I’ve been home for almost a full week now, but this is the first chance I’ve gotten to sit down and write about my ISGB convention experience. I had loads of fun, the weather was beautiful, and I spent tons of money. Here is what I bought. In the wooden case is a bead liner. I think that is what it’s called. What you do is, you put your bead in there with a silver tube through it, and you twist the dial and it flares the ends of the silver tube making a silver lined bead with neat ends. I haven’t tried it yet – I need silver tubing, and that might have to wait a month.
To the right of the bead liner is a small container labeled WCL-3. This is a wax bound luster that I got from Thompson enamels. It looked intriguing. Next we have a pile of enamel samples – over 40 different sample packs. Apparently this will last me a lifetime. Below the enamels is my Double Helix glass. I got there early enough to get several different test batch samples. Then there’s a tin of Double Helix murrini, and some goldstone frit. Next we have another pile of glass, and in front of the glass is a rather spiffy pair of glasses that actually fit my head. I’m really quite fond of the glasses. In the upper left is a mug with the little battery powered fan that came with it. Next to the mug is a box of postcards which I buy every year. This year Marcy Lamberson‘s card was on top – go Marcy! On top of the postcards are 10 necklaces that I bought in anticipation of trying to sell some of my beads at a First Friday in Gadsden. I know people will want to have something to put the beads on, so I got these. Also on top of the postcards is a couple of strips of dichroic glass.
Now on to the beads. These are all the beads I bought at the bead bazaar on Saturday. In the top left is an accurate rendition in glass of a Snakeriver Firespot Cutthroat Female trout made by artist Cleo Dunsmore. It is truly stunning in person. On the right is a darling bead by Yoko Nakagawa of Japan. On the bottom right is a long bead made by Mary Tarara. To the left of that is a butterfly murrini bead made by Stephanie White of Beads by Design. Left of that is a blown chili pepper that I gave to my mother – I don’t know who made that unfortunately. And to the left of that is a bead made by artist Leah Fairbanks. I didn’t spend a lot of time at the bead bazaar because I kept buying stuff. There were so many talented artists there! Maybe one day I’ll be able to count myself among them.
These are the beads that I made in the Leah Fairbanks class that I took. They are pretty good for class beads if I do say so myself. I got to Rochester a couple of days early so that I could take the class and I’m so glad I did! I have admired Leah’s work for ages, and it was really inspiring to take a class from her. These beads have nifty things in them such as silver, palladium, gold, and dichroic glass. I burnt out the dichro on the last one, oh well.
I have two amazing stories to tell, but they will have to wait for the next post.
Me, In An Atypical Way 