Visiting Creativa on March 19, 2015

I'm happy to shout energetically that, in the end, I was able to visit Creativa!!!

Since all the plans we had for our long weekend went down the drain thanks to another Lufthansa strike, I thought that it would have been very wise to visit the exhibition instead of staying home and ending up cleaning the house or doing something which could have been even worse. :)

With lot of enthusiasm, we woke up very early in the morning in order to arrive at the Westfallenhallen as soon as possible ─ last year we arrived around 11.00 am and it took us almost an hour to park! No way did I want the same to happen again this year! When we arrived at 10.00 am, we noticed, with great surprise, that the entrance was quite empty and my eyes started gleaming at the idea that I would have finally been able to visit my favorite stand without being pushed here and there or walked all over. :/

The situation inside the building was also very calm and this made my husband even happier ─ he's very loving and always takes me to these kinds of places, but he's not that much of a people person and he hates places that are too crowded. The only crowded place he can stand is the venue of a concert....who wouldn't...:) Anyway, while he went to get a coffee, I started moving around looking for the items I needed for my crafting, feeling a bit like Indiana Jones. :) I first stopped at Lüna Natural Buttons to look for some heart-shaped buttons, which I found and bought right away along with some wonderful coconut buttons that will fit perfectly with an old black coat I'd like to personalize a bit and “refresh” with a touch of color.

With a smile on my face and very happy about my first purchase, I decided to visit La Blanche a stand that always attracts me for the way the stand is decorated and the gorgeous things they sell. I rarely buy things there because the prices are quite high and I'm not that much of a decoupage person ─ even if they don't sell things that are only related to decoupage ─ but it is really interesting to see what they are up to and watch their demonstrations.

Anyway, still with a lot of time in my hands, quite empty building , and a happy husband who was sipping his coffee without spilling it or bumping into people, I couldn't help but go on with my hunting. And boy oh boy! Take a look at this store Hobbydee and tell me these teddy bears aren't adorable! I wanted to buy them all!

They are so well made, soft, and cute!!! And look at their dresses!!!! I was very tempted to buy some patterns and furry fabric to try to sew one myself, but I already have so many projects in my head that a life time won't be enough to bring them all to the end; therefore, I left the stand without buying anything ‒ but this can just be an excuse to go back next year. : D

Let's keep on going in our Dutch tour! Yes, Dutch, you got it right! There are quite a lot Dutch stands, actually most of the ones that sell paper, envelops, and scrap book accessories are from Holland. Interesting, right?! :) Last year, I bought some Christmas stamps and an block of papercrafting paper from the Dutch stand DeHobbytboerderij, which has the whole collection of Grafic 45, a name I hope you already now because their designs are incredibly awesome! Actually, also the greeting cards the Dutch lady makes ‒ owner of the stand I was previously talking about – are amazing! She even holds workshops in Holland and I really hope to be able to attend one of her courses any time soon! :)

It was a pleasure to meet that Dutch couple this year, too, and while my husband was entertaining himself with those two nice people, I peeked with curiosity at the stand next to theirs and I found these super funny felt monsters that I absolutely couldn't leave there! Needless to say, a kit on how to make them immediately ended up in my shopping bag! I can't wait to make them and I also hope that Petra will allow me to post the tutorial on how to make KummerLummer.

Moreover, I also found something very new to me. Did you know that a 3D varnish exists? I had no idea about that!!!! Basically, if you use it on a flat surface when it dries up it makes the surface “pop up” a bit. It's so cool!!! I can't wait to try it! I saw some dinosaur-shaped buttons painted with that varnish and they looked very nice. I'm really looking forward to using it! :)

After buying some Springer  paint brushes ─ which I hope are as good as they look – we headed to the Gardenland to grab a bite in the organic food section and end our visit in this way.

To be honest with you, I was hoping to learn more about new materials and techniques...but all in all, it was a very nice day. :) I found what I needed and my husband had some vary tasty Bavarian sausages...so we simply couldn't ask for more! :)