June was such a whirlwind. Fresh off the Hermosa ArtShow and the EvanstonMade openings I quickly refreshed my Pop Up Gallery inventory to make sure Northwestern Grads would have purple mementos. I also worked on the June 2018: #RadJewelryNTaJChallenge! for Brenda’s monthly Now That’s a Challenge! Then I headed for Milwaukee, to attend the Bead & […]
In mid-August I spend the weekend at Ayla’s Originals, a lovely bead bazaar. I frequently peruse this treasure chest of beads, and my wallet was shivering slightly at the thought of being surrounded by sparklies two full days. It was fun to have two big tables to set up. I dedicated one to jewelry. The […]
Whew, I thought 2 weeks between shows is a long time, but there is still a lot to be done by Saturday. When I went to the Bead & Button show in June I stopped by Ayla’s booth first, and was promptly stickered by Joe. At that time, we made plans for a trunk show, […]
Last week I shopped for some birthstones at Dave’s Down to Earth Rock Shop and at Ayla’s Originals. Ayla’s had a wonderful vintage bead sale and I couldn’t resist picking up a  sparkly iridescent strand. Then I made a pact with myself to inventory what I have at home. I always gravitate toward the same […]
Two years ago I visited the Bead & Button Show for the first time and was overwhelmed. It is amazing how a convention center can have a block worth of bead booths with all of them offering different wares. The plethora of colors and sparkles resulted in me only buying a few strands, since I […]
At last week’s pop-up opening we had a lovely tour of the Blue Buddha Boutique facility and got to meet some fabulous entrepreneurial ladies. Rebeca Mojica started making chain maille jewelry 12 years ago when she saw a cool belt that she wanted to recreate. She purchased 1000 jump rings that turned out to be […]
September closed out with a pop-up at Ayla’s Fall Bead Bazaar. I had perused the bazaar last year and was thrilled to be one of the vendors this year. What’s not to like about being surrounded by sparkles and beauty? Last year’s Pyrite strand made it into a set. I paired it with my Desigual […]
The Bead and Button Show is on May 27 through June 8, but this year I won’t be able to attend. I would love to take Brenda Schweder’s Jig workshops, but time- and money-wise it’s not feasible to travel to Milwaukee this year. Instead, I am perusing the beads I picked up last year for […]
Whenever I do my Etsy shoots, I try to also wear the pieces out and about for a photo record of how they look in real life, like this blue beaded pendant, ring and earring set. Sweaterdress season is almost over, and this jade stone collar looks great with knits. It’s fun to mix and […]
Ayla’s Beads held a Bazaar in Highland Park’s Art Center last weekend and I could not resist going. Having learned from the Bead & Button Show, I took a visual inventory of what I had in stock. I sort of had a budget in mind, but made exceptions for exceptional beads in the 4 rooms […]
