EXPO Mania!

Well Hello again!

I just had to write about this past weekend, it was incredible! I went to the Edison Stamp and Scrapbook Expo and holy crap was it overwhelming. There was so much product everywhere I honestly didn’t know where to look. This was my first time attending so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I came prepared to take my classes and BROWSE the products available. Browsing just didn’t cut it though because little did I know they had make and takes at almost every corner leading me down the rabbit hole of new products I MUST have! For those of you unfamiliar with the “Make and Take” term, the booth provides all the materials, tools and directions to create a card (or two) right there at the booth. These are not only really good ways for the booths to sell their products (of course. Let’s be honest, that’s the intent) but more importantly its also a great opportunity for me to learn how to use products before I invest. I can find out if its worth it and see if its something my customers would even enjoy purchasing. The tools I tried out were definitely things to consider but what I did end up walking away with was the focus on new techniques and trends. There was a lot of watercoloring, die cuts, multi fold and pop ups trending throughout the event. I’ve dabbled in some of these but now I’m hooked on adding them more and more into my inventory.

The classes were honestly the highlight. I took 2 classes. The first was a make and take class where they taught “all the latest techniques”. To be honest, they didn’t teach me any new techniques BUT they did give me a swag bag with lots of papers, embellishments, adhesives, die cuts and patterns so no complaints about that! The second class was where it got real. As a lecture only, I had low expectations for this one. I knew we were getting a swag bag with lots of stuff from Stamps of Life but I really like making things in the moment. Well… it didn’t matter in this case. I was completely caught up in the lecture. She had so many tips and tricks that made so much sense. I honestly kept thinking how did I not know that! Well now I do. Not only that, she also taught us 4 new techniques that I cannot wait to try!!! Stay tuned for some new designs….

This pic is just one of the make and takes I created at the Expo. Its called a shaker card because when you shake it the insides rattle. It’s a pretty cool option for some of the fancier cards.

*Check out all the swag and pictures from the expo on Instagram @heartfeltbybarb