I don’t usually attend the summer CHA show, but since it was nearly in my backyard (only 1-1/2 hours away), I decided to attend.  The show was remarkably smaller than previous CHA shows I have attended ~ like 1/4 of the usual size.  Sign of the times.  While it was the usual proliferation of scrapbook papers that all start to look the same after a couple hours, there were some fun things to see, Make-n-Takes to do, etc.  Here’s what I saw ~ please forgive me if I didn’t get the name of a booth…

I’ll start with the coolest thing I discovered ~ Tombow Dual Tip Markers.  I have had brush markers before, but these are NICE.  There is a blender marker that really works well.  I found them on Dick Blick for less $$ than on the Tombow site.

Here’s another fun new product from Ranger ~  a collapsible water bucket! How cool is that?

I’m afraid I didn’t get a picture of their booth (I was being polite), but these were the neatest stencils I’ve ever seen ~ very different – check them out at The Crafter’s Workshop.

Melissa Bickle did some really creative things with buttons, ribbons, pipe cleaners, etc….  Love her sign :-)  And if you have a ribbon collection that needs taming, she’s got just the product for you here on her website.

Maybe I should decorate my sewing machine…

Pretty Halloween papers display…

These are two very dear friends ~  Here I am (center) with Annette & Mary who own Ta-Da Creative.

These gals are über creative.  Their booth was so cool it won a “Best Booth at the Show” award!  I won’t show you the whole thing out of respect to them.  But you have got to check out their newest innovation ~My Scraptopia Kits ~ on their blog here.

 My super-talented art buddy Joyce Shelton and I palled around the show on Wednesday afternoon…or should I say goofed around…

The Crafty Chica had this fun thing you stick your head in, so of course, we had to do it…

And DCWV (Die Cuts With A View) had a photo booth~ when’s the last time you saw one of those?  Should I go blonde…?

We stopped to watch a couple demos at the Ranger booth ~ here’s Claudine Hellmuth… She’s got a video on her blog now of the neat-o watermark resist technique she was demo-ing.

And Joyce checks out what Tim Holtz is doing…

How about at Make-n-Take at the Ranger booth with Suze Weinberg?  This was a faux soldering technique that used wax.  Fun!

Plaid was doing Make-n-Takes of these super easy silk screen templates.  You could dab the paint in if you wanted multiple colors or just drag some across with a stiff card…

And, just some stuff….

Of course, one of the things I like best about shows is seeing friends I don’t get to see as often as I’d like.  I had a very nice dinner with Brenda Pinnick Tuesday night & wish I’d thought to take a pic.

Even though I am only 1-1/2 hours away, it is an arduous interstate drive with loads of traffic & accidents (always) and I am a real wimp about it, so I stayed at the Peabody right across from the convention center and if you’ve never been to a Peabody I suggest you check out the duck parade in the lobby.  They bring the ducks out to the fountain at 11:00 am and return them to their penthouse pond via red carpet to their own elevator at 5:00 pm every day.  It is an event!

Everything is about the ducks here ~ even the bathroom soap…

On Wednesday night Joyce & I caught up with Mary & Annette in the lobby of the Peabody…

And, there’s nothing like a Florida afternoon thunderstorm.  Always impressive.  I snapped this from my room when I ran upstairs to dump my show stuff before dinner.

Whew ~ so I am glad to be home and getting back to work!

**UPDATE***  Forgot to mention this fabulous company ~ Nunn Design.  If you’re into making jewelry, check them out.  I wanted everything the booth!

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