Bead & Button: Day Two...

When it's nearly 100 degrees and sweat is pouring off my brow at home, I always imagine that Milwaukee is going to be as warm or slightly less warm, but still on the warm side nonetheless. It is almost summertime after-all! But it was chilly and I needed to pick up a hoodie before the show started to prevent freezing. As a result, we arrived at the show early – which was nice since it was one of the few times that I could walk around. I did need to take a break later in the day to pick up some much needed supplies.

Here are some snapshots from the second day at the Bead & Button Show.

I always look forward to seeing Pam Wynn! She's just a sweetie! Pam is Heather Wynn-Millican's mom and they both create beautiful polymer clay beads. (Their booth is also conveniently located next to Anne Choi's booth!)

They weren't sure if they were going to make it, but it's nice that Aly and Kevin Sly of Lima Beads stopped by! It was great hearing about their new features on their website and about their exciting new plans of what's to come next!

(From left to right:) Lori Anderson of Bead Soup Blog Party (showing her recent door-prize win), Katie Wall of Fusion Beads, and Danielle Fox (editor of Stringing magazine and author of Simply Modern Jewelry).

Jill Wiseman of Tapestry Beads got a chance to swing by! She has some exciting news. She'll be coming out with some great new books from Lark Crafts. Keep an eye out for them!

On her way to help out at Gary Wilson's booth, Kelly Angeley stopped by. Her and Barry are always delightful to see. I kept joking with her that if I was in her place, I'd probably leave with a pile of beads in lieu of a paycheck at the end of the week.

(From left to right:) Jamie Hogsett of SoftFlex Company and author of Stringing Style, Joanne Zekowski of Z Designs in Glass, and Patti Cahill of Dyed in the Fire.

I first met these lovely ladies in Hawaii at a show there! Katherine Natalia Wadsworth and Sara Sally LaGrand are both talented glassworkers and innovative thinkers. They were only one row over, but we didn't get a lot of time to talk this year. Sara Sally was sporting a fabulous hat she made for hat day.

It was nice to see some more friends from the Interweave Press crowd. I met both of these super nice folks this past Tucson: Jamie Bogner, the new editorial director for Beads and Jewelry magazines at Interweave Press (aka the new Marlene) and Mindy Brooks the new editor of Beadwork magazine (aka the other new Marlene). It's funny that I should only now meet Jamie; he grew up 10 minutes away from me in Florida and probably lived 10 minutes away from me in New York City. You should Follow him on Twitter to encourage him to keep Tweeting!

(From left to right:) Fernando daSilva (author of Modern Expressions) and Meredith Roddy of Beadalon, Brenda Schweder (author of Steel Wire Jewelry and Vintage Redux), and Kay of Star's Claps.

I think one of my favorite parts of the show is catching up with people and seeing where they are in their lives. For instance, Aisha Formanski of Aisha Celia Designs (who used to work for the Bead Monkey in Minnesota) now lives in California and has joined the Beaducation crew. Linda Larsen (on the right) has flown solo with Objects and Elements and is making serious strides towards eliminating stress from her life.

Above is a shot of Kristal Wick (author of Fabulous Fabric Beads) with Heidi of LillyPilly Designs. (Jodi is in the background hamming it up for the shot.) LillyPilly has come out with some great new textured metal sheets that I'm looking forward to working with.

(From left to right:) Lorelei Eurto of Tin Snippets and Designs by Lorelei, Erica Cessna of Reed's Beads (which has closed its brick and mortar shop in favor of an online beading realm), and Sherri Haab (author of Sherri Haab Jewelry Inspirations, Jewelry Upcycled!, and The Art of Metal Clay).

Above are the guys at PJ Tool Jewelry and ImpressArt Metal Stamps. This is their first year at the Bead & Button Show and they debuted by doing a really great thing... they gave away a free breast cancer awareness ribbon stamp to anyone who left a donation. All donations collected were passed along to the Medical College of Wisconsin's breast cancer research program.

Tonya Davidson at Whole Lotta Whimsy was a lifesaver! She carried with her bags of activated carbon, which I desperately needed in the studio. Tonya recently debuted a brand-new project called Artful Success where she's going to help artists achieve their full potential by providing helpful hints on exploring their artistic side, increase productivity, and help avoid costly mistakes.

This picture makes my stomach growl for the delicious Thai food at the Thai Palace! We had eaten their the night before with Anne Choi, but decided that the Italian place was too packed, we were too hungry to wait for said Italian, AND that the Thai food was too good not to go to again! From left to right: Bob, John, Jen, Kay, Greg and Jennie. (We were also seated next to the lovely ladies of Vintaj, who are not shown.)

After dinner, we went to the Rockbottom Brewery and Port of Call to try some of the regional microbrews. Boy was it well deserved! I'm partial to the Lakefront Brewery's Cream City Pale Ale, Bell's Two Hearted Ale, and Goose Island Oatmeal Stout. Yum!

Bead & Button: Day One...

I landed in Milwaukee late on Wednesday night, just before the winds started to blow. The winds started to pick up, making the glass behind the check-in desk at the hotel flex. Seeing that made me even more excited to crash after a long day of traveling.

The next day was a blur of setting up and saying hello to friends and colleagues. Max was sick (with what was thought of at the time as a virus) and Cynthia stayed behind in Asheville. So we were short-staffed. I have to admit that there were moments when I thought we might not finish on time. Above is a picture of the table shortly after we finished setting up. It was in the first permutation, as we added and subtracted bowls and reconfigured the display to best work. Sometimes you've got to stand behind the table and work for a few hours before things finally start to settle into a seamless display. (By the way, I think this is the MOST stuff we've ever had on the table. It was PACKED!)

Azalea even had her own little contribution to the table. She had twelve "Magic Charms" for sale. The charms consisted of her original artwork on Shrink Plastic. By the end of Day One, every one of them was sold!

From there... it was a steady stream of people. It's funny doing a show year after year. You start to recognize and remember people and their stories. I think that's one of my favorite parts of doing shows... the human aspect. Sure, it's great to make money and share your work, but getting to know the people who make up your community and allow you to do what you do is simply incredible.

Below are some shots from the show. Mostly of them were taken in front of our booth or within close proximity as I didn't get to leave at all!

(From left to right:) Jennie K. Stephens of Majik Designs, Heidi Woody of The Beaded Frog, and Cathy Collison of Glass Garden Beads.

Above are some snapshots of Bob Burkett's display at the show. He always has amazing things. This time he had a lot of most excellent vessels and hand-forged sculpting and burnishing tools with swirly handles. I'm in love with his octopi! I dream of owning one in the worst way.

Sun Park of Ezel Findings shows off her collection of recently acquired Magic Charms from Azalea. They met a few years ago at a show in New York and have been long-distance friends ever since!

(From left to right:) Candie Cooper (author of Metalworking 101 for Beaders), Kim St. Jean (author of Mixed Metal Mania), and Erin Prais-Hintz of Tesori Trovati, Heather Powers of HumbleBeads and author of the forthcoming title Jewelry Designs from Nature, and our Australian booth neighbor, Wendy of Bergamin Beads.

(From left to right:) Fellow Pennsylvania-resident Maria Richmond of Lost Marbles Glass and instructor at Zelda's Bead Kit Company, Erin again who recently debuted an impressed polymer pendant collection called Simple Truths, and Deanna Kittrell of Piece of Mind Beads.

The day was filled with many, many, MANY other friendly faces. I'll do my best to share more pictures from the weekend in short order.

Weekly Word: Foundation...

This week's word is "foundation". Create a piece of jewelry, a work of art, or take a picture that, in your opinion, best captures the meaning of the word. Think about the word and its different interpretations and how it makes you feel. Translate it into whatever medium you'd like and then post about it on your blog. Once you've uploaded your blog post, copy and paste the URL into a new comment on this post. Be sure to check out what others are making, inspired by the weekly word. Don't delay; you have a week until the new word is posted.

Up and Away...

I'm just about to head off to the airport to catch my plane to Milwaukee. I'm really excited about the show. Working there will allow me to save up to get my wisdom teeth extracted. (Yeah, I'd rather spend my money on other things, but having a head that's a human barometer is NO FUN AT ALL and getting that taken care of is very exciting, indeed!) But I also look forward to seeing everyone. It's a great meeting of the tribes all come together. It's a rare opportunity to catch up with friends and customers that I only get to see a handful of times a year.

I also get to spend some time with my family, which is always nice. I don't get to see them as much as I would like these days. When we do get together it's a grand time; we talk about the books we've read, the things we've made, the meals we've cooked, and make plans and dream up projects... it's definitely a good time. And I'm looking forward to it.

While I've been working on my own pendants, I've also been making more coin pendants for my family. You can find these coin pendants and all the other new goodies at our booth (Green Girl Studios #1205). Make sure to stop by and say hello! I'd love to see you if you're coming to the show!

(Don't forget to wear your favorite creation featuring Green Girl Studios merchandise! Folks who represent the company by wearing our work will get a FREE BEAD!)

And... don't forget that you can save 20% everything in my Shop (except classes and workshops) with the discount code: bbs2011. Sale ends Friday at midnight!

Breast Cancer Research Fundraiser...

The fine folks at ImpressArt Metal Stamps have teamed up with the Bead & Button Show to help raise money for the Medical College of Wisconsin's breast cancer research program. Drop by their booth (#935-937) and make a donation of any amount. As a thank you, you'll receive a FREE design stamp of the breast cancer awareness ribbon. While you're there, pick up your choice of a heart, star, or spiral design stamp just for stopping by the booth.

Together we can make a difference. Make an impression that will last... help raise money to find a cure!

New Pendants...

Say, "Hello!" to my six new pendants! I've been working pretty non-stop in the studio. The kiln and tumbler have been going non-stop. I'm really happy with them. Most of them have been inspired by my recent botanical adventures. The new pendants include a trillium, a scarlet pimpernel, a lotus blossom, a four-leaf clover, and a floral ring with lots of different species of flowers and leaves. I also couldn't resist making a new skull! I made a design similar to this not too long ago, but wasn't completely satisfied with it. (It looked like the skull of a piggy monster with a jester hat on.) So I remade it and am much more pleased!

I've only had a chance to make a limited run. CLICK HERE to check out them out in my Shop and get them before they're gone!

While I was working on the new pendants, I decided to try some stone-setting. I've added a CZ to the Scarlet Pimpernel pendant with a prong setting. I really like the way it turned out.

I also did an experiment with the crowned skull pendant. I added a garnet CZ to the crown. Again, I was most delighted by the end result! I like them so much that I think I'm going to hang on to them. I can't bare to part with them just yet, but think I might make another batch when I get back from Bead & Button.

A Hint...

So, I've got some big news, but I can't share it until I get the go ahead. It's actually bigger news for my sister, Cynthia, but I'm really excited about it! I'm actually bouncing off the walls I'm so excited!

I will give one hint:

Those in the know might be able to figure this rather vague clue out. But I won't confirm or deny anything until I'm officially allowed to. Let's just say that it's going to be EPIC!

Thursday Giveaway Winner...

The winner for this past week's Thursday Giveaway featuring beads from Golem Studio is Julianna Cannon! Congrats! Please send me your address and I'll get your prize in the post! Be on the look on Thursday for another chance to win!

Into the Woods...

Yesterday I took a break from deadlines, getting ready for the Bead & Button Show and general household chores. We went to Pia Van de Venne's house in Murrysville to attend the Annual Member's Picnic for the Botanical Society of Westmoreland County. What a feast they had! I brought a Lentil and Chickpea Curry dish and Sweet Rice with coconut, raisins and currants.

After our meal, we went on a guided tour of Pia's property and part of Duff Park. It was a really educational walk in the woods. Since most of the plants are done blooming, I learned more about making identifications from the leaves. I realized just how ignorant I am when it comes to botanical knowledge... looking out into the woods seems to a blur of green. I sort of glaze over and just file everything under "green" and "leaves". But I have to remember that all those "leaves" are different plants and learn more about the particular shapes, sizes, smells, textures and variations of green to produce accurate identifications.

To vicariously and virtually join us on our walk, CLICK HERE to check out the images I've added to my Flickr stream.

Bring...

When I think of the word, "bring" I am reminded of abundance. Thoughts of the simple rituals of conveying thanks and gratitude come to mind. The acts of giving and offering are also conjured. For me, the idea of "bring" is connected to the reciprocal idea "receive". It's an endless cycle and exchange of more than just physical objects, but also ideas and words.

So, today... I bring and present to you, a few images from this weekend. Snapshots of abundance and simple living:

A year ago, we planted the hellebores. We carved out a circle in the earth and put not only plants, but our best intentions. Here are two of the jade blossoms, turning to seed... gifts to be returned to the earth, for another season.

When I first got the peonies, they came as brown little hairy sticks. It seemed impossible that anything should come from these. But I planted them in the ground and crossed my fingers. The sticks grew leaves. Then there were buds. Eventually with the aid of some ants, the tightly packed buds burst into fuchsia explosions of petals.

Another of the sticks, from the same bag, developed into a different sort of peony. Petals of cream and pale pink surround in a fluttering corona a center of canary dotted in the very middle with a spot of red.

I found luck in the weeds, in the form of a four-leaf clover. It's not a "true" clover. It's actually a plant called wood sorrel. However, the leaves usually come in sets of three and finding one with four is unusual. I used to pick these as a child, eating the sour leaves.

It's just beginning to be strawberry season here. I don't think that there's any comparison to picking a strawberry you've grown yourself and plucking it in your mouth on a hot day. The flavor is ten times that of a store bought strawberry. The sweetness and tartness seem to stain the tongue with the taste of summer.

We decided to cut up some of the strawberries and mint and infuse them in vodka with a little bit of brown sugar. It's waiting in the refrigerator for the perfect summer early evening to be served over ice and enjoyed while watching fireflies twinkle and bats diving in aerial acrobatics. Above, Babette sidles up next to our Mason jar for a sniff.

I bring to you these images, as they were brought to me... moments sublime.

The Road to Bead & Button...

A couple of us who are going to be going this year to the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee got together and decided to host special sales in our Shops! (We could all use a little bit of extra spending money when going to the largest bead show in the country, right?)

Today through Friday, I will be offering a 20% off sale on all items in my Shop! Enter the coupon code: bbs2011 to receive your special discount.

Don't forget to check out the other folks participating in the Sale Blog Hop! They've got some really great promotions going on. Make sure to swing by their blogs also to check out the particulars of the sales that they are running.

Erin Prais-Hintz (30% off June 6th - 12th)
Andrew Thornton (20% off June 6th - 10th)
Heather Trudeau (40% off)
Lorelei Eurto (35% off June 6th - 10th)

Weekly Word: Bring...

This week's word is "bring". Create a piece of jewelry, a work of art, or take a picture that, in your opinion, best captures the meaning of the word. Think about the word and its different interpretations and how it makes you feel. Translate it into whatever medium you'd like and then post about it on your blog. Once you've uploaded your blog post, copy and paste the URL into a new comment on this post. Be sure to check out what others are making, inspired by the weekly word. Don't delay; you have a week until the new word is posted.

Beaded Links...

About.com Jewelry Making

There are lots of recent graduates out there. Here are some jewelry tutorials designed for the graduate.

Art Bead Scene

The trend is bracelets. Check out the cool art bead components ABS found for you!

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts

It's jewelry "Re Do" time and a giveway of the finished piece.

Beading Arts

Wire tutorials and resources galore on Beading Arts this week!

Beads & Books

Michelle shares the bracelet she made with a 4-hole porcelain bracelet bar from Chinook Jewelry.

Carmi's Art Life/World

Carmi features a newly molded pendant on this week's necklace sample.

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva

Look what's sprung up underneath one of Cindy's Red Lotus Pods!

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio

Summer is just days away. Come on over to check out the latest installtion from the Earthenwood Design Team.

Resin Crafts!

Carmi has a four part series on mold making on Resin Crafts blog this week.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!

Jean reviews the third in a fine series of books by Marthe Le Van. This one is expressly about rings which you can make in 30 minute or less! And they are OUTRAGEOUSLY gorgeous. Come see!

The Bead Dreamer

Charlene creates a book and an alphabet stepping way outside the box. Don't we all need to from time to time?

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton

Andrew hosts another great Thursday Giveaway! This time ceramic beads from Golem Studio are up for grabs!

Poor Little Paulo...

After a full day of gardening, work and updating the Shop yesterday, I was heading up to make some dinner when I heard a racket on the porch. Sometimes the neighbor's dogs go up and the cats have a staring competition. However, one of them had jumped up on the storm door and Paulo somehow got out and they had a scuffle. Luckily we were able to neutralize the situation before it got too bad and hold the other dogs back.

Paulo was very shaken and ended up pulling out three of his back claws. He also hit his head a couple of times trying to go back into the house by going straight into the glass. He's a tough little boy and seems to be doing much better. I can't even imagine how much pain he is in. Losing your back claws would be like getting your toenails ripped off. He seems to be doing all right now, poor little Paulo!

New Bronze Pendants...

Before I even had a chance to post the NEW bronze pieces in my Shop, I had received so many requests for them that I was almost completely sold out before I even put them up! I've just added a few to my Shop. I don't know when next I'll have a chance to make more; I just know it'll be after the Bead & Button Show. CLICK HERE to take a look and scoop up the last of them before they're gone!

A Raving Fan...

Have you seen the latest eZine from Whole Lotta Whimsy? If you have, you might have seen a familiar face. Yep, I was featured as one of the "Raving Fans"! I think Tonya Davidson and the crew at Whole Lotta Whimsy are doing a fantastic job! To see just what I have to say about it, CLICK HERE. The eZine also has free classes, new product updates, a mixed metal clay inlay project and a special invitation. Check it out!

PJ Tool Jewelry Metal Stamp Viewer...

Have you ever seen a box of metal stamps online that looked just so tempting, but held off on buying them because you couldn't see them demoed live? The clever fellows at PJ Tool Jewelry have a solution! They have thought up a way for you to give their metal stamps a test drive ONLINE!

That's right, they've created a digital studio for you to test out the look of your next stamp set!

After you've tried them out, they've made it easy to share your online creations with your friends and family. CLICK HERE to check out the NEW Metal Stamp Viewer and see how your customized message looks in one of their great fonts!

Thursday Giveaway...

This week, one lucky winner will take home an assortment of ceramic components from Golem Studio! Golem Studio is a family-owned and operated business, headed by couple, Vladislav Ivanov and Kremena Ivanova. They live in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria where they make their highly graphic and often brightly colored ceramic pieces.

I love the highly decorative patterns and think that these would be perfect for a stunning summer design. To see more examples of Golem Studio's work, CLICK HERE to visit their website and CLICK HERE to visit their Etsy page.

Will you be at the Bead & Button show this year? Golem Studio will be showing with Marsha Hedrick of Amazing Porcelain in booth 111. If you are a retail customer, CLICK HERE to complete a short survey and receive a $5 discount coupon to be used at the show! (Marsha is also hosting a survey with a chance to win a giveaway AND a discount CLICK HERE to enter!)

To enter to win this set of ceramic components from Golem studios is easy! All you have to do is comment on this blog post. One lucky winner will be randomly selected from the comment section of this blog post on Monday, (June 6th) at midnight EST. Make sure to leave your name if it doesn't already appear next to your comment for easy verification. (Anonymous comments without a name will unfortunately not qualify to win this great prize!) This giveaway is open to all participants, including international readers.

Bonus Points: You can earn extra chances of winning this beautiful set of ceramic beads by blogging, updating your Facebook page, and/or Twittering about this Thursday Giveaway. Please include a link to the Golem Studio websites and link back to this blog post to qualify! Don't forget to add your act of social media kindness as a separate comment for your additional entry to win!

Extra Bonus Points: Take a ride over to the Golem Studio Facebook page and LIKE it. Once you've successfully LIKED their fan page, head back over here and leave a comment saying that you've done so. CLICK HERE to visit their Facebook page. Their Facebook page is a great place to find out more and keep up with the latest news!

Change of Heart...

I had written a blog post before this. I wrote about feelings of insecurity, artistic doubt, heat, deadlines, humidity, bills, migraines, pressure, allergies and stress. All in all, it had a pretty negative undercurrent, sprinkled with frustration with touches of melancholy. The past few days have been challenging, to say the least.

But... just as I was about to hit the publish button, the breeze blew in the open window. It was sweet. The sun poured through the panes of glass – warm, but not oppressive. Paulo and Babette both rubbed against my legs. And in that instant... the words of the last post didn't matter anymore. Their meanings broke apart and dissipated, becoming inconsequential and like powder-puffs of smoke dissolving away in the wind.

I had been dwelling on things that were either out of my control or things I didn't do or couldn't do. But all around me was beauty and love. I could succumb to the frustration and let it perpetuate more, or I could seize the abundant bright spots sparkling in every direction.

I choose to have a change of heart. To let things be good and to let go of the bad.

And I'm not regretting it one bit.