The CHA Fashion Show

Crafting Meets Fashion
Karen was a lucky participant this year at the first ever annual event that embraced the scrapbook and craft industry. It was called "The Imagination Celebration" and was held in Atlanta, GA on February 12, 2005. Retailers, Artists and Manufacturers were the honorees, and the evening included a fashion show and the first ever Retailer Awards Ceremony. Cynthia Bricking, the creator of the Celebration, described her vision of the evening as, "a tapestry filled with musical energy, symbolism, illumination and heartfelt love. It will have a ripple effect, throughout the craft marketplace in 2005 and beyond."

For a Worthy Cause
All proceeds from the event were donated to the nonprofit Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation. The foundation sponsors "safe-space" areas in communities called "Leeza's Place" where families who have a member who has recently been diagnosed with any memory disorder can come together and participate in programs that educate, empower and energize caregivers and their families.

Karen's Creations
The Fashion Show showcased both wearable and nonwearable art and giftware that was then donated by the artists to a silent auction. Karen had a fabulous Jungle Shopper Costume in the show created by two prominent award-winning fashion designers, Gail Yellen and Jennifer Stern. She also donated a framed, matted "Parisian Spree" print, an original Shopper Flight, two purses, one that was hand-painted and one that was created using buttons donated by JHB, and a gift basket of Rossi products. Her imaginative pieces were a big hit!

In Good Company
Karen found herself surrounded by creative colleagues at this event. Some of the other artists in attendance included Sue Dreamer, Heidi Grace, Jone Hallmark, David Walker, Marah Johnson, and Sandra Magsamen. Heidi, David and Marah had especially memorable runway fashions.

Heidi Grace's piece was called Sassy Says it All. Modeled to the song "Yeah!" by Usher, she and her dad, "Scrap Daddy" each wore outfits that looked as if they came straight out of the roaring 20s. Heidi's flapper-esque costume was adorned with long strands of pearls and a bright red feather boa. They really got the audience's attention with their fun "play-acting" of Heidi asking her dad for money and then walking off with his whole wad of cash.

As one of the few male designers in the Imagination Celebration, David Walker decided that he'd leave the fancy costumes to the ladies. Instead of creating a wearable piece of artwork, David came up with Drawn to Man's Best Friend, a large, brightly painted wooden doghouse (complete with a wooden dog sticking it's head out of the house). His creation was wheeled down the runway to the tune of Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy."

Marah Johnson's paper creations, "Sapphire Blue," "Black Opal," "Scarlet," and "White Diamonds" made a perfect finale for the craft-themed fashion show. Using FiberMark's textured paper, Marah brought these scrapbooking products to a whole new level. Her intricate and beautiful costumes were made completely out of paper strips, squares, and flowers. The models strutted their stuff to "Get it Right" by Jennifer Lopez and "I Like the Way You Move" by OutKast.

Karen was extremely happy to be surrounded by all of the materialized creativity, and certainly inspired to return home to her studio and begin work on more creations!