When things go missing...

I heard from Beadfest Philadelphia that this is one of the projects I will teach there in August. So I record my Beadfest schedule in my calendar and gather the projects to store in one place. But, where oh where can it be? The last time, that I recall with any certainty, that I saw Cape Hope Necklace, was September, when I taught it at Bella Beads in New Hampshire. Hmm, no sign of in the usual places. Even a look in the likely places got me nowhere. Then the mad-hot search was on. I checked the recipe case. Nothing. I checked the suitcases. Nothing. I checked the bags of wool (since one of the classes at Bella Beads was felted jewelry). Again, nothing. So I resigned myself to having to make another one. Of course, the focal bead would be different but, I had purchased 3 beads from that artist and one of the remaining two would serve well. The bead choices I used are still gathered into one box in the studio so, today my Franklin Planner page for January 2 listed among the to-dos: bead another Cape Hope Necklace. No complaints here, it is a fun project, even though it's intention is to serve as a vehicle to teach all the variations of tubular herringbone in one joyful (and wearable) session: regular, zippity-do-dah, with inclusions within the stitches, with inclusions between the stitches, how to increase and decrease, varying bead sizes per row and per stitch, creating "seed stitch", spiraling and even circular.  BUT, as I reached for the box of beads I used for the original (I have to digress here and tell you about the box of beads: often I "shop" throughout the studio for a palette of beads that hum at me, collecting them in a plastic shoebox. It might happen that a box of beads is used only once, like the evp purple, mustard, chocolate, merlot, and stripey bead combo for the bracelet I called Amy's birthday bracelet but, upon publishing my recipe (Oct 2005), Bead & Button Magazine renamed it "Harvest Loops". Sometimes a single box of beads generates many designs.) Ok, back to reaching for the box of beads used for the original: right next to it, even though I KNOW i looked there twice before, sat a translucent envelope containing the necklace. Yippee. It was delightful to find it in advance of making another plus, it reminded me of all the other found items that had gone missing. (Well, except for the 14ct gold acrobat earring that I only had one of to begin with!) Often it happens that I notice that a thing has gone missing. Then I tear the place apart looking high and low for it. Eventually (with aging, it happens sooner, than later) I surrender, accepting that I have the thing no more. Then, after some time, could be a day, a week , a year, something like this happens: I'll be heading out the door to an appointment and, as the key enters the lock, it occurs to me that I should grab my red jacket in case it gets cool. And as magical, fantastical and wonderful as it sounds, just as I reach for the jacket..tada...next to it is the missing thing! You'd think after a few episodes of this that I'd take it for granted but, I think it is requisite that you put in the work! Anyway, I love when it happens.
Wishing you some magic in your day...

Amy and I had a great time at Beadfest, one of 4 annual bead shows by Interweave. This is the one that has consistently been identified as the Philadelphia show though circumstances over some of its 9 years has forced it to change venues, from Fort Washington to Reading to King of Prussia, PA. The other three Beadfests are in Santa Fe, a new one in Texas and a wire focused event at the same King of Prussia venue in April.

For two years now, I have not applied to teach at Beadfest, but have attended to schmooze and shop and spend a little time with my pal Phyllis Dintenfass from Appleton WI. She taught there again this year. Her table was so swamped at the Meet the Teachers event Friday night that I was presed into service simply writing up the sales of her kits and email addresses of her fans. I handed off my camera and asked for someone to snap a photo of Phyllis as she helped some of the beaders select their kit color choices and this is the best of the lot. Sorry it does'nt show her face so well but, you can really appreciate her necklace, right? It is a strand of many of her wonderful beaded beads: Empire, Puffin and triangles among them. On her jacket she is wearing her Sea Whirl brooches.

Once again I had the chance to visit with Jolene Star of Bazaar Star Beadery and her friend Allison Lara. This time when they inquired, I was quick to whip out my trusty iPad to show them my current roster of workshop descriptions. When shown the description/proposal for a workshop that tickled their fancy, they had only to press a button to wisk it off to their email inbox. Later this week I expect them to call and invite me to teach some workshops in Ridgewood NJ. Hope we'll share a day of joyful creativity together there soon. You, like me, will be completely jazzed by their enthusiasm and bright spirits.
Kathy St Martin is a PMC jewelry instructor I met at Meet the Teachers on my way to Phyllis' table. The work she had on display was quite lovely and since she was a new name to me, I snapped her picture so I could share her and her jewelry with you here.

Photos were forbidden at the show. But, I'll share some of my personal highlights. A huge fan of Bob Burkett's for many years, this year I succumbed to one of his incredible bat beads. He makes gorgeous metal beads or small sculptures, capturing the detailed likeness of a creature such as a sea turtle, crab, cicada, beetle, or bat in a copper silver alloy called shibuichi, resulting in interesting patinas and colors. Many are articulated, having moving silver wings, legs or claws. His work stopped me in my tracks as I walked by the Green Girl booth. He was quick and courteous to answer my questions and I noticed that his name tag simply read Green Girl so I had to ask: "Who are you?" and was delighted to know that it was indeed Bob Burkett, incognito, and his amazing work. I just might have to interview him to find out more about his work, that I know so little about but that has intrigued me so much over the years. It has to be over a decade since I read an article about him in, I think it was Ornament magazine. Perhaps I'll gather enough info to write a long overdue feature about him.

Bert and Dana from the Well-Done Experience were exhibiting their wonderful beading-to-go items that I shared with you last year. Here is that pic again. Clear, zippered project bags snap into the pocketed beading mat so you have everything you need at hand for beading on the run. Among other things, we share in common is our love of bead crochet, Tulip Company's new line of silky cushioned bead crochet hooks called Sucre and the desire to share new and exciting bead crochet techniques. They live and teach in Manhattan and have, for the first time, proposed some projects to teach at the Bead and Button Show for 2011. We're meeting soon to discuss collaborating on, oh ... more on this when something concrete develops. It is these opportunities to share and give each other a leg-up and network that make events like this magical.

Sara of CKoop Beads and I discussed my using her gorgeous enameled components in my felt component jewelry workshops her and in an upcoming weeklong workshop I'll be teaching in Australia. I teach an array of feltmaking techniques to produce small felt sculptures, beads, ropes and bands. These are then combined with beads, metal and chain to produce finished jewelry. Browen Heilman said she would be happy to provide her silver capped focal beads if I can find the marcasite charlotte 15's necessary to once again offer the Marcasite chain with Focal Bead project that was so popular at Bead and Button Show in 2009.
My mission at the show was to find lustrous stick pearls and I did at Pearl Concepts, Inc booth> Even better was the assurance that by emailing Helena with the code number, I can get more! Perfect for kit making.
And I have to say that the weekend culminated with my being convinced to resume teaching at Beadfest. Next week I'll start putting together some proposals for next August.

This bead stopped me in my tracks as I dashed through the exhibit floor of the Bead & Button Show in June. It is a James Daschbach bead. It looks like the universe captured in a most appealing form of glass. It is black with nuances of greys and slate colors accented with "holes" of intense shine. It really hums at me.

Gathering up a selection of size 11 seed beads in its colors and 1/4 kilo bag of black size 8, I began to stitch a tubular herringbone with inclusions that is the basis for a necklace to support this incredible focal bead.

Tonight, while teaching at Beadzo in Tivoli, I showed them the fabulous bead and this tubular herringbone project that it inspired, and suggested that if they weave 6 "bumps", it would make a great bracelet/bangle, and several more bumps would make a necklace or lariat. Here are the pieces that they completed in class. Speedy beads!!

Louise showed us these gemstone beads she purchased at a bead show that originate in Afganistan. It is so amazing to me that someone cut and drilled these miniscule beads from rock AND that we can actually afford to buy them. Aren't these priceless?

Sorry I let a week slip by without an entry. Where DOES the time go?

The Beadfest Philadelphia is next week! No, I didn't propose any workshops there again this yearbut, I do look forward to going. Hope I see you there. It is a great shopping opportunity, a chance to schmooze and I'll be taping another Beads, Baubles and Jewels segment for PBS. My pal Phyllis Dintenfass from Wisconsin is teaching and we room together, giving us this chance to visit.