Chicago Regionals Experience

Oh.My.Goodness.  WOW...ever feel like LIFE in general is moving full speed ahead and leaving you in the dust?  I'm trying to find the balance between working outside the home, working my business and keeping up with the everyday tasks.

Anyways...I've got some catching up to do!  I've got lots of artwork to share with you...it's not like the weeds have been growing under my feet...but I do feel I had to blow the dust off my blog! LOL

Last week, I had the honor to teach at the CTMH Regional Celebration in Chicago.  I do love all the places that CTMH has allowed me to visit...and one day, I will earn an incentive trip too! Seeing Chicago was a first for me, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity.  Afterwards, my friend Shari and I went to Willis Tower (YES...I did the SkyDeck!) and the Navy Pier.

Did I mention, I'm afraid of heights?  This was a daunting task for me!  The SkyDeck is 1353 feet in the air (glass floor is 1-1/2" thick), and the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel is 15 stories high...I think I conquered my fears in one day!  Yet I can't climb a ladder beyond the 4th step...go figure!  I digress...

The class I was selected to be a part of was 'Product Peeks and Geeks'.  I was a Geek! lol  

You might be a CTMH geek if...

...you know the Fed Ex man by name (mine is a woman, her name is Judy!)

...you have dressed your family (or friends) to coordinate with a Paper Packet you like (every year at the GingerBread Cottage with friends)

...the first thing you do when opening a CTMH order is smell the paper (mine is the stamp sets!)

...you've actually said these words to a painter, saleslady, etc:"Does this come in Cranberry?" or "I'm really looking for this in Sweet Leaf."(the walls in my house are Desert Sand and Chocolate)

And last, You might be a CTMH geek if...you sometimes just LOOK at your crafting stash, and it makes you happy!

I have to admit...I qualify on all points! I am a CTMH GEEK!

Onto my geek assignment:
I was assigned to create at least one piece of artwork using the new CTMH Textiles (Chantilly and For Always).  Seriously?  This was probably the ONE product in the catalog that I hadn't had any experience with! Ugh!  But I was up for the challenge to find the "cool" factor with fabric!

A fabric medallion...I will post a picture tutorial for this one tomorrrow.  Come back to see how I made it!  You can too!

(Click on any image to enlarge for more detail)

I created CUSTOM buttons using the For Always Textiles.  So easy!  Cut a circle of fabric twice the size of your button, sew a basic stitch around the diameter of the circle, place the button in the center of the circle, cinch the ends of the 2-threads as the fabric gathers around the button, tie it off tightly.  If you want padded buttons, I just used a piece of cotton ball.  *A BIG thanks goes out to fellow consultant, Peggy Hembree for this great idea!

I created a pinwheel from fabric the same you would from paper.

 And lastly, I covered cardstock with fabric on the sides of this 3-D box, and the bow on top was a Cricut image.  To use fabric with your Cricut machine, first adhere Heat-N-Bond to the reverse side of the fabric to give it stability.  Another good tip, have a Cricut blade you use only for fabric, since cardstock and paper will dull the blade easily.