Wow! 2015 is off to a roaring start!!! The first week was a flurry of getting ready to head to CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) in Anaheim, CA. I taught a workshop there and it was really cool to see several of my mixed media friends teaching as well. Almost like teaching at a retreat only bigger classes and a whole different audience.

Traci Bautista, me, Mary Beth Shaw and Seth Apter, partners in crime! It’s so great to have good friends that back each other up when doing these types of events. We helped in each others classes, ate together walked the floor together, signed books and DVD’s together and pretty much were joined at the hip lol.

Mary Beth, Seth and I asked to have our classes back to back so we could each assist the others in their workshops. It was a long day but so much more fun when shared with friends like this!

At the end of the day I was rewarded with the advance copies of my book being overnighted by my publisher to the hotel!!!

The really cool thing was that last year at CHA is when I talked to Tonia Jenny  (editor) about North Light publishing this book. I’d been working on it for about a year before that and really wanted to find a good fit in a publisher. I’m so thrilled with how they have handled this book and the amount of input I was able to give. It was awesome to get to see the first copy, hot off the press, with Tonia present!

The next day it was book/DVD signings for us and walking the floor with some meetings thrown in between. I did a little demoing with the signing alongside Mary Beth.

Those of you that follow me on Facebook or Instagram know that I love to knit in my spare time, it’s a great way to relax! It was very thrilling to be signing the same day as Vicki Howell from Knitting Daily TV.

After a whirlwind couple of days, I’m now home and things haven’t slowed down! The first journal spread is from the Documented Life Project I’ve decided to join in for the year. It’s a really great thing if you want to keep on track with your art journaling and there’s a huge following with a great community of artists.

I also gifted myself with a workshop from Gillian Cox. I never get a chance to take classes and I really want to explore my work in new ways so I signed up and have started her online course, Unearth Gather Create. I believe the class is full but you can click on the link to see what classes she has available.

I hope your year is off to a great start and that you’re finding time to do what you love!