Goodies from the Intergalactic Bead Show

This bead show had great timing...my birthday! It's not actually until the 17th but I had birthday $ to spend and so off I went! My husband went too, he is a lampwork artist and enjoys talking to all the lampworkers that have booths there.

 Okay, onto the important stuff...what I bought!

 

I was so excited when I saw the strands of Roman Glass, I had to buy one...after much consideration, I finally chose the strand for me. Those green beads are yellow turquoise, I just love them! The orange agate pendant is a bit different for me but when I saw it I just had to have it and I'm always a sucker for Chalcedony and Sari silk!

I bought these 4 pieces for myself...well I was spending birthday money so why not?

The top two are from Fire Goddess. Susan is a real sweetheart, and so is her husband.

Chain from AD Adornments, I always spend most of my money at this booth.

And a few more pieces from AD Adornments and a few other vendors.

I fell in love with these Amber beads (2nd and 3rd strands from the bottom) and the top 2 strands have a really cool texture. They are called Rudraksha.

I'm excited to try out the Vintaj patinas! Maybe that will be my next blog post...

Inspiration!

Last week I was inspired to do something a little different for me and I have my friend Susan to thank for that! She loved my husband's mushroom beads and wanted a necklace made using 3 of them. Here's a pic of some of the beads, check out his Facebook page if you are interested in purchasing a few for yourself.

She wanted something similar to a necklace she had seen in the Sundance catalog (love that catalog but VERY pricey pieces), here's a pic and a link to the necklace. The necklace shown is on a very short mannequin (it's actually 23" in length but appears much longer).

I played around with adding more beads but since the mushroom beads were small, the ones she chose were .5" they seemed lost with other beads. So, here is what I decided on and the good news? She LOVES it!

Somehow, I ended up at the Bead Show...

I wasn't going to...but...when Dean & I had to run up to Cincinnati Pool & Spa, I thought, we're SO close...why not? I'll be good and not overspend (yeah right) but actually I behaved myself. It probably helped that we were on a deadline because we had a showing of our house this afternoon so I didn't have a whole lot of time.

Wanna see the goods???

 

I spent most of my money at the  AD Adornments booth, which is nothing new. I could spend hours looking through everything there! I bought seven various chains this time and a couple of little trinkets. I bought hand dyed silk ribbons from Riverstone Bead Co.. He always has a nice variety and is priced reasonably as well.

 I bought peanut seed beads....several hanks! The Beadroom booth is always a favorite of mine and she had lots of peanut seed beads AND they were 20% off. I couldn't resist.

 

Last but not least...I bought these lovelies! I can't wait to use them.

My husband also had a great time talking to the various lampworkers there...like Susan Barnes from Fire Goddess and Nikki Thornburg from Thornburg Studio. Check out their websites...they're quite inspiring!

Fantastic Giveaway!

Are you an art bead lover? You MUST check this out and enter to win!

Designer Highlight Bead Trends November 2011

I just received my copies via UPS today but I have to confess...I went to Barnes & Noble last week to buy one! I just couldn't wait!

 

I will be listing these pieces on my website (all except Thunderstorm-that is sold already) in the next couple of weeks. I know I know..I am terrible at keeping up with my website. I tend to have around 20 pieces at all times that aren't listed. I do try to list though on my Facebook page so check it out and let me know if you see something you are interested in. Thanks! ~Kristy

An exciting creative opportunity has come my way...

Heather Powers of Humblebeads asked me to be a contributor on her new blog Earrings Everyday and I am thrilled! There are seven of us and each day there will be a new post on earrings. On the weekend, Heather will spotlight creative ways to store and display our earring collections. So look forward to lots of inspiration and eye candy!  Please consider following our new blog and sharing on Facebook! Thanks :)
I'll leave you with a picture of the first featured earrings by Heather, they are lovely.

Creative Jewelry Magazine Is Out!

It feels like I have been waiting forever to see it! It's such a great magazine, I always find loads of inspiration in the pages. I truly love how the photographers at Interweave Press photograph my pieces, they always do such an amazing job!

The first piece is titled "Centered" and I especially love that it features one of my husband's lampwork hearts. I LOVE his hearts. 

 

You can check out his Etsy store here and his Facebook site here.

Okay, onto the second piece. It's called "Home is where the Heart is" and features a cute pendant by Menagerie Studios. 

 

I also have a pair of earrings in the magazine using more charms from Menagerie Studios. Pic is bottom row, middle pair.

 

Another pair of my earrings "Aztec Sunset" are featured on this page in the magazine (first pair).

 

Another featured necklace is "Seaside Retreat" and features a ceramic pendant by Spirited Earth, I just love Nan's pieces! 

 

My 6th piece is "Turning Leaf" and features a pendant by Chinook. 

 

Last piece is a favorite of mine, "Autumn Luxe" and those gorgeous Chalcedony briolettes are from Rock Candy Beads. 

 

You can pick up a copy of this magazine at your local Barnes & Noble stores or online at Interweave Press (they have online editions available too!).