The CHA, Craft and Hobby Association show is a creative buzz, color, texture, personalities, everywhere attendees are seeing the newest releases of products and techniques. I am exhibiting in a location which is one of the main aisles so the traffic is steady and I am meeting many interesting people from all over the world, Greece, Brazil, Japan and right next door, Quebec and other Canadians.

Yesterday I saw a striking woman coming towards my booth, she stoppec and said how adorable everything was, wanted to take some pictures and we had a lovely chat. I recognized her right away, Deborah Norville. She is an avid knitter and has a beautiful new yarn line.

The days are full with creative events and activity, today is the T-shirt Remix Challenge with Westcott so my scissors are ready to cut up and create something hopefully amazing or at the very least does not end up in a pile of scraps! Have a wonderful creative day!!!

The first day of the show was amazing. We began with a Flash Mob dance, video to come, a hundred pink aproned gals dancing to "She's Crafty" in the lobby.

I had a wonderful day with many interesting connections and connecting with dear creative friends. Lisa Fulmer mrketing with C&T publishing took a photo of me at my Table Top booth in the L+D section. Did a couple video segments and had a lovely chat with Debbie Norville, what a sweet lady with a great new yarn line!

Another full day tomorrow!

I am at the CHA show, this was education day and show set up before the grand opening tomorrow! The excitement builds, setting up my booth went well in between catching up with old friends and meeting many new interesting connections.

With the opening of the show tomorrow we are surprising attendees with a fun Flash Mob sponsored by Charity Wings.

The Power of Community is the theme of the show and the center of the show is set up like a real park with two large "Giving Trees" and several worhtwhile charities in booths that look like a boardwalk all around the park. The hand crafted designer ornaments on the trees will be given to the charities to use in their fund raising efforts.

The energy of the show, exciting, I missed last year so being back in the warm sunshine connecting with the many creative, talented friends I have and ready for new opportunities, it is good to be back! This is a wonderful industry with a spirit of generosity, to the Power of Community!

I am very pleased to be featured on Brenda Pinnick's Color U blog today! Brenda is a talented licensed artist whose vibrant color palettes are signature in her stunning art work!

The Color Cafe's menu serves up International Flavors on Wednesday. This got me thinking about the influence of being Canadian in my design work. Yes we are known for our long cold winters, I realized here on the Atlantic coast that winter does influence my design sense. I love cozy wools, fleece and felts, a majority of my design is winter inspired.

Combining pretty hues with sparkly white for a striking whimsical winter palette is my favorite design palette. Last winter I created a needle felted snow scene for a Floracraft Make it: Fun ad. I will be demoing the technique on segments I am taping after the CHA show for the PBS show Creative Living.

Needle felting with National Nonwoven's Wool Wisps and Styrofoam TM Brand foam is so easy. The barbed needle adheres the wool quickly to the foam pieces. Full tutorial here. Full instructions for this project.  Project bricks were used to build the cottage, they are simple to cut, stack and paint, very realistic looking especially when actually painted a brick color! Since a pink bunny lives here along with a mouse and bird, pink bricks were a must! Enjoy the snowy wonderland, the days the sun shines and the trees and ground are glittered are so beautiful! Therein lies my inspiration especially when a mouse wearing a fuzzy scarf scurries by!  (photos courtesy of Floracraft)

Somethings never change and preparing for a trade show is always a flurry of details and thinking always it will never all get accomplished. We put high expectations on ourselves but what seems also to happen with an imminent deadline more creative ideas also come. Designer friends from their posts on Facebook and Twitter are in the same boat wondering if they will get everything accomplished. Somehow it always does, what is finished is just right.

The CHA Craft and Hobby tradeshow packs in a whirlwind few days of activity. There are events, classes, the huge tradeshow floor from morning till evening every day. Education and classes begin a day before the show along with show setup which actually begins a couple days before the show.

I am exhibiting in the L+D License and Design section of the show. Art Directors and Manufacturers visit the area looking for new art work and design for products. I am busy putting together my display and marketing materials hoping it will all fit in my two suitcases!

This week, Wednesday 25th I also am appearing as guest blogger on Brenda Pinnick's Color Cafe!

Back to clearing space to create more designs, one more day then packing begins! Have a creative week everyone!

Thank you to everyone who entered the CharityWings Live from CHA giveaway. Moira has won the Golden Ticket and prizes! Please email me with your contact info, debra@debraquartermain.com.

Preparations are busily underway for an awesome show. I am sewing, felting and preparing my displays. Going directly on after show to tape the PBS show Creative Living in New Mexico so there is lots to do! Happy Creating!

Thank you for stopping by! Today I have a special surprise for a lucky reader! The CHA, Craft & Hobby Association has a winter show coming up the end of this month From Jan 29th to Feb 2nd. All the major companies, crafty celebrities, editors, publishers, designers and retailers from all over the world come together!

                     I have ONE ticket to this event that I am giving away!

Get your own front row interactive seat to the show! Charity Wings will be running a LIVE from CHA event hosted by Charity Wing's own Elena Etcheverry along with some talented CHA Designers! Register for the event HERE.  Along with the ticket the prize includes a gift bag full of crafty goodies worth over $50.00 plus a chance to win one of some wonderful raffle prizes! 

From now until Thursday January 19th at 9pm Eastern you can enter simply by:

Leave a comment on my Facebook Fan Page then comment here on my blog letting me know you have done so!

I will announce the winner of the ticket on my blog post Friday morning at 9am EST, 10am Atlantic. Good luck everyone! 

This month the Designer Crafts Blog Hop Connection theme is Journalling. The talented Julie McGuffee who keeps us organized is host of the show Scrapbook Soup which now can be seen online as well! It features interesting ideas, tools and products for scrapbooking and journalling. Use the button in the sidebar to hop along and see the inspired projects of our designer group!

As primarily a sewing designer I incorporate stitching into as many projects as possible. I decided to create a piece to hang in my studio, a tribute to my grandmother. I have a picture of her when she was a young woman wearing a black dress, it is a beautiful photo and I wonder from her expression what she was thinking. She was always very stylish and wore beautiful hats to church and lovely suits there and to IODE meetings, church teas and bridge club.

Often when I dress up in a classic black dress and add her pearls she left me I am reminded of how we are tied to the memories of those we love, even though they may not be here any longer, their spirit and love is always felt. Remembering my grandmother.

It is finally a Fowl Friday with Fran & Freda! We are so happy to say Happy New Year to all our peeps! We survived the holidays, always a sad time for us as we mourn the loss of many of our feathered cousins, the Toms and finally leftovers, the soups are gone!

Hey though we are excited about a totally different kind of soup Scrapbook Soup, the very cool scrapbooking show hosted by the talented Julie McGuffee who heads up our Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop is now live online! We are especially excited as we don't get the show here and now tomorrow we can watch!!! Popcorn is ready and Freda has pics, album and glues ready to go. She has posted so many profile pics on Hatch.com she now has enough for a complete scrapbook! Can't wait to see the results, um sure think I am busy for the rest of the weekend!

Monday the DCC Blog Hop is all about scrapboks & journalling, a perfect way to be inspired for the new year! Hop along with us!

Catch Julie and her show tomorrow! Follow the Fowl always! Fran & Freda

Happy New Year! 2012 has arrived! There is a creative optimism, a freshness to a new year, new calendars, new pages to turn, resolutions and intentions are made.

The international CHA Craft and Hobby Trade Show is only four weeks away! I have posted my calendar on the Home page, is a busy show week with exhibiting and other events!

January also sees the launch of licensed artist Brenda Pinnick's new blog devoted to color, Color Cafe features a talented designer/artist each day serving up color inspired projects and design. Look for me on January 25th!

My virtual home is also getting a fresh new look and every page is being updated and prettied up! Here is to an exciting year full of creative adventure and profound joy for everyone!!!