CHA & Beaches!

I feel just a wee bit guilty for enjoying such beautiful weather in fabulous So. Cal. on spectacular beaches while so many of my peeps are literally freezing their butts off! Staying an extra day was truly a "happy accident!" We were picked up at our hotel by a bus with wood paneled sides and wood floors. When the driver opened the doors music of the Beach Boys spilled out to welcome us. We visited Long Beach, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. Although I'm not a huge fan of planned tours, I thoroughly enjoyed the stories and history lessons the driver shared as we drove along the Pacific Coast Highway. Since we were such a small group (4) he made a couple special stops just for us. We watched for migrating whales while we climbed on the rocks of the Newport Tidepools. The Pacific Ocean is truly spectacular. We ended our tour with a cup of clam chowder and a microbrew... priceless!

The show was smaller than normal for a winter show, but most of the people I'd hoped to meet were here.

While wearing my "designer hat," I was able to make quite a few good contacts, place several pieces for publication, and pick up several assignments.

While wearing our "RockCandy Studios buyer" hats, we discovered several really great products that we'll be adding to our line-up soon. We also learned some awesome techniques that we are excited to bring to the local area as classes, as well as possible online tutorials to add to the website/blog.

While wearing "Retreat Organizer" hats we were able to tell lots of people about our upcoming Mixed Media Melange. We heard repeatedly how great it is to see a new retreat in our area of the country. People were eager to check out our blog to learn the details and instructors/classes we'll be offering.

We'll be heading home tomorrow. I'll be posting pictures and more stories, so check back in a couple days.

Hugs to you all.....