Hi, from CHA in Chicago! Allison and I have been at the convention center all morning, looking at tons of new scrapbooking products. So far, we've seen lots of great stuff, as well as a few items that have really stood out as "must haves." Saturday, we'll both blog with our top pics of products from what we've seen on Friday, then do the same on Sunday and Monday.

Right now, I'm taking a break while Ali goes to lunch with the other Hall of Fame gals (and guy). She's already spotted several she recognized from their photos while we were walking around this morning. We've also already seen Valerie Wehrenberg, one of our good customers, who is here to work at the Three Bugs in a Rug booth. Valerie is on their Design Team, and you may remember her name -- she was a perennial winner in our layout contests. We also stopped and chatted for just a minute with Elsie Flannigan, another customer who has made it big in the scrapbooking world. Elsie's booth was separate from KI Memories, and was like a little house -- she reached into "kitchen cabinets" to get our catalogs for us!

This is Ali's first show, so I've been introducing her to my system, which is start in the back of the biggest room, and work my way to the front. It will take three full days to do that! I'll also report that we ended up flying instead of driving -- once my mother found out my plans, she vetoed them. Guess you're never too old for a little motherly advice. Anyway, we'll go online tomorrow to give you our rave reviews. Hi, Karin and Stacey -- my phone won't work in this huge building! I'll call you later tonight, I guess.