There was a horrible rumor that was imparted to me when I first moved to Mexico over a year ago. Someone (who shall remain nameless) told me that Mexico didn't do crafts the way we do them in the United States. She said that people usually made things here because they needed them, not as a hobby or pastime.
Well, in a way, I thought, 'What's the difference?' But also, I was sad, because I thought I'd never again encounter my beloved scrapbooking supplies. And what about my beloved craft stores? The closest I could find to Blick Art Supply was Office Max. My JoAnn Fabrics became Telas Parisina. I still have yet to find my Archiver's counterpart, but my crafty friend, Jenn, assures me that there ARE scrapbooking stores here in Mexico.
As a matter of fact, I have kind of moved on from scrapbooking (in case you didn't notice) and I've been exploring the wonderful world of yarn (or "estambres" if you're Mexican!) I can see there's no dirth of yarn here. There may be a shortage of natural fibers, but crafting with acrylic is okay by me.
I've since frequented Fantasias Miguel (my Michael's sub), thanks to the wonderful ladies in the Mexico group on Ravelry. Mexico is so so so crafty. At Fantasias Miguel, you can buy a bag full of gorgeous, fine glitter the size of a bag of sugar! Often, said glitter is applied to styrofoam shapes for holidays, however, as a scrapbooker, you'd be able to will most of this glitter to your children and grandchildren!
And, mi crafty amiga, Jenn, also told me about the crafting event of the year, the Expo Merceria y Manualidades, at the World Trade Center in Mexico City. (This is the advantage of living in the city!!!!) This is like my CHA. It's a huge crafting fair for consumers and retailers.
I went today! It was a lot of fun, and I'll reveal what went on little by little over the next week, ending in my special surprise... WE MET A CRAFTY ICON! :o) Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, excitement!!