CHA/Creativation recap Part 1!

Hello SCT friends and happy Friday! The team is back from CHA and while we had hoped to keep you more updated while there, we certainly had some issues with wifi and connection. However, we did take many photos, posed for lots of pictures with friends and brought home some product to share! More on that little surprise later in today’s post :) Let’s share a little of what we did at CHA/Creativation in Phoenix, AZ!

The original plan was to take advantage of Phoenix’s blue skies and warm weather with a visit to Sedona to see the beautiful red rocks, however, nature had other plans with a winter storm warning in effect! This girl who had left a little snow behind in Toronto was not necessarily looking for it in Phoenix so we spent our first day shopping, visiting a Joanne’s store, strolling through Target and enjoying some fun Phoenix BBQ! Honey Bear’s did not disappoint! We stayed at a fun and interesting hotel, the Found:re Hotel which was a mix of urban chic, modern art and rustic fun just about a mile from the Phoenix Convention Centre. Want to know what greeted us at the hotel when we arrived besides some absolutely lovely staff? A version of the iconic Burt Reynolds Cosmopolitan centrefold from 1972 right over the registration desk. He was wearing nothing but a blonde wig and perfect hand placement. And the fun started right there!

l to r: Editor – Megan Hoeppner, Publisher – Catherine Tachdjian, Designers Nicole Nowosad and in front Vicki Boutin!

Day One we headed to the convention centre for show opening and as we walked through the doors the visual overload started! This trade show never ceases to amaze us with it’s education, organization and the bringing together of the craft and hobby industry. We consulted our show guide, mapped out a plan and we were off! From meetings to meetings, booth to booth over three days we traversed the floor ooohing and aahhing over the amazing products we saw…here is snapshot of day one…

First stop always, it’s a rule, is Doodlebug!

Jillibean Soup!

Design team member and Crop & Create instructor Vicki Boutin’s brand new mixed media line with American Crafts!

The lovely creative director Lisa Parkin and designer Maggie Holmes in the Crate Paper booth – amazing ladies!

The very talented and brand new author Amy Tan and her On A Whim collection ! Come meet her at Crop & Create Abbotsford in April!

Lawn Fawn fabulousness! (not really a word right?!!!)

That’s a wrap on Day One! We did see more but moved so fast it seems we didn’t get quite as many photos! What we did do however is grab some amazing products to bring home to share with one lucky reader! Here’s the catch. The more likes we receive on this post, the more things we are going to add to the pizza box. How do you make it a large pizza box? Share this blog post with your friends!

Leave your comment by February 2nd for an opportunity to win! Good luck!

Thanks for joining us as we toured through Day One at Creativation! We’ll have more to share over the weekend so check back!

~ Catherine