Ta Da! We’re there. I’m happy. It took several more attempts, and the differences are small, but…well…they make all the difference. Now I can’t wait to share this with the readergirlz!

Registration is open for the Bookmark Collectors Virtual Convention, Feb. 20 – 21. Ten dollars gives you access to all the seminars, galleries, the trade show, and forums.

As you know, I’m presenting a program on making embroidered bookmarks and the Needle and Thread: Stitching for Literacy program. Presenters have been practicing with different systems and tools, and as I participate in practice sessions, I get more and more excited about the convention. I’m clearing my schedule so I can attend everything. I’m really enjoying the adventurous souls who are working hard to put this together. If the setup is this fun, the party is going to be a blast!

I’m not a collector, but I’ve already learned things and gotten new ideas and inspiration from this experience. For starters, seeing other kinds of bookmarks gives me ideas for things I can do with embroidered bookmarks. The book thong idea I discussed in this month’s Needlework Nutshell came from hanging around these bookmark collectors.

Lauren Roberts from BiblioBuffet is offering a presentation on storing and displaying a bookmark collection. I don’t have a bookmark collection per se, but I do display bookmarks at trade and craft shows. This could be handy! And storing? If you’re a crafter, you know storage is always an issue. I bet it takes little imagination to translate bookmark storage into craft supply storage.

Another presentation I’m looking forward to is Are You An Embarrassed Collector? Don’t Be! by Deanna Dahlsad, who is going to explain why the act of collecting is as significant as the collection. Got that, all you collectors of patterns and scissors and fobs and samplers and needlebooks? I’ve spent a good deal of time wondering why people collect, what the psychology is behind it, and the various purposes a collection serves. I can’t wait to hear someone else’s take on the subject.

It’s fascinating to see the diversity of people and interests and knowledge that is coming together in pursuit of this one thing: the humble bookmark.

Kudos to Alan, The Bookmark Collector, for putting this together. It’s brilliant!