Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Last Hurrah at the Bead and Button Show

Hello all,

Most of you know that the Bead and Button Show took place last week in Milwaukee.  A trip to this show has traditionally been my annual buying trip to stock up on stones and tools to last the whole year.  With so much going on in my life right now, I didn't think I would be attending, much to my dismay.  Then I received a call from "Grandma's teeth in the curio" Joren asking if I would like to attend with her and her daughter.  You bet I would!  Plans were quickly made and off we went. 

I've attended the show when it's been unseasonably cold and been chilled to the bone.  Been there when the tornado sirens are blaring.  But this year, it was beautiful.  We couldn't have ordered up more perfect weather or a better time.  While I'm sad that this will most likely be my last trip to the Bead and Button Show,  after the move we'll be a mere 15 hours from........wait for it..........yes, that's right!  TUCSON!  The show to end all shows.  So I'm hoping the second most interesting man in the world will think that sounds like a fun time and go with me.  Sounds like a trip every man would want to take, right?

Pull up a chair, a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and join us, won't you?  I promise, it's a guaranteed good time.

But first a hearty congratulations to Ellice of  Enlightened Lotus Wellness.  She is a wellness consultant with a degree in alternative medicine who helps others find wellness with self awareness, nutrition and lifestyle modification.  Wishing you every success, Ellice!

and now let's visit the show.......


You can just tell that these two are going to be fun, eh?




Drea is the sweetest.


And away we go.......




Cool lobby.



I don't know which artists created these amazing pieces
so I'm not able to credit them,
but feast your eyes..












and gourmet snacks




ummm, on second thought, not feeling all that hungry,
thanks anyway....



here's a sampling of what I purchased......





Tiny little bottles of JAX to experiment with





Note to self...
DO NOT
buy hammers at the first booth!
UGH!





ooohhhhhh




awwwwwwww




This is what happens when two women want the same strand of beads.
Creative women can be brutal when something sparkly catches their eye!

Joren was very brave about it and didn't complain at all.
The people at that first aid booth had some crazy stitching skills, eh?

Kidding.




These are glass.
so yummy




Gorgeous rhinestones from Margola.
I'm going to miss seeing lovely Laura each year.




This Roman glass was a total splurge that I have resisted
every year.  Since this might be my last chance to get some, I went for it.
And I'm glad I did.  It's beautiful.



Then we had lunch with the talented
Amy Waldman-Smith
who had been demonstrating lampworking techniques.




Drea trying the "wedding cupcake" hat on for size.




decided to go grab some Cuban food for dinner.





Guys, if you're ever in Milwaukee,
you've got to try out Cubanitas.
Absolutely the best Cuban food I've ever had.
And after living in Southern Florida, I've had some great Cuban food.





I want whatever she's having




Gorgeous Art Deco repouse' 
on the walk back to the room




That's the balcony outside of our room.


hahahahahaha


we discovered that we couldn't access the wifi in our room
so down to the lobby we went with high hopes
 that it would work a little bit better there.




apparently not!
no checking in and keeping on top of emails
on this trip.


Drea was fascinated with the needle felting she saw at the show




Loving every minute of it....

check out what she made on her first try....




Yes, she just sat down and a few minutes later, these amazing critters emerged.
Too adorable!  Both Drea and her pets.


This was Joren's first try...




zero + zero=?
o and o says oh.
ohhh they're fuzzy rings!  Very nice!




Last morning there.
So much fun-ending entirely too soon.





Seriously, could she be any cuter?


On the way back to Joren's we took a detour so she could show me her favorite store
in Lake Geneva.

I'm telling ya, never a dull minute........




You'll be greeted by Robbie when you visit

and possibly her......



SWAK
Those are some glittery lips you got there, Mamie



Scarface



My sentiments exactly!



EGADS!



I'm obviously not the only one who likes faces.




Love this!



That looks like it hurts.





awesome lighting.




hahahahahaha




Why yes, I do have a wild boar hanging off the side of my wall.  Why do you ask?




Leaping through the air, swift as a gazelle....




Yeah, they let the bears run wild in this place!
Sheesh!




Do you have the odd feeling that you're being watched?




and rock candy grows on trees



You too can have your own private plane!
(in your living room)


a true metal head





wrapping it up at Funkys

and on to......
a girly store, whose name I don't recall.


should I or shouldn't I?




I shouldn't but I am!





you've heard of wine tasting?
How about olive oil tasting?





heading towards Joren's home now.......

and another 4 hours on the road for me.
look what was waiting for me when I arrived.....





excellent!





can you believe how big and juicy these are?!


and granny is being swallowed up




everything is thriving




What a nice welcome home after a wonderful
getaway.

Hope you've all had as great a week as I have.

Till next time!

Hwyl fawr (Welsh)


oh, one more thing......




Enjoy!



31 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you went and had a blast :) And those goodies you bought are just too die for ... can't wait to see the lovelies you make with them :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Skye! I wish you could have seen the selection of stones. It was amazing.

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  2. Janet looks as if you met your match in the wacky gal pal department. I love Milwaukee!!! You've made me decide to go to that show next year regardless of crazy wacky weather. So your moving out west.... Hmmmmmm.

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    Replies
    1. hahahaha, you've got that right! If you have a chance to attend, you won't be disappointed. It's a wonderful show and a great city!

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  3. O possum possum. Love that possum.
    An obviously fun fun trip. Sorry I had to miss it. Look forward to seeing what treasures you make from all the luscious new loot.

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    Replies
    1. you're too funny! you would have had a great time. sorry you missed it too.

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  4. Oh yes, you will come to Tucson! I know people....the right people.
    Looks like you had a blast and the break you needed. Mmmm Roman glass. I found some in Thailand before it hit the shows in the states. I'm still hoarding some but I just happened to haul some out yesterday to pair up and arrange with some possibilities on my worktable.
    I remember the first bead show I ever went to in Seattle. The first day I came home with nothing but greens and blues. I had to go back another day to round things out.
    Those black crustified round beads. I don't know how they are treating those but they sure are cool. I love them.
    So you splurged. I went into a boutique once and the same thing happened to me.

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    Replies
    1. You know people, eh? hmmmm
      I'm afraid that I might end up hoarding that Roman glass too. I love that you get yours in Thailand and I get mine in Wisconsin.
      I always tell myself "buy something that is not light aqua" but I'm just inately drawn to that color. It is not boring- it's cohesive! hahaha

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  5. Replies
    1. yes, it sure was! :)
      as you can see, anything with Joren and Drea is fun.

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  6. That deep purple clematis is a scene stealer. Love those matt gemstones, I've got some matt agate and it works a treat with a bit of darkened, rusty metal. I don't think I could be trusted around that many beads, I think I'd be a bit Jack Sparrow..

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    Replies
    1. yes, what a perfect pairing! hahahaha. Jack Sparrow, eh? are you rocking the eyeliner too?

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  7. What an amazing trip!! Looks like you three had a whale of a time! Not at all boar-ing! Oh dear - leave the funnies to Fanci, Petra! That shop is wonderful! It's as well we don't have anything like any of this, anywhere near here!
    Have your beautiful Clematis and raspberries woo-ed you a buyer for the house yet? It'd do it for me!
    Great post, and I'm glad you had such a nice brwak from all the cleaning.
    xoxoxooxox :O)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. not boaring while we were lioning about or playing possom. yeah, let's both leave the funnies to fanci. hahahahah
      not yet and I'm feeling the need to make a good old mess with my new supplies. ugh...but then I'll have to do all that cleaning again.... a vicious cycle I tell ya!

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  8. Ok, now that I figured out how to leave a comment...THANK YOU, THANK YOU for the shout-out!!I know that you are partial since your my mom but I still really appreciate it! <3

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  9. you're very welcome. and just cuz I'm your mom doesn't negate that you are wonderful and really good at what you do. but yeah, maybe a tad bit partial. <3

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  10. oh, sweetie, im so sorry you had such a rough time with those two party poopers!
    oh wait no. that's not what i meant to say. i meant to say SCREW YOU! i'm jealous.
    the best of all those was how the (ADORABLE!) little girl's 1st attempt at needle-felting were these fully formed Pokemon, and her mom's were... dust bunnies.

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    Replies
    1. what what?! miss I just got from home Uruahaul! And you live 3 hours closer to the bead show than I do soooooo I know what you really meant to say was "oh I meant to go but was doing something so much more fabulous" That's what you meant, right?

      Yeah, I know!! It was kinda amazing how good at needle felting adorable Drea was right off the bat. impressive!

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  11. oh and "leave the funnies to Fanci"..?
    (swats Petra girlishly) Oh go on you!

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  12. Hey there you gad about!! Man, that looks like a great place to go and it appears you had an excellent time. So glad for that; fun is VERY important. Love the beads you snapped up. I remember you talked about that show in class once and told us to take "hundreds" of dollars if we went. Scared me cuz I have no control over myself when it comes to the beady stuff. My daughter says I am "obsessed".......which I think was a compliment.....right? Right.

    Drea is a cutie, has an ornery face and I bet she is a hoot.

    Five cups and counting......well, nope done for the day. On to the wine. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. now you see that I wasn't kidding with that warning, eh? Yeah hundreds is good but thousands would be so much better! hahahahaha. hey I can dream, can't I?
      Yes, that was a very nice compliment your daughter paid you. Sounds like a sweet daughter. Any remarks she makes about you and your beads should be considered a compliment from the sounds of it. :)

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  13. What a great time you had! Lolz @ not buying hammers at the first booth. ha! That's exactly why I hate shopping in malls. You have to carry everything around with you. And I love that roman glass. yum.

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    Replies
    1. hahahaha, yeah I'm a slow learner. I always buy something heavy early in the show. Maybe I think it will help me buy less. That makes sense, doesn't it? Well, even if that's what my subconscious is attempting, it's failing miserably!

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  14. What a fabulous trip... thank you for sharing it with us. Most of all though, I want to see what you do with the Roman Glass. I've been eyeing it on Objects And Elements, and have so far resisted. In your hands, it will be brilliant!

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    Replies
    1. oh you should get some! In person, it's amazing! And I want to see what you do with it too!

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  15. what a haul! love the roman glass she says drooling........ i would be in some zombie stupor at a show like that! you would see me on the 11 o'clock and say "oh so that's what bond girl looks like". it certainly looks like the three wild and crazy girls had a fabulous time though......i'm so envious! as usual i cannot wait to see your fabulous creations!

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    Replies
    1. drooling zombies? you do paint an interesting mental picture here, Bond Girl! We sure did have a fabulous time much to Joren and Drea's credit.

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  16. news...news...11 o'clock news! see what you've done to me? aarrrgggghhhhh..............

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    Replies
    1. brhahahahahahahaha! oddly I knew what you meant before the explanation! was it the lion attacking fair Joren or the roman glass or the olive oil store? huh? surely it wasn't me did that to you. :)

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  17. What a wonderful adventure!!! Thank you for sharing and I am so excited to see what you come up with with all the treasures you purchased.xoxo Cat

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  18. Highlight of my summer!!!! xoxoxo

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