CHA Summer 2010 Remembered at Last!

The CHA Summer 2010 Craft Supershow was held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois this year.

We attended the show on Friday, July 30th.  I had to work on Friday morning for a few hours and we thought we would be arriving late.  We did not realize that it didn't open until Noon on Friday, so we didn't miss anything.  We were in line and waiting when they opened the doors! :)

We had such a great time at the show.  We decided to stop by the Splitcoaststampers.com booth.  I joked with Nanci that maybe we would get to meet Beate!  She does a lot of the video tutorials on Splitcoaststampers.com and her blog, fresh & fun, is wonderful!  We were doing a make-n'-take and the woman at the booth started explaining how to use the Copic markers and I instantly recognized her voice--it was Beate!  I was "star-struck" and tonque-tied immediately!  I still cannot believe that we actually got to meet her--what a thrill!

Nanci, Beate, and I at CHA Summer 2010

Custom Crops had this photo opportunity all set up at their booth including the props.  

We're thinking of replacing our current blog photo from last years Covered Bridge Festival  in Southern Indiana with the snapshot from the Custom Crops booth.  Leave a comment and let us know which photo you prefer!  Thanks in advance and happy crafting!

Original Content Removed at the Request of Stampin' Up! Compliance 2

Happy Labor Day!

Our Fall 2010 Special $199 per person is good through October 31, 2010.  We have a few spots left for the weekend of October 22-24th!  Reservations via e-mail, info@crafthavenretreats, or telephone, Nanci 708-259-7482 or Melannie 708-441-9531.  Happy Crafting!

Original Content Removed at the Request of Stampin' Up! Compliance

By the way,  my Squash Book was featured on Young and Crafty's blog for Scraptastic Saturday.  On Saturdays you can link up a project to the site.  It's a fun way to see what other people are creating!  Thanks again Hannah for featuring my project!  Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

Note Card Sets with Mini Milk Cartons

 Isn't this note card set adorable?  It looks so cute with the pumpkins from Sew Many Pleasures (Saturday's post) in the background!  There are six matching 3.75"x4" note cards with envelopes inside the box.  The mini-milk carton is perfect for storing paper clips, rubber bands, thumbtacks, or my personal favorite--chocolate!  Nanci based it on the design from a kit she purchased from Pine Cone Press at CHA Summer 2010.

Here's another look at the same project.  Same papers in a smaller size and a completely different look!  The Play Date DSP is extremely versatile.  The matching cards in this set measure 3"x4"--5 cards will fit inside the holder.  The flower has four layers and is adhered with dimensionals.  Either set would make an excellent gift! 

Supplies: Play Date DSP, Crumbcake, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Old Olive, So Saffron Cardstock, Chocolate Chip Ink, Apple Blossom Stampset, Boho Blossom, Five Petal Flower, Scallop border, Modern Label, and Word window Punch, Tim Holtz hinge clips, Misc. Brads and Ribbon

Thanks for visiting our blog--we love your comments!  Happy crafting!

Sure Cuts A Lot 2 Review

I finally had some time to try out the Sure Cuts A Lot 2 Software by Craft Edge that I purchased at CHA Summer 2010.    I purchased the SCAL software from JoeR@createNcraft.com.  He offers support to anyone who purchases Sure Cuts A Lot 2 from him.  The software was really easy to load and use.  I found free .svg files on the internet at http://svgcuts.com/blog/ that I could download and use within a minute!

Here are the results!

I did not experience any paper tears or areas that weren't cut through.  Here is a closeup of the details from both cards.

I found the SCAL easier to use than Design Studio.  Both Cards are made with Stampin' Up! Love Letter DSP, Red Riding Hood Classic Ink, and Martha Stewart birthstone gem stickers.   Happy crafting! :)

Make 'n Takes From CHA Summer 2010

Nanci and I had such a good time at CHA Summer 2010.  We met some crafty-fun-interesting people there!  These are some of the Make 'n Takes projects I did while we were there!


I finally bought the Sure Cuts A Lot 2 (SCAL) software (that I have been talking about buying for at least a year) from Joe Rotella at  Create & Craft.  I am looking forward to creating some great projects on the Cricut with this software!

We hope to offer a retreat later this year that will feature classes offered by  Joe and the Create & Craft group.

I think I mentioned a couple of posts ago that we met Beate at the Splitcoaststampers.com booth?  She actually worked with us on the two make n' take projects we made at their booth!  She introduced us to Copic markers and grunge paper!  I am dying to take a Copic class now! :)


 

This is the pin we made with Copic markers at the Splitcoaststampers.com booth.  I had never used Copic markers before--Beate gave us some tips about using the Copic markers!  Did I mention that already?

She also helped us make these bracelets using grunge paper with Tim Holtz distress inks and hardware.  We wore our bracelets the entire day.  Mine had a bright pink button originally, but I put my hand inside my purse too many times that day--I lost it somewhere between the fresh raspberry smoothie and the Cricut booth.  I found this button in my sewing basket.  It's not pink, but I think it will do.

This Tweet-heart pop-up card we made at the Custom Crops booth.  The design and technique were really fast and fun!  I smeared my stamp--but that's the beauty of a handmade card.

Last night when I was catching up on some e-mail and blogs I follow, I noticed that one of the ladies who helped us make this card at the Custom Crops booth, Donna Mundinger, writes one of the blogs I follow - Popsicle Toes!  She had some photos from the booth on her blog!



We made this birthday card make n' take at the eksuccess brands booth!  They were using Martha Stewart punches, K&Company paper, Jolee's stickers, Inkadinkado stamps & dyes!  We also signed up for a new crafting web site there called SpottedCanary.com. We even came home with SpottedCanary t-shirts!

Last but not least we made this adorable pin-wheel tag at the Unity StampCompany booth.  Love their papers and stamps! :)

While we were waiting to get inside, we met two ladies who had traveled from New Zealand and Malaysia to attend CHA!  It was our first visit to CHA and we would definitely go again!