Last weekend I went to the Jane's Fiber & Beads bead show. She does two shows here in Fort Lauderdale in January and June. Since my favorite bead store (Beads, Beads, Beads) closed a while ago, I look to Jane's for my seed bead needs, and for the eye candy.
It's been a year since lampworker Shannon Hill passed and I miss his presence at Jane's. Suze from Naples and Laurie Smith no longer attend, and this time T-Beads was not there either, The only lampworker was Lea Zinke with her ever-scrumptious artwork. The show was quite a bit smaller, only two and 1/3 rooms, mostly with silver and copper, strands of stones and Indian glass. I picked up the most delcious strand of graduated stones in shades of maroon, that the seller called "cranberry granite." I couldn't put it down, so it came home with me. Also some seed beads in my most used colors, gold, silver and black. Then I found a seller who had loose glass beads for 50 cents each and picked up a dozen matched ones for earrings. A strand of six glass cat heads joined my purchases.
Sellers remarked that sales were down and traffic through the rooms was light. I hope the economy picks up because without thos bi-yearly show, I'd have to buy mail order. There is a really nice bead store here, Beads and Art, but it's a distance to drive.
On a personal note, I haven't been doing much beading since my last show in November due to illness. Hopefully that's done now and I can get back to the business of beading. Valerie Moore sent me a bunch of her polyclay beads for my birthday, including her realistic eyeball beads, which promply became a necklace and which squicked out everyone at work, hehehe. I love it, though.
And I am now a proud grandma X 2. Lucas Benjamin was born March 4 and is quite the charmer. I was lucky enough to be able to fly to Maryland for Brady's third birthday in April and to meet the new little one, who was only a month old. I am now twice blessed with the cutest grandsons ever.
What's up with everyone else? I miss the chattiness here.
Linda2