I stopped by the rubber stamp convention this weekend, though I didn’t stay too long. I usually just go to stop at the Hanko Designs booth, and to walk around and look for a bit. There were a few new vendors, including The Paper Palette, but the show is gradually getting smaller each time I go.

I ran into someone from the craft group while I was there. She explained that she’d missed the last several — as have I — but was going to try to go again. I mentioned that the meetings will be shifting to Saturdays, as per someone new getting involved in the planning, and she sounded somewhat disappointed. I have to admit that shifting from Wednesday evenings to Saturday mornings isn’t exactly a smooth change, and I don’t think I’ll be able to join in then for sure. It’s a shame, though I haven’t really been doing much crafting as of late.

I did sneak in one little card this afternoon, after poking around online a bit and looking at various Japanese things. I’m very interested in seasonal imagery from Japan, and one of those items are the flat fans (uchiwa) associated with summertime. I decided to try this shape with the “quilted” washi approach, and it turned out ok enough.

It looks quite simple, but it was probably the most involved of all the shapes I’ve done, due to the curves and tiny handle. It takes a lot to wrap around curved edges, so it turned out a bit more jagged than I would have liked it. I might try it again and see if I can do better with it next time, but I’m satisfied with my first attempt.

The annual Maker Faire is going on this weekend in San Mateo, but I’ve decided not to attend this year. I did think about it at first, and even tried to organize some friends to go, but the interest wasn’t really there.

Personally, I went to the 2006 and 2007 shows, and they were ok for what they were worth. I think the 2006 show was best, because it was the first and everything was new to my friends and I. However, when I went last year, it all seemed to be about the same, and it didn’t seem quite as good. They did make an effort to increase the crafty bits, but nothing that compelling. Also, the free goodies from 2006 totally disappeared.

I think the biggest problem with it is that they’ve jacked up the ticket price this year. Last year it was $15 per person for a single day, but this year it’s up to $25; apparently the weekend passes have nearly doubled as well. That would be ok if there was enough added to make up for the cost, but I don’t think that’s the case. And if you’re going there with the aim of buying things at the craft fair part of it, then it’s quite a hefty entrance fee, especially if you include the $8 parking. That’s like having to pay more than $30 to get to shop on Etsy or go to your local craft store, with no added bonus other than getting to see the same old displays of robots and LEDs and steampunk contraptions that were there the year before (assuming you’re even into that sort of thing).

I mean, I’ve been to craft events where you have to pay in order to get in, and then you end up shopping from the vendors for most of it, and maybe only learning a new technique from a vendor instead of taking a class. But the entry price for that is never more than $10, and there are usually coupons available. Plus the vendors are usually only selling in person at these events, and they pay to do so, thus lowering your own cost.

Ultimately, I guess it would be nice to have the “Craft” part of Maker Faire as a standalone event, but without the obnoxious entry fee. Maybe it’s a lot to ask for, especially seeing how much overlap there is between the Make and Craft magazines (which I wish there weren’t). But that’s all a lot of us want to go for in the first place, and it just isn’t worth it at more than $25 a person. More on the craft, less on the geek!

As you can tell, my craft projects have become few and far between these days, but I’ve had a few little things I’ve worked on in the last two months.

In November and December, I went against my previous decision to quit swaps for a bit, and signed up for a few of the final Coloriffic Swap-O-Rama swaps. I really liked the color combinations, and shopping for other people is fun. Here’s what I came up with for the two swaps:

One of the swap requirements is to include one handmade item, so I made a little card/envelope set for the November swap, and then for the December swap, I put together one of my square collage postcards.

Sadly, the packages I got through these swaps didn’t exactly knock my socks off, so to speak, but oh well. At least I enjoyed putting them together and making my swap partners happy.

Shortly after the second swap, I joined in on a bit of card- and envelope-making at this month’s South Bay Craft Group meeting. I don’t send out holiday cards, so I just made some general ones, based on a cute postcard I have. And some envelopes of course. The paper was just too lovely to pass up.

And the most recent craft project was a shared one for a work holiday party that I helped to organize. We decided to decorate gingerbread cookies as the main event, and of course we had to have a contest for it, complete with varied categories and matching trophies. Our little trophy team came up with these four trophies during two long nights after work hours. It was a lot of fun and I think everyone who attended the party liked them as well.

The workshop for this month’s South Bay Craft Group meeting was making shrines, and you could either use a wooden box or a paper one, including making your own matchboxes. I didn’t really know what to put inside of mine, so instead I focused on making and decorating a matchbox, similar to the ones I’ve done before.

I used a scrap of cardstock to create the box, and then covered it with some origami paper I happened to have with me (for making envelopes, of course). I made the lid from a cardstock tag, then wrapped a piece of a Japanese map, more cardstock, and a bit of sparkly fiber around it.

I couldn’t decide what should go inside it, so I just brought it home in that state. Unfortunately, the box is coming undone on one end, so it might need a bit of fixing before I use it. It would be perfect for a Japanese matchbox swap though. (Not that I’ve been participating in any swaps recently.)

Speaking of Japanese designs, I went to a Japanese/Asian-themed craft fair this morning. It’s a regular event to raise money for a local Japanese-American senior fund, and pretty much everything sold there is Japanese, Hawaiian, or Asian in theme. Hanko Designs was there again, and I ended up buying a few packs of yuzen washi paper, as if I need more of that. Most of the other items being sold were handmade purses and art and things like that, but nothing really stood out at me as something to have.

I did happen to see a colleague of mine at one of the tables, as she was helping her mother sell rubber stamps. She just moved here from Hawaii and illustrates some of the rubber stamp designs, which are in Hawaiian and Asian themes. You can check them out and buy them at the Mari & Me web site.

Well, my very first craft fair is over and done with, and I made it through alive!

All of the tables were set up in or near the cafeteria, including along the hallway on the way to the serving area. There were at least 20 or so vendors there, and some had already set up when I started unpacking at 9AM. Two of my fellow designers were selling, as well as some other fellow employees, but there were also “outsiders” as well, though mostly friends of company employees.

As I started unpacking my boxes, I realized that I had completely forgotten some of stuff at home, having moved things around last night. I forgot to double-check before I left, so I was without my mini envelope/card enclosure sets, freshly-printed business cards, and craft group fliers. After a momentary freak-out, I just got back to setting up, figuring I’d manage without these things.

The table was a bit smaller than I was picturing (only 4 feet long, instead of 5 or 6 feet), so I had to jam everything in so that it would fit. It was pretty much split down the middle, with my cards, envelopes, and pin matchboxes on one side, and Amytha’s accessories and art on the other. Very different aesthetics, but it at least made for interesting conversation.

In terms of my neighbors, there was a doggie treats business/pet-sitting service on my left and on my right was Cheryl, co-owner of Where’s Romeo, with a line of hand-stamped jewelry. Across from us was one of the designers in my group with her photo prints and a friend’s jewelry, as well as Jenna Mammina, a local jazz singer selling her various albums.

Overall, there weren’t really that many people that came by to look, though there were plenty of people coming down for lunch during the middle of it. Maybe 30-40 people came by and asked questions about what I had spread out, and a few did buy some items from me. I think all of my items were sold to designers I know, and I definitely appreciate their support. It was nice knowing that other people do appreciate the things I make, though I doubt I’ll ever try to make this a full-time business.

I did enjoy the whole event though, and I’m glad I signed up, even if I only made enough to have a really nice dinner. The best part was talking to other sellers, and it was nice to interact with the people who did stop by to take a closer look. A bit draining, combined with not having time for a proper lunch, but still fun. I don’t know if I’d do it again, but if the right opportunity came up, I might.

For now though, I need to figure out what to do with all the leftovers! I have way more cards than I can use myself, so I guess I’ll be spending a bit of time updating my my Etsy store soon. Stay tuned for updates!