Before I Go...

CHA...here I come!
Woo hoo ~~ I can't WAIT!  I'm leaving bright and early Saturday morning, with my good friend (whom also happens to be my boss, and owner of an Awesome Gift, Garden & Interior Design Shop ...with big hopes and dreams of expanding into art classes and supplies ~~ yes, it's a very unique and eclectic shop!), her DH, and her collegiate daughter for a 13-hour, 2-day drive to CHA in Chicago/Rosemont, Illinois to be held next Tues-Thurs.  I'm so excited, and am having massive difficulty containing myself...if you can't tell, ;).  This will be our first time attending CHA, and we can't wait to see what's in store!  (Have you been???  If so, PLEASE share your thoughts!  I hear the January/spring show is better, but I truly don't care; I'm just  so excited to get to GO ... and figure we won't know the difference, having never attended a CHA before!)  And, I'm excited to share with you, when I return next Saturday, all the new products we discover, all the artists we meet, and all the fun toys we return with...hopefully!

We will be riding/driving (no, I won't be driving, lol) the 30-foot RV my boss owns, and "dry camping" in the RV...in a gravel parking lot, 3 blocks from the convention center ~~ sounds like a great adventure to me!  (The closest campground, with hook-ups, is 45 minutes away...and we want to be close to the Convention Center and all the happenings, so we're agreeable to sacrifice endless water for convenience of the convention ~~ hey, what's more important, water or art supplies?!?  There are always Wet Wipes...and a very quick shower!)  No, I've never "dry camped in an RV," (meaning we won't have water hook-up, only a 100-gallon tank supply ... that surely we'll have to refill several times during the week ... and there's where the DH comes in awfully handy, hehehe!) but then again I've never "camped" in an RV ~~ only tents, with no water at all! ~~ so it can't be THAT bad.  I'm truly excited about the adventure in store, and I can only imagine many laughs and good times among my travel-mates.

So, I'll be MIA (Missing In Action) until next Sunday, August 1st ... or Monday, depending on how long it takes me to unpack ... and don't know whether or not we'll have internet access on the road (if not, I'll be going through blogland-withdrawals, for sure!).  So, if you don't see me here, or on your blog, just know that I'll be "all a flutter" through blogland when I return, all excited to see what you've been up to, and to share with you the things I've seen at CHA ... and the journaling I do along our trip ~~ YES, I'm taking some supplies with me, and hoping to come home with even more (however, I'm skeptical as to how much will be available there at retail, as I do not have my own Tax ID; anyone know about this???)!

So, as to what I've been up to this week ... besides packing and planning for my trip, here are a few more Big Girl journal pages created from the quotes of my friend's 5-yr-old.  This truly has been a very fun project to work on, and I'm thinking that I may have them made into a hard-cover book via "Shutterfly," versus giving her the watercolor sketchbook originals ... along with a few pics of Big Girl herself included in the hardcover book!  Whatcha think ~~ originals or a hardcover book?  (Got the hardcover book idea from Rebecca Anthony whom did an Awesome book of some of her original Daisy Dolls, ;).  So here are my latest journal pages from Big Girl's quotes:

This has been a very fun and easy project to create, as Big Girl has provided me with so much inspiration.  I'm inspired to create a line of cards with similar effects in the future ... although I'm not comfortable with using Big Girl's quotes on them ... as she "owns" the quotes ~~ they are totally original Big Girl quotes.  However, I would love to be able to be inspired by her to create my own "juvenile/whimsical" fun quotes!  We gotta love the kid in each of us, right?

K, I'm off to find the kid in me, finish packing, and be off on a one-of-a-kind journey with a lifetime of memories!  And, lastly, please, if you have an animal (I don't have children, so my doggies ARE my children), please give them an extra hug from me next week, ... as I will be terribly missing my Big Boomer and Little Gracie ... as well as my DH ... next week, ;).  Wishing each of you a totally blissful week ahead, with much peace, love, and creativity!  Happy Creating to each of you!!! xoxo ~~ Jeanne