Salon Créations et Savoir-faire with Marie-Claire Idées 2014

I had really enjoyed my visit to the marie claire idees's creation savoir faire #SalonCSF yesterday. So this is how it was. 

The main exhibition area was divided into 5 areas: the gourmet and festive, home crative and crafts, papers, needlework, and fashion trends. 

A separate area was dedicated for inspiration. Booths decorated in various themes where visitors can freely look around for ideas. 

If you are a crafter or a big D.I.Y. fan this is the place for you. 

You not only get all types of materials for your project, you also get a variety of ideas and inspirations. 

Booth owners and visitors mingle around in a friendly manner, sharing ideas and having a lot of fun chatting about a specific product or work. 

As a visitor you get free tips from the booth owners about the variety of techniques to be used for your projects. 

There were also a number of workshops held throughout the event where you can try out new products or learn a specific technique. Each workshop normally takes in about 10 participants at a time. Everyone was having fun at the workshop but also serious about learning!

Prior to visiting this event I have downloaded the special app for this event to my phone. I could see the event space map, locate booths, and make a visiting plan.

This has helped a lot as there were too many visitors and navigating my way around the crowd might have been a little more difficult without it. 

This event is until sunday the 23rd, I would like to go back to try one of the workshops. 

By the way this is an event fully in française. Not to worry, everyone is very friendly and helpful. Try a parlez-vous anglais or puis- je parler en anglais after your bonjour and things will work out! 

The good vibes of the happy chain

I haven’t been writing on this blog for a while. I have taken this blog too seriously that I think I should only post about my creations and updates on Magicthinking. 

This was the problem. My creative process has been going in spiral -- downwards. Not because I lost interest in it, but because I was trying too hard to be good. Of course I will put my best output in making every piece at Magithinking, it’s just that when I don’t think my work is good enough I end up putting nothing up here on the blog (or anywhere else) and that is the gravity to the spiral I was in. 

I have been doing some thinking, trying to change the way I think about things. My husband and I made a trip to the west coast of USA recently and it was the first trip that we have made so far which was planned just to meet up with our friends. We normally do trips for work or sightseeing, enjoying the place. Each city that we visited for this recent trip was purposely to meet friends. 

I think this was probably where the magic started for me. It could have been the sun, but I would like to think it’s the people. I was an introvert and still very much am one. I do enjoy company but I have this bad habit to recall the contents of my meet ups at the end of the day and start criticizing myself for things that I could have done better, like I should have said B instead of A. 

Which when I come to think about it now, it doesn’t matter. Nobody was wishing they had heard differently from me because I have not been rude and not have said anything bad. It was just in my mind. I still need a lot of work to be done on this but I think I am making progress. 

Anyway, the people that I have met during the trip has reminded me about how good meeting people is for you, especially when you meet happy people. Happy vibes are contagious. I have always said it in my motto about what Magicthinking is all about -- to spread happiness. 

It struck me then about why I have been stuck in the spiral. I have only that much energy within me. I need more input from outside in order to spread the happiness. As funny as it sounds, it was a wake up call for me. Staying connected is in our ancient mind no matter how much we have progressed along with evolution. 

So for the months after that trip, I have tried to re-wire my mind to think about positive things and to meet more friends when I can. I have also been given the opportunity to meet some good hearted, strong willed and positive people lately. 

I take good care that I do this in a good phase too. I don’t want to clutter my mind up too much with all the meetings that it would give me the negative effect instead because as much as meeting people give you positive energy, you will also have to share some of your energy too and it takes quite some amount of it. A good balance of exchange of energy is just what you need. 

I do feel more positive and that has also helped in my creative thinking. I feel more energized and focused with my work and the creative process that I do. 
I must also thank my best friend for sending me postcards with beautiful words about positive thinking just when I needed it. We still do appreciate letters from each other, instead of emails.  

Positive and happy thinking is contagious in a very mysterious way and we should all try to share what we can. 
That is why I am writing this post although it is not exactly about the items at Magicthinking or an event coming up. This is just part of the creative process behind Magicthinking and I think that it is worth sharing as I still believe that Magicthinking is about spreading happiness