This one is for the locals.. did you go to the stamping convention in Mesa this past weekend? What did you think of it?

It was disappointing that more vendors weren’t participating. My program lists 27 and I think I remember one of the larger years boasting over 40 vendors. Some of the regulars have gone out of business and some just aren’t doing as many shows. That’s sad for us but did you notice the style change? I’ve long thought of this as a “cute” show. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that not all the companies were “cute” but the overall feel for me was. It also felt like it was always the same old companies. I know that there were new companies added from time to time but it was never enough to make me sit up and take notice. Yes, I know that makes me sound picky and judgmental but I’m just telling it the way I see it. Anyway… I noticed a big change this time. In addition to After Midnight, Terry Medaris and the other great companies it now included Meer Image and Artful Illusions/Mrs. O’Leary. OK, so it also had Fantastic Nail Art but I’ve decided just this once to pretend that I didn’t even see that little shocker. Meer Image and Artful Illusions were just enough to push my feeling meter from the cute side over to the arty side. It was actually making me think back to the early days of the Scottsdale shows. Here is an inside tip about their next show on Nov. 3 &4*, Magenta Rubber Stamps is going to be there! Magenta doesn’t do many conventions so this is a real treat for us Valley stampers.

I want to give a shout out to Rubbernecker. They have been a fixture at the Mesa convention for many years. You may have noticed that they were a bit different this time. One of my friends was really bummed about the changes and had a hard time getting past them. We need to remember that change is part of growth and improvement so it isn’t always a bad thing. In this case the company has a new owner and with new owners come changes. They still have several images from the old line and they have added images from Stamp Oasis and Stampedy Anne. I spoke with the new owner, Dave Miller. He is really a nice person and eager to learn all about stamping so they can be one of your favorite companies. Dave and his wife are still learning the ropes so be patient with them and try to remember that change can be a good thing.

*Did you know that there are two different organizers putting on shows at the Mesa Convention Center now? For years we have been going to shows put on by ‘Great Southwest Rubber Stamp Events’. Now ‘Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook Expo’ has also started hosting shows in the same convention center. I think there is a world of difference between the two. I’m not going to go off on a rant but I will tell you that I’ve decided not to spend any money on tickets to one of the organizer’s shows because I felt it was a rip off.