StampFest Orlando & my new friend Ted


My gal pals and I went to StampFest Orlando (a tradeshow style of shopping arena featuring all things stamping and papercrafty) this past Saturday, and OH the damage we did!

But before I get to that, when you go to something like this with four friends, you can't just jump in willy nilly and start off in all directions. The plan of attack (initiated by me, the control freak) was to do an initial sweep, traveling quickly up and down each aisle, getting a sense of each booth without getting distracted and certainly NOT stopping. Then, after the full round, we would take our time and visit each booth we liked and reconvene at 12:30 for lunch.

This sounded good... in theory.

Okay, now I know I'm a CTMH consultant but I've always been very open about my deep passion for the Tim Holtz style: Vintage, grunge, deliciousness! So you can imagine how the whole plan of attack went out the window for me when I hit the Stampers Anonymous booth. I wasn't even halfway through my sweep! I was drawn in like a moth to a flame. The voices and sounds around me faded to a low-humming, and something like Hallelujah began to play in my head. The lights became brighter, colors more vivid.

Was this heaven?

With some sort of gravitational pull, I was moving toward the wall of Tim Holtz' Idea-ology findings. Gears, keys, fragments, adornments. Everything I wanted was there. I snatched one of each! I turned and there were his newest paper packs, specifically "Lost & Found" which I have been wanting for some time. I snagged TWO of those babies. One to ogle and drool over. The other to actually use.

The stamp wall beckoned me, and although I purchased just a few, I resisted the urge to buy too many stamps. For one thing, I am spoiled with CTMH's clear stamps. They are the best! But I promised myself that if there was something that I just couldn't live without, I would allow myself just a few wood-block purchases. Picture an old fashioned pharmacy label with a skull and the word POISON on it. Love that for Halloween ideas I have in my head already.

I won't tell you about every single thing I purchased, but I will say that I could hardly tear myself away from that booth. It was filled with such awesome goodies. Wendy Vecchi's display was gorgeous and while other stamp lovers ooohed and ahhhed over her samples, I interjected with how wonderful her products are. I'm pretty sure I talked a few people into buying both of her books.

My new friend Ted (pictured above) from S.A. was sitting front and center whipping up these cool tags right in front of us, using all kinds of great products in their booth. He was such a friendly guy and had a pretty big audience the entire time. After he demo'd products and finished his tag, he would give it away to one of us!

I joked with Ted about giving me a job with Stampers Anonymous. (I'm sure he thought I was super cute and has never been asked this before - - - NOT!) My joking was probably more like badgering, to him. But he was a good sport and put up with me, and I had a fantastic time watching him create and talking with him. When I asked him if he hangs out with Tim, he said, "I write that man's checks! Of course I know him." Cooool. He also admitted they were good friends and that Tim was a really cool person. No surprises there.

Finally, after unloading a lot of cash in this booth, I realized I had been there for about an hour. My friends had mostly given up on me, except Tiff. I finally caught up with everyone a little later and enjoyed the rest of the Fest.

I popped in on my Orlando friends/consultants at the Close To My Heart booth which was packed full of goodies and pretty items on display. We talked about our upcoming Convention in D.C. this July and gave each other that excited "it's almost here" squeeze. And I even ran into my Melbourne pal Sharon who raced up to me to say hello and we exchanged a big hug.

There's really something about the creative community. Such awesome people, such great friends, and such talent. And I love being a part of it.

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