Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Gala at CHA


I arrived in Chicago this afternoon by way of a pleasant bus ride from Madison.  It was very hot and muggy at the airport.  When I got on the shuttle bus to the hotel I met MarshaT (somehow we each knew the other was a Cricut person!).  As it turned out - we are staying at the hotel where the Provo Craft Gala introducing the Cricut Imagine was held tonight - and it was quite a night!

I met up with some Cricut friends (Susan, Joy, Melanie and Mandy) and we went downstairs to the Gala.  It was a lot of fun and we met many more familiar faces (sometimes we needed to "decode" by getting the message board names of the people we met!).

The event started with a cocktail party in a very "artsy" space.  People were handing out glow necklaces and flashing rings which most people wore for fun.  After a lot of chatting, we went into the main space and there were couches and brightly colored pillows and a small stage.  The two winners of the contest to be the first to get the "next big thing" were announced.   PC actually sent a team to deliver the news personally to each winner and we watched very touching videos about the winners and why they were chosen.


Then Jim Thornton, Provo Craft CEO introduced the Cricut Imagine and we saw a video that gave some more information about all it can do.  I videoed the video...but I will need more time to get it posted.

The entertainment for the evening was perfect for the theme of creativity and seeing possibilities in your art.  We were treated to some performance painting by David Garibaldi and it was fantastic.  He started with a blank canvas and applied what seemed like random bits of paint to build incredible portraits.  It is hard to explain but I took lots of photos.




 First John Lennon - "Imagine"!



 Then Martin Luther King




and Mick Jagger.  When he creates these portraits he is jumping and dancing and splashing paint everywhere.  It was very inspirational to hear his story of moving from graffiti art into this type of painting.  If you would like more information his website is GaribaldiArts


 I "imagine" that this portrait was newly added to his repertoire!


The final portrait started like this...


 evolved to this - starting to make sense...


and when flipped around and finished - there was Albert Einstein.

At the end we were all given a gift bag with a Cricut cartridge (I got Winter Frolic), some Cricut sunglasses and a t-shirt and a certificate for a new Cricut Imagine!  We will get these in September which suddenly seems very far away!


I got to meet a few more people from the Cricut Circle - Audrey from Louisiana and Deneen from New Jersey...


and it was great to have the chance to meet Gracie who was my "secret sister" on the Cricut Message Board a few years ago.

I'll be at the trade show tomorrow and I will find out more about the new machine and see it in action.  I'll try to think of all of the questions to ask and get as many answers as possible.  For tonight I am just going to "imagine....."


Subscribe to Capadia Designs        Share/Bookmark

21 comments:

  1. How very exciting! I can't wait to see your video...from what I've seen so far, it's going to have to be on my wishlist; however, it is expensive...I'm sure with all the blog-enabling.....
    Have a fantastic day, and thanks for sharing from CHA!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, sounds like so much fun, Diane! and awesome you got an Imagine! I'm so Cricut Green with envy right now!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh Diane, how I envy you this adventure ... WOW, it sure looks like you had a grand time ... and it looks like EVERYONE else did too! How fun that must have been!

    I'll be looking forward to hearing more and seeing your video too!

    Enjoy the rest of your Chicago trip!

    Hugz,
    ♥Carol♥

    ReplyDelete
  4. Loved all the photos but my FAVORITE is Jim Thorton! Very "easy" on the eyes - lol.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow! That sounds like it was an awesome event. I have seen this artist before & I am always surprised at how the images end up. You said you all got certificates for the Cricut Imagine... does that mean you will receive one when they launch for free? If so, the Circle is looking more & more like a great thing to be a part of! Thanks for posting this!

    ReplyDelete
  6. How exciting!! I can't wait to be there Saturday. Excited about the Cricut Imagine!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh I am so very jealous. I'd love to be there with you enjoying meeting everyone and just being a part of the excitement. Have a wonderful time. Thank you for the great photos.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you! Please keep posting!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ok I just had tolaugh at the part about you meeting MarshaT at the airport. I met her at the Las Vegas airport when we were there for the demo army training!!! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  10. congrats on your new Imagine! I an only 'imagine" what you will be making and showing us with with it!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow! How absolutely THRILLING!

    ReplyDelete
  12. How exciting Diane! Glad you are having so much fun. Soak up all the info for us. TFS, Mary M

    ReplyDelete
  13. Looks like you are having a great time! That is amazing artwork. I look forward to seeing what September brings when you get your Imagine!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Mary - Biker GrannyJuly 28, 2010 at 3:19 PM

    Thanks for sharing all this great info and all the pictures from CHA! It sounds like you're having a great time; glad to hear it. Please keep the feedback coming...we're loving all of this great news and getting the updates about what's new! That Imagine looks wonderful; it's so exciting!

    Mary
    info@happypaws-pet.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Looks like you had a wonderful night!! Thanks for sharing the night with us. Have fun with your new goodies!! I can't wait to see what you create with them.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow -- you just confirmed what I thought I saw on another blog. A FREE IMAGINE! How cool is that! I will have to live through your creations, it's just a bit too much $$ for me.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Look forward to seeing you copy of the video. I am jealous that you will be getting one in September but I am happy for you. Can hardly wait to see what you create.

    ReplyDelete
  18. That's Awesome!!! Have a great rest of your time at CHA :-)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow hoo how exciting, can't wait to see this in action. Looks like your having a blast.
    Kim xXx

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great job of journaling your night at CHA. I think it helped all of us who can't be there feel like the next best thing. Congrats on the new Imagine you will be getting. Can't wait to see it in action and what you do with it. Have a great time.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Did all the Cricut Circle Members who attended the Gala got a certificate for the cricut imagine?

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I love to hear from the people who read my blog. I moderate all comments to keep spam off the blog without making you decode the squiggly letters so your comment may not appear immediately.