CHA Show Archives - Clear Stamps and Crafting Products

CHA 2016 Going on A Creative Journey with Melissa Part #2

I am baaaaaaaaccccckkkkk from CHA 2016!!! I have returned from CHA 2016 and am overwhelmed, thrilled and exhausted! I have a lot to show you and will be showing it to you over the next few weeks as well as having GIVEAWAYS TOO!! Today’s focus is on We R Memory Keepers products. I do not have any affiliation with them, I just love their products and own a number of them. I am thinking about carrying them, what do you think? Would you like me to carry them and if so, what would you like to see? Comment on this post and answer this question and you will be entered to win one of the CHA prizes I have. I have a number of them thanks to the generosity of some of the manufacturers like items from Tim Holtz, Simple Stories, Cathie and Steve with Plaid Industries, Sizzix to name a few. I will be picking a winner at random on Sunday January 17th and will announce the winner on Monday January 18th as well as what they have won and will have one of my sons pick the winner. This is a tradition I started when I started blogging and have continued it throughout the years. After all, they are the A and the C of the ACJwM! The above video is a sneak peek at that alphabet punch board by We R Memory Keepers. It’s really cool and I think it would be great for teachers that do bulletin boards. I thought you would like to see it as it is not even on the market yet. How cool is that? If you want to learn more about CHA and read my first post, please go here. Now, onto the products. I loved this display it was clean, colorful and most of all filled with fun items to play with! They were wonderful and the gentleman was more than happy to do an impromptu demo video for little ole me! I was and am VERY THANKFUL!

These above are shadow boxes, cork boards, chalk boards, peg boards, wire hanger and picture frames. They all look so wonderful and when I saw them I thought HMMMMM…. PAINT!

The above includes washi tape, washi dispenser, paper and more! It also includes a type of rail system PERFECT for organization. Especially the farthest left one that has different size holders for different sized ribbon and WASHI!! YES WASHI!!

Here is a CLOSER VIEW of the rail system. It’s pretty cool!

The above has various punches and decor for party decor making! They are all so useful! This display is also including punches to make the alphabet punch board that is featured in the above video 🙂

Here are some awesome flower kits, various punch boards as well as embellishments PERFECT for a PARTY!!!

And of course for all of you Project Life Lovers… We have a similiar type of item that would work great with Project Life which is Albums Made Easy. We also have the FUSE that allows you to make your own sized pockets along with a bunch more fun stuff for Pocket Page Scrapbooking!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial as well as the products included in the review of the We R Memory Keepers booth at CHA 2016! Thank you so much for stopping by and going on A Creative Journey with Melissa.

CHA 2016 – Going on A Creative Journey with Melissa

Hi All,

I AM AT CHA 2016 I am having a great time and wish you were all here to be able to experience this first hand at least once. But before I go on, I would like to apologize because I said I would be giving you sneak peeks and of all times, my website has been down since Thursday. Needless to say, I haven’t been able to post anything to my website so I apologize for this being late. What a nightmare that was! I have however, posted on my Instagram as well as my Facebook business page if you would like to check those out. Those would be more timely than my blog posts as I do my blog posts once I am home to recap my day.

Sooooo if you weren’t able to come to CHA 2016 or haven’t been to CHA at all or don’t know what it is, here is an explanation in a nutshell. CHA is the acronym for the Craft and Hobby Association. It is an organization where creatives, manufacturers, designers and more :), of all different areas of crafts whether it be paper crafts, knitting, painting, jewelry and basically anything crafty and creative, come together from ALL OVER THE WORLD. They hold various conferences throughout the year. This specific show is one of the largest of it’s kind and for the last year it is being held at the Anaheim Convention Center. Next year, it will be held in Arizona. In order to be a member there are certain prerequisites. To find out more information if you qualify, please go here. If you happen to sign up, tell them I sent ya!

Part of being a CHA member and it’s membership cost includes education. They are really great about offering education classes for people that want to learn more about the industry, mentoring from fellow creatives in your field and getting you in contact with who you need to talk to if you have questions. The wealth of knowledge in the CHA organization as a whole is vast and wonderful to have when you are a new business starting out or an established business looking to boost your sales to a higher level. I have been a member for a number of years taking classes as well as enjoying the show. I went on Thursday and Friday for classes and the show floor opened yesterday. The classes are great for business owners like myself where you can learn things that you normally wouldn’t be able to do so. For example, I have a stamp line and would be able to ask questions to fellow stamp line owners, manufacturers, designers, web designers, attorneys, etc., questions about my personal situation and be able to get real answers as they are all within the industry that I am. It is UNBELIEVABLY instrumental in my business adventure. I have met a number of what I call lifetime friends too!

Yesterday I took a bunch of pictures at CHA 2016. have consolidated them down to a few below. I went to CHA this year with my awesomely supportive husband and son. I was excited that my son was old enough to be able to attend. It is cool to show him this side of things and that I am NOT the only one that is creative minded. Although to be honest, he is too so he TOTALLY gets it! As you will see, we got the “C” (Christian) and the “J” (Jon) of ACJwM (A Creative Journey with Melissa) in on the action. My hubby and son were my “posers” in pictures! LOL I also was fortunate enough to have a few of my AMAZINGLY talented Creative Crew along to check out the new things and see what THEY would like to work with next year as well as ideas and trends that are going on in the industry. Leticia, Marie and Rhoda are joining me this year. Unfortunately, Brandie is unable to attend due to a health issue so we DEFINITELY want to wish Brandie to feel better and be back on her feet soon.

First, I want to share with you a few things I learned in my classes. Here are a few DID YOU KNOW…. Please feel free to share!

In a class that my husband took, they said at least 500 words. Sounds to me if you stick between 500-3000 you will have it covered varying between them throughout your different blog posts. This is what my plan is.

Now for some pictures. One of the amazing creatives that I love to see is Tim Holtz. He is so kind, amazingly creative and very good to his fans. He truly appreciates our admiration. Here he was showing his distress crayons. They look FABULOUS!!! A must have for sure!

We took a very inspirational class from Kathy AKA Crafty Chica. She is so wonderful, kind and inspirational. Her story is amazing and really goes to show that hard work, dedication and perseverance pays off.

I of course stopped by Doodlebug Design because I LOVE THEIR COLOR PALETTE! ALWAYS. PERIOD! Adorable designs with awesome colors. Can’t go wrong with that!

And of course there is PLANNER AWESOMENESS with Heidi Swapp... I love her, her creativity and her spirit.

And more planner excitement with Marion Smith! Isn’t Christian a great “poser” LOL!

I will have a bunch more pictures in my next post but I have to run for now as we are about to get to the convention center. Don’t forget to connect with us on your favorite social media platform above. Thanks for stopping by and as always, we hope you enjoyed going on A Creative Journey with Melissa!

#BellaCraftsQuarterly – A FREE #CREATIVE MAGAZINE – Yes it’s TRUE!

I know, I know… You think I am embellishing… Just because I am a crafter and often embellish on my projects DOESN’T mean I embellish on my stories. Actually, quite the opposite. Bella Crafts Quarterly is an AWESOME publication that you can sign up for and it’s FREE! YES FREE!! There are a number of amazing people behind this magazine mainly three and I was lucky enough to get a picture of two of them! Here is Lisa Rojas and Ann Butler. I should have gotten a picture of Theresa Cifali however she was teaching a class at the #CHAShow! This magazine has a ton of tips, tricks and just everything you would want to know about being creative. It’s FREE.. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR! SIGN UP ALREADY!

#ProjectLife, Who doesn’t LOVE the latest and greatest at the #CHAShow

If you read my previous post, you know that Becky Higgins is truly an inspiration of mine. I love everything about her. She truly embodies what I believe to be the American dream for a woman entrepreneur. Here are some pics of her newest lines along with some of the favorites too from the #CHAShow! IMAG3645-579x1024 IMAG3649-579x1024 IMAG3651-1024x579 (1) IMAG3647-1024x579

#beckyhiggins #projectlife #chashow #acreativejourneywithmelissa

Good afternoon!!
I don’t know if you know this but for some reason.. every time I see Becky Higgins, I cry… Like a goober. I have been inspired by her for so many years. I am so proud of her and her amazing creativity. She is so gracious, kind and genuine. There really isn’t anyone like her. And yes, she posed for this one

#CHAShow is coming!! Are you ready?

I am really excited that both my husband and I along with some of my amazing design team members will be going to CHA this year.We hope you will stay tuned and check out the amazing things we see so that you can feel like you are there with us!!

Happy New Year!

Thank you so much wm Happy New Year! We are getting ready for CHA which is the Craft and Hobby Association’s HUGE winter show that showcases the latest and greatest in the creative community! Be sure to stay tuned beginning January 9th for sneak peeks of products, creations and MORE! We hope 2015 be all that you have dreamed of and more! Thank you so much for your support and I look forward to amazing things this year for all of us!

Tag Archive for: CHA Show