I made the card above using the Papertrey Ink Scattered Showers stamp set. How could I resist a stamp set that had a "Cheer Up Buttercup" sentiment and some of the cutest umbrella tops I'd ever seen? There is even a link for tip sheet for ways you can use the stamp set to get maximum benefit and a gallery in case you need visual enabling lol. There is even a supplementary stamp set with more co-ordinating images and sentiments.
OK, honestly, I think I was living under a rock or sailing down the river of denial on a beautiful golden barge or, in a reference to Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, I just didn't see the giant spaceship in the middle of the field. Somehow I really didn't know much about Papertrey Ink, except that they had some really lovely ribbons. I didn't know about the smooth, luscious one-color-to-a-packet, reasonably priced card stock. And how did I not know about the stamps???
But then, my oldest younger (I'm the oldest of 4) sister had said to me, "Want to go to CHA?" , and I sealed my fate by replying, "Yes!". So Friday, I was standing in a long line with no idea what I was getting myself into. I was in the check out line and they were handing out large bags so we could shop while we were in the checkout line as the line conveniently wound it's way through everything, and I'm thinking OK, I'll just carry this bag while I look and then hand it back to them. I honestly thought I might buy one stamp set and maybe I'll buy a spool of ribbon. The other people in line were talking enthusiastically about the products. I was still blissfully unaware what I was walking into.
A little over an hour later (it was a long and slow moving line) I was the proud owner of 3 sets of stamps, some spools of thread, ribbon and 11 packs of card stock! And for spending over $100, I got a special set of stamps available only at CHA. Oh, and we "just popped back to see what had sold out" two or three more times over the weekend lol. BTW, at the end of the show, they had very little to pack up and they had people restocking the while time.
I was also unaware of the monthly releases, and a blog count-down to the new releaases (on the 15th of the month) which starts the 10th. And they show you all sorts of ways you can use them.