Creativation 2019

These are the moments that remind me how lucky I am to work in the Creative Industry.

Opening Day…waiting for the show to open

Last month, I got the opportunity to fly to Phoenix to work and attend the Creativation Show.

For those of you that don’t know what Creativation is, it is the annual trade show for everyone

involved in the Hobby and Creative Industry.

Manufacturers, Distributors, Retailers, Designers, Bloggers.

For me, as a designer, it’s also the opportunity to reconnect face to face with friends

that I only get to see once a year.  (you know…”my tribe”)

Oh… and the chance to see what’s new and the latest and greatest in the industry.

Make and Takes in the Deflecto Booth

I always have great intentions of taking tons of pictures and possibly a video or two.

But in Reality…I also have to work.  (or play)

Each day, I taught a different “make and take” in the Deflecto Booth.

Deflecto is one of the great companies I have the honor of working with.

Deflecto is known for their awesome craft storage.

The Great Wall of Deflecto Stack ‘N Go Caddy Wheel Base, Craft Organizers*

At Creativation we like to have a little fun.

Each day in the Deflecto Booth they host a Stack ‘N Go Caddy Challenge,

attendees compete to see who can fill and stack the caddies with the fastest time.

(The one with the best time each day wins a American Express Gift Card.)

It’s a big hit and can get quite competitive at times.  At the end of the show, if you’ve got

your special postcard stamped, they give away all caddies used to build the great wall.

It’s a fun booth to work in.

Another company I have the privilege of working with is StyleTechCraft.

They have the best adhesive vinyl to work with.  (and they treat me like a queen)

As you can see…I had a three hour demo on Saturday.

Graphic 45 Booth

I love all their new paper collections.

The Graphic 45 booth is always one of my favorites because their samples are always

so beautiful and inspiring.

Bloom where you are planted…(I need this collection)

Another one of my favorite booths is the Jillibean Soup booth.

Besides being know for their fun paper collections they also have a wonderful line called

Mixed the Media.  I love everything about this collection.

I NEED these windows.  (just saying)

I also took a little “me time” and did a make and take in the Jillibean booth.  

This is from their Embroidery Hoop Art collection.

Simple Stories Booth

This is embarrassing.  As much as I LOVE Simple Stories, this is is the only picture I took.

Sometimes…I get to talking too much (and drooling) to take pictures.

Tim Holtz ideal-olgy Booth

As a “vintage lover” this booth always stops me in my tracks.

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Idea-ology Booth Make and Take

Look what I made.  Isn’t he cute?

 At Creativation there is a large variety of classes that attendees can take.  

Business classes, workshops.  This is from the Waffleflower class I took.

I got to use their new “Water Media Mat” that will be available next month.

I always wish I would have taken more pictures. 

My pictures are only a super small sample of all the wonderful and creative things

to see and do at the Creativation Show.

If you’d like to see more…

Check out the Creativation Round Up on the Designer Craft Connection Blog.

        

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My Creativation Adventure 2017

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It’s been a few weeks since the Creativation Trade Show in Phoenix…

and I’m finally getting around to sharing.

You might want to sit back and grab a cup of coffee.  (it’s a long one)

The Creativation Show was a fast, busy few days.

Getting the opportunity to see old friends, meeting in person online friends you’ve known for years.

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And the best part making new friends. 

Creativation, for me, is more than seeing the latest and greatest in the Creative Industry

(although that’s great too)

it’s about the opportunity to meet and network with people from all over the world.

When you’re at a show like this, you sit by a stranger on the convention bus and talk the whole way.

You go to lunch by yourself and instead of looking for a empty table, you sit with a group or

a table of one and the conversations flow.  That’s where we share ideas and inspiration.

We ask… “what did you see that excited you?”

During one of those conversations I heard someone say this is where our “tribe” is.

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(The cactus in front of my hotel.)

This was my first trip to Phoenix and the first time this Midwest gal saw cactus this large.

Can you tell I was impressed?

I wish I would of been able to see more of Phoenix, it poured the first evening I was there

and the sun didn’t come out until the last day.  Most of the time, it really didn’t matter as it was

dark outside when I left and it was dark when I got back to the hotel.

I didn’t even notice the mountains out my hotel window until the second day.

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I left the hotel before 7:00 on Saturday morning to take a class before working all day

in the Deflecto booth.  We made mini desk calendars using Deflecto’s 3″ x 4″ clear acrylic

frames, paper from Paper House Productions “One Big Happy Family” collection and cute

little calendars from Taylored Expressions.

Also in the booth was the “Caddy Challenge”.   ↓

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Each challenger was given two empty caddies and a variety of craft supplies.

Every caddy container had to have at least one craft item and put back into the caddy,

each layer had to be locked and put on the base.

The whole thing was timed and the timer stopped when the caddy was lifted.

It was so much fun watching how competitive it became.  (there were Visa gift cards at stake)

Co-worker against co-worker, friend against friend, husband against wife.

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SO…What’s NEW at Deflecto?

An interlocking wheel base for the craft caddy and the Interlocking Marker Organizer.

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Right next to the Deflecto Booth were my good friends at

Canvas Corp Brands, 7Gypsies and Tattered Angels.

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So many new things there.  They introduced their new line called “Architextures”.

I can’t wait to get my hands on all that vintage inspired goodness.

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Coming Soon from Canvas Corp Brands… Relics and Artifacts.

A lot of mixed media potential.

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On Sunday afternoon, I got to hang out in the Paper House booth where I helped attendees make

the Discover USA travel mini book project.  I’m so lucky to work in such a fun industry.

For full Discover USA project instructions click here.

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Monday was the last day of the show and a half day for me.

After working in the booths all day on Saturday and Sunday,

I decided I needed to take some time to do something fun.

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DecoArt, 3M and Pinspiration had a clear acrylic booth set up called the “Splatter Room”.

Dressed in a hazmat suit and goggles…

I went to town choosing paint and splattering onto a 12″ x 12″ canvas.

Oh, what a glorious mess.  It was the highlight of my day.

After painting and splattering…

I walked the show floor, taking pictures and making connections.

I always wish that I would have taken more pictures and maybe even a video or two.

Time at these shows go fast and I needed to make the most of that time.

Below are a few of the booths that I remembered to take pictures of.  (Enjoy!)

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Probably one of the most photographed booths is the Tim Holtz Idea-ology booth.

For Vintage lovers this is serious eye-candy.

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Lovely Mixed Media from Rebekah Meier Designs.

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Somehow my camera setting got changed and I didn’t get a lot of sharable pictures of the Sizzix booth.

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And the always impressive Graphic 45 Booth.  ↓

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Of all the wonderful things I saw, do you want to know what impressed me the most?

Let me start by saying, I’ve been a stamper for 20 years and it takes a lot to impress me…

the clear animated stamps from Uchis Design did just that.  (it’s the simple things)

Below is the business card they gave me.

I hoped you enjoyed my adventure to Creativation.

I just want to say…

I am very thankful that I have the opportunity to work with all the wonderful and talented people

and companies in the Creative Industry.  I am one lucky girl.

A Joyful Village

As the Christmas Season gets closer…

I wanted to share this simple little wood project that I made for the “Creating with Joy” blog.

Being Joyful, is my goal not only at Christmas but throughout the entire year.

For my “Joyful Village”…

I  started with some wood trim scrap pieces cut into simple whimsical house shapes.

My pieces measure 4″ x 2″, 3″ x 2 3/4″ and 3 1/2″ x 2 1/4″.

I painted the house with a couple coats of Americana Decor Satin Enamels 8oz-Grey Taupe*.     (*Amazon affiliate link)

After painting the houses…                                                                             (*Amazon Affiliate Links)

      • I created a roof using Black Corrugated Paper*.
      • I added color to my white iron-on embroidered letters by dampening them and rubbing color directly onto the letters using my Distress Mini Ink Pad-Fired Brick*.
      • After the letters are dry, glue the letters onto the houses using a craft glue.
      • I created a mini wreath and mini pine swags using Pine Craft Stems*.
      • I created small number charms by printing the numbers onto white cardstock and punching with a small circle punch.  I added the numbers inside Metal Type Charms by Tim Holtz Idea-ology*.
      • I tied the charms onto the wreath and swags with thin twine and glued them onto the front of the houses along with a little tiny bow.

The village wouldn’t be complete without a cute little red truck.

I picked up the tiny red truck at the Elkhorn Flea Market in Wisconsin and I glued three little

bottle brush trees to the back of the truck.  I rubbed the trees with clear glitter glue

for added sparkle.

This project was sponsored by Joy SA and DecoArts.

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*Disclaimer:  This post uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!