'Make It' Craft Fair

After a very unproductive week I have had a crazy busy weekend.  The craft fair was awesome and I splashed out just a little, but I decided I don't treat myself very often and if I want to get more serious with my crafting then I have to build up my supplies.

My friends Sara and Julie from work joined me and we set off hunting down lots of ideas for future crafts.  There were a lot of general craft stands mainly for card and scrapbook making,  and I did quite well to resist all of them as I have so much paper and card stock and glitter and stamps and ink and embellishments that I haven't used.  We did come across quite a few individual stands which were complete gems though!

This beautiful stand from the Japanese Embroidery Guild displayed some amazing artwork.  This is one of my favourites I love all the colours and such fine detail.  I think flowers are beautiful embroidered and a like the ribbon detail, it even looks plaited, isn't amazing what you can do with needle and thread.  I really do want to learn how to embroider, but it will have to be something to put on the back burner. 

This royal blue kimono is just gorgeous.

They also do Japanese beading work, this looks so complicated!!

We also came across these lovely ladies from WOW Embossing Powder, yet again a craft I have always wanted to try and never have.

The range of colours was so vast and beautiful, it was impossible to choose which colours I liked the best.

One of the ladies on the stand showed us a demo using this butterfly stamp from Inkadinkadoo (may have to get one of those!).  She also demonstrated how using white or black ink gives an entirely different look to the piece.  My favourite colour had to be Indigo, it was so bright on white but very sophisticated on black, I love the colour purple so much right now, I'm starting to get known for it.

 Next door to this stand was a shop selling mdf letters and words, I was really tempted to get an S and G but restrained myself.  We all really loved the idea of using embossing glitter on the wood, this was so glittery the picture really doesn't give it justice.

We then decided to take a snack break; noodles and sweet and sour chicken it was really yummy!! Check out these huge pans as well, they would be so great for a party.  I wasn't sure why they had handles though they looked impossibly heavy to lift.

After watching a demonstration from Crafty Devils Ltd using paper punches from Tonic Studios with a special measuring device we knew we hat to get some.  Julie and Sara decided to split a border set between them and I purchased some special large punches; they only part cut the paper so you can fold it up and make 3D cards.

My favourite shop of the fair had to be The Southampton Bead Shop there were so many pretty, sparkly beads I was actually in heaven.  I really am a magpie shopper anything sparkly and I'm hooked and these beads are gorgeous.  My favourites are the Chinese Crystals, they are glass and two tone in colour my favourite were the purple/yellow ones, my two favourite colours just perfect.

It was seriously hard choosing which beads to take home, I really did want them all.  In the end I decided on these some small 4mm bicone crystals and larger 8mm faceted doughnut crystals.  I also bought a ton of findings in every type of metal.  I think they were much cheaper than the ones I got from Hobbycraft (I will have to find my old receipts) but they seemed very good value for money.

I think by this point I had been wandering around too long, I look a little manic! I really just wanted to take all these beads home with me.

I spent far too much on this stand alone but it was completely worth it, and as my brother lives in Southampton at the moment I think I will definitely be visiting their shop very soon.  Thanks guys you made my day!!

So after four and a half hours we finally decided we had bought enough and should head home; here we are all looking a bit bedraggled, but very very happy with all our purchases.

  Thanks girls for a great day!!