Excitement is in the air, not to mention pollen (sniffle, sneeze). The Bead&Button Show is almost here and I am sooooo looking forward to seeing old friends and new beads. I¡¯ll probably make some new friends because I¡¯m taking two classes this year. Taking a class at the Bead&Button Show is great because you can learn a new set of skills and make acquaintances with people from all over.

My first class is Brenda Schweder¡¯s ¡°Maniacal Jewelry Motif Pound.¡±  Doesn¡¯t the title of the class alone tell you that it¡¯s perfect for me? I¡¯ve seen Brenda¡¯s jewelry up close and personal and am burning to learn how to hand-forge steel wire into edgy-looking jewelry components. Brenda is going to show us how to make more than 20 wire motifs that can be used for pendants, earrings, or focal pieces.

I snicker to myself each time I read the list of supplies I need to bring. Ballpeen hammer, metal files, etc. ¡ª it sounds like I¡¯m going to pound on steel wire like a maniac. (I could use some of that right now.) There¡¯s still an opening for this class: Join me and let¡¯s have some fun.

My second class is something totally unexpected. It turns out that the Bead&Button Show added some new classes, so I signed up for one of them. The highly esteemed Paula Radke will be teaching us how to use a new product on the market called GlasClay in ¡°Introduction to GlasClay.¡± Paula¡¯s class has just been added, so there are probably seats available. Do you remember me talking about it in a previous blog? Now I¡¯m going to learn from a professional and once again I¡¯m jumping up and down with glee at the prospect.

I¡¯m looking forward to learning the basics of shaping GlasClay, and most important, how to fire the pieces properly in a kiln. Just think, a material that looks and feels like Play-Doh but shines like glass after it¡¯s fired. How awesome is that? I will probably drive Paula crazy with questions about this product and I can¡¯t wait to see and touch the class samples. I promise to try and limit my Starbucks intake that day.  Okay, maybe I shouldn¡¯t promise, but I¡¯ll try. 

Will I get to meet some of you fine folks who read my blog?  I wholeheartedly hope so. Please, pleeez, if you see me, come up and say ¡°Hi.¡± It¡¯s all about meeting people and making those connections that I value!

I am only able to see art glass artist Barbara Becker Simon  twice a year but every time I wander up to her booth, I know I¡¯ll receive a warm hug and we¡¯ll catch up on each other¡¯s lives. Barbara¡¯s booth is always full of incredible art glass. Her beads will go quite nicely with the wire pieces I¡¯m going to make in ¡°Maniacal Jewelry Motif Pound.¡± The same goes for Tonya Davison, owner of the fabulous purveyor of all things metal clay, Whole Lotta Whimsy.   She¡¯s now a brunette, and the love she gives is the same. Since I¡¯m taking the GlasClay class, I¡¯ll ask Tonya for her thoughts on making components from metal clay to complement my GlasClay pieces.

This year I will be looking for new products on the market, cruising up and down the aisles, tracking down the latest stuff. Now, of course, I¡¯m going to share everything that I find with you, my wonderful readers, and keep Bead&Button readers informed about what¡¯s new and now.

Thank you for letting me share my beady world with you. Comments are always welcome and help me stay connected with what you¡¯re all doing with your beads out there. 

What's in the Picture?

I decided to take some close-up shots of my beaded cuff.

Just a little bit of eye candy for my bead embroidery lovers.