I went, I saw, I shopped...
Friday night, janelleofwarren IM'd me to tell me I was under house arrest for the weekend, and when I inquired as to the reason, told me it was to keep me from going to the bead show in Edison, NJ.
Oh, said I, is there a bead show in Edison this weekend? :D Why I'd had no idea until she mentioned it, but I had the information up on my screen in a flash. It was an hour away, and noted a list of 35 vendors. It didn't sound all *that* impressive. Still, I figured it might be good to go, and see what was there that wasn't in the Fire Mountain catalog.
Since I had errands to run this weekend, I opted to cut myself a deal: get at least the *major* stuff done Saturday, and then I could go on Sunday. With a paltry 35 vendors, I figured if I hit the expo early, I could be in and out in roughly two hours.
I was there for five. I spent over $225 (probably about $250 when gas and tolls are factored in), and I am SO glad I went! The vendors had quite a spread; most of them took up four or more tables, many of the tables had artists who were selling their own work, and there wasn't a whole lot of duplication. I could have *easily* spent a lot more than I did.
When I was ready to pay for my ounce of cane glass beads (click the link for "sample bag", don't they look good enough to eat?), I noticed the vendor's last name. It was the same name as the family my former college roommate had married into. I asked, and sure enough, it turned out that I was talking to my college roommate's husband's cousin's wife. (Say *that* three times fast!) I'll be getting ahold of my former roomie and her lovely husband to get them back in touch with each other. :)
Along with the beads and findings, I bought a Kumihimo braiding disk and instruction book. (Funnily enough, they are the two first items that come up on that link.) I'm planning to use some of the embroidery and silk thread already in my possession to make cord for stringing some of the cane glass beads.
When I got home, I took pains to sit down and put everything in it's own little ziplock, with the date, the vendor it was purchased from, how much it cost, and (so help me) what it *was*, because sometimes you don't remember what sort of stone it is six months later. I'd made notes as I shopped. All the receipts are documented, and neatly stored. I've already made a pair of earrings with the Kambaba jasper stones!
The best thing about going to the bead show wasn't even that I could buy new things. It was that being there suddenly gave me inspiration and ideas that I hadn't had before. I don't tend to be creative, but in that environment, with all the materials, and colors and samples, new possibilities for things I could create presented themselves.
And that alone, made the trip worthwhile. Thanks Jan. :)
Oh, said I, is there a bead show in Edison this weekend? :D Why I'd had no idea until she mentioned it, but I had the information up on my screen in a flash. It was an hour away, and noted a list of 35 vendors. It didn't sound all *that* impressive. Still, I figured it might be good to go, and see what was there that wasn't in the Fire Mountain catalog.
Since I had errands to run this weekend, I opted to cut myself a deal: get at least the *major* stuff done Saturday, and then I could go on Sunday. With a paltry 35 vendors, I figured if I hit the expo early, I could be in and out in roughly two hours.
I was there for five. I spent over $225 (probably about $250 when gas and tolls are factored in), and I am SO glad I went! The vendors had quite a spread; most of them took up four or more tables, many of the tables had artists who were selling their own work, and there wasn't a whole lot of duplication. I could have *easily* spent a lot more than I did.
When I was ready to pay for my ounce of cane glass beads (click the link for "sample bag", don't they look good enough to eat?), I noticed the vendor's last name. It was the same name as the family my former college roommate had married into. I asked, and sure enough, it turned out that I was talking to my college roommate's husband's cousin's wife. (Say *that* three times fast!) I'll be getting ahold of my former roomie and her lovely husband to get them back in touch with each other. :)
Along with the beads and findings, I bought a Kumihimo braiding disk and instruction book. (Funnily enough, they are the two first items that come up on that link.) I'm planning to use some of the embroidery and silk thread already in my possession to make cord for stringing some of the cane glass beads.
When I got home, I took pains to sit down and put everything in it's own little ziplock, with the date, the vendor it was purchased from, how much it cost, and (so help me) what it *was*, because sometimes you don't remember what sort of stone it is six months later. I'd made notes as I shopped. All the receipts are documented, and neatly stored. I've already made a pair of earrings with the Kambaba jasper stones!
The best thing about going to the bead show wasn't even that I could buy new things. It was that being there suddenly gave me inspiration and ideas that I hadn't had before. I don't tend to be creative, but in that environment, with all the materials, and colors and samples, new possibilities for things I could create presented themselves.
And that alone, made the trip worthwhile. Thanks Jan. :)