Its over for now…

… and everything is packed up until the next show.  Paperific proved to be a show of contrasts.

Great winter weather helped bring more people out to visit the show.  The venue had improved with new carpet on the floor and the cafe is up and running well. We didn’t have to take a four mile hike to find the toilets – a great relief for all concerned!  Stacey and her team ran a friendly, well organised event and we will certainly be back in November.

Andrew trying to look as if he was working!

Sometimes its a little hard to tell when you are working at a show like this as to whether you have been the target of retail theft or not.  Retail theft is one of  the new terms for shoplifting.  In my experience of over ten years of these events, retail theft can vary from a couple of low cost items slipped into a bag to full bed sized, high value quilts removed from stands.

At this particular show, we lost demonstration samples.  There was a theme to the work that was taken over the first two days – it was all featuring butterflies!  On day one we lost a card featuring three butterflies in gold on black with a wide cream ribbon feature as well as a single hand coloured item.  On day two, an ATC made using one of Scrapmatt’s distinctive frames was taken.

Later in the weekend the subject of what had been taken came up in conversation with a fellow stallholder.  She looked at another sample we had completed using the same cream feature ribbon and commented on it.  She then related how this lady had come to her stand looking to buy the same ribbon as was featured on her card.  If only our friend had been aware that the card had been lifted from the site moments before!

It saddens me that people feel the need to resort to stealing another’s work and passing it off as their own. It happens all too often.  I hope these ladies get a guilty twinge every time they look at the pieces they have “souvenired” during their visit to the show.

Paperific

This event is the opportunity for Melbourne and Victorian paper enthusiasts to restock supplies, see new trends and designs and take part in “Make and Takes” of new techniques.

The Paperific Expo is being held once again at the Royal Agricultural ShowGrounds in Epsom Road, Ascot Vale and, unlike last show,  there is great new catering available! On site parking is also available at $5.oo per car.

I will be there again with Andrew from Scrapmatts and we will have a great new range of original chipboard designs as well as some fabulous new pens about which Andrew is very excited!  Come along and watch our on site demonstrations, pick up supplies for Artist’s Trading Cards, card making and scrapbooking, and see all our new products in action.

Paperific Expo

I have never been to an exclusively “paper” event before – despite having quite a varied repetoire in the art and craft fields.  This particular event is held twice a year in Melbourne and attracts thousands of people interested in scrapbooking, journaling, paper tole, decoupage, Artists Trading Cards, stamping, card making and anything else you can imagine made with paper.

I am attracted to paper – I make the odd ATC (with a fabric emphasis) – but I like the infinite variety of design. I am impressed with the use of very fine laser cut chipboard, fine MDF and even heavy duty cardboard as a means of creating shapes, letters and symbols for use by the creative mind.

One of the most delightful features of this show was the free “Make and Take” opportunities offered to show visitors.  The stand that was behind scrapmatts.com (where I was working) had a free ‘make and take’ table with chairs for four participants…. it was never empty!  It appeared they had a waiting list for places on the Friday – goodness knows what Staurday was like! The embellished tag that the girls made there was fantastic.  They learned about working with card board, the right type of glues to use, working with transparencies and giving a proper finish to the work with distress inks and the correct sealer.  If I had managed the time, I would have taken the mini class myself as I was more than  intrigued with what I saw.

I met a delightful young lady who had discovered the art of casting shapes using a heavy grade embossing powder.  She was making some fascinating jewelry pieces combining the cast pieces with copper wire. These shapes could also be used in any other form of “paperwork”.

I have come home with some of the scrapmatts product as I quite like the size, scale and challenge of ATCs.  All I need now is the time to have a play with them! Andrew has cut a range of frame shapes and base boards that are the correct size for ATCs in a range of colours to suit lots of projects.  As these are made from matt board they can easily be painted, stamped, sponged, embossed and, much to the delight of a number of customers, fitted through the “Cuttlebug”. All the scrap matts are available for sale via online ordering at www.scrapmatts.com or from Andrew direct if you happen to be coming to Brisbane for the Craft and Quilt Fair this week!

There was something at this show that would have appealed to anyone with a crafty bent – even if you don’t call yourself a paper arts person, I am sure there would have been something to interest you.