Some CHA photos

Hi, friends...it's been a crazy few days here in LA, but it's fun. CHA is in full swing with lots of new goodies to behold. Unfortunately, I've been too busy in the Spellbinders booth that I haven't had time to walk the floor to see all that's new. I did get to visit Tsukineko and saw these beautiful creations featuring Layers of Colors stamps. These houses were made by my fellow DT members and were just fabulously displayed at the Tsukineko booth.
They displayed my cards too under the Memento tree. I just love their inks!
I was also able to help SRM Stickers with a class of almost 150 people. It was a sight to behold.

Look what Laura sent us...oh they were so yummy!
However, I have been able to meet some lovely friends. This is the amazing and sweet Julie Overby, who is working at the Spellbinders booth with me.
This is the very talented Heidi Blankenship, who also worked the booth with me.
I had lunch with the famous and fabulous Jessica Witty and the two lovely ladies below.
This is Cindy, owner of one of my favorite online stores Emma's Paperie.
And one of my paper crafting idols, Anabelle O'Malley.
On Sunday, I took Jennie and Janice to my home church and took a quick tour of Sta Monica. It was so cold.

Goodbyes and Hellos

Don't you just hate goodbyes? I know they're part of life, but I can't seem to get used to them. And practice doesn't make perfect either because I've said so many in my lifetime and still each one is hard.

But, nothing is worse than saying goodbye to my sweet girls and husband. And thankfully, this is the first (and maybe only) time I get to do it. It is like a big part of me was left there with them and I don't feel complete. It's amazing how God interweaves our hearts together so we can experience love this intense. It is such a gift to have dear people whom you love and who love you back. So even in this painful experience of being separated from my family, God shows Himself as good. I am blessed!

To help with the girls' sadness of my being away, I left them a stack of cards to open, one for each day I'm gone. I left little clues in the notes about where to find treats that I hid all over the house.
Here are some sample treats I left for them. I used SRM Stickers tubes that are so fun to decorate. I made these vintage shabby (what else?). They're filled with chocolate. I used the We've Got Your Sticker Sweet to secure the wrapped doilies in place and for the tags.

One of the upsides of goodbyes is you also get to say hello when you get to your destination. I am enjoying time with my parents right now and it's been a long time since I'm home alone with them. I am blessed to have wonderful parents, too. And, of course, I will see many of my blogging and paper crafting friends at CHA later this week. I will try to update this blog with photos from the floor.

In the meantime, here are some shots I took from 38K feet in the air. This one was taken over the Atlantic Ocean.

And I believe these were the Rockies, from what I could tell on the map. Don't these just shout the glory of God? What a beautiful world we live in.

I hope you will all have a great day today!

Sketch Time for STV

Happy Monday! Today's card is for Stamp TV's Sketch Spotlight #10. I used Gleefully Yours with some yummy Webster's Pages papers again. The cardstocks are GinaK Wine with Everything and Green Apple and inks are Memento Sweet Plum mixed with Rhubarb Stalk.

My blog posts will be sparse in the next several days as I get busy with traveling and CHA. It's going to be fun, but am not so excited about leaving my family. This will be my first trip solo since I got married. I miss them already and I haven't left yet. I know God can take care of them better than I can. It's a relief that even in this area, I can trust Him and be confident He is always good. This verse from Isaiah 26:3, 4 has been a blessing to me lately:

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength. [Another version of the last phrase says, "For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock."]

L-O-V-E

My card today is for Card Patterns sketch this week. Our sponsor is Layers of Color Art Stamps. I used one of their brand new stamps, The Love Chapter, on my card. The papers are Webster's Pages. The lace is from my sweet friend, Jennie.

Here is the sketch:

And this is the prize up for grabs! I hope you can join us!

Stamp TV Color Spotlight

TGIF, even though my work doesn't really change as a stay at home mom :-). This weekend, however, is a little busier than usual for me. I'm leaving for CHA on Wednesday and I have a long to-do list until then! This is my first solo trip in a long time, so I'm a little sad. But, I look forward to seeing my parents and so many of my blogging friends in the paper crafting community there. If you will be at CHA, please stop by the Spellbinders booth, where I will be working. I'd love to meet you!

Today's card is for StampTV's Color Spotlight Challenge. I used my Gleefully Yours set with Webster's Pages pages. And my new favorite embellishment, the artisan frames by Pink Paislee. I inked it with Vivid Aqua to show the details. The cardstocks are Turquoise Sea and Chocolate Brown.

On another note, one of my cards is being featured in the Moxie Fab blog today. Thanks, Cath! If you want more info about the card, you can go to THIS SPECIAL POST. Enjoy the weekend, everyone!