What do I mean by "Our People?" I'll start with an explanation of the Craft and Hobby Association. CHA is a semi-annual trade show where we (the 5- 6 person team from Scrapbook.com) find the next six-months of new products for the Scrapbook.com Superstore. We also connect with our Friends in the industry and Neighbors from Scrapbook.com, ScrapJazz.com, ComputerScrapbook.com and BigPictureScrapbooking.com who attend.
It Takes A Lot of Courage - 2007 marks my 9th year participating in the quest to find innovative products at trade shows and this show was the most enjoyable to date for me. I admit I left home early Sunday morning less-than-enthusiastic about the lengthy and challenging schedule ahead. However, I could hardly wait to see and reunite with friends from all over this planet who share the passion of scrapbooking and crafting. I was so excited to see what talented people had to share. It takes a lot of courage to dare to display your dreams to peers in a potentially critical venue. I had a reflective moment the evening of the first day while Tricia and I took a 30-minute break in our hotel rooms before evening meetings began. I jotted the following on a notepad…
Thoughts - “From a 15th floor balcony of my hotel room I can observe the sea of humankind flow out of the glass pavilion doors of the Anaheim Convention center. Heavy shoulder bags, I’m sure, press semi-permanent creases into flesh, and wheels of portable totes click and clack over concrete expansion joints as the light of day melts into the horizon. Band-Aids discretely adorn many heels. I smile as I watch polite men and women stand patiently together in lines for taxis and buses. These are ‘our people,’ and I respect and honor them.
“This show, as with all shows, was planned for by CHA and is powered by manufacturers (veteran and fledgling) who invest time and money to be here. They bring papers, tools, adhesives, albums, embellishments, supplies, totes, storage equipment, etc., for scrapbookers; but there are also hundreds of other companies who represent the entire craft industry. Each hopes they will make us all happy with what they have to offer.
“Retail store owners invest time and money to get to the show to find what their customers will love. Writers invest time and money to gather information and stories we want to read. And the list goes on and on. There’s a whole lot of time, life, money and work that goes into the products that adorn our albums. I feel gratitude and am overwhelmed with the dedication I’m privileged to experience. I’m so happy to be here.”
Our intention and theirs - We work hard at Scrapbook.com to provide you with a destination where you can fulfill your needs as a scrapbooker or paper crafter. And, I want you to know we represent the passion, dedication and work of hundreds of thousands of other people too.
Thank you - We appreciate the trust, support and encouragement we get from you; thank you. Thanks too for investing hard-earned money and precious time with Scrapbook.com. I sincerely hope we are helping you have a more abundant and happy life.
Sneak Peeks are our way to bring the trade show to you - Tricia, Kelsey and I found thousands of fun, beautiful, classy and cutting-edge products for you. Drex and McKane also found a few they’re excited to share. Many of the items we selected for the Superstore were those featured in the Sneak Peeks manufactures shared here on their My Places. Because they shared with us before the show we were able to shop for you with less stress and had more fun in the process. If you have some time, please leave comments at their My Places to thank them for what they do for the industry. They deserve the praise and support!!! Here's a link to where you can find 60+ manufacturer My Places in one location:
http://www.imakenews.com/scrapbook/index000161409.cfm
Fun is on the way - Many new items have already been shipped and will be available very soon in the Scrapbook.com Superstore; keep an eye on our "What's New" Section and the "Coming Soon" section. When you see something you like and it's not in yet, please click on the email notification link and enter your email address and we'll send you an email when it comes in - you'll be one of the first to know. I’m SO excited for you to get the chance to have more exceptional and new products.
Look forward to seeing a continuation of the free-style and artistic flair of 2006 with new and innovative clear stamps, doodles, and ease-of use tools in fun colors.
Locate your ink bottles and ink pads, because you're going to have fun places to store them and just about anything else in your studio or craft space!
Companies are still creating fabulous page and album kits that you can add your own creativity to but not have the headache of trying to coordinate everything.
Furniture, felt and faces (clock) are favorites as are less-mess adhesives, smooth surfaced cardstocks and stylish totes for our cameras.
Manufactures are still getting us products that make scrapbooking easier, our craft spaces more beautifully organized and scrapbooking-on-the-go easier.
