Road Trip Report

Annie Singer and I hit the road on Friday morning, solved half of the world's problems (carefully saving the rest for the drive home), and before we knew it we were in Milwaukee for the Bead&Button Show.

I didn't really have a good reason to go to the show this year other than to have fun, so I approached the fun-having like it was my job. I love going to big shows like this...how often do we get to be with so many creative, enthusiastic, innovative people in one room? It was truly wonderful. I became so absorbed in shopping and chatting people up that I didn't pull my camera out much. Here are the few I took, plus some of the products I picked up along the way:



Went to a great party thrown by Tierra Cast on Friday night and picked up these cute charms from their new Tattoo and Spirit lines. Julie Young is actually the reason I ended up going to Milwaukee this year--see what she wrote on her invite? It refers to the fact that I tried to teach her peyote stitch several years ago and it just didn't work out. It cracked me up so much I felt I really needed to head east to see buddies like Julie.



Check out this chainmail jacket by Vanessa Walilko at Blue Buddha Boutique! She says she's working on a kimono next. Amazing.



I love seeing friends like Joanne Baumann and Judith Schwab Bodacious Beads) at shows like this. (Please note the matching necklaces...)



I've been looking everywhere for a quick-dry resin and found Magic-Glos at Lisa Pavelka's booth. Her samples looked great! Lots of people were using it at the Tierra Cast party to make resin earrings, and they were dry in about 10 minutes--couldn't believe it! Makes me realize I can do my Chat Noir bracelet as a class really easily now. Just need to get a UV light next...



Here's my buddy Jamie Hogsett at the SoftFlex booth. She's doing some great designing for SoftFlex...I sure miss this girl!



Stopped by the Miyuki booth to say hello to the ever-cool Kenji Katsuoka. He was showing off a couple things that pricked up my ears. Miyuki's doing what they're calling "long magatamas". They add a really nice embellishment when stitched into beadwork--not as pointy as daggers or as bubbly as drops. A nice in-between. You can currently get them at Caravan Beads.



They've also developed a fantastic faceted metal bead line in 2.5, 3, 4, and 5mm sizes. They aren't available in the U.S. yet, but I'll keep bugging him to make it happen!



Speaking of cool guys, I spent quite a while chatting up Thomas Mann and bought his book. He's doing some wonderful things with kitting basic metalworking how-tos. Very smart, very inspirational. Wish I would have known him before so I could have put his work in Steampunk Style Jewelry. Oh, well...next book, right? I'm sure we'll stay in touch.



I spent a lot of time chatting with the ever-fabulous and close to my heart Dustin Wedekind at the Beyond Beadery booth. Here he's pictured with Star Alvi--don't they look fantastic?



The Beyond Beadery booth is always hopping. I stood in line for quite a while to buy this lovely assortment of permanent galvanized seed beads, but I didn't mind--it's fun to look at what everyone else is buying and eavesdrop on conversations (okay, I'm not the ONLY one guilty of that!).



The fantastic Betcey Ventrella of Beyond Beadery with her gorgeous daughter to the left and the wonderful Laurie Marcum on the right.



Andrew Thornton of Green Girl Studios has become a lighthouse for me at these shows because I always seek him out. He is truly a gem.



I yakked with Cynthia Thornton, the artist behind Green Girl Studios, until she had to shoo me away. I really like her--she's so talented and down-to-earth. Check out her new book, Enchanted Adornments.



Ah, my buddy Melanie Brooks of Earthenwood Studio. She's another fountain of creativity, always coming up with new designs and ways to incorporate them. She's got a great new colorful line called "Toolbox Treasures"--do yourself a favor and check it out!



Finally, Annie and I spent the night at my friend Margaret's just north of the city. I think the last time I stayed at Margaret's house we were Flash-Dancing in her parents' basement in Edina...1983, maybe? This visit included no leg warmers or torn sweatshirts, but there was at least one pretty serious Stevie Nicks imitation. Margaret is a dear and I feel so happy to have reconnected.

Did you go to the show? What did you think? See anything great I missed?