In May 2001, I attended the 2nd annual Great Lakes MegaMeet scrapbooking convention in Novi, Michigan. The event was packed, even more so than the 2000 convention! A representative from Memory Makers magazine said it was one of the larger conventions she's been to lately, and she certainly had a wider comparison basis than I do!
In addition to a traditional-type trade show, the convention also had classes offered by product manufacturers and stores in a variety of scrapbook subjects. Many of the vendors offered make-and-take projects, and a crop (where scrapbookers get together to socialize and work on their scrapbooks) was hosted after the regular show on Thursday and Friday from 6:30pm until 12:00am.
A few of the products that stood out for me in the trade show were the EZ Stretch and Lisa's Pieces. I was able to use both of these products in make-and-takes, and subsequently purchased them.
The EZ Stretch is a set of two templates. One of the templates is used to cut an 8 1/2 X 11 sheet of paper into strips, and the other template is used to evenly space the strips onto a 12 X 12 sheet. The friends I was there with agreed that this is a brilliant product. For those of you who are 12 X 12 scrapbookers, you know how disappointing it can be to find an excellent paper design, but have it only be available in 8 1/2 X 11. The EZ Stretch has solved this problem!
Lisa's Pieces are fabulous paper piecing patterns. She currently has 3 books available, and I overheard her talking about another in the works! There are now a book of animals with frames, and a book of people, as well as a two-page folder of babies and accessories. You have to see these adorable creations to appreciate them! They are adorable, as well as being very easy to create for your own pages or decorations!
My favorite class at the convention was Quilted Scrapbook Pages, presented by Memory Makers magazine. They also have a book showing much of the information presented, but the pages of instruction look much more daunting than the projects actually are! Michelle Minkin (from Memory Makers in Boulder, Colorado) guided us step-by-step through two projects as well as giving information on the process and history of quilting in just one hour! She not only gave the knowledge, but showed us how do-able these great pages are!
If you are in the area (I say this loosely, as I spoke to several Canadians, and people from states as far away as Pennsylvania), don't miss next years Great Lakes Mega Meet!
- 11th May 2001