Girls’ Night

Just back from my jewelry party in Rockford.  This one was with a fun group of girlfriends eager to shop, drink, chat, and have tons of fun.  Although the party was set up as an open house format, it was not the case.  These gals came at the beginning and stayed for the entire duration – and then some!  I had fun getting to know some of the girls and catching up with some high school acquiantances.  Of course, the wine and Cherry Bomb was an added bonus, too!  I also found it interesting to watch each gal’s jewelry selection unfold throughout the night.  Lots of necklaces were mulled over, picked up and put down – only to be picked up again, and several were “fought” over.  And what was great was how these friends gave their honest opinions and helped each other find the piece(s) of jewelry that speaks to their personality. 

Thanks, Lisa and Carly for throwing a wonderful party!  Now I need to get busy fulfilling all the custom orders, which I hope to mail by Wednesday.  Back to the workbench I go!

Gearing up for the big Bead & Button Show

This weekend has finally arrived!  The much anticipated Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee.  This is the 2nd largest consumer bead show in the U.S.  Many vendors will tempt me to buy more than I should.  And past experience has proven that my will is not strong.  I will break down & buy the beautiful faceted gemstones briolettes - only to hoard them for myself; safely hidden in my bead boxes.  But I  have become more knowledgeable about which types of beads I will actually transform into a creation.  This year I am walking into the B&B Show with the goal of only purchasing beads that instantly inspire me.  Yes, there are gemstones that immediately spark my creativity.  I know exactly how I will use the bead the moment I lay my eyes on it.  However, whether I can actually carry out my imagination is another story.  Lately I find myself on my workbench less and less.  Maybe it’s the nicer weather and the pending arrival of summer.  But I am hoping that the B & B Show will get me back on the horse, so to speak.  Now if I can only clear my table for the new beads I’m about to bring home!  That’s another project in and of itself!  (Above photo of my workbench courtesy of Proud To Introduce Photography – www.proudtointroduce.com)