Crafty Wonderland Field Trip – Guest Blog

And while Anne-Marie is in Saudi Arabia mid-January for business, I’m going to be helping out with the Blog, too!

I jumped the gun a little though with this post. I visited a regional craft show called ‘The Super Colossal Crafty Wonderland Holiday Sale‘ and I had such a great time talking to other vendors and taking pictures that I wanted to share my experience. It was a great show filled with interested and excited customers and tons of high quality arts & crafts. I went to help my cousin, Heather, set-up and work her booth. We made many new friends and reconnected with old, we both had so much fun we can’t wait for next year.Crafty Wonderland used to be a monthly craft show, but it grew so big they now just do 2 colossal shows a year at the Convention Center in Portland, OR. It was so well attended, there were 2,000 people in line just to get into the show! Heather and I got there 3 hours before the show started and had plenty of time to wander around after getting set-up.
First I talked to Inger of MeMe Cosmetics.

Her primary interest is formulation, she loves coming up with the perfect recipe. She used to make products for Lush and now has an aversion to bath bombs, which made me laugh. In addition to the fabulous array of lotions, cremes, and body butters she makes the most adorable bubble bath cupcakes.
Next I visited with Margaret from Ma Nao Books.

I studied bookbinding in college and totally fell in love with her work. She uses gorgeous papers and book board to make unique home decor, albums and boxes. She is also a letterpress printer and has made quite a few book editions, needless to say I was in heaven as I pored over her creations.
Near the end of the show I talked to Laurie of Magpie Ethel.

Her booth was pretty much swarmed by a mob for most of the show. She makes the most adorable little ornaments and decorations from tinsel, glitter, and vintage finds. Her space was so bright and shiny you couldn’t help but smile and pick-up a little something. Being an enthusiastic recycler myself, I was even more enamored of her work when she pointed out some of the cast away items she uses to assemble her pieces.
By the time 7 o’clock rolled around we were all tired and incredibly hungry! So, we met up with some of my old friends from the show including Jenn of Chet and Dot and Jenny of Robot Candy at the Screen Door restaurantwhere we devoured plates and plates of delicious fried things.I want to thank all of the fabulous artisans who took time to talk to me and let me take their pictures. I hope I was able to share a little of the fun I had at the show with all of you. I’m looking forward to guest-blogging for a bit while Anne-Marie is away in January. Until then, I’m content to hang out behind the scenes.

— Amber