I'm at CHA (Craft & Hobby Association). Friday and Saturday are dedicated to the CHA Craft SuperShow, which crafty folks can come, see products demonstrated, make items of their own via make and takes to try out interesting materials, and, of course, SHOP. I did a little shopping myself yesterday--buying a few beachy fat-quarters from Tall Mouse and a few embossing templates for cardmaking from Heritage Handcrafts. Come Sunday, the trade show portion opens. That's where the folks who work in the industry get to see the new lines and the people who own shops and work in publishing, like me, get to learn more about the lines, try them out, and see the great new ideas that designers have come up with using these products. I have to tell you, the minute I walked in the door of the show yesterday, my heart lifted. I've worked with so many great people over the years, and I get to see so many of them here. Plus, of course, there's the energy and excitement of seeing new products, seeing people be creative and try new things. And I love seeing a company take a product from a year or two ago and figure out another even-more-fabulous use for it!

But lest I forget my true purpose of this post, here are some links you'll love for this week.

Cathie Filian
Check out this cute appliqued apron that Cathie whipped up for Better Homes and Gardens.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Have you ever stitched on silk gauze? Vote in the poll and tell us about your experience or lack thereof by leaving a comment.

Jewelry & Beading
Check out Kathryn Lane Berkowitz's gorgeous seed bead work!

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Happy UnValentine's Day from Madge with this tongue in cheek card for iLoveToCreate

Crafty Princess Diaries
Get the 411 on a group of crafters who can help you help Haiti. 

About Family Crafts
Sherri has gathered together a collection of projects that would make great St. Valentine's Day gifts. Nothing quite says 'I Love You' like a personalized gift, hand-made by you.

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's isn't quite up to full speed again after having pneumonia so she's reposting the link to her freebie's page full of how-to's, tutorials and freebie images. Peruse and have fun playing!

The Artful Crafter
How to use waterslide decals for decoupage under glass. Put your original designs anywhere with inkjet or laserjet decals.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
At Craftside there is the full low down on all the signings, classes, and make & takes with the authors for the big winter 2010 CHA show, some wonderful journal page art, how to make an Egyptian stick, a great tool for making stripes, turning a paper clip into a jazzy bookmark and some recycled zipper jewelry.