Bead Fest :: The Mother Load

Yes, the Mother Load. I don't think I've ever seen so many beads all in one place before. My poor friend Linda Younkman was looking frazzled and on overload when I found her Friday afternoon wondering around Artisan Alley. She had already been there since the night before, so she had hours of shopping in before I met up with her. I really don't think I was much help because, well I'd only just started!

I got my bearings on Friday, and saved most of the 'loot shopping' for Saturday. So here is how it went down. It's not pretty my friends. I can't remember the names of all the shops, it is sort of like that hang over after a college party where you have no idea what happened the night before but you find a card in your pocket. I have a stack of cards from various stores visited in my shopping flurry, but if you ask me which one I got at what stand of beads ... I'd be hard pressed to remember how to piece the events together. I did at least label the beads so you know what they are. I was simply in LOVE, and I mean BIG LOVE with these jasper focals. Look at the colors in the Red Creek, or Sonora Sunset ... or how about the fine details in the lace. What about those drilled rocks with the turquoise inset? How friken cool are those? Yes my little focal friends I have plans for you. What? you don't talk to your beads?

Ok, moving on. There were these amazing strands of matte druzy. Holy cow are they cool. And I found the charlotte cut seed beads tuck away in a far corner of a store. Score! I just love these seed beads that I bought by the 'hank' ... oh yea, look at me going all technical on my bead terms. I really loved the heshi I saw everywhere and I did pick up some great titanium ones. Who knew I needed titanium? I even found heshi beads in turquoise and lapis. 

But then I could not forget about my first love. Seed beads. I spent quite a bit of time here. I even lost my posse as they gave up all hope of me making it out alive. I did eventually emerge with quite a large stash of new seed beads the likes of which even Sally Russick seemed impressed by. Ok then, job well done.