Hi crafty friends! This past week has been a whirlwind! Mike & I traveled to Seattle to participate in Creativation. If you are unfamiliar with this show, it's a place for retailers & creative professionals to be able to go, shop & explore what's new & up & coming in the craft AND arts space. The retailers walk around & can network & even "shop" at the booths. We had a booth this year & honestly didn't know what to expect, but it exceeded our expectations! 

I'll walk you through it step by step! There's a mix of personal & professional below so you get the inside scoop! 

First: The Flight.

Mike (my husband & finance guy in charge of all that fun stuff) & I don't travel by plane too often, so we were a bit anxious to fly. But then we got to Washington & got to see this view:

The lady sitting next to us on the plane informed us that those are called "The Cascades". What a wonderful start to our trip!

Next: Seattle

We honestly didn't know what to expect with Seattle. We were so focused on the business side we didn't do too much research into the city as far as food, things to see, etc. But our first day there was pretty much a free day. We weren't able to set up until the following morning, and with the 3 hour time difference (we gained 3 hours!) we had pretty much the entire day to explore a little bit! 

Seattle was beautiful. We've once visited NYC and didn't love it because of the crowds (we fancy ourselves "country folk") but something about Seattle was different. It was a little bit less crowded & not as overwhelming (although I'm still determined to give NYC a second chance!). 

So, we followed the crowds to the Pike Place Market! 

And we LOVED it! So much to explore. We had the best lunch & the BEST fish tacos I've ever had! 

There were also vendors with beautiful flowers, handmade journals & more! 

Then we walked & found a park that overlooked the water AND beautiful snow capped mountains, & got ourselves some ice cream of course! 

Back to Business: Setup

Now, onto the business part! The next morning we took our suitcases full of stand, tablecloths & crafts and WALKED from the hotel to the Seattle Convention Center. When I say this place was STUNNING, I mean it was so beautiful. I forgot to take photos! But we were truly impressed walking into this big beautiful place. 

We were full of anxious energy as we found our spot! Walked by the Sizzix Booths (that were large & beautiful!) and we were just down the row from them. 

Now, time to set up! 

Compared to others, our set up was small, but mighty! We had a couple large beautiful tablecloths & a retractable sign, all designed by my extremely talented sister (AND Emily Moore Designs sole Graphic Designer) Erin! I felt like we stood out enough & it turns out we did!

We also prepared the booth with some "Make & Takes". If you've never heard of this, it's just where you have unassembled pieces of a card or project, then people can walk by & make a card, plus it makes it more approachable to come up to a booth! We did a sneak peek of some new stuff to get people excited (as you can see in the above photo!). Make sure to check out The Creative Hearts Club if you'd like exclusive first access to new products! 

We had the entire day to set up before people arrived to shop around, and we needed the entire day! 

Day 1 of Creativation Begins! 

Mike & I were ready to go, we had order forms out, the make & takes were ready to be made & took....then we waited for about 15 minutes & NO ONE had stopped at our booth. We were feeling a bit discouraged, but then one lady comes up to us, saying her customers were telling her they "had to check out Emily Moore Designs!" we were thrilled! We'd gotten our first new retailer of the day, and from that moment on - the buzz kept going. 

People stopped by in groups, doing make & takes, videos - you can see me on a few peoples social medias showing off our set up, & even making orders right then & there! It was a rush! 

Here are some photos of our new retailers we will be held in: Whimzees Scrapbook Studio

These ladies were SO kind & funny! I just loved them. Make sure if you are in the area to check them out!

These ladies are located in Oregon, as well as my friend Leslie from Cobblestone Creek Studios pictured below! 

We had such an amazing time Day One, how could it get better? Well, we ran into Brandi Mahon - creator of the Card Makers Success Summit (the very FIRST Card Summit EVER) & decided we all wanted some good Italian food! 

We ended up going out to dinner with Brandi & it was so incredible. Not just the food (which, that was too), but just connecting with Brandi & getting advice from someone whose been in the industry & understands the ins & outs of it all was invaluable. I've also been a huge fan of hers for a while, so you can imagine my excitement!

Mushroom Ravioli, up close:

Delicious! 

Day Two

Day Two was also super busy, full of MORE new retailers, but this time I had the courage to say hi to some crafters I know & love! Plus I ran into some fellow crafty friends :)

Alexis from Sizzix:

Katie Pertiet with Arden Creative Studio

Channin Pelletier (we were on a Design Team together!)

Chelsea Comer aka InkyStamper!

My BFF Margie from Scrapbook Adhesives By 3L!

Jess & Morgan From A Cherry On Top! 

I also met some of the ladies from Trinity Stamps! 

I met Lauren Zertuche & Lauren Taylor (aka Lauren Taylor Made) also! 

One of my favorite moments was painting a piece of the mural from Splashes of Hope. Splashes of Hope is a beautiful organization that is is determined to brighten the world with art. Their motto "from clinical to colorful" is part of their dedication to filling hospitals, social service centers & more with beautiful murals to help brighten & transform these places into more of a welcoming & friendly environment. This means a lot to me personally & something I feel is such a positive impact for everyone involved.

I also ended up being on Erin Reed's YouTube & did a short preview of our booth (plus a sneak at some new stuff coming!). I'm right in the beginning of the video below! Be sure to subscribe to Erin's YouTube if you like watching Live events like this & getting behind the scenes access.

We ended up acquiring 19 NEW Retailers which is a HUGE success for us! Not just that, but the connections with the people we made are truly priceless. 

I want to give a big thank you to my husband Mike, who has supported me through this entire journey & without him none of this would be possible. Also, my sister & our amazing Graphic Designer Erin, she designed the beautiful sign, tablecloths AND our giant buttons everyone loved! Lastly, thank you to Sabine! Who is behind the scenes BUSY working to pack up all the orders for our customers & all our NEW retailers. Couldn't do any of this without you all! 

I hope you enjoyed this somewhat long, yet informative blog post about our first Creativation Trip! Here's to many more! & dare I say it...cue the confetti!

xoxo Em