As I was about to start typing I looked down at my sleeve and noticed the evidence that I had just been using Clorox Clean-up.  I’m wondering if everyone else is as incapable as I am of not bleaching out clothes when using it.  Knowing that it’s a given, you’d think one of these days I get smart and have my “Clorox Clean-up Shirt” and stop ruining my clothes!  Hasn’t happened yet…

It’s a happy Sunday here in more ways than one.  It’s absolutely gorgeous out for one!  In Oregon, you really learn to treasure days like this in the winter because they are so rare.  There isn’t a cloud in the sky and it’s close to 60 out.  Ahhhh…  We took a nice family walk this morning.  It was so good to be out and feel the sun on my face.  Plus there was the first hint of spring — the crocus and grape hyacinth are up!  Seeing them for the first time always puts me in a happy mood.

It’s also a happy day because I’m finally starting to feel like I’m among the living again.  The morning after getting back from CHA I got hit with that nasty flu bug.  The good news is that Ali and I contemplated staying an extra day, but didn’t.  I’m so thankful I didn’t have to travel in the state I was in.  I meant to be a good blogger but just getting through the necessary stuff was such an effort that anything extraneous was swept under the rug.    My head is still fuzzy; I still sound like a very hoarse Kathleen Turner; and I’m still going through a box of kleenex a day but I’m much better than I was.  Fortunately no one else in the family really got it (Scott did get to contend with Jack and the stomach flu and Alice with “the pink eye” as she says, and an ear infection while I was away).    There’s always that one benny of being sick — any weight I gained at CHA is now gone!

Sooooo…. on to CHA!

Ali and I had a great time together — we did all of our favorite things: ate, shopped, laughed and added in a little bit of scrapbook business!  We made a great travel team.   I think you can learn a lot about a friendship when you travel together and happily ours more than passed the test.

There were lots of great products to be found at CHA.  There were a few new companies that were fun to check out.  Jenni Bowlin was exhibiting for the first time and her stuff, of course, was great.  Pink Paislee was also a new exhibitor and they had some fun products.  I loved that they give you the outer portion of their diecut papers so you can use it as a 12×12 frame for another page!  Clever…

EVERYTHING Prima put out this year was amazing!!!  It was also totally overwhelming the sheer number of products they were able to come out with at one time.  Lots of cool new “Say It in Crystals,” fun new flowers, pretty lace trims, and clear stamps.  I love their new felt alphas that came in a vast array of colors.

Their Voila die-cut ribbons were too die for!

Tinkering Ink had some great products too.  Like Ali, I LOVE their new peek-a-boo acrylic and chipboard albums (I’m sure you all already saw those on her blog).   I also really liked their Bella line.  I really like how they are now putting a smaller print on the back side of their papers so that if you are intimidated by the large designs (I love them, but don’t always know what to do with them) there’s something else to work with!

Ali and I got to join the Tinkering Ink crew for dinner one night.  Paul and Kezia are the nicest people you will ever meet!  Poor Kezia, after dealing with thyroid cancer this past fall (resulting in the removal of her thyroid) she is about to go under the knife again next week.  Please send some positive thoughts her way…

Sassafrass Lass.  WOW!!!  Love the extra little frill on some of their papers!  I think that will be so fun to play with.

The Fawn paper was my favorite, (sorry, having a hard time getting a picture of it) I think that fawn would be the cutest stamp!  Hmmmm…..

I was so amazed at how Chatterbox completely reinvented itself.  It was incredible!  They had some amazing new products!  I was especially in love with their Botanico line.  Great papers and the embellishments were adorable!

Ok, more CHA updates in a bit. Because I’m feeling marginally better, why not invite people over for dinner?  It’s not like I’ve got a ton to do to get ready for CKC in less than TWO weeks or have a million other things to get accomplished.  What fun would life be without a little extra unnecessary stress?  And it will be fun to see our friends!