Have you ever been curious about the CHA show but unable to attend either because you just couldn't make it or because the industry event is open to the trade only? Well, here's your chance to attend this extraordinarily event without even leaving the house! I am giving away a ticket to Charity Wings LIVE from CHA to one lucky reader!

Included in this prize is the ability for you to tune in to the Craft & Hobby Association Winter 2012 Trade Convention and see demos, meet artists (including Modern Surrealist) and learn about the latest innovations in the craft industry! 

In addition you will receive a Make n' Take gift pack valued at over $40! With this pack you will be able to create many of the fun projects featured on the show! View and participate from the comfort of your own home! Invite your crafty friends to your home to join you in the fun! If all that wasn't enough, the winner of this giveaway will also be entered into 45 separate raffles with prizes valued at $50 each, some of which are hand crafted items created by artists such as myself! What an amazing gift that keeps on giving! 

To enter to win, please leave a comment mentioning "LIVE From CHA Giveaway" on the wall of the Modern Surrealist Facebook Page. 

Winners will be announced on the Modern Surrealist Facebook Page Friday January 19th, 2012. 

Contest Open to US and Canadian residents only. No PO Boxes.

Deadline to Enter is Friday January 19th 2012 at NOON CST.

Tickets to the event may also be purchased HERE if you prefer to have a guaranteed spot at LIVE from CHA with Charity Wings. Charity Wings in an awesome non-profit dedicated to raising funds for noble causes by sponsoring creative events throughout the United States. 

Extreme Edge® LIVE T-Shirt REMIX Contest at CHA Winter 2012

Sponsored by Westcott Brand - The World’s Favorite Scissors™ - Booth #2773

Witness the Excitement as Designer CHA Members Shred Their Competitors in FOUR LIVE CONTESTS!!! What Can They Create in 20 Minutes with a Basic Oversize T-Shirt and a Pair of Westcott Brand Extreme Edge® Scissors?!! The Possibilities are Endless!!!

Westcott Brand is pleased to announce our upcoming series of creative competitions in our booth #2773 at the 2012 Craft & Hobby Association Winter Trade Convention! This fast paced competition hosted by Modern Surrealist Marisa Pawelko is sure to be the talk of the show! 

We've got FOUR competitions lined up with some amazing CHA Designer Member Contestants! Check out this ALL-STAR Lineup! If you happen to be attending the show, please come to our booth and see who makes the cut!!!

Invite your CHA friends to the event on Facebook

*CHA Winter 2012 Convention is open to the trade only

I could not pass up the opportunity to participate in the Designer Crafts Connection December Blog Hop! It’s actually a SOCK HOP! The theme of this month’s blog hop is the timeless classic THE SOCK MONKEY!! This online extravaganza of creativity was sponsored by When Creativity Knocks in honor of the ingenious craft entrepreneur Ana Araujo and the launch of her brand new DVD Sock Monkeys Go BanAnas! It was utterly delightful to watch this instructional film in which Ana teaches her daughter (with very little sewing experience) Megan how to make the classic sock monkey. I was thoroughly entertained by their hilarious mother daughter banter as they explained each step! They make quite a dynamic duo! This video would be great for beginner sewers as Ana points out some of the most important foundational aspects to basic sewing! It really was a pleasure to watch this inspiring, informative and entertaining DVD! I watched it at night and awoke the next morning remembering each step of the process they so clearly demonstrated in this memorable video. I was absolutely revved to get started on my own sock monkey!

Now usually I’m not one for following patterns or kits, but this was different. For the first time EVER, I was actually inspired to follow all the directions provided to a T! Originally being the craft rebel that I am, I intended to make something completely wacky, like another animal or a purse. However after watching the DVD, I was so inspired to create the pure classic sock monkey just like how Ana showed me how to do it in her DVD! She joyfully demonstrates this fun and easy sewing project and offered up lots of practical tips throughout the process!

In the video Ana mentioned the idea of designing customized sock monkeys inspired by specific people. That concept really ignited my creative juices! As you may already know, Betsey Johnson is my ultimate lifetime creative muse! That’s putting it lightly. She is far and away the most inspired, creative, passionate and stylish designer in the entire world! I have never seen a single BJ design that wasn't absolutely incredible! I actually had the clandestine honor of meeting my muse on a beach in Mexico and told about the experience in one of my first blog posts. Words cannot express my love for Betsey!!!! I aspire to be the “Betsey Johnson of the craft world”! So naturally I decided to create my sock monkey in honor of the spectacular Betsey Johnson! The kit provided included a pair of the Original Rockford Red Heel socks. In conjunction with the DVD Sock Monkeys Go BanAnas, Rit® Brand Dye supported the blog hop with Liquid Dye in the colors of our choice (Aquamarine, Fuchsia and Violet)! I experimented with tie dying my sock monkey parts (prior to assembly) and I must admit that even though I opted not to read the directions on the dye the colors came out great! Perhaps my being from Woodstock, NY I have the tie-dye gene? Some participating craft designers also received adorable sock monkey stamps from blog hop supporter Judikins to incorporate into their designs! After creating the basic form, I channeled my inner Betsey Johnson with the hair, accessories and clothing. The eyes are made from plastic water bottle tops filled with glitter and buttons and sealed with Mod Podge Dimensional Magic. Found this great thick Mexican yarn in my stash for the hair and put it up in a beautiful high ponytail, one of Betsey’s signature looks! Her hair actually looked this way the time I met her on the beach! Included are a couple of sequined Duck Tape dreadlocks thrown in just for good measure! In the DVD Ana even teaches you how to make pants for your sock monkey using another pair of socks! I just so happened to have an amazing purple and aqua leopard pair of Betsey Johnson socks that became the jumpsuit embellished with fabric, sequin trim, buttons and applique. Finally I had an absolute blast creating all of her little accessories out of buttons, broken jewelry and Duck Tape. I particularly love the little shoes made out of gold Duck Tape!

If you’d like to enjoy this same fun project and the DVD, you can buy the whole kit online at the WCK mall! Click here to order!

To see all of the designer’s creative interpretations of the Sock Monkey, simply click “Hop Forward” on the Designer Crafts Connection icon in the sidebar of our blogs!

There is also a great contest that you can enter, the deadline is December 19th! You could win the whole Sock Monkey Kit worth over $40.00 which includes: the Videobook "Sock Monkeys Go BanAnas", One Sewn Sock Monkey Ready to be Stuffed, One Pair of the Original Rockford Red Heeled Socks, Button Eyes, Needle, Floss and Stuffing! To enter: 

Road Trip Anybody??? Drive For A Cure With These Custom Designed Modern Surrealist Rearview Mirror Dice With 17 Interchangeable Panels!!!

I am proud to announce my participation in the PINK Westcott Brand(R) Blog Hop for breast cancer awareness! For this unique charitable blog hop Westcott Brand(R) has partnered with the Designer Crafts Connection, CharityWings.org, The Duck Brand Duct Tape(R), VELCRO(R) Brand Fasteners and several talented craft designers including Modern Surrealist! Many of the crafty creations inspired by this cause are being auctioned off though CharityWings.org, such as this eyecatching 18 piece boxed gift set of  rearview mirror dice with interchangeable panels that I designed with the PINK tools and materials provided for this blog hop!  I had an absolute ball getting crafty into the night with the official sponsor Westcott(R) Brand's Cutting Tools! The NonStick and Titanium Bonded Cutting Tools lend themselves perfectly towards crafting with tough to cut Sticky Back VELCRO(r) and Duck Tape Rolls and Sheets!!! There's good reason why they say Westcott Brand Makes Cutting Easy!!! They are after all "The World's Favorite Scissors(tm)"!!!!

For this online charitable craft extravaganza, each designer received an assortment of PINK Westcott Brand Cutting Tools including: The Pink Cheetah Scissor Holster designed by yours truly and manufactured exclusively by Westcott Brand, a reversible self healing cutting mat, an ergonomic Titanium Bonded Hobby Knife with 5 Assorted Blade Shapes, 3" Titanium Bonded Fine Cut Scissors, a fabulous Narrow Body Trim Air Titanium Bonded Paper Trimmer with a Breast Cancer Awareness Pin and pairs of the wildly popular 8" and 5" NonStick Titanium Bonded Scissors!!! ALL in lovely shades of pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month! Here's some pictures of the tools the designers received and my packaged gift set of Rearview Mirror Dice With 17 Interchangeable Panels! This amazing handmade set can be yours with the proceeds from your charity bid going towards Breast Cancer Research and Support Foundations!!! PLACE A BID TODAY!!!

Participating blog hop manufacturer VELCRO(R) Brand Fasteners supplied the designers with rolls of black and white Sticky Back VELCRO(R), PINK VELCRO(R) Brand Sheets and PINK VELCRO(R) Brand Floral Ties! The Duck Brand Duct Tape(R) also provided great sticky products to put the Trimmer and NonStick Scissors to the test including: Pink and White Duck Tape(R) Sheets, Rolls of Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Duck Tape(R), Pink Hello Kitty Duck Tape(R) and the newly released "oh so chic" metallic GOLD Roll of Duck Tape(R)!!! I designed these interchangeable rear view mirror dice so some lucky and generous charity auction winner can stylishly raise breast cancer awareness while driving about town or even cross country! Please be sure to show your support by placing a bid on this and the other designers creations through CharityWings.org!
During my marathon craft session with Westcott Brand(R) Titanium Bonded Cutting Tools and these very fun materials, it became quite clear to me why Westcott Brand(R) Scissors are sold more than any other brand around the world and are known as "The World's Favorite Scissors"(tm)! The Titanium Bonded Nonstick Scissors effortlessly sliced right through the tough Sticky Back VELCRO(R)! They also allowed me to cut defined shapes and borders around pieces of super sticky Duck Tape that I used to adorn matboard and a pair of 3" Styrofoam(R) Make It Fun Cubes by Floracraft! I also added surface designs with the newly developed Marvy Uchida Duct Tape Markers in Black, Pink, Gold, Silver and Red. The Trim Air Paper Trimmer came with a cute pink ribbon lapel pin and cut both the VELCRO(R) Brand Sheets and the Duck Tape(R) Sheets like butter! The fabulous Titanium Bonded Hobby Knife with Assorted Blades (below) really came in handy for cutting tricky designs in the tape and I found that the fine detail blade is perfect for popping those pesky little air bubbles! I also found the Reversible Self Healing Cutting Mat to be an extremely versatile cutting, measuring and "parking" spot for Duck Tape(R), keeping it clean, flat, stationary and readily accessible!!

Here's some pics from the morning after the very late night craft binge made possible by Westcott Brand(R) Cutting Tools and especially their very handy Non Stick Scissors! If you don't already have a pair of these in your craft room, you need to run out and buy some asap! They will change your life by making cutting sticky materials easy and eliminating the hassel and danger of cleaning gummed up blades! They outperform any other Non Stick Scissors on the market in test after test and they look oh so fashionable in the original Westcott Brand(R) Modern Surrealist(R) licensed Scissor Holsters! If you are feeling lucky, perhaps you will win some pairs in the giveaway!

For more information on the October Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop for Breast Cancer Awareness, please visit the Westcott Brand Blog. There you will find links to the all the participating designers projects and you may also leave your comments to be entered into the random giveaway! The winner of the giveaway will receive a deluxe Westcott Brand(R) Cutting Tools assortment including multiple pairs of The World's Favorite Scissors(tm)!!!
*Winner must provide a valid US street mailing address