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Stampington Attends Craft and Hobby Association In The Winter 2012
Binder: check. Blinged-out badge: check. List of my top 25 favorite companies to visit, as well as an up-to-the-minute schedule of seminars and notes regarding celebrity crafter appearances: check. CHA, here I come!
The Craft and Hobby Association trade show is the most anticipated conference for companies promoting new products and publications for the growing arts and craft industry. Over the course of the convention, we had the chance to mingle with artists that we‘ve been working closely with for years and also met some new faces. Traci Bautista was there promoting her new book, Doodles Unleashed and created colorful doodles for attendees on the spot. Somerset Place will be a stop on her book blog tour next month—look for that in the near future! Tim Holtz held demonstrations all week long and showcased his new products from Ranger and Sizzix. We chatted with Mark Montano, the creative mind behind his new book, The Big-Ass Book of Crafts 2. We also met up with the effervescent Kathy Cano-Murillo, of Crafty Chica fame, at which time I gushed that I was one of her thousands of followers on Twitter. Seeing as the trade show floor was lined with red carpets, I decided that being a little star-struck was acceptable.
It was such a treat to see some of the biggest crafting companies in our industry—My Mind’s Eye, Prima Marketing, Maya Road—shining in their unique aesthetic. Display walls were covered, quite literally, from floor to ceiling with product demos and project samples. Between DCWV’s breathtaking glass-beaded forest installation and Graphic 45′s vintage teagarden wonderland, new inspiration radiated from booth to booth.
Our Shoppe Manager, Vanessa, is always on the lookout for new products to add to our online inventory. “Beach Bloomers” was a new company that we discovered, filled with ephemera trinkets and custom-made banners. She was so enthralled with these finds that we will be partnering with them to bring you a new “Vintage Swap-portunity” feature. Stay tuned for more details about this and other CHA discoveries in tomorrow’s Post Script e-letter. You can also look forward to hot new products from Pink Paislee, Tim Holtz, and Glitz Designs arriving soon at The Shoppe!
Seeing the many players in the crafting industry gather in one central place to promote the arts really warmed my heart. It was inspiring to see how different companies are collaborating (Rhonna Farrer’s new “Follow Your Heart” line with My Mind’s Eye is just plain gorgeous) and constantly looking at new trends in design and technology to expand their brand and customer base. I am so proud to be a part of a community that promotes an appreciation for the arts and fosters a love for the creative life.
The Adventures of Merlin, based on the hit BBC TV series
We are proud to announce our latest title Totally…The Adventures of Merlin, based on the hit BBC TV series! The magic is back with this brand new magazine on sale 30 September.
Fans will be thrilled with Totally…The Adventures of Merlin, which features 52 pages of exclusive interviews, profiles, puzzles and quizzes. There will even be competitions to win merchandise autographed by the Merlin cast, including a signed Merlin script. Plus there’s a magical FREE Merlin notebook & quill pen!
The popular series follows Merlin, a young wizard with extraordinary magical powers, who arrives in the mythical city of Camelot where magic has been banned.
Starring Colin Morgan as Merlin, Bradley James as Prince Arthur, Anthony Head as King Uther, Richard Wilson as Gaius, Katie McGrath as Morgana and Angel Coulby as Gwen, Merlin is an imaginative and enthralling new twist on a legend that is as old as time.
In the third series, produced by Shine TV and broadcast every Saturday night on BBC One, there is a familiar blend of magic, monsters and mayhem, but when misbegotten secrets are exposed and old friends choose new sides, it is clear that the kingdom of Camelot will never be the same again.
Colin Morgan has told Totally…The Adventures of Merlin that he thinks the show is such a success because ‘it appeals to a wide age range and has elements of humour, drama, action, adventure, and of course, magic, which touches both children and the child in all of us.’ The magazine will play on those elements with its fun mix of games, interviews and more.
Totally… The Adventures of Merlin magazine, on sale in the UK and Ireland on 30 September, is a must have for any Merlin fan!
What’s your advice for success on Valentine’s Day?
A heart-shaped balloon and a denim jacket have worked wonders here
“love yourself on this day, even if you are alone” (valid, if depressing)
“If you have someone to share it with, make the most of it but if you haven’t don’t spend the day being miserable, go out with your mates nonetheless” (wise! Although, if they have someone to share it with, unwise)
“sexy underwear and lots of sex” (sexy!)
“Nod and agree with the girl. A LOT.” (like, all the time. Your head should never stop moving ideally)
“Anniversaries are much more important. That is YOUR day. Not a made up one randomly in the middle of February.”
“Cheesy chat up lines, A bottle of lambrini, Condoms from Poundland and Viagra if available” (why not splash out on some babysham and name-brand prophylactics? It’s only one day a year after all)
“Not to think you’re going to get bed time with the lady later on that day. She needs to feel that you’re sincere and care for her. If she decides bed time, then fine. But it’s up to her, don’t plan on it!” (huge fan of the use of “bed time” in this tip)
“Keep it private, if you go anywhere public you can guarantee some schmuck will go all out will doves, fireworks and a marching band with the sole intention of making you look a dick date.” (what a prick, eh? Sage advice indeed, but she’ll not have to look at the expensive food that the other diners are enjoying and then forlornly poke at the chicken you persuaded her to order)
“Ignore it. The next day’s the 15 th, who celebrates that? Valentine’s day is just a Hallmark holiday. Don’t give the leeches a chance to exploit you.” (yeah, man! SMASH THE STATE!)
“be confident and be yourself. there’s no point being false to impress. it wont get you anywhere. if you dont ask you’ll never know” (true. Very true. Although if “yourself” is a horrible, boring person then you’ve got a whole different set of problems)
“Flowers is all that needs to be done to get by… no need for a fancy dinner or day out… if you just want to get by, flowers are the perfect gift (oh, and a vase to put them in if she doesn’t have one!)” (remarkably smart – we’ve lost count of the times we’ve had to put flowers overbalancing in a pint mug)
“Write a little Valentine´s card, a little poem. Be original, think the poem out yourself not copy it from Shakespeare or someone else dead.” (yeah, at least pick Seamus Heaney, he’s still breathing)
“Alcohol and Sherlock Holmes books” (again, not a bad night – although by the third scotch we often start remembering why we don’t like Sherlock Holmes and end up just throwing the book at the wall and storming off)
“Find out if you missus actually gives a shit, then surprise her by making marginally more effort than she expects.” (genius!)
“do not go outside, turn on a tv or breathe” (do not follow this advice as it may be harmful)
Five Minutes With Scent Artist Jo Malone
Five years after leaving her eponymous fragrance brand in the hands of Estée Lauder, Jo Malone is back with another venture every bit as beguiling as her first. Grace Timothy chats with the perfumer about her second run at the sweet smell of success.
How did starting Jo Loves compare with Jo Malone’s early days?
The only thing that’s similar is how my decisions revolve around my gut instinct and the relationships I form. So although a lot of the [retail] enquiries come from people who have seen us do it once before, I don’t want to just follow the same vein again—I want to do it differently. After all, it’s a different world now.
What was your ambition upon leaving Jo Malone?
I had fought cancer and was terrified of it coming back, so I wanted to spend my time with my family and my son. I opened the Madison Avenue store just eight weeks after getting the all-clear, and I remember thinking, I don’t belong here anymore. But as time went on I realized I had to pick up my life again. I was still thinking about fragrance every day, creating notes in my head. Creative people need to be around creative things—I felt such sadness without that.
Did you consider changes industries?
I just couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Creating fragrance is the thing that makes me feel fulfilled as a human being. I have a very bad form of dyslexia so writing is difficult—fragrance is my way of communicating. Every color, emotion and memory always goes back to a note.
What happens when a new idea for a fragrance pops into your head. How do you lock it down?
I sit on my own, play, and think. This morning, I’ve been working on a really different and unique project, which started with a walk around the park. I had walked past some Mahonia [a flowering shrub] and just stood there smelling it. Now I’m trying to pin it down—it’s like putting your foot on your car’s accelerator, you need that moment of bite. Like Goldilocks and The Three Bears, it’s got to be just right. That could take five minutes or five years! I guess I’m still a perfectionist.
The Jo Loves iPhone app encourages others to share their favorite scents in pictures. What do you especially love about the app?
I love the woman who said her favorite smell was her grandson, who was born the day before. To get people to share something emotional, a memory, is such a precious thing. There’s such a wonderful array of color when you look at the moodboards, too—whether it’s bacon, a pair of shoes, a glass of wine on a shelf. I always think up the stories behind the scents. I can smell dinner cooking in the background, sense the rain coming, think of who was in the other room, why it’s such a treasured memory. I’ve always worked on my own – it’s a personal thing – so this is the first time I’ve ever reached out and tapped into other people’s thoughts. It’s been humbling and magical.
Which upcoming project excites you most?
I’m approaching fragrance in three very different ways this year. The candles will come at the end of the year, and the summer will see a new fragrance that I’m working on right now. Then I’m branching out into food. Each new launch will be about taking something, twisting it, and looking at it in a different way.
