Shopping Again

I went to the Intergalactic Bead Show on March 12th. It was packed with shoppers.

As soon as I walked through the door I found Silver in Style, the vendor I had come to buy from. I attended this show for the specific purpose of buying sterling clasps and sterling charms if I could find them. I have previously bought from Silver in Style and although I have a few pieces left from my previous purchase, most of my supply was exhausted.

My pocketbook would have been better off if I would have called it a day right then.











Indian Creek beads has the best collection of turquoise, which I always crave but never buy. Indian Creek also has a table of $2.00 18 inch strands of stone and beads glass as well as strands of Czech crystals, including 2 and 3 mm bicones which are perfect for seed beading. Most of the strands of crystal beads are $2.00 but I sprung for a couple of $3.00 strands. It only makes sense to stock up on the basics at that price.

On the Rocks is a new vendor to me. She had seed beads, kits, tools, and supplies. She also had size 13 Charlottes. These were rare enough to entice me. I bought hanks in galvanized metals and two colored hanks. The galvanized hanks will probably be used regularly, but I love the colored hanks. The light colored hank is a bone color and the red is a deep dark maroon.

Last year I bought from The Rabbit Hutch for the first time.  I have a few bracelets left in stock, but I have sold a few too.  My other buys make sense to my beading habits, this purchase was a indulgence.  Photos never do justice, but the colors are fabulous.  My buyers all want black and white;  I think they are really saying they want neutrals.  I love the bone and brown pillow beads with silver speckles.  How could these fail to appeal to the neutral shopper?  The round graduated beads are not neutral, they are spring colors: purple, green, and white.   Blue beads always grab my attention.  I had a customer tell me she had no blue in her wardrobe- I pointed out she was wearing blue jeans and sold her the bracelet she had in hand.  The larger blue pillow beads are a beautiful sky blue with gold highlights in the transparent end.  These have such depth.  The other set of blue pillow beads are a frosted blue with gold and chocolate highlights. 

I buy spooled copper wire from Cherry Tree Beads- another practical purchase.  That didn’t stop me from eyeing the stones.  I walked away after my wire purchase.  I couldn’t, however, walk out the door without purchasing a strand of jasper.  These are large beads, measuring 30 mm by 40 mm.  

I can’t wait to start using these beads.