MELBOURNE PAPERIFIC EXPO

Well Melbourne Paperific is on again. I look forward to this show all year and have been known to spend squillions there (most of which never sees the light of day again!). This year I plan to be much more controlled as a) I don't need anything and b) have no-where to put it anyway but then on the upside c) my quite large bonus commissions from SU have just hit my account so extra spending money!

I really look forward to attending Paperific for the social aspect and catch up with fellow stampers I only get to see once a year at this show, some of these are from interstate too. I am also going to the Stamphappy dinner tomorrow night. This year it is at a Turkish restaurant and there will be belly dancers both male and female! No doubt there will also be a few stamphappiers taking up this challenge lol!

One of the great things about Paperific is the swapping that goes on. This is when we swap small stamped items we've made. In the past it used to be pins, stamped images laminated and then a safety pin stuck on the back, then (shipping) tags became quite popular and then it was items made from polymer clay. I remember one year being given a truly beautiful stamped handmade clay tile from Carol Middleton(?) which I promptly dropped in my awe and excitement - THANKFULLY it didn't break! I still have all the items I've received in the trades from the past years. These days the current favourite items are ATC's or Artist Trading Cards. These are lots of fun to make and are very addictive, some of my stamping friends only make ATCs now. They fit in binders in special plastic sleeves you can buy in newsagents or supermarkets. A few years ago (3?) Julie Van Oosten who owns Collections (highly coveted stamping and paper art supplies) had just bought out some kits to make up ATC folders which you could decorate anyway you like. Julie convinced me that I needed one and I agreed and it's still sitting untouched in it's bag lol! Anyway, I have made some ATCs to take along with me to swap tomorrow (and you've guessed it, I've only just finished them). I've got 49 (don't ask me why) and have a few in each of the 8 samples below. Mine are pretty basic embellishment wise but it was these or nothing. They have got tiny rhinestones stuck on them and a Collections word tile covered in sepia toned dimensional magic.