(no subject)
Whole Beads was my first bead show years ago. I loved the space it was in, The Pennsylvania Hotel, and the 3 sprawling rooms I wandered through. Then, because the Hotel closed, they moved the venue to a large one room set up with rows that were too tight. In the beginning, the vendors were varied but as time has gone on,they have homogenized and there are very few original offerings to be had. The price has gone up for admission while quality has definitely suffered. I still go because I hope my favorite lampwork artist might just show up again and usually I find one or two really nice things.
Yesterday, Bree and I headed into the city for the show. Even more of the eclectic artists were gone. There are only two lampwork tables left, as opposed to the 7-8 that there used to be. Most of what was for sale were commercially made beads of fairly poor quality and lots of silver that is much too expensive right now. But, we had fun. Bree wandered around on her own while I followed my usual pattern of walking up and down rows methodically so as not to miss anything. Bree bought scarves (scarves for sale at a bead show still has me confuzzled) and some ready made bracelets for herself and her friends. I bought a scarf for myself and a couple of string of pearls. I also bought Bree a couple of pendants. We both bought some Ancient Roman glass shards. Not much else caught my eye. I also realized that except for the men who sell the metal dipped leaves (who greeted me with a "Good morning Sista" and after looking at my hair which amused me greatly) and Grace of Grace Lampwork, the vendors seemed a lot less friendly and chatty. I'll still go if Parawire returns in the fall but mostly I attend because Bree is interested in beading these days.
After the bead show, we had pizza for lunch and then headed home since Bree's friend across the street was having a birthday party. She left home about 3:30PM and walked in around 9:30PM, crying. She was upset about not having siblings, about feeling like freak because she hasn't kissed anybody yet and because she felt a little left out as the very small group of party goers broke off into even smaller groups. I assured her that all of what she was feeling was normal for her age and her crying was perfectly acceptable. Poor kid, the teenage years really suck sometimes. She managed to pull herself together and then we had a short talk about fashion.
All in all, a very good day. Of course, there are hard things happening too but I'm just going to focus on the pretty damn decent day we had. That was very nice.
Yesterday, Bree and I headed into the city for the show. Even more of the eclectic artists were gone. There are only two lampwork tables left, as opposed to the 7-8 that there used to be. Most of what was for sale were commercially made beads of fairly poor quality and lots of silver that is much too expensive right now. But, we had fun. Bree wandered around on her own while I followed my usual pattern of walking up and down rows methodically so as not to miss anything. Bree bought scarves (scarves for sale at a bead show still has me confuzzled) and some ready made bracelets for herself and her friends. I bought a scarf for myself and a couple of string of pearls. I also bought Bree a couple of pendants. We both bought some Ancient Roman glass shards. Not much else caught my eye. I also realized that except for the men who sell the metal dipped leaves (who greeted me with a "Good morning Sista" and after looking at my hair which amused me greatly) and Grace of Grace Lampwork, the vendors seemed a lot less friendly and chatty. I'll still go if Parawire returns in the fall but mostly I attend because Bree is interested in beading these days.
After the bead show, we had pizza for lunch and then headed home since Bree's friend across the street was having a birthday party. She left home about 3:30PM and walked in around 9:30PM, crying. She was upset about not having siblings, about feeling like freak because she hasn't kissed anybody yet and because she felt a little left out as the very small group of party goers broke off into even smaller groups. I assured her that all of what she was feeling was normal for her age and her crying was perfectly acceptable. Poor kid, the teenage years really suck sometimes. She managed to pull herself together and then we had a short talk about fashion.
All in all, a very good day. Of course, there are hard things happening too but I'm just going to focus on the pretty damn decent day we had. That was very nice.