2014 Convention Memories at Disneyland

WARNING: Long post! But don't worry, I have included lots of pictures to make it easier to get through. Last week was the 2014 Close To My Heart Convention at Disneyland!





The convention was a whirl-wind experience which included:
  • Catching up with old friends and meeting new ones
  • Playing at Disneyland :)
  • Experiencing the introduction of some amazing new products
  • Seeing creative projects made by very talented individuals
  • Learn some great business tips from successful consultants
  • Get straight from the top updates from our VP team
  • Celebrate achievements at the Awards Banquet
  • And so much more!
The theme of this year's convention was Artistic Adventure and it is hard to capture the excitement with a few pictures, but I'll try anyway. 

I arrived in beautiful Sunny California on Tuesday and after quickly settling into our room, my roomie and I headed over to Disney's California Adventure. Since this was our only chance to "do the parks" we crammed a lot into about 5 hours! 


Wednesday was Leadership Day and the morning was filled with small breakout sessions with Senior Directors. I took so many notes that my pen started smoking. Just kidding, but seriously, I picked up so many great ideas!

In the afternoon, we got to play with the new alcohol markers and I must say that I will recommend them without any reservations. Two thumbs up! They were so easy to use, had great ink flow and vivid colors. (More on the markers in a later sneak peak post.)


Wednesday ended with our team meeting. I love hanging out with these folks!

Goofing off at our Team Meeting with Julie
There was electricity in the air before Thursday morning's main session. Historically, this session is filled with new product reveals and prizes so the place was buzzing with anticipation. This year's session did not let us down.


So many great new products to tell you about...of course there are beautiful new paper collections (nine) and tons of new stamp sets, but there are also 5 new colors for our palette, 5 new Picture My Life sets, 3 new My Crush books, 5 quick pre-cut kits, new home decor items, new shapes for Base & Bling jewelry, a scoring board, embossing plates, new fundamentals & glitter paper, new embellishments and a new Cricut Cartridge! I will be sharing more about these new products in the next few weeks.

The session ended with distribution of the much anticipated Annual Expressions catelogs in these fabulous back packs.

I spent the lunch break digging through all the goodies in the bag and pouring over the new Idea Book. I really think this is the best catelog ever!


That afternoon, we had a creative session in which we made three cards cut using Artfully Sent, the new Cricut cartridge. We also made a Picture My Life mini-album and an oval Base & Bling bracelet.

Card made with new Artfully Sent Cricut Cartridge


Friday was packed with a more creative ideas, business meetings and another creative session, followed by the Awards Banquet.





Tina Sutton accepting the award for team sales - Go Scattered Hearts!

 

Saturday morning came early with the first ever Close To My Heart Rise & Shine Fun Run "5K". We got to run/walk through a nearly vacant California Adventure park. What a fun experience and opportunity for once-in-a-lifetime selfies.






Despite near exhaustion, I couldn't miss the high point of Convention: Extravaganza! This is a mind-blowing time in which very talented consultants share all the amazing projects they were able to create with the new products in just a few weeks. 

Extravaganza projects by Michelle Snyder
Somewhere in the middle of all that, I wondered down to the gallery full of catalog artwork. It is so cool to see these projects up close and personal. 


At the closing session, I got to cross one more thing off my bucket list: be part of a flash mob. Read more in this post>> What a exciting way to conclude such an amazing convention!


Whew! No wonder I was exhausted when I arrived home on Sunday!

Thank you for indulging me by listening to my story and looking at my pictures. I have had so much fun reliving the convention with you. I really can't put into words how much fun is packed into those few days. I left energized and inspired to both get creative and pursue my Close To My Heart business more intentionally.

Next year's convention will be once again be at Disneyland in Anahein, CA. I'd love to have a few of my friends join me! Yes, I'm talking about YOU! Please contact me to learn more about how Close To My Heart may be a great opportunity for you. I'd love to have you on my team. Convention is wonderful, but CTMH is so much more than just this annual event.

Have a Magical Day!
Rebecca