I am interrupting Monday's normal "Monday's Methods" posts to bring you news of a fantastic show I went to over the weekend. On Saturday I took my mom to the Ottawa Glass Bead Artists Show in Ottawa, Ontario. It was fantastic! I didn't take many photos as it was crawling with people, and I didn't want to be jostling everyone, but I did get some great handouts from various glass bead makers.
I was also very, very good in that I only bought 2 strands of faceted onyx briolettes at half price. I stayed away from the Baltic Amber chips at $22 per strand...though I really, really wanted it!
I also bought a book on chain mail work! I am SO excited as I have had this on my Amazon.ca wish list for almost a year. This is a great book as it has great chain mail designs that are also added on to with beads:
It is fabulous and I can't wait to make some new creations with it, stay tuned for that!
I also saw my good friend
Louise, who owns and runs
Fireseed, her own private lamp work glass studio. She makes the most amazing beads and it was to see her and her newest creations in person that I really went to the show. She makes the most adorable
Monkee beads - monkeys with different hats, different outfits, all out of glass! She even has a new Viking Monkee in honor of her newest endeavor - creating beads that are
recreations of historical beads...some of them dating back thousands of years! Louise is on the right, and her good friend Jane is on the left.
I was, again, very good and didn't buy anything from Louise, though I am going to buy a Viking Monkee from her...she only had one at the show and I didn't want to take the only one and not let her clients see it. I will, however be buying it, or one like it if the original sold. That being said...
...I do already have quite a few "Fireseed By Louise Ingram" beads...I think I have an addiction...no, wait, I DO have an addiction. But really, after looking at these beads, how could I not?
I had a great time at the show, seeing so many different artists, being inspired, I will DEFINITELY be back next year, and I highly recommend that you go to...you need a vacation, right? See you there next year!
Tune in tomorrow for the FINISHED bracelet I've been working on!
It's Here! It's Here! The Cleopatra Bangle Bracelet is finally here and finished! It took over ten hours and 3000 teeny, tiny seed beads (each individually sewn into the next) but it is finished and FABULOUS! I used glass seed beads in shades of shiny darklapis lazuli blue and golden amber to recapture the lost opulence of Cleopatra, once queen of Egypt.
This bracelet fits over hands with a circumference of 7-1/2 inches, and is now for sale on my Etsy store. This is ONE OF A KIND! I can't get these exact blue seed beads again so get it while you can. If you would like one in a different size, I can make a similar one for you, just contact me for details...
I also managed to get into 3 different treasuries, filled with other fabulous Etsy artists Click on the links to go and see more. Above is Handmade Holidays Part 2
The one above is Plurkers Unite, from one of my Plurk buddies (see my Plurk feed on the lower right of my blog for details).
This one is Festive Goodies, with more fabulous gift ideas.
