Creativation Adventure

I am home from Phoenix! I can hardly believe what a whirlwind the trip was.

My mind is jam packed with creative inspiration, new technical abilities and a bit of swoon over all the papercrafting super stars I met along the way.

We arrived in Phoenix on Thursday afternoon and got settled in at the Wyndham Gardens Hotel before heading to the Phoenix Convention Centre to get our badges for the event.

Friday my first event was the CHA Canadian Chapter Breakfast meeting. 7:30 is a bit early in the morning to be social but it was a great opportunity to meet fellow Canadians in the craft industry. Ironically Ecstasy Crafts was there which is funny because I live right around the corner from their store. Karen Beupre the Creative genius behind Southern Ridge Trading Company was there as well as Tiffany Bond from Craft and Create.

I had to cut the meeting short to get to my first class Mastering Affiliate Marketing where I had the chance to meet the ever flamboyant Melody Lane.

My second class was 4 ways to be published. Guess who one of the speakers were! None other than The Crafty Chica.

My third class was on the benefits of establishing a craft collective. I enjoyed their presentation immensely.  Guess who the speakers were: The Phoenix Freda's. If you have a chance find them on social media.

The day was very tiring so I thought about playing hookie from my next class but as you know I am a rule following Chickie who would never want to offend anyone. I was pleasantly surprised to be regaled by the story of how a older lady started her YouTube channel to make her Church groups crocheting lessons easier for her 12 members to see and keep up at their own pace. She has over 800,000 subscribers now and quit her fulltime job as a professor at Southern university.

By far my favourite class was with Shanna Noel the creator of Illustrated faith. Her story of her journey to find her connection to Jesus was inspiring as well as at times quite comedic . She has inspired my to include Bible Journaling in my craft repertoire.

Saturday was the main event. The tradeshow floor opened and I was overwhelmed with sheer volume of new products coming to market. I found new companies that I have not seen before that I am now obsessed with. I am eagerly awaiting their new releases. One such company is 49 & Market which just started out 9 months ago and already has Gabriella Pollaka desgning for them.

My favourite moments were meeting Heidi Swap, Sheena Douglas, Debbi Moore and Emmalou from Heartfelt creations.

Though my blistered toes will say otherwise, this was one of the most exciting events I have ever attended.  I find it hard to believe I was actually there. It's a perfect example of living your dreams. Now I have to decide on my next adventure.

Mixed Media Artist Pallet

Do you remember when Donna Dewberry made videos of her painting techniques? I remember she said in one of the videos that before you know it you will be looking at everything as a blank canvas. I think that is the stage I am currently at with mixed media. Everything I pick up I want to slap gesso, lace and flowers on. This is my latest creation. I picked this up at Dollarama and thought it would make an adorable piece for a bare spot on the wall in my studio. My husband said I should have used a picture where my face is less slowly but I think this one was appropriate as not all dreams and wishes are full filled with smiles and laughter, some require focus and thought to achieve.

Vintage Market Tote DIY

Sometimes it is hard to find just the right bag to suit your personality. (Or maybe it's just me?) I love the Canvas bags from Canvas Corp Brands. They come in all shapes and sizes and endless decorating possibilities. Imagine how your mother or sister would feel receiving a custom made bag. Perhaps a gift for the teacher or bus driver.  This simple technique makes it so easy to put any picture or graphic directly on the bag.

How to: 

Choose a canvas bag from canvascorpbrands.com 
Print your favourite image using regular copy paper and a Laserjet printer
Remember to reverse print the image if it has text on it.
Using medium or heavy gel mediums cover the coloured side of the paper in a thin coat right to the edge of the paper.
Place the image gel side down onto the Canvas and gently flatten it using your hands.
Allow it to dry for at least 12 hours.
Saturate the paper with warm water and gently rub off the fibres until you can clearly see the image.
You may need to go back after it dries and clean up any white patches that still have paper.
Using tattered angels spray mist colour the rest of the bag. You can use stencils or masks to create fun patterns.
Embellish with your favourite trim.

Enjoy

CHA Sneak Peek from Spellbinders.

The time is flying past as we countdown to the Craft and Hobby Assosciation's main event Creativation in Phoenix. One week from now manufacturers, designers, bloggers and store owners from around the world will converge in Arizona to feet a glimpse at all the new products being released in 2017. I have been following all the sneak Peeks and I am so excited about what we will have access to this year.

Today I received a sneak peek from Spellbinders. I fell in love with their adorable new create a house die. It will make the cutest Valentine or Easter treat packaging.

Isn't it Adorable?

If you are interested in purchasing this die set please email me mygrandmasteacups@Gmail.com and I will put in a pre-order so that we will be at the top of the que when it begins shipping.

If you would like to see more of this die set check out this post on the Spellbinders blog. Spellbinders Blog