No, seriously, it’s like the LDS Relief Society Super Saturday activities on steroids. I’m not kidding. And I’m SO going again next year! So fellow crafters out there, please mark your calenders, find sitters for the kids, save up frequent flyer miles, save up hotel points, save up pennies, and come to Tokyo Big Site April 27-29, 2011 for the 35th Japan hobby show!
So let me report on my trip…
I charged up my camera and grabbed an empty 4Gig SD card thinking I would be taking SO many pics and vids of the event, but was so crushed when as I walked in and there’s a big “no photos” sign. dah! Kamura batsu! :(
So, what did I do? I pulled out my iphone and walked around with it like I was expecting a call and took photos covertly. You see the things I’ll do for you, blog?
At the last min I had to bring my baby Ellee with me, because Mark had to do church stuff and could only take the two older kids. So thankfully Ellee was my golden baby that day and sat contently in the stroller and let me look at art and demos, and even sit down and make jewelry. But definitely next year I will go alone because it was crowded and made pushing a stroller a little tough at times.
There was so much to see and from all kinds of mediums. Quilting, scrap-booking, sewing, fabric dying, book making, jewelry, felting, hair accessories, fine art supplies, scissors & blades & tweezers, sewing machines, jig saws, pressed flowers, clay, cake decorating, fingernail bedazzling, cell phone bedazzling, leather crafts, decorative fruit cutting from Thailand, glass etching, on and on and on. There’s 350 vendors so there’s something for everyone. I was surprised that even Microsoft was there doing demos on how to build a CPU, and pushing Windows 7 and photo editing software.
This is the bracelet I made for Ellee because she was so good all day and slept in the stroller while I made it. I hammered in the lettering and the texture on to a sliver plate and attached it to the chain. I need to find some tiny needle nose pliers to shorten it for her. It’s so darling on her!
I made this for me. A color-wheel necklace! It was so easy. They give you a metal plate in the shape you want. You glue on the little colored glass pieces. Then they fire it in their mini kiln and you come back to pick it up. Such a cool, quick project. And it’s beautiful wearable art.
Tokyo Big Site Convention Center! Can’t miss it.
Sorry the next few pics are all from my iPhone and were taken without me looking so they aren’t the best. I wish I could have taken more cause there was SO much to see.
Felt. In all colors and forms. Love the colors.
I forgot to go back to buy a kit.
I wanted to sit down and join them in their glass etching! But I didn’t think it would be easy with Elle in a stroller with me. Its a new product that looks like a mini hand held sander that you use to etch images onto glass.
Found quite a few booths selling American craft supplies and quilting fabric at outrageous prices. But I guess they can do that here and people will pay it.
A display of jewelry kits you can purchase at wholesale prices.
Cakes made of clay!
More desserts made of clay. They look so real.
Booth that had TONS of trimmings.
I was trying to get a picture of all the trims they had with skulls on them. hahaha
This was a beautiful color display of a company that sells just ribbon. Hundreds of ribbon. I think they just opened a store in NY.
I couldn’t resist taking a pic of this lady in her green hair and crazy head piece. Craft dye hard. :)
Booths displaying watercolor supplies.
It was just 5 mins past closing time, and the workers were already taking down the signage!
I was more interested in seeing what’s new in the craft world. And I found this. Paper with dye on it that you can iron on to polyester fabric. In 40 sec you have permanent color that is ready to wash. Amazing stuff. Not cheap.
You can cut the paper to shapes you want or you can place pressed leaves and iron the paper over it to get a silhouette. Then flip the leaf over and iron the leaf to get a imprint of the leaf. I’m excited to try this out.
I found this amazing new product. Make your own photo books, with glossy covers too. You can print or draw your own cover and then with the laminate they include you laminate it to your book.
It comes with everything you need to make your cover and bind your book. You can print your own photo pages or just make a plain book with the blank pages included in the kit. Very though out process and as long as you follow the directions it looks fool proof. The finished product looks stunning too. I think places like Shutterfly and Snapfish have some photobook competition in the future.
So that’s my recap of the 34th Japan Hobby Show! I didn’t buy as much as I thought I would, but I really was just looking for inspiration and what was new in the craft world. And the Japan Hobby Show did just that. Until next year.
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5 Comments
how fun! thanks for taking pics with your iphone! such a handy thing.
I do want to go next year. I’m excited!!
Pretty please, can I go with you next year?
Oh my!!!! I want to go next year…do they have bento making or is that another show of its own?
yes, you’re ALL welcome to stay at my house and we will go all day! :)
I didn’t see bento making… but they should have had that there! There was a cooking section so maybe I missed it. Obento making is huge so maybe that is its own show!