CHA was a Hit!

Well it was a very long week at CHA in Orlando! We started Monday at the Creative Imaginations and SEI sneak peek event where we were introduced to new products and lots of fun make 'n takes. Tuesday continued the fun with the first day of CHA. This was my first visit to CHA and I heard it was on the small side but there seemed to be plenty to see and do.

So my job at CHA was to run around doing Make'n Takes and watching product demos and then reporting back to the boss (Denise) who was busy herself running around ordering. We had a full day and accomplished lots of ordering from companies like Fancy Pants, Creative Imaginations, Tattered Angels, SEI, We R Memory Keepers, Prima Flowers, Clear Scraps, Crafter's Workshop, Reminisce, Flair, Heart of Texas, My Little Shoebox, Sugar Tree, and Making Memories, just to name a few. Look for our CHA Showcase event in September where we'll be showing off all the new products.

With a successful day behind us, we headed back to the shop where the real work began. Wednesday we spent the day loading the truck with tons of product to sell at the CHA Supershow. This was followed by setup day on Thursday. Imagine setting up thousands of products on a 10x30 booth for hours and hours in a large convention center with no AC while 6 months pregnant. Yep that was my day, tons of fun! A huge huge thanks to Bonnie and Sheila who helped set up the entire time, despite the uncomfortable working conditions.

With the booth ready and the biggest line I've ever seen outside the convention center doors, we were ready for the next couple of days. The show brought in more people than I could ever imagine. We were a little upset that our booth was moved to the back corner of the convention at the last minute but it turned out we had the perfect location. While our side of the show was always crowded, we had an empty booth right in front of us that gave us the extra room for our never ending line, it was perfect! The day ended with four exhausted workers, tons of sold product, and an almost empty shelf of Glimmer Mist. First day = success!

Saturday brought even more people and everyone seemed to be having a great time. We spent the entire day running two registers and there was not a free minute with no line. I never had a chance to even walk around and see the rest of the show but I heard good response from all the customers. I can't even believe how much 20 cent paper we sold in one day. It was a great day but I was ready for it to be over. My feet swelled to unhuman proportions, yuck!

I have to say thanks again to Bonnie and Sheila who helped out so much! They were such great Glimmer Mist make 'n take instructors and we could not have survived the weekend without them. Thanks so much, ladies, you are amazing!

Ok, I am sure you are sick of my blabbing, here are some photos:

Our favorite Make 'n Take girls, Sheila and Bonnie

This is where she stood for two days



Our booth when it was actually not crowded.



Look what I made at CHA:






Made at the Marvy Uchida Booth:

Made using new Creative Imaginations product:



More Creative Imaginations projects:

This was my favorite new line from Creative Imaginations:

This was an interesting technique using flocked paper with chalk inks. So much fun and adds a great effect:

Cute little book with new Creative Imaginations product:

This was my favorite of the day by Quick Quotes and we'll probably be doing this project in the store since it was such a hit at the show :)