Every square inch of the tablespace at Bead Gallery Inc held bead mats, beads and beaded bezels in our mad hot beaded bezel workshop. In preparation for the workshop I arrived with 16 recipes for many different rivolis and other Swarovski cabochons. Bead Gallery has a treasure trove of new and vintage items to choose from. Last night I whipped up another for a shape I had previously not encountered.

If you click on the photos, you might be able to get it to magnify. We shot them on a piece of reflective glass so you can see their beautiful bottoms!

Each of these was made with a selection of 11, 15 and 8 size seed beads ('cept for the one that also has daggers). Through thoughtful selection of bead color and finish, each one is reflective of the beader's taste and esthetic.

Genevieve was able to be present, a rare treat. She chose to work on her chili peppers version of Ostara's Emerging Blossoms. She emphasized the pepper shape by tapering the ends with smaller beads.

Today Genevieve, queen mistress of The Bead Gallery in Salem NH and I marked our calendars for my return to teach 3 days of workshops. Mark your calendars too. Everyone voted on doing the pentagon necklace, especially for the sure-fire way it teaches cubic right angle weave. We'll do this as a 3 hour workshop on Friday April 9. Also that day we'll do a few new polygon samples we'll call More Faces of Polygon. (These beaders already did the workshop the Many Faces of Polygon.) and we'll add a 3 hour version of Bead Happy Bracelet to that day.

It still tickles me in these happy colors but, each beader will choose her own palette of bead colors and finishes.

They also chose for April to make the Marcasite Chain for Lampworked Bead. It is a fine chain woven of size 15 marcasite charlottes, evocative of those delicate chains in the jewelry store except that these include tiny seed beads in colors to enhance the focal bead.

We'll also make a floral lariat that has multiple petals of those wonderful pearls that I call "corn flake pearls". I'll provide a picture soon. It is on my ipod, I just need to get it into here.

Today's Workshop at The Bead Gallery was Ostara's Emerging Blossoms Necklace. Annette arrived wearing an amazing strand of graduated matching lampworked beads. Wow. There were 5o of these beauties in this necklace. When I asked her i she made them, she said no. Well, I speculated, and actually had the nerve to ask, if she was having an affair with a beadmaker. She explained that they were a special birthday gift from her sister, lampworker Lisa Blanchard. Special indeed. She lives in Valdez Alaska. How I would LOVE to be invited to teach in Alaska.

Here are a few of the budding blossoms on their bails. Genevieve is making a pair in hot, spicy reds for a chili pepper necklace.

We used a bezeled rivoli as the closure. Tomorrow we will bead our way through up to 18 different styles of bezeled rivolis.
Tonight's homework for me is to bezel 2 new shapes and sizes I have not worked with yet.

Once again the camera-computer-cable is not in the suitcase but, I made a trip to Radio Shack. Problem solved!
The drive to Salem NH was beautiful. The leaves are vibrant, the sky looked like all those that Frederick Church tried to capture in oils and until 15 miles from my destination, the traffic moved along.
Yesterday I taught 3 three-hour workshops. My beloved Bead Gallery beaders were in attendance: Rita, Stacey, Pamela, Nancy, Dion, Diane, Diane, Diane, Joan, Margaret, Pat, Mary, Wendy, Annette (forgive me if I left a name out). We made a seed pearl bracelet that I didn't photo. Oops. Shown are the reversible bracelets called Two Sides of the Story. It features that new stitch based on polygon that corruagtes to produce reversible beadwork.

Wendy Gehly brought her finished Kaja's bracelet from April's workshop and the necklace she made using that technique. Stunning.
In the evening session we beaded a pair of sweet little beads shaped like buds, made by lampworker Lea Zinke. When I saw the array of beaded buds I imagined them all hanging like charms from a bracelet.

Inspired by the rings made by polymer clay artist Ronna Sarvas Weltman, I have been creating some fanciful felt rings. In the photo, two of my newest felt rings flank a polymer ring made by Ronna .

Sunday I caught the last 3 hours of Crafts at Rhinebeck.

My mission was to purchase another garment or two by Zee Mizrahi. Taking advantage of catching Zee's booth at a quiet moment, I looked at every single item in her booth. What joy.

Leaving Zee's booth, I strolled past nearby booths. It was great to see Robin McLaughlin's newest beadwork at her booth Stonecrop Beadwork.

Robin told me about the homegrown, hand-dyed and hand-knit socks she bought at Round Barn Merino in the next building so I made that my next stop. Owner, merino sheep shepherd, dyer, knitter and all round fiber goddess Judith Giusto is a powerhouse. She had this year's hot ticket, wristers (fingerless gloves), in the most amazing patterns and colors. Her sock inventory was exhausted, except for some small/medium. She featured sweaters that are made to order in the styles on display and in "your" size. She has recently begun making felt jewelry. (See photo) She dyes the slender felt ropes and binds them to each other with wool covered wire, finishing with colored chain and toggle. We had a great visit.

Loretta Lam makes polymer bead jewelry. Her colors caught my attention and her pattern and texture combinations held it. I lingered so long she had little choice but to visit. I asked if she might consider doing a collaboration. Wouldn't that be fun?

Flowering kale is so complex and beautiful. They are combinations of purple, pink, white and green. The leaves are veiny and matte. The edges vary from slightly curly to intensely ruffled and frilly.

These plants and "elephant ears" call out to me to render their likeness in felt.

I accompanied my friend Mary Jo (Ice Pond Spinner) to the First Annual North Jersey Fiber Arts Festival in Ridgewood. We worked together setting up her exhibit of roving, yarns, spindles and books, and then she worked her "booth" and I taught 3 workshops.

Here is that pentagon pendant again. Elaine made hers in siam 2ab, shown here strung on 24K gold plated flex-rite beading wire.

Jill wanted a purple pendant to wear to a wedding. She used vitrail ab and emphasized the purple glint by stringing it with purple cylinder beads and crystals.

And while we're talking about color nuances, these two pendants are vitrail. Their beaded chains are identical SAVE the size 8 bead between each crystal. The khaki 8s used in the one on the right lends a bronzey appearance. The silvery look of the one on the left is acheived by substituting the khaki bead with a teal one. I love these subtle color tweakings.