National Dress Up Your Pet Day (Jan. 15, 2010) iLovetoCreate.com and Craftplace challenge you to create stylish handmade attire for your favorite pet. Go here for complete rules. Want to know the best part (for me) about this contest??? My Boston Terrier, Gabby aka Punk Princess, is in the video and on the website. She is just one of many animals who got all dressed up to promote this contest. Lucky for you, she can't participate because she is part of the iLovetoCreate team.

Here's what Gabby looks like when she's not participating in such a haute fashion shoot.

Fashion Graffiti

Check out the hip and cool collage/mixed media artist, Traci Bautista, as she introduces our new Tulip Fashion Graffiti line. It's all about creating fashion style with fabulous colors, stencils, and easy techniques. Bring out your inner urbanista!

Words of Wisdom

Each day I try to read something inspiring to encourage me throughout my day. I really do try to view my life's glass as half full - or even REALLY FULL when I am having an especially great day. Today is a day that I am struggling. I feel like there are some things that aren't fair that continue to take place and I want these loose ends tied up and done! But in life loose ends often stay loose and one must decide to be angry and frustrated or to seek inspiration and feel better. I did the latter. I was reading a daily devotional that is emailed to me and there was a story about an elderly lady who met life's challenges with great grace and joy. When asked how she did this, she confidently responded with these words:

"Be today who you want to be tomorrow."

After I stared for a moment at this profound sentence, I decided that I don't want to stay mad or wallow in disappointment or spend another minute dwelling on something (or someone) I cannot change. But I can change my attitude. I can choose to be today who I want to be tomorrow. I bet I will have a lot more tomorrows if I can do this. Stress has a way of limiting your tomorrows. Anyway, I just thought I would share this to encourage others as I have been encouraged. Here is a picture that helps me feel at peace.

A New Decade

I meant to blog about Christmas but I got too busy. I meant to blog to wish everyone a Happy New Year and talk about my resolutions, but I decided I wasn't going to make any because when I fail I tend to feel bad about myself. And that is NOT how I want to feel. I want to feel enthusiastic about the future, even when the future is scary. I want to make sound decisions and wise choices. I want to be smarter because of the adversity I have been through. I don't want to have weathered a crisis and have nothing to show for it. What gain is there in that? A couple of days ago I read a newspaper article, "Economic Crisis Scars a Generation", by Gail Marks Jarvis, that said, After living through one of the most brutal recessions in U.S. history, many late teens and young adults could be scarred for life, adopting behaviours that could skew everything from their own careers to politics, corporate profits and the stock market. The article went on to say it may have much the same effect as how the Great Depression changed so many of the youths of the 1930s into conservative spenders and investors. OK, but isn't that a good thing? Why do we think that if we endure suffering it must 'scar' us instead of mold us? My parents lived through the Great Depression and WWII. My mother told me stories of how they rationed sugar and meat, and when she was pregnant with her firstborn during wartime, the doctor told her if she didn't follow his instructions to the letter, he would drop her as a patient because he didn't have time to treat undisciplined patients. Harsh? Maybe. But that generation learned to sacrifice and became strong. They were smart with what little money they had, they valued family, and they did what they had to do to hold it together. After WWII, America went on to experience prosperity like it had never known. Maybe this will happen again to this generation of young people who have witnessed their parents struggling to make ends meet. Maybe this recent struggle will create entrepreneurs who will change the world. Maybe it takes a monumental struggle like the one we are experiencing to instill humility into a generation of people who think suffering is having to shop less, ride a bike instead of drive, or eat at home instead of at a fast food restaurant. It makes me wonder who we will be as a nation at the end of the next decade. As a person who has traveled overseas and witnessed suffering firsthand, I can say that we live like kings and queens in America, even when we are lacking what we once enjoyed. My challenge to myself this new year is to treat each struggle as an opportunity to become stronger, to give a hand to someone who needs one, and to always view my glass as half full, rather than half empty.

Team Jacob

I am not a Twilight fan. Nothing against the vampire saga, but I just am not feeling it. Having said that, I did sit in an empty theater last night - empty but for my two friends and I - and had a great time watching New Moon. What made the movie so entertaining, besides the shirtless wolves, the adrenaline-seeking Bella, and the scary looking Voltarians, (not to mention the Junior Mints, Dots and M&Ms) were the reactions from my friends, one of whom is a major fan. She's already seen the movie, but she provided all the reactions to the characters as if it were her first viewing. Of course, because the theater was empty we were able to laugh, scream, talk and howl through the whole thing. In case you are wondering.......................I am definitely on Team Jacob! Here's why: He's alive and his altered state is a wolf. I like wolves. Edward, on the other hand is dead, cold and really pasty white when he takes off his shirt. Can he turn into a bat like Dracula? I don't know.............I only read as far as Twilight.

New Moon

I tried to resist. I pretended I didn't care. I am not even a fan.

But I am going. Tonight. With two of my younger, somewhat obsessed coworkers, to see

New Moon.

I don't even know which team to be on. Maybe I'll decide after tonight. Of course, my co-workers have already been to the movie - on opening night!

As a trend guru I decided I had better see the second installment of this pop culture phenomenon - the Twilight series.

I am prepared to enjoy this flick. All I need are a box of Junior Mints, a ticket, and great friends. Stay tuned........