Texas Pinners 2026: My Third Year and My Best One Yet

Texas Pinners 2026 is officially in the books, and after three years of being a vendor, I can say this was my best Pinners yet!

Going into the weekend, I was a mixture of excited and nervous. I was excited to be back for another year, but I was also nervous about teaching. Even though I have taught classes before, there is always that little bit of wondering how a new group of students will respond to my teaching style.

By the time the weekend was over, I was completely exhausted—but that is one kind of exhaustion I wouldn't change. To me, being that tired at the end of a show usually means it was a good show!

Three Years of Learning and Growing

This year's Texas Pinners felt different almost immediately.

There were a lot of new vendors in my area, I noticed more men shopping than I had in previous years, and the crowd seemed to be the largest I've experienced since I started vending at Pinners.

But I don't think the larger crowd is the only reason this was my best year.

My business has grown, and I've grown right along with it.

Over the past three years, I've learned more about how people shop my booth. I've learned that it isn't enough to simply put everything out on tables and hope people stop. I need to make it easy for someone walking down the aisle to see what I create, become curious and want to come inside to look around.

One of my biggest changes this year was adding grid walls to display my paper crafting kits. That made a huge difference.

People could see the kits as soon as they walked by. The grid walls caught their attention first, and then they came into the booth and started shopping the tables.

Along with my paper kits, I brought ribbon bundles, regular charms and my handmade chainmaille charms. The new setup made it much easier for people to see the variety of things Christi's E Creations has to offer.

Sometimes growth isn't about adding something completely new. Sometimes it's realizing you need to show people what you already have in a better way.

Trying Something Different With My Make & Take

I changed things up with my Make & Take this year, too.

I still offered my regular $5 Make & Take options, but this time we also brought a limited quantity of larger, higher-priced projects.

They went over GREAT!

In fact, people wished we had brought more of the limited projects. That's definitely something I'm keeping in mind for future shows.

My Make & Take area was separate from my booth this year, which could have made things difficult. Thankfully, I had more helpers than usual, and that made a tremendous difference.

I didn't have to spend the entire day running back and forth between the booth and Make & Take area. After experiencing it this way, I can definitely say I didn't miss all that running!

Stepping Into the Classroom

Of course, vending wasn't the only thing I did at Pinners.

I also taught my Travel Journal Companion class.

Because I've taught before, getting ready and settling into the classroom wasn't difficult. One thing I really appreciate about Pinners is that they provide the electronic equipment instructors need other than the computer itself. That makes walking into the classroom and getting ready to teach much easier.

And those nerves I had before the show?

The feedback from my students made them worth it.

People told me they loved the tips I shared during class and how I had organized the kit. That meant a lot to me because I don't want someone to simply leave my class with a finished project.

I want you to leave knowing something you can use again.

Whether it's a little trick, a different way to put something together or an idea that inspires another project later, I want there to be something you can take with you beyond the project we made that day.

Hearing that students appreciated those things gave me even more confidence in what I'm doing as an instructor.

The People Are Still the Best Part

My favorite part of the entire weekend wasn't a particular sale or project.

It was the people.

I had the opportunity to meet people who knew me from online and came to see me in person. I also got to see previous Pinners attendees again, and I had friends come help me during the weekend.

There is something special about hearing someone say, "I love this!" or "That's such a great idea!"

It's even better when someone gets excited enough to bring another person over and say, "You have to come see this!"

Those are the moments that remind me why I continue doing shows.

Social media, websites and emails are wonderful ways for me to share what I create, but there's nothing quite like getting to actually talk to someone about a project, show them how something works and watch their reaction when they discover something they didn't notice at first.

That was another big lesson from this year's Pinners:

People respond to seeing things AND having them explained.

Making my booth easier to see got people through the door. Talking with them about what they were looking at helped them understand everything I had to offer.

It Wasn't All Perfect

As much as I loved this year's show, there were some challenges.

Construction made things more difficult, our wagon ended up broken and parking was more expensive this year. That is not part of what Pinner has control of.

The biggest frustration for me personally, though, was accessibility.

I was using my walker during this show, and getting on and off the stage was difficult. I also encountered people working the event—who I believe were volunteers—who did not seem willing to follow ADA accessibility requirements.

That was frustrating and made parts of the experience unnecessarily difficult.

I believe accessibility matters. Someone needing a walker, wheelchair or another mobility aid shouldn't have to wonder whether they're going to be able to safely access the same areas as everyone else.

It didn't erase all of the wonderful things about my weekend, but it is something I believe is important enough not to leave out when talking about my experience.

So...Would I Do Pinners Again?

Absolutely.

In fact, Texas Pinners 2026 made me want to do more Pinners cities in 2027.

The response to my booth, the Make & Takes and my class showed me that there are people who connect with what Christi's E Creations has to offer.

I also had local attendees asking where else I teach classes.

That might have been one of the biggest compliments of the weekend.

You enjoyed my class enough that you want to know where you can take another one? Yes, please!

What Exactly IS Pinners?

If you've never been to Pinners before, imagine combining a huge shopping experience with the opportunity to actually learn how to do things yourself.

You can shop, discover new businesses and then take classes covering all kinds of interests—sewing, painting, cooking, crafting and so much more.

You aren't limited to simply walking around looking at booths. You can actually experience new things.

That's one of the reasons I enjoy being part of it.

I'm able to meet you in my booth, help you make something at my Make & Take and then step into a classroom and teach you how to create something from beginning to end.

Until Next Time, Texas Pinners!

Three years ago, I was still learning how Christi's E Creations fit into an event like Pinners.

I'm still learning—because I don't think that ever stops—but this year felt different.

My booth worked better.

My Make & Takes grew.

My students gave me wonderful feedback.

People who knew me online came to find me.

Past attendees came back to say hello.

And people stopped, looked at what I'd created and brought their friends over to see it too.

I came home exhausted.

But I also came home with ideas, lessons learned and confirmation that the changes I've been making to my business are helping people better see what Christi's E Creations is all about:

Where metal rings and paper stories come to life.

Texas Pinners, thank you for another year.

Now it's time to see where Pinners takes Christi's E Creations next!