Show sports arts and crafts, but few men

It was crafters’ day out Saturday at the Phil Long Expo Center and the hundreds of women and girls who showed up were loving every second.

They got to touch stuff, make stuff, take pictures of others’ handiwork and watch demos. Mothers and daughters — lots of them — sisters, friends, cousins and people who had never met shared ideas and giggled when asked if they were spending money. The only males in sight were working booths or waiting in the snack area.

It was the 7th annual Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook Expo in Colorado Springs, and for many, the once-a-year chance to see what’s new and stock-up on supplies for their beloved hobbies. The show, which continues today, has 44 exhibits manned by business-owning crafters who are delighted to show off such wares as tiny shirt-shaped cards with real zippers, hundreds of colors of inks, pastels and paint and intricate stencils.

Expo President Scott Kramer said he expects about 4,000 people to attend over the two days. He runs 22 such expos around the country each year, and this year business overall has been up about 4 percent, he said.

“I think people are spending some of their available income on family-oriented crafts, such as stamping and scrapbooking,” he said.

And they can bring the kids — as they did Saturday — and work on projects. “Crop” space is available to work on scrap books, classes are held throughout the day and many vendors helped people make jewelry, tiny cards and other trinkets for free or a minimal charge.

Randa Bell of Colorado Springs searched through rows of rubber stamps for a dress stamp to add to her collection, which numbers in the hundreds after 17 years of stamping and card making. She also took snapshots of sample cards she might want to replicate at home.

Her daughter, Jennie Ewalt, drove from Denver because she’d missed the expo in Loveland.

“The stamp stores are dying out so you have to come to something like this to find things,” Ewalt said.
Her mom said the two had crafted together for years and she looks forward to making cards with her new granddaughter, Sophie, who was attending her first expo at three months of age.

“Stamping is a great way to spend time together and for bonding with children,” Bell said.

Pam Meeks, who was checking out the hot new “Flower Soft” products with her daughter Shannon, said scrapbooking and making cards was a “family thing” for her, too. She got into the crafts when her daughter was born 15 years ago.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Shannon said. “You can be really creative.”

They walked away with several small jars of Flower Soft, tiny colored grains that when sprinkled onto a spot of glue look like flowers or leaves. The stuff was so popular that Sheree Reiners of Candilay Creations Too said she’d gone through half of her stock by mid-day Saturday.

While she’s been into crafting since she was a child, she recently got into the vendor side because she discovered the wonders of Flower Soft and wanted to help make it available to others. This is her second show and she’s already overwhelmed by the popularity, she said.

The artistry is what attracted Vicki Heinecke to the craft.

The Colorado Springs woman said she started stamping and scrapbooking about 15 years ago and has a great work area in her house.

“I put on some nice music and sit down and it’s a real artistic outlet,” she said. “There’s something therapeutic about playing with coloring and cutting shapes.”