the rocks that I did & didn't get

I had to go back to Tucson one more time to find one of my favorite vendors and look at the rocks (mineral specimens)! I wish I had the budget and room for some of the larger specimens like the huge crystal ball or the cut amethyst geode that I could see with a glass topped coffee table.
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or the rock with crystals inside of it that looked like a miniature cave.

Two years ago I met Gary Wilson (no web site, just email) of Lapidary Design Group, and fell in love with his unique focal beads. I used one of his semi-tumbled & drilled mineshaft basalt rocks as a focal bead in a necklace I crocheted with 6 mm red tigereye beads. I have several more that have not yet found their place in finished jewelry, but couldn't resist going back this year to see what he had.

He makes beads out of the most unusual things; old Ford car paint, vintage kitchen glass or porcelain fragments, common rocks like granite, and uncommon things like Norwegian moonstone. Every piece is different and unlike anyone else's lapidary work. I've shown just four of the very unusual focal beads that came home with me as well as the beautifully done moonstone beads from Norway.

And then there was the strand of pale green 20 mm chalcedony beads that I couldn't resist and have no idea what I'm going to do with. They just seemed to have my name on them. Some day they may just be a hand knotted necklace that can only be worn for a few hours at a time. What would you do with them?

Bead Day in Tombstone

Bead Show Find:
While poking around in one of the African ethnic booths, we found this great necklace. I bought one for myself as it was in my favorite color. The beads are quite irregular and thread shows everywhere, but what a great simple collar. Bev Herman later regretted that she didn't get one for herself. So what does a beader do? Look at it and make your own! Using Czech size 8/0 & 6/0 beads, Bev created her own version with that bit of No Easy Beads flourish. This is what she worked on in the evenings after the shows and during our Bead Day. It's going to be fantastic looking when she's done.

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Tombstone Bead Day:
I was told that if you do it once, it becomes an annual event! Thus several of us got together on Saturday for the (ahem) Annual Tombstone Bead Day in my studio. From left to right is, CA, Cassandra, Nancy, Judith, Electa, Helen & Bev took the photo. Let's see, we came from Louisiana, Ohio, Arizona, and New Hampshire. It was a creative time with people looking at beads, kits and finished beadwork. Then we got out our beads and beaded.

What Creative People can do with a single design:

I have a bracelet pattern that I call "The Other Caterpillar", as being different from my bead crocheted "Flat Caterpillar" bracelet. These are my two examples of what you can do in different sizes. I presented the design to the Bead Day participants and sat back to see what creative beaders could do with it. As usual, they were all different and all beautiful.

Electa's Bracelet

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CA's Bracelet

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Helen's Bracelet

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Nancy's Bracelet

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We all enjoyed ourselves, had fun looking at beads, beadwork, and catching up on beading gossip. Another Tucson Show season is over, at least for me. The shows will continue on through the 13th of Feb. Bev left to drive back to New Orleans on Sunday and I sat on my back porch in the sun, put my feet up and read a trashy novel. How nice to sit still and take a day off. Now life can go back to normal, or at least to the hectiness that I call normal.

Enter at your own risk!

Tucson Gem & Mineral Shows:

Jan. 27 through Feb. 13

I'm sure they mean that if you trip or fall don't sue them..... but, it's a high risk to any beader's pocketbook! A quick look at the show guide gives you 40 major shows (6 Bead Shows) throughout the city of Tucson and about 2,000 unique vendors. You really can't visit all of the shows unless you are really energetic and in top notch physical shape. I managed 5 shows in a week's time, had sore feet by the 3rd show and hit bead overload by the 4th show. When the small paper plates of faceted rubies, sapphires, & other gems look like so many plates of colored Jello.... well, that's sensory overload.

The Holidome, a wholesale Show, lists 907 vendors from all over the world. This photo shows the booth of one gemstone bead and pearl vendor. Freshwater pearls averaged $6 to $24 a strand and gemstone beads in every shape imaginable were $6 to $30 a strand depending on the quantity you bought. After awhile all those piles and piles of beads seemed to lose their value and it was hard to make choices. Then there were the other 900 vendors to see, looking for something new and different.

I was there to hand pick faceted gemstone beads for a workshop I'm doing on a bead cruise.

Beautiful dark blue lace agate, peach jasper, goldstone, green bean jasper, gray rock pearls, and a green flecked jasper....... Ten lbs of beads and pearls later I had to take my bag back to the car.

BEADS GALORE:

Bev Herman from New Olreans spent the past week with me and we walked the shows together. We were disappointed in not really seeing anything oh wow or really different this year. We did replenish out stock of Hill Tribe silver, findings, headpins and other necessities. We bought Czech pressed glass and larger size seed beads as well as individual lampwork beads; Russian lacquer, and Chinese cut crystal beads. I found 2 sources of nice Chinese cut crystal cubes and barrel beads, however most of the vendors had what I'd call mediocre quality with sharp, chipped edges.

It was a good week and I replenished my inventory of beads and supplies, however I don't think I want to look at beads for a couple of days and may just turn the phone off, hide the car, put my feet up and bask in the sun for a good rest.