Dromgoole’s & Plotter Event:
My trip to Houston for the Little Craft Fest started with a trip to Dromgoole’s to experience the Plotter Event that included custom corners for your Plotter and a workshop on how to create a vision board for your Plotter.
On Thursday, I helped the Dromgoole’s team packing up and shuttling a mini-store worth of product into the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Conroe, Texas. From the shop to the hotel took over an hour. I had no idea how big the Houston are was and how busy the freeways are there!
The Little Craft Fest 2025:
It took about four hours to set-up and a lot of bending time and space to get it to all fit.
The whole set-up of the Dromgoole’s booth was envisioned and executed by Ashley who is an amazing illustrator and a wonderful lady I was honored to work with this weekend.
The show ran from Friday through Sunday. Each day was a Stamp Rally event that allowed attendees to go to designated tables each day, collect stamps and once the page was filled, they could take their program to the stamp rally table to collect a “gift bag”. Dromgoole’s participated on Sunday and we spent the first couple hours of the show stamping programs for folks before regular shopping resumed.
I’ve heard mixed reviews on the contents of the Stamp Rally gift bags. Some folks on Friday and Saturday received oodles of high value merchandise and goodies while others on Sunday said they mostly got totes with stickers and postcards or business cards and were not as “glorious” as had been promoted.As a vendor, the frenzy of the stamp rally events made it hard for folks who weren’t participating to shop since the gift bags were first-come, first-serve and a limited number were available each day. It also meant people raced around to get their stamps and could not take the time to shop, if they did come back, until much later after they’d been run off their feet. Chicago Stationery Fest held a stamp rally event as well but somehow, the rules or process for the rally seemed less chaotic to me and less frenzied. If you participated in either rally event, please provide your perspective if you enjoyed it and if it was worth it.
Outside of the stamp rally event, there were classes and workshop held all day long, some starting as early as 8:30am and some running as late as 9pm. From what I’ve heard from other instructors, the classes were largely well-attended and enjoyable. There were a couple sessions that were too much lecture, not enough hands-on but that was the only complaint I heard all weekend. It seems like a lot of people came for the classes and workshops.
Overall, the vendors in the Marketplace featured a range of products but there was a heavy concentration of cute stickers both available in sheet and as die cut vinyl stickers. There were also lots of washi tape, charms, enamel pins, some paper products like cards, prints, postcards and such. Elite Accessories (distributor for Kaweco and Diamine in the US) had a table as well as Kenro (Ferris Wheel Press, YStudio and Esterbrook) and Sailor/Penlux North America. I think that was all the US distributors. The fountain pen shops were Dromgoole’s, Vanness Pen Shop and, of course, Little Craft Place. I think the grand total of vendors was about 100 or so. I don’t know the official count but it was more than was at Chicago Stationery Fest.
All the attendees seemed happy and friendly and looked to be having a good time. None of the issues that had been present at the Yoseka Stationery Fest or the Chicago Stationery Fest were present at Little Craft Fest. Some of this was a result of a larger hotel venue with plenty of places inside for people to enter the event, more space indoors for shoppers, and better lighting.
While the event did have two food trucks park outside the entrance, many people said they had to wait 30 to 40 minutes to order which was frustrating.
As for the marketplace, I heard mixed feedback from the vendors in attendance. For some, this was their first ever show, for others who may have been at the Yoseka Stationery Event last summer or the Chicago Stationery Fest a few weeks ago. The feedback I received was mixed. Many of the vendors I spoke to who had been in Chicago felt that, despite the issues with that event, they had stronger sales and enjoyed the event more. Some even said they would be unlikely to return to Houston because of low sales. Others had strong sales and felt good about the event and look forward to returning.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DI_4gKExe4g/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
I would love to hear feedback from anyone who attended the event. Did you enjoy yourself? Did you spend more or less of your budget? What kinds of things did you purchase?
And now….
The Giveaway:
And of course, I know you’re all really here for the giveaway. The vendors at Little Craft Fest were super generous and filled a Stamp Rally tote with about 5lbs of products including (but not limited to):
- Museum Wooden Stamp Set (CoraCreaCrafts)
- Acrylic keychain charm (Cherrykins Doodles)
- Washi Tape Grab Bag (Calliope)
- Esterbrook Rubber Stamp (Esterbrook)
- Planning & Journaling Companion (CoreCreaCrafts)
- Sticker Storage Book, Adhesive Card Pocket and Tip-In Tape Rolls (Lauren Phelps Designs)
- CoffeeMonstersCo Blotter Paper (Esterbrook)
- Stickers Sheets (AM Paper & Art Co.)
- Prints and Garlic Bread Washi Tape (Beanpolice)
- Texas Sticker Sheet (Mind-Speaks.com)
- Sassy Handlettered Stickers (@licia.letter.and.plans)
- Little Craft Fest Ltd Ed Sticker Sheet (Kwohtations)
- Metallic Marker (edding)
- LCF Riso Print (The Washi Station)
- Passport: Texas and New Pen Day Clear Stamps (Everyday Explorers)
- Ltd Ed Single Pen Sleeve Lanyard (Rickshaw Bagworks)
- Procrastination Clu (not a typo) Pin (MisoHappy)
I’ve also added (purchased with my own money) a bottle of CoffeeMonstersCo Forgotten Iced Coffee Ink from Esterbrook. I’m also throwing in some new Well-Appointed Desk stickers, a roll of Inky Dreams Washi Tape and the last remaining Chicago Stationery Fest Ltd Ed Col-o-ring!
Plus a ton of stickers, postcards and ephemera including a program.
And that’s not all!
We are also including the limited edition canvas tote donated by Dromgoole’s!
TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and tell me which vendor would be your first stop if you had attended the Little Craft Fest. Play along and type in something. It makes reading through entries more interesting for me, okay? One entry per person.
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FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Friday, May 2, 2025. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Monday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your actual email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 5 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US and APO/AFO only, sorry.
Lauren Phelps Design would have been my first stop! I love her products and she is always so generous with her happy mail freebies, I want to thank her in person!
Oh so many vendors to choose from! Maybe the Washi Station because they have a lot of cute cat items to pick.
Dromgooles! I love that they have a wide selection!
I would have gone to the Little Craft Place table and then probably to Hubman & Chubgirl, Sumlilthings, and Tokubetsumemori. So jelly of everyone who was able to go – it looked like so much fun!
Ana, thanks for sharing the great photos and your impressions! You introduced me to a few new makers (looking at you, Creeping Moon). But my heart belongs to LCN so that is my very first stop every time. I can relate to your spending a lot of money there 😉
I’d stop first at the Dromgoole’s booth so I could do artsy-craftsy stuff. And I REALLY want that bag they’re giving away; it looks super sharp! Great review of the show, BTW!
I think I would’ve beelined to Once More With Love, as I love their stickers. I meant to go to this, as it’s close by, but didn’t want to go by myself. A bummer. Glad it was fun!
Oh man….So hard to choose. I have to pick Little Craft Place itself, because I ADORE that shop online and can’t imagine how amazing it’s booth is IRL, but Peko.Puff also would draw me like a magnet. And Creeping Moon! And Sailor Pens! And Dromgoole’s!
Sorry, didn’t really do it right.
First booth to visit… Dromgoole’s booth – look at all that ink and paper! That pic makes me giddy. Wish I could’ve attended. Thanks for offering this give-away for those of us who could not attend.
Wow, so much cuteness in one place – I would have been in heaven! Peko Puff looks inviting, as well as Robo Roku. I think I’m in my kawaii era.
Oh my goodness Creeping Moon is a MOOD! I love it. That’s the first place I would go…and then, Sailor?!?
What fun!!! I would probably beeline to the Sailor table, and then work my way around every booth! As someone who grew up in Houston, and moved away during my later childhood, I’m so happy to see events like this are happening.
LCN Studio, Creeping Moon, and Aio Little Studio after making a complete circuit of everyone.
Everything that you highlighted looks oh so yummy
Too bad you aren’t closer (distance wise)
Tough choice, because I’ve not been to a pen or stationery show, so I’d want to see ALL OF THE VENDORS! But I’ll say Itoya Studio because I love their Oasis Profolio notebooks and I’d want to see if they had anything new and fun. (They had some with National Park designs on the covers and I’d love to see more of them.)
As a CSF attendee it was really interesting to read your comparison! I definitely will try to go to LCF if it happens again next year.
I think I would have have ran to Traveler’s for the red cover and then Esterbook for a TCMC ink.
I’m sure I would have gotten distracted on the way!
Just from the pictures you have posted, my first stop would be Once More With Love. The little munchkin character made my eyes light up! lol
Wow, that’s an amazing giveaway! If I were at the Texas craft fair, I’d visit Dromgoole’s first, as I’ve heard of them, seen them on Instagram (where I hang out almost exclusively), but have never been able to visit in person. There are others you mentioned that I’ll be looking up later. I know Vanness, of course – who doesn’t. But the others are more new to me. Woohoo! I hope I win!
Oh, and I want you to know – I am not just here for the giveaway. I happily read every word of this page and love now having more vendor names to get to know.
Wow! Looking over the list of vendors to pick the first one I would visit was just about an impossible task. They all had enticing wares…….even a coffee vendor! I finally narrowed it down to a few vendors before picking Savannah Scribbles as the vendor that I would visit first. After that I would visit every booth…..at least once.
Wow, I’ll have to attend the next Fest. It looks fun! I’d probably stop at the first table I see and work myself around. Though, I’d like to stop by Creeping Moon and AM Paper and Co. I do plan to look up all these stationers! :0
I’m sorry the vendors had such mixed experiences because that looks like a phenomenal bunch of people and products.
I’m sure the first table at which I would stop would be either the one closest to the entrance or whatever one at which Ana was lingering. Creeping Moon and CoraCreaCrafts are favourites and I also would drop a lot of my allowance at LCN’s table. I see many other vendors unknown to me with enticing wares for sale as well.
It looks as you had a very good time.
The dragon themed things at AM Paper and Art Co really caught my eye on instagram! Would have loved to visit that booth.
Tough choice between LCN, Peko Puff, and Michaela Made, but I think I have to go with Michaela.
I’d hit The Washi Station first. Thanks for the detailed recap of the event. I’m glad to see stationery fests are becoming a thing.
I am so enchanted by those Once More With Love sticker sheets. I’d totally go there first!
This looked like a wonderful event. I’m hoping the next one is closer to me in Boston. As for which vendor I’d check out first… This is really tough! I would definitely check out The Creeping Moon first, followed by sLo Planning and then AmandaRachLee (ShopARL). All 3 are my faves.
I would have ran over to Esterbrook because I would hope that I could have gotten a TCMC collab pen with a Journaler nib. But aside from that I would have had a hard time picking one vendor to start with there are so many I would have had to visit. I wish something like this was more accessible it looks like so much fun! Those totes are to die for! Thanks Ana!
Wherever The Well-Appointed Desk is would be my top priority, of course! After that, the wall of Diamine looked pretty inviting.
In practice, my first stop would probably depend upon the layout of where the tables are in the room, but without knowing that, I think that the most sensible first stop would be Vanness, followed by the other tables carrying fountain pens and inks, since if I ended up getting a fountain pen, that might be a bigger ticket item.
So many options! Little Red House, probably – their bunnies are adorable.
I think Robo Roku – I love their tagline.
First Sailor, because…..I’m a sucker! Then The Washi Station! Because: also a sucker!
Also, LOVE those Boba stickers!!!
I really enjoyed the Little Craft Fair and hope that they will continue the tradition. I was not able to attend the workshops this year but plan to do so in the future. I really enjoyed shopping at small shops that I had not seen before. I spent more money that I expected and collected ideas and business cards to shop in the future. I’m not sure that I could pick a favorite shop!!! I thought everyone was friendly and loved to share. When we were there on Sunday, it seemed like most shops had items that had sold out as well. My only complaint is that I had not taken more time to be at the fair!
I just got Amy Tangerine’s book Making Memories out of the library so I’m thinking I’d have to check out that booth.
Little Craft Place would be my choice. I just checked them out online and they have so many cute items. Your post made me wish I lived in Houston but I’m stuck here in Boston.
First stop would be at Little Craft Place! Sooo many washi choices! I really hope there will be another one. I found out about this one too late to attend.
I think that I would go to Vanness First, as I love to support the store that got me started into pens, and then after that, I would say Dromgoole’s, as I grew up in Houston, and had no idea pen stores were a thing, so it would be neat to see what would have potentially been a hometown store in another time.
Michaela Made would be the first shop! I went on her website and she has a zine called “Window Cats”. How awesome is that?! I find her artwork very compelling.
LCN studio booth!!!
My first stop was Dromgoole’s, to say “Hello!” to Ana!
Then it was on to get the stamp rally completed. While there were certainly lines during the first hour or so of the show on Saturday, as there was a rush to get the stamps, I found the overall vibe to be quite positive. The longest line was waiting to get the swag bag after getting all the stamps, but that moved quickly enough. I would estimate that I was near the end (definitely in the last 1/3) of the 500 available bags (for 1000 tickets sold).
My strategy was to do a first “circuit” to get stamps & an overall feel for the Marketplace layout. Then a second circuit to visit the vendors/tables that I was most interested in seeing. Finally, a third circuit to peruse all the other vendors/tables just in case there was something new to discover. This made things a bit more manageable & less overwhelming for me, as my neurospiciness isn’t great with big crowds & ambient noise.
From my perspective, though, it was a positive vibe and a great experience. Granted, I’m not a vendor and I didn’t attend any classes. And neither did I break my wallet! lol But I had lots of great conversations with different people(including Ana, Lisa Vanness, and Dave Dollar), got to geek out on paper, ink, & pens with lots of people, and I was impressed by merch that’s not normally in my wheelhouse, coming from the pen/ink/paper side of things. I was very impressed by the “convergence” of the pen/ink/paper & crafting/sticker/washi worlds, under the larger Stationery banner.
Granted, I’m a touch biased as Little Craft Place is my home shop and after-work happy place. I know how much work Eunice & Ian put into doing this fest, and I was very pleased to see it work so well and be so enjoyable to attend. It’s too bad that some vendors didn’t sell enough to make it a positive experience for them.
I loved meeting you at the Little Craftfest. Per your recommendation, I bought the carbon black waterproof ink and love it!! Thank you. The booth I really loved was Lauren Phelps. Her washi is lovely.
I would visit The Little Red House. I purchased a cute BTS Bunny stamp from them a few years back at a comic convention and haven’t seen them back. Gotta support my fellow ARMY lol
I am an extreme introvert and have never been near an event like this. I am pretty sure I would take one look and run away in fear.
Marcia, I would estimate at least half if not more of the folks into stationery are introverts, myself included. I think you would end up enjoying yourself after the initial shock. But then you’ll need a nap. For sure!
First Esterbrook for that blotter paper, then Vanness and Dromgooles for ink!
After clicking on the links from the list of goodies included in the bag, I thought Beanpolice had art that I would love some of. Thank you for doing what you do!
The Belle & Union display really caught my eye! Some day I will get to an event like this – probably a smaller fountain pen show first, though. Thanks for the newsy post & pictures! Such fun
Definitely Michaela Made! I’d actually never heard of her before I read your post, and now I can’t wait to place my first order. As an Asian-American immigrant myself, I was enthralled by the Asian themes: White Rabbit! Yakult! Onigiri! Plus she’s in Dallas, where my family is. It’s truly fate.
Thank you for this great giveaway!
What a Great post and giveaway! Haven’t been to a stationery-fest/pen show yet. They all look Fun. Thank you to some new introductions of artists/shops. I think my first stop would’ve been to Little Craft Place’s area. One day, I hope to visit their store and several others in that area…Maybe next year.
I would have totally stopped by Leela Journals. I’m a sucker for adding more pretty journals to my collection and having more things to write in.
Hubman and Chubgirl for sure! I love their stickers so much! I hope that they do the event again next year and I’d love to attend one of the bigger stationary events too. I bet they are filled with all of the goodies!!
Peko.Puff would have definitely been my number one stop! Great review of the fest and will be following closely to see if I should make the trip next year.
My first stop would be Kate Mason because her washi tape and stickers are true art.
It’s so hard to pick a first place! But I’d say Peko.Puff because I NEED that garlic sticker sheet.
This show is definitely on my list of “things to do before I die”. Note to anyone who can do it- what a great sticker idea. I think my first stop would be an ATM but seriously…my first stop would be the Little Craft Place. I’ve ordered from them online and it would be great to see them in person.
What a fun fun post about a fun event. Thanks for going and sharing so the rest of us can live vicariously.
I would love to go to shop le petit elefant first as they have so many cute products.
I would run to the first vendor I see! But if I have to choose, it would be Peko & Puff or the Washi Station.
Dromgooles! There is so much to see and lots to chose from there
They are so many vendors I would have loved to check out. But for the sake of the giveaway, I would say Elite Accessories- I need a few more inks, who doesn’t?
Thank you!