The Gentleman Crafter

Good Morning Chicago! Last Day at CHA!

Good Morning Everyone!  I have made so many new cool friends and it's kinda sad to see them go away and back to their own homes.   However, addresses and cell phone numbers have been exchanged and I so look forward to being in contact!

Before I go back out to CHA I wanted to share one of my extra projects from CHA. 

Here is the Graphic 45 Ladies Diary Roll top Ladies Desk.  Completely made from chipboard...But that's obvious if you know me!  Hahaha!  It was a blast to try to figure out how to make a roll top out of chipboard!  But I think it came out ok!  I wish I had a bit more time to embellish, but that was about the time the electricity went out at home!  Go figure!  LOL!

Hope you like it!

Jim

The Gentleman Crafter

 

 

Evening in Chicago!

I had a time with my Mac not posting yesterday evening!....Here's yesterday's post....

I'm pooped!  Thought I would take a moment and blog before the evening begins!  

Today was FANTASTIC!  I took the time to watch demos and slow the pace down a bit!   First off was another round through Ranger!  You can't help but want to keep going back as you don't want to miss anything!  Before the show opened, we had the opportunity to talk to Tim a bit more!  Because you guys, when The floor is open, Tim is swamped with fans!  LOL!

Next, it was over to Sizzix to see all the dies!  Loving the snowflake die!  Here's a picture of a wreath made with it...

So many cool new dies!  You gotta have 'em!  Love ALL the Christmas and Halloween Dies!  Oh My Gosh!  I didn't catch the exact names of the dies but the domed dish die, is fantastic!  So may uses!  Oh and the Halloween Silhouettes!  Oh My Gosh again!  And then there is the on the border die with the people!  HEAVEN!  LOL!

Then it was over to the Piccolo/GlobeCraft Memories!  You guys!  I could have spent hours in here watching the demos on these INCREDIBLY AMAZING embossing powders!  I think this product out of the whole show would be worth the fare of coming here!  I'm in LOVE!  That's saying a lot huh?  They make these jewelry blanks from very tough pressed chipboard!  things like pendants, earrings, and necklaces to name a few!  you cover them with an embossing fluid dabber and then toss on a few layers of the powder!  AMAZING!  I know your like so, embossing powder...No, the most amazing colors all mixed into one powder!  I wish I could explain!  You could make the coolest embellishments for any project or if you were a jewelry maker the most awesome jewelry from these powders and pieces! Some of my favorite colors were, Mossy Glen, Mermaid Tears, Temple Stone andMardi Gras!  Totally cool...Check them out when you get a chance!  I know I'm going to invest in the company!  HAHAHA

Here's a totally bad picture of the demo!  Why didn't I get close ups of the goods!  Who knows!  At least you can see the shapes of the pendants...

Next over to USArt Quest.  Joe Rotella turned me on to these mica watercolors a few months back and I love them. I went over to see all the colors... These really are fantastic.  Just like a sparklin' watercolor!  Just grab some water and apply to your project and mix if you want!  Too Cool!

Gotta run for now but more later!

Jim

The Gentleman Crafter

Graphic 45's CHA Project - Happy Haunting Tags!

Good Morning Everyone!

Please join me over on Graphic 45's blog as we begin to show off our projects designed for CHA!  

The task,  to use Graphic 45's new and very cool collection, Happy Haunting and make a tag!  I went GATE!  Hahaha!  A halloween shuttery kind of gate!  Is shuttery a word?  LOL!  One of my favorite pages from the collection is Fright Night.  The owls in the trees, the haunted house and that awesome gate!   I wanted to use Fright Night as the background and have the owls eyes peering through the shutters. So here's what I came up with! 

I let the paper be the embellishment and added one of the new Graphic 45 keys, some May Arts Ribbon and cut the G45 metal butterfly into a bat and enameled it.

 

Please take a moment to go over to Graphic 45's Blog to check out my other teamies tags, Tara Orr and Sharon Nagoo!

Thanks For Looking!

Jim

The Gentleman Crafter

Another Amazing Day!

Hello Everyone!

What an amazing day !  I thought yesterday was good, today was primo!  I've been walking around in hog heaven all day!  Kinda star struck really!  On a cloud of excitement induced happiness!  

At the moment, I am sitting in the hotel lobby trying to sneak in a quick post. Yes, phone bloggin' God help me!  So with my luck this will post like 3 or 4 times again!  LOL!  I'm having dinner with two of my fellow Graphic 45 Design Team mates, Laura Denison and Kristin Wilson.  So let me kinda go through the day.

Kristin and I met up with Laura mid morning and we all started out together and then I think we all went our separate ways somehow!  LOL!  Somehow the smell of food brought us all magically together again! LUNCH!  LOL!  Next, we went over to see Laura's projects she created!  Too Cool! Of course we had to take a picture in the Graphic 45 Photo Booth! 

I so wanted to steal that top hat from Graphic 45's Booth!

Some pictures of Charee and Aimee Filimoehala in the Graphic 45 Booth...

There are so many cool new things to want, need and lust over!  Want 2 Scrap has the coolest new laser cut chipboard albums!  Oh my gosh!  So many cool shapes and even a top hat!  How did I miss the top hat?  It came out last January!! Joe Rotella's new designs for Want 2 Scrap are just amazing.  He has some amazing albums, birds and the coolest pulleys!  Loved them all!  OH yeah!  The cutest little (3 inches maybe) figure that could so easily be done in so many ways to add to projects!

Jim, The Gentleman Crafter and Joe Rotella

Isn't she cool!

The Want 2 Scrap Booth....Do you see the Top Hat Album just to the left of my top hat??

If you've ever read my comments or my blog,  you will see the name Barbara Albrecht mentioned.  She was a friend I met online when I first started blogging and found out later that she lives in the same city!   We've been great buddies and even shopping buddies ever since!!  LOL!  Her daughter Kimber works for Jillibean Soup!  Had to go by and say hello....LOL!  By the way, Jillibean has some BEAUTIFUL papers!

Oh My Gosh!  If I were to go to glory tomorrow, can someone please throw in some 7 Gypsies goodies to help me on my way!  :)  Love their products folks!  Loving the Christmas papers!  YES!!!

OK, so not the best picture! Sorry so blurry!

Wondering where all the pictures of the new goods are?  Well...did I already mention I was star struck today! I can't help it y'all!  I think today was about meeting all the friends you have chatted with and emailed online!  It was great fun!  Tomorrow, I hope to be a better blogger of goods!  I promise!  LOL!

Just a few more shots of these awesome online friends....

How was I ever so lucky to be surrounded by two of the most amazing and talented ladies all at once!  Linda Cain and Shelly Hickox!! Can you tell I'm holding on to them as I was shaking?  Bahhahaha! 

The Amazing Heidi Swapp....

One Last picture....Shelly Hickox, Kristin Wilson, Jim T.G.C. and Tammy Tutterow

Another Amazing Day In Paper Paradise!

Tomorrow shots of paper in paper paradise!  LOL!  I promise!  LOL!

 

Thanks for looking!

Jim

The Gentleman Crafter

A Wonderful Day!

Good Evening Y'all!

What an amazing day!  A wonderful smooth flight, easy transition to hotel, had the opportunity to meet the AMAZING Graphic 45 Team of beautiful ladies, Diane Shultz, Charee Filimoehala, Aimee Filimoehala and Joanna Hardy!  Then a quick chat with my hero's Tim and Mario! Then there was the awesome opportunity to meet the beautiful Dyan Reaveley!  To top all this off, dinner with Kristin Wilson an incredible member of the Graphic 45 Design Team!  

Would you believe that I'm laying in bed eating a peanut butter cookie and sipping on some decaf coffee?  That has to be the cherry on top!  LOL!

As this is my first trip to CHA, I walked into the convention center and it was truly like I had landed smack dab in the middle of HEAVEN PEOPLE!  HEAVEN!!  I was like a kid in a candy shop!  The treasures, the papers, the embellies, the paints, sprays and dies!  I am so thankful that this is wholesale only or else I would have to sell my car rent a semi and haul everything home!  LOL!  So many cool things that I passed on the way to the G45 booth.  I wouldn't let myself look too much as I want to save it for the next couple of days! LOL!

Well, better get some rest...I will be blogging from CHA Tomorrow!  Hope to share some inspiration!

Until tomorrow,

Jim

The Gentleman Crafter

 

Chicago!

Made it safe and sound! Yahooo! Let the fun begin! Chicago there's a Texan in the house!

Jim

The Gentleman Crafter

Sent from my HTC smartphone on the Now Network from Sprint!

In the air!

Me trying to look in the airplane! Hahaha!

Jim

Sent from my HTC smartphone on the Now Network from Sprint!

In the plane!

My first airplane blog! For a change I made it to the airport in time! Everything has gone as really well.  

So excited about this journey!

Well, I guess its time to turn off all wireless stuff so I'll see you in the air!

Jim

The Gentleman Crafter

Sent from my HTC smartphone on the Now Network from Sprint!

Chicago Bound!

Good Early Early Early morning! 

Well Gango, I just glued my last piece on my extra Graphic 45 CHA projects!  I want to celebrate!!!!  But it's like 1:00 a.m.!!!  what do you do when you have to catch a plane in 7 hours?!?  What a day...What a day!  I was finally down to the detail work this afternoon on my projects!  I was going gang busters!  Then around 4 p.m. a thunderstorm came through and knocked out the power!  It finally came back on around 10 p.m.!  Just my luck huh?

You should have seen me!  I had about 5 candles on trying to see where to punch holes and place things!  I had a stool shoved right up next to the french doors so I could see!  The living end was when I was distressing a piece of paper and tossed my applicator in the candle wax!  Serious to God, how could I have possibly flung the darn thing into the wax!  I held my cool pretty well and just kept moving!  

At one point, the thought did arise when I was cutting chipboard as to why on earth I always had to MAKE something to then embellish!  Why didn't I go for something easy and just alter it!  OH NO, that would have been too easy!  I had to make it from scratch!  LOL!  But that is however what i enjoy the most...building something!  Well, it's built, inked, glued, taped, papered, punched, embellished and wrapped and ready to go!  Yahooo Again for good measure!

I totally haven't read any of your emails or comments but hope to from the plane in the morning!  I thought it best not to turn on the computer while I was trying to finish up my projects.  If I should have even read one,  guess where I'd be?  You guessed it...I would still be online!  LOL!   

Just wanted to send out one last post before I hit the road... or the air in this case... in the morning!  I am ready to go!  CHICAGO, here I come!.....By the way, have you ever wondered how to pack a top hat?  Well, me too!  :)  

Jim

The Gentleman Crafter

Blown Away!

See, I said I would be back!  Here we go....

Gang, I just have to share some amazing gifts I received this week!  Y'all need to stop already!  You're spoiling me!   Hahahaha!  I'm totally blown away by both of these amazingly talented women, Nan R. and Kay P.  So much so, I wanted to show you their art!  It's like show and tell!  Had to do it!  Once again totally blown away!

Incredible Handmade Stamps from Nan...

 

Thanks Tons Nan!  I'm so honored!

 

Fantastic Folk Art From Kay....

 

Isn't Tobias the Toad the best!  Thank you Kay for your amazing thoughtfulness! 

 

Now see, wasn't that worth another post!  Got to love these two ladies!  Thank You once again!

Thanks for indulging me and letting me brag about my amazing gifts!!!

Jim

The Gentleman Crafter