Bead Show Bliss

There is nothing like a bead show to shove the winter doldrums aside and bring some much needed color back into my life.  The Intergalactic Bead and Jewelry was at the White Eagle Banquet Hall this past weekend and while I wasn't there when the doors opened, it wasn't soon after when I pulled into the quickly filling parking lot.  The Intergalactic shows are the perfect size as far as I'm concerned.  With about 20 different vendors, it isn't an exhausting all day process.  I'm able to easily employ my secret shopping ritual of sauntering around looking at everything and then sauntering around again a couple more times to make purchases...cuz you always have to see if any one has a better price...it's my frugal Polish nature.  So after a few hours and few dollars, this is the treasure that came home with me this time.

 Assorted sizes of shiny glass pearls in the fresh pastels of spring and yummy rich jewel tones.  Probably my favorite bead because of it's versatility...it can be the headliner of a piece or a lush filler in a design.

This time around, I found myself gravitating towards the warm color tones of copper in metal spacers and clasps.  The Blue Goldstone kept winking at me, throwing out sparkles from its dark interior.  If I was forced to pick just one, my favorite would have to be the Tigereye...luminescent swirls of carmel through a darker chocolate tones...chewy, rich and sweet is how it would taste.  It was close to lunch time by then, what can I say. 

 I saw the Thing A Ma JIG on my first saunter through the show and I earmarked it as a definite purchase...it's been on my "want" list for a while.  The glitz of these silver plated beads appeal to the diva in me.  Finally, the blue dyed crazy agate just caught my eye and reminded me of the beach and ocean, along with the shell shaped charms.  And angel wings...just because.


So even after buying some pierogies and mushroom barley soup at the Polish Deli...I still came home with $20 in my pocket...just don't ask how much I started with...wince.

Best weekend since Christmas and New Years...stay warm and take care...Lizz

The AIMEE--The design that brought this blog to life

My friends and family are the best!  They are a huge pool of encouragement, my biggest fans and I don't even have to pay them to be nice to me.  Shyrlene, the very same friend who talked me into blogging, has requested several custom pieces over time...see how nice she is.  The latest request was for a necklace and earring set for Aimee, who loves loves loves purple.  Purple...that was the extent of the direction...ok it's a start.

Purple Purple Purple

There are a few looks that I've enjoyed making lately, one is wrapping glass pearls in ribbon, so I knew that would be the start of the piece.  Other design elements I find striking is juxtaposing metal chain with the glamour of the pearls and sparkles, along with making the whole thing asymmetrical.  I think an asymmetrical design gives a piece versatility...you can wear it this way or that or even symmetrically...how ever your heart desires.  The vision is coming to life and now I need a trip to the store, because even though I have 53895 purple beads...I need more to chose from.

Pearls wrapped in ribbon

To make sure I was on the right track, I sent Shyrlene and her son a photo of the prototype, asking for feedback.  They jumped into the design process with glee, sending me back a drawing of alterations...have I mentioned Shyrlene has a background in design.  People enjoy contributing to the design, it puts a little bit of themselves into the gift, which just makes it much more meaningful to both the giver and the getter.
      

Prototype

Of course, a piece needs a bling focus to be complete.  This one was made from a bead soup of purple hues, pearls and all beads that sparkle, all mounted on headpins and attached to one end of the chain.  For the earrings, I found a combination of beads that I liked in the focus piece, copied them and ta-da...instant matching earrings.

Now how pathetic is this...I never took a picture of the completed piece.  But never fear, I have texted Shyrlene to see if she can get Aimee to take a few photos.

I'm also curious to find out how Aimee wears it...how does she prefer the focus piece to sit on her neck...to the left or to the right or in the center.

Thanks for stopping by today...Lizz