DollhouseBrazil

Read here what I saw at MegaArtesanal. See the pictures too. More pictures avaliable at Minis Gallery.

Unlike last year, no MiniMega Gathering was arranged for this year. Some miniaturists did meet informally at a Sol and some other ones went to MegaArtesanal. We all, naturally, visited Anynha Miniaturas and MiniMárcia's stand. It was easy to find, as it was usually the crowdest one in that "street"!

And having lively Marcia, Vivane and Abraão attending customers, plus the great quality of their work, it could be no other way!

Mega Artesanal 2009

This fair/show is still huge and the major companies related to crafts 'industry' are sure to be found there. The best thing this year is that miniatures were a constant presence, everywhere. Despite the lack of an organized movement, they did conquered their deserved space in it.

There were mock-up at display throughout the place, minitures made with recicled materials. Several manufacturers now hold products aiming miniature framed displays. Purists might not like those, but they actually come in handy for those who don't feel like making everything from scratch, for beginners, or for those who just want some details to complete their own seting.

Amongh those manufacturers, you'll find Metalúrgica Antunes, with some metal pieces like pots and other stuff, and also miniature nails, screws, and hinges. Du Látex provide us with raw material to make our own silicon molds, but they also sell some ready-made push-molds that fit perfectly in our need: they have waterfountain bottle, gas cyllinder used in our kitchens, tea sets... Silquiplás supplies raw materials to make silicon molds, resin and other items (paint, brushes, glue, etc). The more traditional ones Florbrás, Fabrikota and Art Náutica were also there. Read below more about what they had in store for us.

Exhibits

There where fabulous mock-ups by Adhemir Fogassa scattered around the place. Right at the main entrance there was the majestic Taj Mahal aweing incoming visitors. You can also find his Hanging Gardens of Babilon, the Pantheon, the Arch of Triumph, and the Pelourinho - historical place in Salvador, Bahia.

“A Banda”, made out of forks, by Samuel Silva Santos got an award. Also at display there was another music band “Miniatura de Banda Musical”, byDiego Meira Rocha, and a rustic kitchen “Cozinha da Roça” by Sandra & José Eduardo de Araújo, both made out of recycled materials.

Scattered around at some store windows, you can find some interesting suggestions for settings. One made out of paper only, by Vlady, and another one using a technique called French Art (3D decoupage) - this one, if I'm not mistaken, I saw in Oficina Paulista's window (their address is Alfredo Pujol, 17 - their website is still 'under construction').

Florbrás

They have been a 'partner' and supplier to miniaturist for a long time. It was one of the stants I visited more often. And I made a point of honer to take there as many miniaturist friends as I could. We were all amazed by the quality of their 1:12 miniatures. We were enthousiastic in our praises: "you are getting really better in making them!" To our surpriese, they all looked quite puzzled by our compliment...

And here goes a big alert to all miniaturists: this is how we found out that there are miniatures in the market being sold as theirs but they ARE NOT!!! Check the pictures here and see how different they are! Florbrás products always come in a wrapping with their brand, very easy to ID. So, be careful when buying ready-made plastic miniatures, keep in mind that Florbras minis are of a very high quality. If in doubt, you can always call them and Cirlei will help you. She's really nice and knows their products deeply.

There's only one thing I didn't like there: they should make MORE produtct aiming miniature market!!! :)

Fabrikota

Althought they won't sell retail - ask them for their representative closest to you - they have not only been making several MDF miniature furniture in the correct scale and dioramas for miniature settings, but they also make their full dollhouse, presented here for the first time.

Art Náutica

Their resin pieces are perfect to make framed sets, as all you'll have to do is paint them well. Even details like books and flowers are already included in the shelves, and towels and lamps on the tables. You won't find a better deal if you're a beginner or if you want to complete a set fast and easily.

As the fair/show itself, many aspects are still great or have even improved when compared to last year:

Positive Aspects

A LOT of stores and manufacturer showrooms, all kinds of arts were well represented.

Many benches here and there so that when you get tired of so much walking, you could sit and rest for a while to recover energy to resume the visiting.

The possiblity to watch accomplished artist in the process of creating: sculptors, painters painting on canvases, fabric, several materials, and a lot more.

New ways to access the courses were devised: by buying a kit grants a class; rotation system (stay in line behind the current 'student', when she/he is done, it'll be your turn); buy a certain number of their items (wherever inside the show) and choose from one of their classes. Dremel doubled their courses space. Even I managed to make two of them! :)

Almost all restrooms are for the ladies. For the men, only one. That's only FAIR!! :)

The shuttle vans take you to the entrance, saving you for the long walk from last year.


Aspects to Improve

The shuttle back and forth the subway station still stops far from the station istelf. We had to walk up a very dark street, which made people very insecure, especially those unfamiliar with the city. Also, they should rethink vans and trade them up for buses. By the end of the day, the line is HUGE. I usually gave up and decided to walk all the way... Very tiresome, but better than just wait...

Food court always crowded... and way too expensive! Oh, and still no healthy options at sight...

The ticket (R$ 8,00) and parking (R$ 20,00 - 1 dollar more than last year) are way too expensive for Brazilian standards... It gets even worse if someone decides to come back again another day - the fair lasts 5 days. Is it so hard to provide a kind of 'passport' for the full 5 days with a special discount?

Most stores had the same prices inside the show as their regular prices... Most manufacturers wouldn't sell there as an imposition from the stores - they didn't like the competition.... That would make it worth shopping there only for those who were not from the city (Sao Paulo) and would have a lot of trouble to get to all those stores in such a 'short' time - you have no idea how 'gigantic' Sao Paulo is and how time-consuming going around really is!

It was still a struggle to get into each store: huge and slow-moving lines... And inside them the space to move was even smaller... Again, a discount voucher valid throughout the month to be spent at their regular stores wouldn't be a bad idea to make shopping easier!


As I said before, Dremel has doubled their classes area, and they also placed several demo stands on their 'lounge' area. But hold on before buying any Dremel in the show. Don't let yourself be 'seduced' by the discounts or installment payment options! Those are great - not for those in the US, Dremel items usually cost 3 to 4 times more here than in the US... - but the stores in the show are from cities other than São Paulo, and even Peg&Faça (from São Paulo) has a strick return/exchange/policy - big posters on the entrance of every store of theirs make it clear they'll only exchange items bought at that specific store! So, my advice is: take the chance to get familiar with their tools, learn how to use them and each and every tip/accessory. Only buy anything if you already know their whole line of products and you are already sure of what will fulfill your needs. Also, if you decide to buy anything there, double check their policy for returns and exchanges (post-show). In the heat of the moment you might buy one kit and only later realize that another one would serve you better, but the costs and the trouble to make the change will make this a real pain... I'm sure you don't want to go through this hell.

Finally, of course there's always a big crowd in events like those... But they're managing to organize things better and better every year...

Do not miss next year's!!!! Start planing and saving right now, but go! :)

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