My bead show experience is always made complete by a visit to Gary Wilson's booth. He and his wife Kathy remain as cheerful and gracious throughout the show as they appear in this photo, explaining to each customer the origins of each stone. My earliest knowledge of Gary was in an article I read some years ago in Lapidary Journal (or was it Ornament?). I was charmed to read how his childhood fascination with rocks led him to become the rock whisperer we know and love today.
For a few years I have been collecting his solid stone rings. It is a way of carrying a bit of Mother Earth with you throughout each day; a comfort, a thing of beauty and a pleasure to hold and rub and wear.
Even though I am not teaching the Marcasite Chain with a Silver- Lined Bronwen Heilman focal bead at this time, I had to drop by and see what she has been up to.


The first time I met Sewdish PMC artist and teacher Gaby Friberg was about 5 years ago in Orlando at a bead show. She took a couple of my beading workshops there. Over the years I am delighted at the frequency that we meet again. Sometimes I find that she has registered to bead with me again and other times we run into each other in the exhibit hall at bead shows. Yesterday, as often is the case, I spotted her husband Rolf first, to find Gaby nearby.

Marlene Blessing and I met to discuss our taping of Beads, Baubles and Jewels for PBS television. We decided we'd talk about felt jewelry and I would give a brief explanation of making hand felted complex cane felt beads. It was so much fun. She is charming and professional and made it a breeze. This is the third one I've done for this producer, so we can say I have been broken in...I know the drill. When I know particulars about showtime, I'll share it here. (Yes, she IS familiar. Marlene was editor-in-chief of BEADWORK magazine and you saw her photo and read her welcome inside each issue. Recently she was promoted to editorial director and Melinda Barta has taken over as editor.

I'll share some of my finds at the show another time. Goodnight for now.

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.