A Great Little Bead Show

The annual Heart of California Bead and Adornment Expo is in 4 days! This will be the fourth ? or fifth one. It's from 10:00~5:00 Saturday and Sunday. It's held at the Ramada Inn in Fresno. Ahhh...some more Summer weather! So I've been busy packing beads and clothes to take. Jewelry is polished, (mine as well as a little jewelry to sell) The freezer is full of food for hubby and the laundry is caught up for the moment! One of the things I like about this show is that it is mostly small vendors from the local area. Not a lot of imports! It's a friendly venue and Stephanie and Penny go beyond the call of duty to make the vendors feel welcome. The customers are friendly, they offer classes and make and take projects. If you're in the area, stop by and say hi! And if you would like to vend at the show, please contact them through their website.

Post Bead and Button Show

What a great experience Bead and Button show was! I am finally getting back in the groove of my regular routine. Aside from some airline glitches I had a great show. I wish I could have been in two places at once! It was hard to shop with all the great vendors and be at my own booth at the same time. I did manage to do a little shopping of course! It was great seeing all my lampwork friends too. It's a huge show, so if you haven't been before, plan ahead and pace yourself. Mark the booths you really want to visit, do a quick walk through and mark your program with the ones you want to go back to. With three and a half days of shopping, it's definitely possible to see it all. There are food vendors inside the Wisconsin Center, one really good one in particular that had great panini sandwiches, soup and the most amazing brownies! They even included some gluten free options. One of the highlights for me was being able to see the beautiful winning seed bead designs from the BeadDreamers competition. As a seed beader, I can really appreciate the work that goes into these pieces. I also met some of the designers, like Sherry Serafini, Marcia DeCoster and Phyllis Dintenfass. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. I would again like to thank the ISGB for presenting this marketing opportunity and allowing me the chance to do this show. I will be back I'm sure. Now, back to listing beads in my Etsy shop!

Bead and Button Show

The day is near...I leave tomorrow for Milwaukee to attend and sell my wares at my first Bead and Button Show. I would like to again thank the ISGB for this opportunity. I received a place in the show among 2 other artists as a marketing opportunity from the Society after applying about 3 months ago. Bead and Button is the largest consumer bead show in the U.S. it is 2 weeks long with many, many classes by expert teachers. The Marketplace is open to the public starting Thursday evening with a sneak preview and continues through Sunday.

I forget from time to time, how much goes in to doing a show not to mention, putting on a huge show like this. I have been making beads for months to set aside so that I don't deplete my Etsy shop and forget about my loyal customers. Making beads for both has been a challenge. I have a carry-on full of beads and some stashed in my suitcase too! Display items, lights, cords etc. have been mailed to the hotel so they will be there when I get to the check in. List after list of thing to remember, things to take, don't forget this, don't forget that....

The worst part (if there is one) is not knowing what to expect. Since I have never attended this show, I have no clue as to how many beads to take! But, I can only take so many and whatever is left will be listed in my Etsy shop as soon as I return.

Interview

Being interviewed is always hard for me. When I was little, I was always the shy one, making my brother and sisters guess what it was I wanted instead of me just asking. They learned to read my sign language! But being married to my husband has helped me overcome that...he is far from shy! Today's feature in Holly Dare's blog Glass Beads Daily is about moi! After reading it I realized I really need a new picture of myself...one that doesn't show the gray!! I have also been enjoying reading a new blog (for me) from Kat O'Sullivan AKA Katwise. What an ambitious young woman! So, after reading her wonderful writings, I am determined to blog more often. We'll see what comes out of these pages in the next few weeks!

I've been steadily making new beads for the upcoming show, The Heart of California Bead and Adornment Expo in Fresno, California on September 7 & 8 at the Ramada Inn. I'm close to being ready, but there's always "just one more bead"!And that's in between canning pickles, green beans, freezing peas, broccoli and the tomatoes are coming on fast! Until next time...here's some new eye candy!

New Bead Show

This coming weekend I will be selling my wares at the Heart of California Bead and Adornment Expo in Fresno, California. The event is on Saturday and Sunday, September 22 and 23 from 10:00 to 5:00 both days. I will have LOTS of beads including sets and focal as well as unique glass jewelry components like clasps, bead cones, head pins, slider rings, disks,glass leaves, bobbins, vintage skeleton keys with a bead on them and adorned with Swarovski crystals, Auntumn leaves, pendants and more! Here's a link to the Facebook page for this event: https://www.facebook.com/HeartOfCaliforniaBeadExpo See you there!