Christmas is coming up quickly and those who havent started shopping yet are getting excited; they cant wait to find that perfect gift for family and friends. However, with the world economy being in a down-turn, many people are looking for ways to save money this year. Thankfully, many local communities hold Christmas markets where items, many that are one-of-a-kind, can be purchased for a low cost.

The exhibit A Guiding Hand: Prints and Directors 1967-2011 is showing at the Art Gallery of Ballarat until November 27. The exhibition was created in association with the IMPACT7 conference, which took place in late September at the University of Monashs Caulfield campus.

The International Multi-disciplinary Printmaking Conference (IMPACT) is coming to the Caulfield campus of Monash University on September 27-30. Among the topics covered at the conference will be printmaking, photography and graphic design. This is an important conference that all those in the printing industry will want to attend; it is a chance to learn something new, a chance to share what they know and the opportunity to mingle with their industry peers from all over the world.

The Dynamic Leadership Skills seminar will be held at the Printing Industries Association of Australia Victorian Office in Mulgrave on September 6 from 8:45 am to 5 pm. This seminar would be a good chance for those managers of print companies located in nearby Caulfield to analyze their leadership styles, and a good chance for the hosts of the seminar to use local printing services to advertise the event.

Make the Most of Your Membership will be held at Sloaney Pony in Port Melbourne on August 4 from 6 to 7pm, admission is free. Since there will be opportunities to network during the meeting, printing companies in the nearby suburb of Caulfield might be busy supplying those who plan on attending with promotional materials such as business cards and brochures.

The works of artist Yael Susan Rayman of Caulfield, Australia were recently on exhibition at Daylesford's Convent Gallery. Two of Raymans paintings on display reflected her travels to Italy last October, while her other pieces combined a number of modern styles such as figure work, which was prevalent in her display.