BeadFest Philadelphia...

BeadFest was a blur!  We headed out – dark and very early – to Philadelphia for a quick buying trip.  Even though we spent the day talking non-stop and dropping by different vendors and artisans, we probably missed about 50% of the show and did not see nearly everyone we had intended to.  Perhaps next time we'll have to make it into a two-day affair!

We did get to see a couple of folks!  Here are some highlights from the show:

It's a good day when I get to see Jen Wilson from Soft Flex!  We crack each other up and always have something to laugh about!

We dropped by the demo booth quickly to chat with hammer-weilding, Lisa Niven Kelly of Beaducation!  We commiserated over being small-business owners and how the work is never finished!

That's right... two Interweave online editors in one location!  We had the pleasure of chatting with Tammy Jones of JewelryMakingDaily.com and Jennifer Van Benschoten of BeadingDaily.com about bead porn and Pennsylvania bogs!  They've both promised to come and teach at Allegory Gallery and I'm going to hold them to it!

Beaducation was on a demoing roll!  (See the BeadFest program for a picture of your's truly observing a demo in their ad!)  Above is Aisha showing how to use letter stamps and explaining the importance of using quality tools.

Not to be missed at the Beaducation booth was Colin Mahler!  Did you know that she's a master at chain maille and gemology?

We stopped by the swamped Star's Clasps booth to visit with John and Kay.  My greedy little heart covets some of their new inlaid clasps and of course their beautiful sterling silver!

I wish that Patti Cahill lived closer!  She's pretty much family and I love seeing her and her candy-colored glass beads.  While talking with her and some of her customers, I learned that I have to stalk her Facebook page so that I can get her rare, one-of-a-kind beads, like a beautiful sugar skull bead!

Doesn't Maureen Henriques of Pumpkin Hill Beads look happy?  She's such a trooper!  (She smiled for the camera just for me!)  Someone had just stolen a bunch of her beads not a few minutes prior to me taking this picture!  Isn't that horrible!  It annoys me the most because I understand that Maureen is just trying to make a living off of her work.  The beads the people stole were all made, one-at-a-time, by her!  They took something that was an act of joy and turned it into something not so joyful.  I understand what it's like to not have a lot of money or to want things that are out of reach, but there are other alternatives than the "easy way" out.  Is it wrong for me to hope that the thieves choke on the beads they stole?

This was Kia's first time at BeadFest!  I hope she did well, because I love her beads and it's always good to see her.  She always has the most unusual cuts and the most interesting material.  (Next time I see her, I totally want to get some of that color-change stone that's in the piece that Dana Groves got!)

Erin Seigel and Lorelei Eurto, authors of Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry: 50 Designs Using Leather, Ribbon, and Cords, struck a pose for their semi-annual photo together!  We hardly got a chance to chat, but they've also said that they're going to come to Allegory Gallery to teach.  I'm totally going to hold them to it as well!

Jenny Davies Reazor, one of the artists who shows at Allegory Gallery, was set up with some of her amazing ceramic pendants and components!  Hopefully I can persuade her to come out in person and hang out for the weekend or something!

Representing Glass Garden Beads was the lovely Jessica Prill!  She's a member of the Allegory Gallery Design Team.  You'll be hearing more about these talented artisans in the near future!

We bumped into Meredith Roddy and Fernando DaSilva of Beadalon while we were out and about.  They're always so funny!

Speaking of funny, we saw Diana Ptaszynski of Suburban Girl Studio and her fun ceramic creations!  In the background you can make out a blurry image of Melinda Orr.

Diana's table was a hot spot and I ran into Denise Peck and Jane Dickerson while we were there!  Have you checked out the latest issues of Step by Step Wire Jewelry?

And speaking of ceramics, we stopped by the Ornamentea booth and chatted with Elaine Ray!  She had some really lovely pieces and I can't wait to work with some of them!

It's always fun to pick Cynthia Deis' brain.  I really love her store (Ornamentea) and she was one of the inspirations behind our own little creative space.  I really love the environment she's created!  Did you know that she's also an author?  She wrote Beading with Filigree: Beautiful Jewelry, Simple Techniques!

I've known Leslie Rogalski in her various incarnations for years!  Her latest venture is with her sister, and is called Sleepless Beader!  (Boy do I fall in that category!)  This was their first show and it was great to see what they're doing in person.  Make sure you stop by their Facebook page and LIKE them!

Last, but certainly not least, is Gail Crosman Moore!  Gail is truly an amazing artist and we're so lucky to be able to spend more time with her soon!  She'll be coming out our way to teach a Weekend Intensive in only a few weeks!  Spaces are filling up fast, so I definitely recommend you signing up as soon as possible to lock your space in!  CLICK HERE to find out more!

We had a fabulous time in Philadelphia, but I think for the future we'll have go back for the entire weekend!  We just didn't have enough time to see everyone in one day!  It's a lot of pack into a single day (plus approximately nine hours of driving).  I also find it silly that we drive all the way across the entire state and don't go to the Reading Terminal Market.  I have vivid (reoccurring) dreams of indulging upon a rich cup of liquid caffeine from Old City Coffee and biting into a decadent Monkey Bar from the Flying Monkey Bakery!  I also want to check out Longwood Gardens while I'm on that side of the state!  So... maybe next time we'll be able to be more leisurely about visiting BeadFest Philadelphia!  Or maybe next time we'll exhibit there too?!?!?!