ooh boy...Two New Classes for Bead & Button Show in June

Some of you know I'm a night owl. Been that way since I was old enough to read under the sheets with a flashlight. Oh, and some of you know how darned excited I can get about flashlights. Well, when I equip my Craft Optic eyewear with the optional (you're kidding, right? an option? this is the sexiest, most powerful, and nearly weightless little light you can put between your eyes!) Dream Beam, (Yup, that's what Craft Optics calls it.) I'm good for hours of nocturnal beading bliss.
Anyway, one night recently, while beading my heart out into the wee hours, the "magic started to happen" while making The Dragon Bracelet. That is, its shape took form as I'd hoped AND it was stable and firm and structurally sound. Not some accident of the way it was held. It was positively thrilling.
Dragon Bracelet will preview, as many of my projects do, at Bead Gallery in Melrose Ma. on Sunday April 14 from 10a-1p. (The afternoon previews another new bracelet called Regal Rondels.) Or join me at the Bead & Button Show Wednesday June 5th. (the screen shot of the B&B website is shown)
Playing with new bezel designs and unusual items to bezel, all the while immersed in peanut beads as I am this past year, led to the focal element of a new necklace called Reflections of Shakti. The exotic waves and curves of this piece explores and builds on a technique from Dragon Bracelet. A bonus with this project is Radiance Earrings, made by repeating one component of the focal element. The preview is at Bead Gallery on April 13th or register for the Friday June 7th class at the Bead & Button Show .
Allow me to return to how empowering it is for a beader to enjoy the bionic vision and perfect light of Craft Optics eyewear. You've read many posts here about some new lamp I saw or new "cheaters" with led lights. They pale by comparison. Let me tell you how liberating it is to not have to drag a task lamp around. And when I am teaching, I'm able to walk around the room, and at every given moment have perfect light and excellent vision, both when looking outward at the class and when examining a student's beadwork up-close. If you carry an iphone or iPod touch, there is an app that provides magnification AND a flashlight. Excellent for reading the menu, removing someones splinter. Admittedly, no help for beading but, pretty useful. It is "Over 40" in the App Store.
And while we're enjoying a tech moment, download App Gratis. They've made deals with app developers to offer each day one free app that would otherwise cost ya. The app changes daily and is only arranged to be free for that one day, then on to the next. Worth a look.

Bead & Button Show registrations are pouring in.

Opening day of registrations for the Bead & Button Show is always thrilling. Teachers are sent an access code so we can see the numbers climb on our registrations.
This year I'm teaching 11 classes, as I've mentioned, and it is always a mystery how those 11 were selected from the 20-something I submitted. The greater mystery up until today is, which classes will be the most popular.
Going into this I expected B130475 Chameleon Necklace to be one of the hot sellers. It works up fairly quickly, offers both a technique and a finished necklace which is quite versatile. The bead choice here just happens to look great on just about any color blouse, sweater or dress. In an earlier post I showed it on turquoise, purple, fuchsia, mint green and yellow and it looked great with each...hence the name chameleon.
Sunday, when I met up with Claudia Waite (while she is in Manhattan performing at the Metropolitan Opera House) and Genevieve Martineau of Bead Gallery (a Melrose Massachusettes beading destination where I teach twice a year...3 day weekends in Spring and Fall), Claudia mentioned she'd already beaded a few Chameleons since I taught it at the Bead Gallery in October. A couple hours into registration and I see about a quarter of my seats are sold and, though its doing well with registrations Chameleon isn't one of the top 3. Go figure. Claudia and Genevieve remarked to me that the photo just doesn't do it justice. (No photos ever do, most Beaders will tell you.)
Well...I'm struggling not to fixate on the B&B website, so I will go jump on the elliptical. Maybe I can avoid checking it again until bedtime.
Here's a pic of Claudia beneath a billboard featuring her on the far right (in the scene, not politically ;)

This weekend Beaders the world over, are strategizing for the 8th...

Beaders are browsing the classes on line and/or studying the pages of their Bead & Button Show catalog so they can be ready for the opening of registration on the 8th.
If you click here , and type my name in the instructor box, you can see my 11 class schedule.
Mind you, the big rush for registrations is right on the 8th. Some classes only accommodate 12-16 students so, Beaders sit poised to hit the keyboard right at noon (I think), so they don't get shut out of their top picks. A short time later, Bead and Button Show management looks at the numbers. If there are no or very few registrations for one class and yet another class by that instructor filled right up, they sometimes juggle things around, replacing the lesser class with a repeat session of the popular class. In past years I've heard Beaders lament that they noticed there were a ton of cancelled classes, when in fact, the content was simply swapped out. This year I think there are well over 800 offerings! Sooooo many choices.
At some point teachers are provided access to their registration numbers for their classes. Until then, I confess, I am on tenterhooks.

Oops...here are the two missing pics from previous post

A pair of bracelets I've named Sparkling Shoko, in honor of Shoko Akiyama, a friend and confidant who has translated/interpreted for me when I have exhibited with Tulip Co at the International Great Quilt Show in Tokyo. Last year she and Masami Oda learned one of my bracelet designs so they could in turn share this with the dozens of Tulip staff that wished to make bracelets too.
Turns out that one Wednesday a month staff from the Tulip Co factory meet for crafting together. I have promised to send Shoko beads and a recipe to share another new project with Tulip co-workers who attend the craft Wednesdays.
Later this month Tulip Co. will again exhibit at the Tokyo International Great Quilt Show. Several weeks ago when they invited me to join them once again, circumstances dictated that I would be unable to attend. I will be there with them in spirit.
The other picture is a modular piece that features the beaded beads I'll be teaching: a firm yet unstuffed type of pillow and the one I call trillium (though i SHOULD call them potato chip because you can't make just one!). I've just completed a new necklace featuring this pair of beaded beads...hmm, can I add a pic here? Lets see.