WHO WROTE THAT? A BEAD PUZZLE

     Real life has intruded on my beading and blogging time as we look for contractors to replace our ancient furnace --seriously, it belongs in a museum--and backyard fence. 
     So I was tickled last week to find out that Beki Haley, talented beadwork designer and co-owner of Out on a Whim bead store, had included my name in a word puzzle involving authors of beadwork books for her newsletter subscribers. 
     The contest is actually open to everyone so here is the link to the puzzle  http://whimbeads.com/newsletters/7-26-13-puzzle-rules.html.  When you find all of the names, the remaining letters will spell out a sentence.  Email the sentence to the address listed in the instructions before August 15 and be entered in a drawing to win 1 of 2 $50 gift certificates from Whimbeads.
     I finished the puzzle, although it was a bit of a challenge for me because I don't do them very often.  My mom found my name with a minute so I felt inspired to play.  I also signed up for the newsletter.
     More inspiring was looking at the home page of Whimbeads.com, where Beki has put photos of some of their new beads Whimbeads.com.  Those black and purple Rulla beads are calling my name.  First I have to finish the commissioned black and white snake necklace.

BEAD AND BUTTON 2013: SHOPPING

I spent a lot of my limited shopping time staring at seed beads at my two favorite booths, Beyond Beadery and Out on a Whim while picking out beads for a new class.  I did manage to snag a few fun things.

First, the new tools.  I treated myself to a pair of Lindstrom chain-nose pliers because I loved the Lindstrom cutters and round-nose pliers that I bought last year.

 

 

     Next was the Crystal Katana tool invented by Kellie DeFries, the Crystal Ninja.  I tried using the little stick with beeswax to put chatons and beads into Crystal Clay but the beeswax kept falling off the stick.  So, no more of that--I now have the right tool.

 

 

 

Here are the shaped beads that I bought: Rizos, Super Duos, Rullas, CzechMates Petals, and CzechMates Bricks.

 

 

Then some seed beads for upcoming classes:

 

 

The colorful stuff also jumped into my basket: the new Luminous Delicas and some neon spikes.

 

 

Then I bought some beads just because.  The first on my list was a porcelain pendant from Golem Studio.     

 

 

I couldn't pass up the cute top made from vintage metal cans that I saw at the booth of the Glass Onion Bead Co. 

 

 

 

I was really happy to find Joan Miller and snag one of her smaller robot beads.

 

Thanks to Sharon Wagner's perseverance ( every time we ran into each other, I was desperately seeking food), I talked to the Horseman Ltd. people about their Crystaletts, 3mm crystal buttons.  I bought a pack of buttons to play with and can't wait until their stitch markers are available.

Crystaletts topaz buttons with stitch marker sitting on top of the package.



 

Linda Hartung, of Alacarte Clasps, was kind enough to spend some time showing me what you can do with WireLace and WireLux.  Since I have knit with wire for a store display, I am fascinated with the product.

Here is Linda demonstrating their products at the shopping preview on Thursday.

This is a necklace made with the WireLux and a flower of WireLace and Crystal Clay.  The WireLux can be shaped into a rickrack pattern with manipulation.

Another WireLux necklace with a knot tied into the middle surrounded by earrings and flowers made with WireLace.

I later ran across the nice ladies at WireKnitZ who also sell knitted copper wire in a number of sizes and colors.  I bought some of their heavier knit to play with.

Here is my combined knitted wire purchases. The heavier gauge WireKnitZ is at the top right and the rest of the supplies are the WireLace and WireLux.

That ends my shopping for 2013.  I might have bought more but I was just too tired to make decisions; thank goodness for internet ordering.  Tomorrow I will put up the few photos that I took of the Bead Dreams pieces.