Papercrafts - Lincoln

I do enjoy Hobbycrafts at the NEC there is always loads to look at and new techniques and materials to explore - but it is huge! I rush around to try and see everything, through the masses of people, often trailing trollies behind them or carring huge rucksacks.  If you get to see a demo you are fairly lucky and if there are any 'celebrity crafter's' it's unlikely you get to chat at all due to the number of people surrounding them.  Then there are the queues, the cost to park and the price of a cuppa....

I've been to the other extreme of craft show, where I have arrived at a venue and paid a small entrance fee to find there is only about six vendors stocking either cheap(ish) rubbish, or the same as everyone else there.  It takes a few minutes to look at all the stalls and I leave with no new product knowledge or any inspiration at all.

This weekend I drove to Lincolnshire, not quite knowing what to expect from the Papercrafts Lincoln show run by Sincerely Yours Shows.  All started off well with a free car park right next to the venue and no queues.  Just £3.50 to get in was also a fair price, although for £3 in advance we could have got free tea and coffee all day!  There was just about the right number of vendors with a great selection of products, most were doing demonstrations and had time to talk and discuss their products and all in a really friendly atmosphere.  There were also several show offers with generous discounts and a raffle.  With plenty of seating and tables we had a relaxing lunch after buying sandwiches at the venue for a very reasonable price.  I left with lots of goodies and tips I'm looking forward to the next one.