Wednesday, September 28, 2011

ScrapFest 2011!

I just found out about ScrapFest this summer, and was very intrigued. Mark was nice enough to go with me and keep me company, even though he's not a big scrapbooker (although, I would say that he is a little more of a scrapbooker now because of ScrapFest). Here we are standing in line for one of the make and takes at a vendor booth:

 

The weekend was full. We arrived early Thursday afternoon, checked in at our hotel, and went to the Mall of America (MOA) for registration and to scope out the place. (That afternoon was really the only time I looked around the mall, although Mark had more opportunities to look around.) (The pictures below are some of the things I made at make and takes or workshops:)


Mark did the kick-off crop with me in the Rotunda at the MOA, which I thought was a lot of fun with lots of giveaways and snacks and drinks, and a fun Indian table-mate who was scrapping her wedding from twenty years ago (I thought she was our age, but she said she was forty!).


Because I didn't know what I was doing and didn't sign up for any workshops before we arrived for the conference, on Friday morning I had to get up early and go register for whatever workshops I was interested in and were still available. There was a whole registration snafu with the Archiver's website going down and the only IT guy being in the hospital, but finally after 45 minutes they got the paper registration going and I signed up for three workshops, one of which started just a few minutes later.


The rest of our weekend at MOA was divided up between make and takes, workshops, dinner, and resting in the evening. I learned a lot about tools, product, and techniques at the make and takes and workshops.


Having ScrapFest in the MOA is kind of ingenious in two ways: 1. you collect a lot of primarily white, middle-class women in a shopping mall (I don't like to go mall shopping that much, but after being there for four days, we bought some stuff), and 2. you walk around all these vendor booths or do a workshop, find out about some cool product or tool, and then )of course!) go up to the Archiver's on the 3rd floor and buy that item. I don't know how much money that Archiver's made, but I'm sure it was a lot for one weekend!


Anyway, I had a lot of fun, and I'd definitely like to go back again, although I don't think I'll be able to get Mark to participate as much in the future. If you're a scrapbooker, I definitely suggest you go and try it out!


(This make and take (above) I've already used in a scrapbooking project!)


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