I had a wonderful time in Chicago from Friday of last week until yesterday. On Friday and Saturday I attended the CHA Supershow in Rosemont. Saturday through Monday was Spraguefest 2010! I took hundreds of pictures and had so much fun. Here are my top 10 lists from each of those events in no particular order.

1. I met Pam (of By The Shore Designs) and Aprile for the first time in real life. We have been friends on the cricut message board for almost 2 years. As a bonus I got to meet Aprile’s sweet BFF Cindy too! I have seen and heard so much about her that I felt like I knew her. Now I really do!!!

The 4 of us in the Custom Crops booth from left to right: Pam, Cindy, Aprile, me

2. When I introduced myself at the JessicaSprague.com booth and told then I was there for Spraguefest, all the people said “Are you SeaTurtleBean?” all at once. It’s fun that they knew me!

3. I met Jessica Sprague and told her what she has taught me has changed my life! Jessica is just as AWESOME in real life as she seems in her videos.

me and Jessica Sprague in her CHA Supershow booth

me and Carina on the last day of Spraguefest

I made a Tinkerbell pillowcase

6. Aprile gave me, Pam and Cindy the most AMAZING paper bag album that she made for us to remember our adventures at the CHA Supershow. Aprile is such a talented crafter! You can follow her Project 365 adventures and see her crafts on her blog.

cover of the album that Aprile made for us

7. I did some great make and takes – headband, altered notebook, earrings, flower pin, button ring and various other crafts.

rings that Pam, Aprile, Cindy, the booth exhibitor and I made (my ring has the blue flower base)

8. I really enjoyed talking to people in the JessicaSprague.com booth about digital scrapbooking. I really love it and want to share that with others!

9. Some of the booths were for small businesses that started out with just an idea of how to do something better. It was wonderful to see real people who were successful at doing something they love. One such product is My Friendship Bracelet Maker. They are a great family and I wish them all the best!

10. I was chatting with 2 other women while we were in line waiting for a make and take. We talked about how we never win anything but have friends that are lucky and win frequently. One of them said that she was the owner of an online stamp store and she gave me a free stamp! So fun!

1. I slid down the Picasso statue with Carina Gardner and Crystal Wilkerson. Carina won the race!

2. The deep dish pizza at Giordano’s was DELICIOUS! Thanks to Jessica Sprague for treating all the Spraguefesters to lunch there!

Hannah and me with our deep dish Chicago pizza

4. The movie set for Transformers 3 was three blocks from our hotel in downtown Chicago. I ventured down there a few times. The day after they finished shooting all the debris and equipment was gone! Amazing!

Optimus Prime and Bumble Bee wait until showtime on the set of Transformers 3

5. My nickname is Kelly Bean so one of my highlights was “The Bean” in Millenium Park. The walking/photo tour we took that morning was awesome! Thanks to Tim for leading our group.

I love how “The Bean” in Millennium Park reflects the Chicago skyline

6. While we were waiting for our food at the Italian Village Restaurant, I saw the waiter bring a birthday cake to a man sitting behind me. I turned around and asked the woman he was with if she would like our group (of 50 people) to sing Happy Birthday to him. She of course thought it was perfect and he was completely mortified so we did it! It was fun and they were so appreciative about it all.

7. We went to Navy Pier one night. There was an event that involved a large macaroni noodle that I am not supposed to share in detail. 🙂 We also went on the swings, the Ferris wheel and had ice cream. Thanks to Carina, Crystal, Monda, Joan, Gary, Meg and Jeannie for making that adventure so fun!

Crystal, Carina, Me, Gary, Joan and Meg on the Wave Swinger at Navy Pier

8. The architecture and lake boat tour was informative and allowed me to see a beautiful view of the Chicago skyline.

Chicago skyline as seen from Lake Michigan

Gary (aka ScrappyGuy) taking our group photo

10. I was so inspired just to be around people who love to scrapbook, design and preserve their memories. I am so happy to call them friends!

Many of the Spraguefesters after dinner on Saturday night

The best part of my trip was coming home to Steve and the kids. Everyone was so happy to see me! I am glad that they love me so much!

Happy scrapping until next time!