CHA Recap - Day 4 - Recycled Magazines become Paper Beads

The last day of the show always has a really different feel to the rest of the show. Today, as the show winds down, the buzz and excitement which marks the first few days of the show has been replaced by the quieter chatter of retailers placing orders with sales reps. This is the business end of the show and the make and takes have been scaled back and the exhibitors are preparing to tear down their booths. I found it to be a really good opportunity to spend a little time with some of the friends I've made at previous shows because things are a little less hectic. There's a certain sadness as you say goodbye to each other and yet, everyone is keen to get home to their families.

But as well as saying my goodbyes, I also spent some time in the new exhibitors hall and had a chance to play with a new product from Japan, DéCollage.

I can't tell you too much about it because all their literature is in Japanese and I was doing the make and take through a Japanese interpreter, which was fun in itself. But this product really appealed to the cake decorator in me. It's a soft silicone gel that you can put into a piping bag and use as you would to decorate a cake. It takes a while to cure but it holds its shape really well and doesn't relax at all whilst it's curing.

Making faux miniature food is a big craze in Japan so it was great to see it being exhibited here in LA. How cute is this little acrylic heart box? The little fruit segments are made of air dry clay. It was such a fun project and I can only imagine how addictive this craft could become. Check out the Padico website to see some other really fun crafting ideas. For a giggle, let Google translate the page for you.

My other great find in the new exhibitor's hall was Aubreys Beads. This is just fun on all levels: first of all they are beads; secondly, they are brightly coloured but best of all, they are made from recycled magazines and junk mail. Coooool!Apart from selling finished beads, you can also buy paper bead-making kits so that you can roll your own.

Sadly, I ran out of time to visit every booth at the show. The ones I've touched on in my daily reports are the ones which I liked, but there were many more that I'm sure I would have liked if only the show had been three days longer!

I will have some other posts in the near future using some of the products I haven't covered here in my reports but I'm not spilling any beans yet so you'll have to wait and see.

I have a spare day tomorrow before heading home. And I'm in LA.... sounds like a shopping day to me!

For more paper bead inspiration, see these related posts:
How to make paper beads
Colouring paper beads with nail polish


'Til next time.....

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