NAMTA-Creativation Trade Show 2022

 

                The creative world continues to change.  The trade show that was once HIA, became CHA then AFCI when ACCI and CHA merged with their annual trade show known as Creativation.  AFCI Creativation merged with the National Art Materials Trade Association (NAMTA) in the fall of last year, bringing general arts & crafts and fine arts together. The first combined show was held last weekend at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The names of the associations may have changed over the years, but creativity remains constant.

                I've been attending arts & crafts trade shows since 1991 and always look forward to seeing well-known and new exhibitors, new products, new techniques, new ideas, etc, as well as catching up with long time industry friends and meeting new ones.  For those of you who have followed my "walk thrus" in pictures over the past few years, grab a cup of tea, coffee, or whatever you enjoy (it's 5  o'clock somewhere), sit back and enjoy!                                                                             

 

New Products coming soon!

Deco Art Marbling

Artesprix Iron-on Inks and Paint

Tim Holtz Distress Foundry Wax

Medea Thread Sealer

Stencils and Stencil Butter from the Crafters Workshop

Bob Ross Kits for Kids

There were quite a few more, so keep in touch with your local and online stores.  

        Now here's a look at the exhibitor booths, starting with DecoArt's water marbling acrylic program, demonstrated by Sandy McTier, plus Impasto and Wax Effects.

 

For those who love to braid fabric, Clover brings us a folding tool to make it easier.

 

 

 

This is a company from Italy...

For those of you who love to create with T-shirt yarn, no more visits to thrift stores!

 This company saves you time by doing it all for you......  a prime example of a manufacturer who sees a need and develops a product to fill it.

Art Venture is one of a handful of manufactures bringing mechanical, laser cut wood kits to the hobby market.

Check out this assembled, wind up, motorized spider! So cool....

Artful learning kits for kids!  So important for our industry. In a hi-tech world, children need hands on activities, plus they are tomorrow's customers.......

 

Craft Express for sublimation blanks and tools. 

More laser cut wood craft kits

Paper Rose

Sue Eldred demoing for Style Tech (vinyl)

Demo Alley where designers and manufacturers demo'd their products.

 Above,Designer Tanya Ruffin demo's sublimation paint for Artesprix and 

below Kassy Laurence demoing for Grafix

This manufacturer travel teaches and developed these disposable paper paint palettes.

Here's Erin Reed demoing Edding paint markers.

had to stop and say hello to Ken Oliver...

Winsor & Newton, one of the fine art companies I'm familiar with from over 60+ years ago!

Leisure Arts, familiar to us all for the their wonderful publications, now sells product!

3D Printers and organizational product

Zuri Designs - molds for clay, wax, chocolate, etc

 

Love this! Fabric trim patterns created with Gel Press!

Golden Acrylics

So cute to knit and crochet!

Silver Creek Leather

Royal Talens. This booth was always packed, probably because Mark Montano was demoing! 

Have you heard about his new show, "Meet Your Makers Showdown"?  It's airing on Disney Plus.

Sewing Center

Grafix

Here we (Ann Butler and I) are relaxing at the end of the show.  Hope you enjoyed this quick walk thru. I probably only got photos of half of the exhibitors there, but maybe it will give you a little taste of the arts & crafts trade show world.  If you would like to see more, my friend, Erin Reed shared a video tour of the entire show on her YouTube channel.  Be sure to subscribe to let her know you watched...

https://youtu.be/_bdfcZ83QZ0

Yours truly,

Julie 💝

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!