CHA SHOW ROUNDUP!

As I write this post, Im awaiting the arrival of a major winter storm! Happens every year at this time, but in the past, I've been at the CHA show...so sorry to say...I've avoided most of them...not today...it's gonna happen! Regardless of the mucho frio temperature outside....The Arts and Crafts industry remains hotter than ever!

Last Tuesday, the production staff of When Creativity Knocks with Anna and Megan Arujo and I, taped a 3 minute segment using AMACO's newest product - Cloud Clay featuring the pasta machine. This segment will be available to view on the WCK website beginning February 12th - so cast your vote for us!! Check out their website for details!

As for as trends - there was a big trend towards food crafts! Scrapbooking papers featured fun food designs, diecuts in cupcake and party food shapes. ProvoCraft debuted a fondant cutter - very similar to their current Cricut machine. You'll be seeing whimsical food themes all the way from die cuts to jewelry charms. I guess this means I should cook??? Hmmmm...maybe I'll cook up some "chocolate" friendly plastic candy treats- whaddya say?

In Amaco's booth, Designers Michelle Zimmerman and Helen Bradley featured foodcrafts of their own as they created fun cupcakes in all sizes from Amaco's newest product release - Cloud Clay! This clay is soooooo light an airy - and when dry - well you honestly just can't take your hands off of it! For kids - it's like a "party in a package".

Initially it feels like a squishy stress ball but as it dries it becomes bouncy. Available in 7 colors with black and chocolate brown on their way! Air Dries fully in 24 hours.

For kid-friendly Project's featuring this brand new clay by designer Michelle Zimmerman - see the latest issue of Pack-O-Fun magazine on your newstands now!

ATTN: Teachers, Camp Coordinators, Art Instructors, Girl and Boy Scout Troop leaders - Cloud Clay will have a blog and educational/social network center all its own soon! So keep checking back!

Beading and jewelry making seem to be an ever growing category. Designers such as Katie Hacker (Katiedids) , Jill MacKay (Jill MacKay Collection) debuted their new signature lines. As always jewelry making remains popular and is a less expensive way to accessorize and dress up your fashions without alot of added expense...plus it's fun too!

Vintage styles are very popular in the jewelry category with a real comeback for charms - but in beautiful sophisticated finishes. Chunky and bold are also popular with a touch of bling too!

In the Amaco booth, Jana continued her fracture and fusion series, Jen Lowe demonstrated a huge variety of techniques from metal reposse, diecutting ArtEmboss and Friendly Plastic and more. I demonstrated just how versatile Friendly Plastic pellets are, using embossing powders and Krafty Lady Molds to create vintage buttons. Simply sew these buttons onto elastic and viola! a bracelet in no time!

My latest book "Beading In No Time" by Cico Books was released. It's 178 pages of creative jewelry ranging from beginner to intermediate skill levels...and I am happy to say that YES! It does have some Friendly Plastic projects in it...along with a host of others! Click here for more Info



Inspired at Home held a live pajama party as well as a live radiocast of the show. Get all the details on their website: http://www.inspiredathome.com/

A couple of fellow "Carol Duvall show family members" - Kelly Ehrlich-producer of the Carol Duvall Show and Karen Thomas- Origami QUEEN!



CHA is really an overwhelming collection of creative talent! High five to the hundreds of designers who frantically worked long hours into the night to make this event successful for all the exhibitors in attendance!

I have some very exciting news for all you Carol Duvall Viewers - SHE'S COMING BACK! Yes, there is a big plan to get Carol back on the air, details which I will share later. However,we need your help! Please email this address: icraftwithcarol@yahoo.com and let Carol know just how much you miss her! Let's go viral with this email address - so please share it with your friends!


Had to schmooze a little with Suze Weinburg together with my friend Jen Lowe



Coming up in the next couple of days - a new FPTV video featuring pellets and molds. You wont want to miss it!








Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.

January 2010 Project of the Month Club Ready

Thanks everyone for the well wishes and speedy recovery....They seem to be working! Even despite a little setback the middle of the week...

If you are a member of the Project of the Month club for polymer clay, your download is ready...and I'm going to leave it for a suprize. But I do think you'll love the story!

If you're going to be at CHA in a couple of weeks - come on by the AMACO booth as I will be there with live demonstrations in Friendly Plastic. I'd love to meet you!

POM CLUB MEMBERS - CLICK HERE

If you missed last years projects - don't worry - I'll be selling them individually and will provide a link when the link is set up and they are ready!

It's back to work Monday!

I know I've been quiet lately....with good reason....Im recovering from surgery! But...there's good news, while Im not fully recovered and wont be for a few months...I am able to get back into the studio and do a few things each day to create! YEAH!!!!!

We've also had a major snow storm (major for the ozarks) and sub zero temps which has prevented me from getting back to the studio. I think by now my mom and dad are ready to reclaim their house with what crafting materials I did bring over and have some peace and quiet at night!

That means next week my first priority is the 2010 edition of the POMS!! I do get excited over creating these little characters and hopefully this year I can keep up better with the blog and better at inspiring you.

So...if you have any suggestions - please let me know. I love requests and the more input from you the better the club will be.

Also, for 2009 pom club members, please get on the blog and make sure you have all the 2009 downloads - downloaded and saved onto a diskette. I will be taking these off my server around the 20th of the month to open space for this years projects.

I will only be offering the one POM club this year which is the whimsical characters. That way I can devote more time to magazine commitments and other projects I am working on and still make those adorable little guys!

I will also be formatting the POMs a little differently than last year. While last year was more "book formatted" I had several concerns about the amount of ink it would take to print them. I do understand that ink is expensive and having to constantly refill your printers is a pain in the rumpus....so the format will be somewhere in between last years large photos with the previous poms that were on a one page format. I still want to be able to get you great pictures so you can see what is going on.

I did send out notices to those members whos membership expires this month...so please if you wish to join email me and I will send out an invoice for $40 - same as last year.

I'll be sending those invoices tomorrow.

Soooooo....thanks for being patient with me while I recoup from surgery....if you've placed an order for FP pellets, they will be shipped this week!!!!

Okay..that's all for the up date......be ba de badeep...THATS ALL FOLKS!