It's the Weekend and It's a Busy One

Yesterday was the first of two days of our Inventory Reduction Sale. We had good numbers and saw some old friends, but all in all, I was a bit disappointed. Hopefully today will be busier and we'll have larger sales numbers by the end of it, but it seemed a bit too much "crickets" than previous End of the Year sales we've held. 

One more day of our End of the Year Sale. I'm frankly 
exhausted and very ready to call an end to 2025. I still 
have a few days of work left for this year, but we'll be 
able to have a bit of relaxation mid-week again before 
diving into 2026. 

Nonetheless, it was a joy to see some of our old regular customers coming over and being able to give them hugs and wish them well was worth everything to me. One thing that pleased me very much was Claire dropping by to pick up the other Connie Seabourn watercolor that matched the one Chickie bought for her months ago and just gave to her for Christmas. Claire now has the set - Dawn and Dusk - and they'll look spectacular in her home. 

Connie Seabourn is one of those rare artists who actually 
are able to make a living from their artwork. She's 
Cherokee, and specializes in watercolor. I adore her work, 
own a piece of my own, and I really loved the set of two 
small pieces I had of hers. Chickie bought one of those for 
her Mama, and Claire purchased the second one for 
herself yesterday with holiday funds. I'm glad the two 
pieces are staying together. 

Our long-time customer and dear friend Joyce dropped by. The last thing she needs is more beads, but that never stops her from buying additional tubes. LOL It was a happiness for my heart to see her again and hug her. We used to see a lot more of her until her husband retired and she had to pull back on purchasing. I also shared some classes with her at the Bead & Button Show while that was still in operation. Such good times. 

The Bead & Button Show was an annual event that I attended 
for more than a decade - closer to 20 years. I started out by 
attending the show when it was held in Arizona and then it moved 
to the West Coast for a few years, before settling into the 
Milwaukee Convention Center for more than a decade. It was 
my go-to show and my happy place. So many friends and so 
many wonderful things to look at and to purchase. I also took 
a lot of classes there to hone my skills. 

Tomorrow we have our family get-together at the Entertainment Room where my sister-in-law now lives. I've never been there, although the kids all have been (of course). I'll be relying on Google Maps to get me there - LOL. I'll take a quick drop by the grocery store on the way to the shop today to pick up some meatballs and a loaf of bread for DH. I'm bringing BBQ meatballs to the holiday get-together - easy to toss together and always popular. 

There are a lot of different ways to have BBQ meatballs, 
but it's one of the easier things for me to put together, 
and it's also very easy to transport (and I don't mind 
having leftovers either). It's a win/win for family 
get-togethers. 

So, that brings me up-to-date. I'm hoping my weekend will be enjoyable and not too stressful (although I do have to drop three Christmas pounds by next weekend - LOL). Have an excellent weekend with friends and family and I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

Endings - They Come, But They're Hard To Accept

Today is Wednesday, August 26th, and if the pandemic had been a short hop, I would be in Milwaukee today, taking a jewelry workshop from one of my favorite instructors and getting ready for the "Meet the Teachers" event tonight in the Convention Center. I'm here, at home, and quite obviously NOT in Milwaukee. I won't be returning there for this show again - ever. The Pandemic has had some unusual casualties, but the demise of a business and its' offshoots was one that many people never calculated. 

I'd attended the Bead & Button Show since the mid-1990's when they
were under the umbrella of "Embellishment" and Quilts, Etc. Having the
show (and magazine) close permanents shuts the door on more than
twenty years of my life. 

When most people think of the pandemic, they think of it a bit more personally. "Who do I know who had/has COVID?" ""How can I support friends impacted by the disease?" and "I've recovered, but now what do I do?" Of course there's also the feeling of frustration as we wait for a vaccine, and the equal annoyance with inaccurate test results if you took one of the many COVID tests available in your community. 

In addition to dealing with the virus, we've all been dealing with the effects of stay-at-home, the public unrest following the death of George Floyd and other murders by those we pay to protect us, and the dual dislikes of wearing masks in public and wading through the sewage of the Democratic and Republic Conventions. It's a Tweedledum and Tweedledee choice this November - bad or worse. I refuse to discuss politics in my blog or on FB posts, but I'm pretty unhappy with where the USA is politically right now but not seeing blue skies and bright days in our future either. 

My pharmacy, located across the street from my shop, was looted and
torched following the death of George Floyd. It was a frightening few
days for us, but we escaped because of the efforts of several neighborhood
residents who patrolled our little section of store fronts and turned
away several waves of looters and rioters. 

Look around your cities and towns. Are you seeing fewer small businesses? They're victims of the pandemic - closing left and right and leaving the retail pond to the big fish - the Amazons, Wall Marts and Costcos of the world. It's a pity - small business has always been the heart of America and we're losing a large percentage of them this year. So if you have a choice, please support your local small businesses - they'll appreciate the opportunity to serve you. 

I'm feeling a bit shell-shocked about my cousin Miki's death right
now. I'm shocked that I didn't know she died, or even that she
had cancer. But we weren't super close, just touched base a
couple of times a year. Still, someone important just left my life. 

Finally, on a personal note, I received notification yesterday that my cousin Miki died in late March from complications after pancreatic cancer surgery. She was a brilliant person - a law professor at Wake Forest School of Law for many years, married to her beloved Regina until she died from brain cancer in 2017. We weren't close, but we were in steady contact with each other. Throughout her life she lived with Crohn's disease, a crippling disease that required many abdominal surgeries throughout her life. I'm still trying to figure out if she was 6 or 8 years older than I am, but either number, she was too young to leave us. Still, if one believes in an afterlife, maybe she's with Regina again. 

On that semi-depressing note, for which I apologize, I'm signing off for the day. Have a wonderful Wednesday and I plan to be back with you tomorrow. 

Improvement, Elation and Heartbreak - It Was A Day

Yesterday's exercise session went much better than the first session last week, although I'm still appalled at how weak some muscle groups in my body actually are. Lots of work to do there, so it's good to have a goal. I figure I'll try to work the barre in every other day - three times a week. That should be a good start. It's only a 30-minute workout, so not a major chunk of time, and the portable DVD is working great for the visuals. 

I do NOT look this good while working on my barre, but
I have hope that eventually I might. LOL In any case, it's
nice to be working on a full body workout from top to
bottom. I have groups of muscles in really great shape,
and others that are horrid. This type of workout will
be very helpful as an all-around workout. 

Yesterday I spent some serious time with our final paperwork for the County Grant, and sent it all off in the afternoon after a lovely conversation with the woman assigned to our application (she wanted to make sure we had received the email asking for signature and documents - that it hadn't been caught in spam filters). I had a notification waiting for me this morning, that the funds will be posted to our bank account on Friday the 17th. I'm totally breathing a little easier today. It's been a rough few months and this grant will be a real help. 

In the heyday of the Bead&Button Show, it was a treasure trove for
the eyes and the imagination. Tables upon tables strewn with beads of
all colors, sizes and shapes. Glassworkers with their own hand-made
extraordinary beads, all one-of-a-kind. When I look back, I'm really
happy I purchased what I did when I did. I'm, fortunate to have
a fantastic collection of specialty beads from almost every
glassworker or beadmaker whose work I wanted to showcase
in my own designs. 

On a more negative note, my annual bead show, Bead & Button, as well as the publications and books published under that name are ceasing publication and the show is permanently cancelled. I've attended the show since the third year it existed, so for 25+ years I've been at the Bead & Button Show every time they held it. I met hundreds of friends, interacted and learned from teachers from all over the nation and the world, and exercised my own creativity in their contests. I was a student at the shows and I taught at a few as well. Having the show end on such a down note after postponement and then cancellation due to COVID ... it's a bit heartbreaking for me. I had heard the rumors, of course, and thought they were probably true, but I'd been holding out hope. Hope was dashed in emails and on-line posts yesterday. 

I guess that's reflective of life in general - we get good and bad thrown at us, and we push onward. I'm not happy about the bad, but I'll celebrate the good and that'll have to be good enough. On that note, I'm moving onward into my day. Have a stunning and wonderful Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Stay safe, Be well, Practice kindness. 

Crashing and Burning - Living in Unsettling Times

My summer is starting to crash and burn, rather like the spring did. My annual show in Milwaukee was rescheduled from last week to the end of August in the hopes that the COVID-19 outbreak would be better controlled and things would be safer for the attendees. But yesterday evening, as I was doing a quick review of pending emails, I noticed the bad news. The show has been cancelled completely for 2020 and rescheduled for the normal June dates in 2021. That leaves a single event still on my calendar - the Minnesota Renaissance Festival starting in late August and going through September into October. I'm fairly certain that will also end up being cancelled for safety's sake.

I've attended this annual show since the mid-1990's. It's
painful to realize I won't see friends this year. 

Although it is summer, not winter, Shakespeare still came to mind. "Now is the winter of our discontent" seems apt in a strange way. It also brings to mind the Summer of Discontent which seems so relevant today in the wake of George Floyd's murder. Are you aware or do you remember that summer of 1964? I was alive, but I was young and it didn't make the impact on me that it should have. Are you curious? What am I talking about? Here's a link to a 15-minute read about that summer and its' pivotal role in our long fight for racial equality.

I realize that my link only takes you to the first page of the
multi-page article, and I apologize. The way my morning
has been working, I'm grateful I was able to at least
get that teaser up for you to read and research from. 

I know that it's going to be a long, hot summer and that our usual outlets of festivals, musical performances, small street fairs and corner amusements parks are locked away for another time, another year, a year with more hope. People were already going stir-crazy during their varied stay-at-home orders, many of which are starting to life. But, as they stayed safe or ventured out on quick errands for a variety of reasons, this damned invisible virus was changing the topography of their lives forever.

Will we ever feel comfortable enough to gather in huge numbers
at festivals and musical events? A crowd like Woodstock seems
unimaginable in today's post-COVID environment. 

We will ever be able to safely gather in large crowds again? Will masks become a necessary fashion accessory? I suspect I'll be wearing masks for many more months, so I've purchased some colorful ones, and Chickie has made me several wonderful masks as well. I'm set for fashion, but somewhat unsettled in life. We don't live in a perfect world. We are still learning how to work within the world environment. We can close our doors, huddle in our bedrooms with blankets pulled over us, but what would be accomplished by that? No. We need to put on our glasses and examine the areas where we can improve. Then, gritting our teeth, we need to set forth and change things for the betterment of all. We're not perfect, but we can do better. I have to believe that.

Have a wonderful Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Be safe.

Settling Into a New Normal - Cancellations and Rescheduling

Sleep seems to be eluding me. Part of it is sleeping with the walking cast - clunky, heavy and the Velcro strapping in one area likes to grab onto the sheets and covering quilt I use, but part of it is that I'm working again and when I'm working my body says 5-6 hours is enough sleep. So even though I've had my alarm set for 6:00 am, I'm up and wide awake at 4:00 am. At least I've got plenty of time for my morning shower. It takes a lot longer with crutches and the extra time it requires to get in and out of my cast and assorted clothing. Just looking at the positives, here. 

We offer a squirt of hand sanitizer to everyone who comes into
the shop. If they prefer, they can wear gloves. Lots of people
accept the sanitizer squirt happily, but I can't use sanitizer because
of cuts and abrasions on my hands, so I'm stuck with washing
my hands a lot and using gloves when needed. 

As we begin the final day of our first week back after quarantine, it's been good. We've got a new system going - LOTS of sanitizing, portable plexiglass screens so that we can work with our customers face-to-face without difficulty, and new procedures for payments that allow as much true contactless transactions as we possibly can manage. The selection bowls and pens are sanitized after every use, the door pulls - interior and exterior - are sanitized after every customer. Each item a person touches - counter top or bead sample - is cleaned before the next person. We haven't had more than four people in the store at any time (six is our maximum) and we have only had to remind a single person that masks are mandatory. It's working. We're getting used to a new normal. 

The Fair has already changed the sign to the dates
August 26 thru Labor Day, September 6, 2021. I'm
really going to miss my State Fair. It's one of my
happy places and marks the end of my summer and
beginning of autumn. 

The big news from yesterday was the cancellation of this year's Minnesota State Fair. The Fair, which has been going on annually since 1859, has rarely been cancelled - 1861 & '62 for the Civil War, 1893 because of scheduling conflicts with the World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago, 1945 because of war time travel restrictions, 1946 because of a Polio epidemic, and now, in 2020 because of a Covid-19 epidemic. The signs outside the Fairgrounds have already been changed to 2021 dates. 

The Minnesota Renaissance Festival is still saying they will be
holding their 50th Anniversary Fest as usual, but I just don't
see that actually happening. Sure the grounds are vast and it's
not a super crowded venue, but the shows are packed as are
the food areas. I suspect they'll have to cancel. 

That leaves Renaissance Festival as the only summer Fest still pending, and Bead & Button Show which was moved to late August, but which, I suspect, might end up being cancelled completely. I'm still planning to attend both of these events, but DH is reluctant to have me travel to Milwaukee for the bead show. I have until late July to make up my mind totally and still get refunds, so I'll see how things go. 

Bead & Button Show is having their 20th "official" anniversary
this year, although I started attending it before they went
under that name for six years prior to their official start.
Although they've rescheduled, I'm not 100% sure it's going
to be possible. The show itself, however, really isn't crowded
and I don't think Social Distancing will be an issue
most of the time. All three of my classes are still
being held, so at this time I'm still planning on
attending. 

Renaissance Festival may not be as difficult. It's an outdoor setting, there's really a lot of space available. The main problem is the various cluster areas - the food courts, some of the entertainment stages, and the various beer and wine pubs. People do cluster in there - especially in the Vikings bar, the only bar on-site allowed to have a TV for Sunday Minnesota Vikings football games. Of course, football also may not be happening in the fall, so I'm looking too far ahead. 

What a world we're living in! As always, be safe and be happy. Since Monday is a holiday here, I'll be back on Tuesday. Have a great long weekend. 

Playing To Empty Stadiums - COVID-19

Trump closed the US borders to Europe last night, although apparently the UK is excepted. I was hoping that his raising of the castle gate would help a friend's daughter who is caught in a mess with her honeymoon trip plans with little/no hope of refund from the travel agency, so I texted my friend as soon as I heard the news from DH. Unfortunately, I didn't know that the UK was excepted, so I extend my apologies. I still think that a full refund should be available, perhaps minus down payments for hotels (usually assessed for a single night's charge). I think Trump's action gives her daughter another leg to stand on when insisting upon a refund for a trip she cannot take due to no fault of her own. 

Across the world, sporting events are being played at empty stadiums
because of the COVID-19 virus. Here, a match is being played in Spain. 

As virus fears sweep the world and large events are cancelled far and wide, I join many in the "wait and see" game. My annual trip to Milwaukee, which is usually locked in by early January and happens in late May/early June, is up in the air. Some teachers and attendees won't be able to travel, some students won't be able to come either. The sponsoring organization is extending their deadline for anyone to request a full refund of tickets, etc to May 10th. It's unprecedented but I'm grateful. I want to attend, no question about it, but I'll watch carefully. Maybe I'll have to cancel. Meanwhile, I'm staying in my small circle - my store, my neighborhood, and very small groups - just like my normal habits. 

The Golden State Warriors basketball team played their latest game
in an empty stadium, and many college and professional events
and leagues are following this protocol. 

When I was at the grocer yesterday, there was plenty of toilet paper. Of course, I didn't have a need to go to Target - my usual "big box" store, and the supplies might have been hit on those shelves. Still, I have plenty on-hand at home, so I left what was at the store for some other shopper, got my groceries, and returned home. I do carry hand-wipes in my coat pocket, just in case. I guess the old saying of "You can't be too careful" is a good byword for a while. 

It's the playoffs in Ice Hockey, and an empty seat just doesn't happen. But
here, in a game last night between the New York Rangers and the
Colorado Avalanche, large swaths of seats were left empty. 

In the midst of all of this back and forth, warning, doom and gloom, comes Project Runway. Tonight is the finale show of Season 18 and it's been wonderful! Things were left very much in the air at the end of last week's show, and I'm sure we'll be picking up almost right where we left off - with a final decision of who will show at New York Fashion Week. I'll report on the show tomorrow morning if photos are available, Saturday morning if the pics are delayed in any way. 

The NCAA announced that their games will be closed to all spectators as
they move into March Madness and the Final Four. It's a first - there has
never been an all-around ban on spectators at any NCAA league event, and
this is league-wide, not just for a single game. 

Have an excellent day, keep your wits about you, and don't panic. Remember, Mother Nature has the upper hand at all times. We can fight her, but her deck is stacked. So relax a bit, use common sense, and help each other. We'll get through this. I'll be back tomorrow. 

A Cold Day Off and A Haiku On the Fly

Today is my "day off", the first one I've had in weeks. With Christmas and New Year both on Wednesdays this holiday season, and my December filled with a six-day work week for much of the time, I'm seriously in need of a day of laundry and shopping - grocery and sundries. I'm also seriously in need of my Wednesday chat with Aearwen. I'm having withdrawal pangs from that one. We've only been able to talk once in the past five weeks, and for people who usually chat weekly, that's serious withdrawal pangs. 

I know I mentioned my niece Catie's new Australian
Blue Heeler puppy, but I finally had a chance to access
the photo she had sent a week or so ago. Here's the
sweetie guarding the equipment in the changing room at
whatever ice rink my grand-nephew was playing at
that day. Since he's often at games up to seven days
a week, it could be anywhere. Catie's trying to socialize
the dog - get it used to a lot of people. The dog seems
extremely comfortable. 

Yesterday was registration for May/June's annual Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee. I had my eye on three classes and pounced as soon as registration was open. Got all three, so I'm quite happy - two metalsmithing classes and one beading class. There's another metalsmithing class I'm interested in, but my budget only stretches so far, and it's a night class on the day I drive out to the hotel. I'm never at my best for night classes, but I might drop by the class just to take a closer look at the project. 

Yesterday's task for The January Challenge was to make
something from a small, square piece of paper. I decided
to make a pinwheel from the cube paper pad we use at
the shop. I grabbed a couple of highlighters for the
color and a headpin for the joining pin. It twirled just
fine. 

Today we're in the deep freeze, and I'm in a turtleneck, long-sleeved t-shirt and a hoodie, and I'm still cold. I slapped one of my wonderful knit hats on my head to stay a bit warmer. We're only going to have a short span of deep freeze, but of course it would happen when I have to be at Target, the grocer and the office supply company. Nothing like a billion places to go in the cold. At least I've got plenty of gas in the car. 

Today's "The January Challenge 2020" is to write a haiku. Let me see if I can do this on the fly ... 

Cold and shivering
I huddle at my keyboard
Dreaming about spring. 

That'll work. I guess cold can also be an inspiration - LOL. I'm going to cut this short, plug in pictures, and move onward with my day. I hope all of you have a wonderful Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow - hopefully a bit warmer than single degree temps. Ugh!!! 

Some Glass Working Skills from Loren Stump

I finally gave up and emailed an acquaintance about the name of my mystery bead maker. Loren Stump! I knew it was an L and an S, but his name completely escaped me. It was my first "major" bead show, and early in the history of what would evolve into the Bead & Button Show. The arena was filled with vendors, most of which were art glass bead makers. I had only been introduced to the art form within the previous year, and I was fascinated. 

I love this Loren Stump Taxi Cab bead. From
the driver to the sign, it's a work of art in
miniature. 

This show is where I met artists whose beads became items I wore proudly for years (and still wear) as well as the start of a collection of beads by major names in the art. In 1994, the infamous OJ Simpson white Bronco "chase" happened, followed by his arrest and that crazy trial that made reputations and dashed others. Loren Stump was inspired to make a variety of vehicle beads from glass, among which was one, specific white vehicle - the OJ Simpson White Bronco. 

Here's Loren's photo of one of his White Bronco beads. OJ
Simpson is sitting in the back seat, Al Cowling at the wheel.
Loren actually did a full set of all of the vehicles involved
in the chase, but I own one of his White Bronco beads. 

The detail of the bead floored me. I actually bought a lot of his vehicle beads, but DH said "No, we can't afford a check that large, you'll have to return all but one." So, the next day I brought back the taxi, school bus, and others, but I kept the OJ Simpson White Bronco which said "Guilty" on the license plate. It was a marvel. 

Here's the rest of the OJ Simpson set - all of the chase vehicles. I loved
the little police car, but had to pass on the full set - just didn't have the
available funds. 

Doing a search under his name, I'm delighted to see that he's still in business and still creating amazing beads and miniature glass sculptures in his studio, as well as teaching the next generation(s) of lampworkers. I'm still delighted with my White Bronco bead and will add his name into the slot where I keep the bead so that I don't lose the identification a second time. 

Loren also did miniature statues in glass. He did
a series of Samuri Warriors, including this one.
He still teaches at his studio, Stumpchuck. If you
are a glass worker and want to hone your skills, you
could do worse than taking a class from Loren Stump. 

I'm meeting my security alarm technician early at the store today - this will be the third time this week! There better be a fix, because my patience has just about reached the end of my rope. Here's hoping you have a grand Friday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Talented People, Pretty Things (and Snow - GRRR)

I spent most of yesterday looking for my inks. I went through every bin, opened every box, looked at every shelf. I found a bunch of collectible beads that I had thought I had in my individual cases. Apparently that wasn't the case, but they're in appropriate places now. The killer with these is the fact that these were from my first year attending shows and the bead shows in Tucson, so I have the beads, but I have no paperwork to accompany them. I'll have to make educated guesses on who made the beads and what they cost, always a bad decision. Still, there were some really wonderful beads in the mix, and not all of them were missing the paperwork. 

I have a lovely set of two large and two small matching beads
by Frank Scott in this style. They're really beautiful - dark
turquoise with a perfect geometry of precisely placed dots. 

It snowed yesterday, I think we got about 1/2 inch. Since it's supposed to get into the 40's within the next day or two, I didn't bother shoveling. DH wasn't happy about that when he got home, but I was exhausted so I wasn't willing to back down. Apparently he knew where the inks were, though, since he came up from the craft room, muttering that he couldn't figure out what I had spent my day doing, and tossed a cardboard bin onto the dinner table for me. Voila! My inks. Good grief! He knew I needed them and he knew where they were all along? Urge to kill! 

I have a beautiful bead similar to this one by
Michael Barley. I fell in love with his
beads in the early to mid-2000's. 

Still, I now have my inks, I have half of my ornaments strung and in their sealed envelopes, and I'm ready to bring the inks to the store and start coloring the frontspiece. Things could be worse. All night I dreamed about shoveling the darned driveway. I guess I'll try to get this done as early as I can and go out and make that happen. In my dreams, I must have shoveled the darned thing at least seven times. Isn't that the magic number? Seven times? 

I'm not a fan of polymer clay, but I do own exceptional beads
by both Karen Lewis (KLEW) and Lisa Liska (who is no longer
making beads at all). I found one of Karen's larger beads along
with a dozen or so accents while cleaning yesterday. So pretty. 

So on that note, I'm wrapping this up and heading out, snow shovel in hand. I need to put my green shovel into my car for the winter anyway, so this is as good an excuse as any. Have a wonderful Thursday and I plan on posting again tomorrow. 

My Trip to Bead & Button Show - Part 2

To continue from yesterday's post, after our introductory dinner on Tuesday and a day of bouncing ideas back and forth on Wednesday, we got to work with torches and metal and projects. Our assigned project for the morning was to make a pin with a simple closure. That got us used to the torches they used at MATC as well as introduced us to the pin catch Andy prefers. It was a good exercise, but it was time to move on. We shared our projects at the roundtable I discussed yesterday and started work on them. The evening was spent at the "Meet the Teachers" event, getting lots of hugs from friends, old and new. It's my "feel good" event of the show every year, a chance to catch up a bit with the many creative minds I have enjoyed for decades. 

The convention center at dawn from my hotel room. It was holding
its breath for the shoppers and incredible people who would be
wandering the hallways and event rooms. 

Day 2 was spent with my lens and I drilled into it trying to discover the best way to make it happen. I wanted to set an eye at the bottom of the lens, but of course since the lens was plastic, I couldn't solder. I needed wire, and some sheet metal (both of which were sitting at my workbench at home because I forgot to add them to my luggage *sigh*. In the afternoon I switched over to the owl in yesterday's picture and fussed with that a bit. The Marketplace was scheduled to open at 4:00 pm, and even though Andy was going to hold class until the shut-down time of 5:00 p,m, I was stuck without supplies. I quit early and went shopping, ending up with two different thicknesses of copper wire and two different thicknesses of copper sheet. I looked at other booths, of course, but I only bought what I really needed. I met Karen and Paulette for Thai food that night, and was happy that I could continue work on my lens the next day. 

My finished lens. The eye at the bottom is wired in, then
there is a spiral of square copper wire moving up the side and
across the top which is held in place by a second layer
of wire wrapping. I started making a sheath for the outside,
but I think I'll change the design I had started and make it
more interesting. 

Day 3 dawned and I realized I needed to have a bit more help with angles to make this work. The bus would be there in 30 minutes and I needed a protractor. A quick power walk up a few blocks brought me to the downtown Walgreens drug store where a protractor and a pair of small scissors were purchased. Power walking back, I was in plenty of time for the bus. By the end of Day 3 I had soldered a stand and bezel for my eye, wired the eye into place, added a spiral up the lens with a wired top to hold that into shape, and I was happy. We all shared our projects at the end of the day. What a great class and so many innovative projects from everyone. Paulette was leaving right after class to drive back to Minnesota, but I joined Karen and an old friend, Lisel, for a wonderful Italian dinner and had a wonderful time. Things were moving to an end, and I'd miss the undercurrent of creativity, but I still had one more day to soak it all in. 

My bracelet and two bracelet blanks from Eva Sherman's quick
evening class. I'm pretty happy with this. I want to play more
with this technique. 

My final day, Day 4, was spent on the sales floor during the morning. I purchased a few excellent stones (and an amazing stalactite slice) from Gary - my "stone whisperer", then took a quick nap before my evening class. Eva Sherman was teaching a quick 3-hour class in "Painting on Copper". I ended up with a really nice bracelet and two other bracelet blanks ready to be set if I want. I'll be playing with this technique again. It was such fun! 

My final walk on the skyway from the Convention Center to my hotel had
this blazing sky over the western Milwaukee skyline. It was simply
exquisite. The show has changed in the 20+ years I've been attending
it - changes that are both good and bad. But more than anything else,
it is the opportunity to see old friends and be with creative people
that pulls me here year after year. 

I packed and finally got to sleep around 11:00 or so at night, and was on the road early the next morning, pulling into my driveway at home about 1:30 pm or so. What a great trip! Tomorrow, I'll try to give all of you last week's Project Runway summary. I didn't catch it all, but caught the final 2/3, and the final episode of Season 17 is Thursday, so I want to bring all of you up to speed. 

Photos From Bead & Button - My Experiences Part 1

I arrived back home from my five days at the Bead & Button Show early Sunday afternoon. After unpacking and tossing my clothes into the washer, I settled down and relaxed, making a bold attempt to return to "real life" once again. Verdict? Totally worth it! I had a wonderful time, pushed my creative boundaries, met two fellow artists who became fast friends, and generally dived into a world I don't get to live, but wish that I did. Here'a a short photo essay of my week. I'll have show photos of some incredible things later on this week, as well as an update on the Project Runway we missed just before the Final Episode of Season 17 airs on Thursday. So ... here we go. 

My hotel room was on the 17th floor - one floor down
from the very top. It was wonderful! Here's the interior
view looking over into the central atrium, all the way down. 

I drove out to the show on Tuesday, arriving and getting into my room in plenty of time to catch my bus to the Milwaukee Area Technical Center where the "Meet and Greet" was being held that night. The idea was to have both sets of classes meet and socialize along with beer, wine and "heavy" appetizers. It was actually better than I had expected, and I ran into a dear friend for many, many years, so the week started strong. 

The MATC is a six story building dealing in the Technical arts - metalworking
among them. I've had several classes here over the years. It's a great
building and very well equipped. We had practically everything we
needed available and it was awesome. 

The next day we caught the bus again at 7:45 am for our trip to the MATC and the start of a creative journey. The class was "Innovative Capture" and was going to help us think outside the standard methods of holding items together. Everyone brought something, or several somethings that they were interested in using. I brought two - a piece of abalone shell that reminded me of the brow of an owl, and a plastic camera lens that had me fascinated. 

I saw the abalone shell as becoming something similar
to this (this is laid out on paper with scrap copper. 

After lunch we gathered together in a round table and everyone had an opportunity to show the others what they had brought and get their feedback on how they thought it should be handled. It was fabulous, bounding ideas off each other like that. 

On the left is Karen, and on the right, Paulette. These two fellow
students in the class went to dinner at "The King and I" Thai
restaurant. Fabulous food, that I can always take enough back
to the hotel to reheat for a second meal later in the week. The
three of us really jelled. So much fun! 

On Day 2, we settled down and got down to some serious work on our pieces. The challenge with the lens I was working with was the fact that it was plastic - no heat could be put to it at all. I had to work with drilling and manipulating. I started getting somewhere late in the day, but realized I needed wire and sheet metal - they weren't available until the marketplace opened later than night. 

OK, I'm running out of time and have to get going to the gym. I'll continue this tomorrow. I was good, though. I hit the fitness center twice while I was on my trip, and I only gained two pounds, so that will be a breeze to get back off. I have to run ... more tomorrow!