Photo Pendants Under Glass

It's hard to believe it's our last day in Milwaukee already! This morning is my last class, a 3 hour session taught by Susan Wade making photo pendants.

I'm looking forward to learning how to do this. My friend Carin in Whistler, B.C. called me a couple of months ago to suggest I fly out there and drive down to Portland, Oregon with her to take a class making these very sorts of things with someone else but the class was already full, so I didn't go. Luckily, the B&B catalogue arrived soon afterwards and I signed right up!

After class (Colleen is making beaded beads this morning in her session), we have the afternoon free to do some last minute bead shopping and/or exploring of Milwaukee and tomorrow morning, Colleen and I fly home to Toronto.

The Quadrille Medaglia

Don't you just love the name? I have no idea what it means, but it's a bracelet being taught by Marcia DeCoster. I'm looking forward to meeting her. She is good friends with two of my favourite teachers, Kate McKinnon and Rachel Nelson-Smith so I'm sure I will like her. She seems like a lot of fun, judging from her blog postings: http://www.maddesignsbeads.blogspot.com/

Class runs all day until 5 p.m. and then tonight is the bead social and both a silent and a live auction. This should be quite the event. I do love a good auction! All the beads they made last night at the Lampworking Madness event will be for sale and well as many other donated items. Proceeds from the event go to the Medical College of Wisconsin's breast cancer research project. According to the program, there will be a special guest - Carmen Banana. Now that sounds intriguing, doesn't it??

Raindrop Earrings

It's Friday and time to learn how to make Raindrop Earrings with Dallas Lovett. This is a morning class, just three hours, and I'm taking it with my beading buddy Heather while Stefanie and Colleen are taking an all day class with Sherry Serafini. I couldn't get into that class as it was already sold out when I signed up, so I took Sherry's class yesterday instead and I don't mind that at all, because now I can do a little wirework and it leaves us with a free afternoon, in case we are worn out from all the beading we have been doing all week.

A Free Form Art Pendant

Class starts early this morning, at 8 a.m., and I will be spending the day learning how to make a free form pendant with Sherry Serafini. I'm not so keen on the face of this pendant, so I'm kind of hoping there are some choices for the focal bead, but I like the rest of it and I have really enjoyed my past exposure to bead embroidery, so it should be a good class. Stefanie and Colleen are taking a different class with the same teacher tomorrow but that one was already sold out by the time I signed up.

However, I am especially interested in meeting Sherry, because Beadventures has a trip in late October to New York for a week of beading and jewellery supply shopping with Sherry. The itinerary includes a trip to the museum to get inspired, going to the jewellery district to shop for bead treasures, checking out the department stores and galleries for ideas and then working with Sherry to create something fabulous. Plus there will be all the usual New York type stuff, like a Broadway show and checking out the sights of the city. My fellow beading adventurer Colleen has already signed up but I told myself I could only afford one big beading trip this year, although I'm already regretting that decision.



Check out the type of cuff bracelet they're going to work on as the project for this trip:



Isn't it cool? I could be in trouble!!

Oh yeah, and the reason class starts so early this morning is so that we'll be finished by 3 p.m., because the shopping preview starts at 4 o'clock and runs until 9!! Whoo hoo!!

Ceramic Bead Making

Today at the Bead and Button Show, I am learning how to make ceramic beads from a woman named Jennifer Heynen. Judging by the photo, it looks like it will be a lot of fun.

I really have no idea how ceramic beads are made at this point in time but it seems to me it's a little bit like making beads out of glass, only you potentially have a lot more control over the results!! The class description says we'll decorate the beads with glazes and underglazes, so that's a bit of a clue.

I bought a ceramic bead a few months ago, and haven't done anything with it yet, only because I haven't turned my mind to it. Actually, it's more of a button than a bead, as it has a shank on the back. I quite like it though!

When I signed up for the show, this was actually one of the first classes I picked, I was that intrigued. I can't wait to see what it's all about!

Evening Classes

One of the really neat ideas that is apparently new to the Bead and Button show this year is what they call Moonlight Sonata Sessions. Three hour classes offered in the evening, for those us who just can't get enough beading during the day. As they put it, "jewellery first, sleep last."

On Sunday night, after our first full day of class with Susan Lenart Kazmer, Colleen and I took an evening class with Anne Nikolai Kloss making the Rhapsody Bracelet. Doesn't it look pretty in the photo? I can't wait to see this one up close and in person.

Colleen initially thought she'd be in Milwaukee by herself, so she signed up for evening classes for all three nights they're offered. Me, I am trying to pace myself and spare my pocketbook, so I didn't sign up for anything Monday night. On Tuesday night, I'm learning how to make the Marquis Necklace from Rachel Nelson-Smith. She taught this class in February when she was here in Toronto but for some reason I cannot recall, I didn't sign up for it then but I've seen the finished product and I love it, plus I'm really looking forward to hanging out with Rachel again, so this should be a fun class.

Found Objects

As part of the 3 day course I am taking with Susan Lenart Kazmer in Milwaukee, we'll be learning how to alter found objects. As a result, I've been collecting bits of metal that I've found over the past few weeks. My sister asked me last week, "why do you keep picking up those things?" and I said, "because I'm taking a class with Susan Lenart Kazmer!"

I've got flattened bottle caps and rusty washers and springs and random bits of metal, all jingling around together in a Ziploc bag. The photo in my blog entry on April 24th gives you an idea of some of the bits and pieces I've found recently, and here's another photo showing some things I found in downtown Toronto a few weeks ago.

Hopefully the Customs agent didn't remove these goodies from my suitcase as I crossed the border!

But I must say, it's funny what you find when you take a look around and are willing to consider what other people call garbage as potential treasure. Someone put this lovely wooden box in our recycling area a few weeks ago:

As you can see, the lid is a little bit warped in one corner and there is a white spot from something, I can't tell what. But look how nice it is inside:

The other day, I found this bracelet in a box of perfectly good stuff put out near the dumpster behind my building. It's in brand new condition and has these totally funky wooden beads. Why would anyone throw it away? At the very least, why not take it to Goodwill for them to sell it and earn some money to help others? What would be the point of having this bracelet sit in a landfill for the next 50 years???