A taste of CHA...

We're baaack!  Wow! what a whirlwind CHA is.  I think I put about 50 miles on my flip flops just setting up my booth.  So without further ado, I'll post some pics (I don't have too many since I was pretty tied to my booth).

Here's a picture of the Donald Stevens Convention Center from the hotel window and the following picture is of the 6 lane highway you need to cross to get to it.  Fortunately, there is a skyway leading over, but sometimes it's just shorter to go out the hotel door and walk across.  Skyways are wonderful, but they are lengthy!

Next up are a few pics of the CHA Top 20 media event.  There were over 100 people in the auditorium.  Can you say "shaking in my boots"?  I had such stage fright!

The picture below is of Kim Parkinson, the new store owner of Kept Creations (opening September 1st, 2012) taking a picture of me taking a picture of her! 

Here are a few shots of me doing my 60 second spiel -- I wonder if the microphone was picking up the knocking in my knees!

                                                                             

(Looks like I swallowed a sour lemon)

Now here's a real quick (don't blink) video of the frenzy afterwards.  I was told that the two most active tables were Spellbinders and Craft-Dee BowZ!

I owe so very much to two wonderful people who assisted me throughout CHA.  One thank you goes to Dee Pierce of the Crop Shop in Rockland, MA who happens to be my marketing person and was a blur going through CHA showing everyone the Craft-Dee BowZ).  

Here's Dee inside the Innovations Showcase window setting up the Craft-Dee BowZ.  Shhhh!  I wasn't supposed to take this picture --- I didn't find out until afterwards.

The other thank you goes to Barbara Bruder (an extremely talented artist and wonderful friend) who drove up from Kentucky to help me man the booth and demonstrate and interact with the customers.

The show was a huge success and Craft-Dee BowZ is on the map!  We have a lot of work ahead of us shipping orders and following up with all the media and distributors who approached us.  

I'm tired, but it's a happy tired.

Donna

And let the judging begin!

Hi all,
I just wanted to pop in an excerpt from the CHA MediaCenter news release as follows:

"CHA HOT 20” UNVEILED FOR 2012 SUMMER SHOW

Elmwood Park, NJ, USA; July 12, 2012 —The Craft & Hobby Association’s (CHA) panel of celebrity media judges are pleased to announce their picks for the “CHA Hot 20” list of products. The CHA Hot 20 are headlining products that will be introduced at the CHA Sneak Peek Media & Buyer Event on July 16, 2012 during the CHA 2012 Summer Conference & Trade Show held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois from July 16 - 19, 2012. 

The CHA celebrity panel judges selected the “CHA Hot 20” from dozens of new craft products entered in the Innovations New Product Showcase. Media judges include Emmy-nominated television personalities, best-selling authors, craft experts and DIY designers Cathie Filian and Steve Piacenza; CHA’s national spokesperson, two-time Emmy Award winner, author, and host of PBS’ Super Simple With Terri O - Terri Ouellette; and Nancy Nally, publisher and editor of Scrapbook Update, a leading online source for scrapbooking industry news and information. 

The following were selected as CHA’s Hot 20 products of the CHA 2012 Summer Show: 

Craft-Dee BowZ from Craft-Dee BowZ is a lightweight, hangable tool that makes bow making easier. Make bows from a 1" to 4-1/4" in 15 seconds and single and multiple loop bows in only 30 seconds. Booth #1016. 


And look at that -- Craft-Dee BowZ was the first name on the list!  And catch that logo on the side bar!  
Donna

"Princess" ring video with Craft-Dee BowZ

Wrapping a package...

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

I have never known what excitement was until I was selected by CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) media judges to be included in the CHA Hot 20 Products Showcase!  I'm still pinching myself thinking it might be happening to someone else.

But wait!  Why should I feel that way?  Craft-Dee BowZ is a FABULOUS product!  And why not me?  I will be amongst the greats -- the list is as follows

1. Faber-Castell New Mediums to Mix & Match
2. Tim Holtz' Distress Metallic Stains
3. Tim Holtz Mirrored Sheets
4. Spellbinders Majestic Elements
5. Get-It-Straight Laser Square
6. Craft-Dee Bowz
7. Cosmo Cricket Gluber Strips
8. Clover French Knitter
9. Clover Basket Frames
10. Scrapbooking Attitude
11. All Natural Cake Kit for Dogs
12. Irojiten Color Dictionary
13. Impress Art Metal Stamping Kits
14. Cropper Hopper New Vertical Storage System
15. Stikr.It Story Patches
16. Color Me Card Toppers
17. Heidi Swapp Memory Display Stand
18. Penny Black Card & Rubber Stamp Collection
19. 3D Card Making Book
20. ColorBox Premium Dye Sprays by Stephanie Barnard

NOW do you see why I am so excited?!


You may be asking what this is all about?  This Sneak Peak Innovation Media & Buyers Event gives Craft-Dee BowZ the opportunity to do a 1-minute presentation to all  attending the show.  This will be followed up by 40 minutes of individual demonstration and presentation.  Basically, I will have a captive audience.  There will also be a final judging, but I don't know how many winners there will be yet.  I feel like Craft-Dee BowZ has already won!

So, I am repeating myself -- if you are attending CHA in Chicago, check out Booth 1016 (across from Craft Fusion) -- that's Craft-Dee BowZ!
Donna

1.