Calling NC Home

Most of you know I was born and raised right here in NC. I grew up in the Five Points area of Raleigh, now known as "inside the beltline", prime real estate. I've lived all around Raleigh since becoming an adult. Loved Garner and called it home for many years. Still own a home there. Then I met the love of my life and moved to Cary for 3 years before finding our dream home 4 miles away in Apex. Seriously, we loaded that moving van and traveled exactly 4 miles away, but crossing that line made all the difference in the world.

NC is a fabulous place to live and just today I read in the paper that we have 21 new people moving to our state every hour. Think about that! That's 504 people in a 24 hour day, 3528 in a week, over 15,000 a month, and I've gotta tell you, it made my mouth fall open. No worry. I filled it quickly with my peanut butter crackers and a bit of coffee, but doesn't that sound like a lot of people to you?

It's not unusual to find ourselves in the top 10 list of places to live in the US, and no doubt that's why we have so many newcomers. I say come on down! We've had to add a new stoplight in Apex because of all the traffic. (For those of you far, far away, think Mayberry and Andy Griffith.) We have a beautiful state with beaches on the East Coast and mountains on the West. And in between it's heaven.

Now I tell you this because I saw something so funny this morning that it made me laugh out loud. I'm driving down the road and see a man walking this HUGE dog. Think big & tall like a Great Dane, but furry and bulky like a Husky. So I don't know the breed...no biggie, I just want you to picture this really big dog and a very short leash. And coming up behind them is a power walker. Normal guy doing his morning routine I'm sure. But he was pumping his arms and taking these really long strides. And the dog keeps stopping, turning to see who's coming up behind him.

So as I'm driving on past I couldn't help watching in my rearview mirror til they were out of sight. The dog walker had no choice but to stop because he couldn't budge that big dog. And the power walker kept on coming, but you know he had to be thinking "what's that big dog gonna do when I catch up with him & try to pass?".

This is my life. This is the sort of thing that makes me smile. Come on and visit us here in friendly North Carolina. Expect to see a little of everything and enjoy it all. I'll be looking for you. And whether you're a power walker or a dog walker, wave back when you see me waving at you. And smile.

Inspiration from 7 Gypsies

Eye candy was overly abundant at the 7 Gypsies booth, just as it is at every show. They'll gladly sell you the blank journals along with papers, pockets, tags, and now even double-sided ephemera. Add to those their gaffer tape, bands, clips, and their new paper bags and I'm telling you, there's nothing you can't do in the creation of a book.

I love building a book, adding papers and clip art, chipboard letters and stickers, tabs & pockets. It's what I truly love. And flipping the pages of their display albums left me smiling at the possibilities.

For some reason I'm into the look of plain brown paper this year, so their paper bags were a nice new element. But it also gave me a whole new appreciation for all my old books and ledgers. And best of all I found new books while in Culver City, prior to the taping of the Bonnie Hunt show, in Greek and Russian. Too fabulous to think that every book in the store was just $1. I could've stayed all day. And the only thing that kept me from buying them all was the thought of my luggage staying under 50 lb each. :(

I love their gated journals best of all. The very first journal class I ever taught at Stampaway was using one of them and it's still much loved and admired in the studio. Mine featured lots of rubber stamping; something I didn't see in any of the journals in the 7 Gypsies booth. Perhaps I should send them one so we stampers aren't totally forgotten at the shows.

So whether you like to buy blank books and alter them, collage over old day planners to create new ones, or build your own journals using the binder of your choosing, I highly recommend you go forth and decorate one. Think small and pull one together as a Valentine's gift for someone dear. You can even make a paper bag book, folding and stapling the bags, adding a cover made from a big grocery bag or a manila folder. Come on...just do it!!

More about CHA

Are you familiar with the Claudine Hellmuth line of products now offered by Ranger? Her sticky back canvas is just the coolest stuff, especially if you're painting it with her line of acrylic paints. Paint it, bend it, draw on it, doodle away, then cut out some shapes, peel off the backing and stick it on your projects. The above photo was a sample displayed in Ranger's booth at the show.

The heart above is constructed with painted strips of the same sticky back canvas for a quilted look. Don't you just love that?

Ranger always has great art displayed in the booth to inspire your creativity. Play with some paint and grungeboard, ink and stamps, canvas and memory glass...there's so much to do.

Tim's demo each day was a whirl of activity. Just look at those hands! I brought home a few samples he made for me. Can't wait for show & tell at stamp club next week! And stay tuned for more postings showcasing some of my very own art work soon.

Something New for the Studio

Don't you love finding something new that truly fills a need? At CHA I found an exhibitor with these lovely displays in the shape of trees, available in assorted finishes, and their display said it all. They were decorated for anniversaries, weddings, baby showers, and simply as fabulous scrapbooking off the page.Immediately I could see all my little handmade works of art dangling from the scrollwork, along with ATC's, bangles & beads. Ooh, and at holiday time it could hold ornaments beautifully in the foyer or even in the newly remodeled master bath. But mostly I wanted them for the studio to showcase my artwork.

Their displays showcased birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, showers, and so much more. And for a store owner (Christine, I'm thinking of you) they'd be great to display all the tiny charms and ephemera available in the store while your inventory could still be found in the hardware bins, but now stored out of sight. Or sit one of the counter displaying artwork for upcoming classes, demos and make & takes.

I can't wait for my order to arrive so look for one next time you visit.

Home Sweet Home

The Ranger booth at CHA always has a Designer Challenge. This year it was houses and I'm attaching photos of a few of them.

It's amazing to me how they can be so unique, yet showcase Ranger's line of products so very well.

It makes me think I should be hosting a challenge like this on my blog, but on a much smaller scale of course.And not limited to a particular line of products either.

Everyone at the show talked about the lower number of exhibitors and the smaller crowd, but it wasn't obvious to me. Whether I was sitting in the DIY Bangles booth leading make & takes, or walking (running) the show floor, there was always a crowd.

I'm thinking that's a good thing. I know several of the stores where I teach weren't sending anyone to the show, so I worked extra hard to cover it all, and still didn't accomplish that. Just this morning I realized I never found the Maya Road booth. How is that possible?I did see lots of fabulous new stuff, and as much as I enjoyed the show, and my two week vacation, it's good to be home again.
When I think that last Friday morning it was well on the way to a day in the 80's as we ate our breakfast out on the hotel patio, it was quite a surprise to arrive home close to midnight and find it hovering around 36 degrees!!!!! What a shock. Still, my pillow top king-sized bed, my feather pillows, and my down comforter were most welcoming when I finally climbed into bed. You know, there truly is no place like home.