Philadelphia BeadFest 2010

When I booked this trip months ago, it seemed like it would never get here.  And then it was gone in a blink of an eye.  Cas came over Thursday night and we hung out while I made Mississippi Mud Cake and then video chatted with Lorelei and Nancy.  We left the house early Friday morning for the airport.  And of course we had to have our cameras out to document every moment. 

As I was refilling my water bottle that I always carry with me, I spilled and soaked my jeans.  So not only did I look like I peed my pants before getting on the plane, I was damp for the next four hours.  But that didn't put a damper on my excitement!  There was our plane :)

And here we are before we even pulled out of the gate :)

Goodbye Atlanta!

Hello 33,000 feet!

And hello Philadelphia!

Lorelei had her little Flip movie camera out as we met in baggage claim and I was shooting from my waist.  It was only two weeks since I saw Lorelei, but it felt like longer.  Always so good to see good friends in person.  And this was the first time Cas or I met Nancy.  I think it's fair to say we liked her right from the start.

After we got checked into our hotel room, we headed to the other side of the building and down the stairs to BeadFest!  There were hundreds of vendors lined up in row after row after row.

Who doesn't need gaudy, plastic roses in every color? :D  I think they would be perfect for the top of birthday cakes!

Not sure if that green is rhyolite or just dyed stones like the rest.  Hard to tell on so many, since they were not all marked.

I don't know what I would do with these big beads, but I loved how they looked.

Cathy Collison of Trinket Foundry had these fun bottle cap beads.

I lurve turquoise!

Sara of C-Koop beads didn't disappoint with all of her beautifully enameled pieces in every color of the rainbow.  I still have some of her beads and clasps from last year, so I restrained myself from buying any this year.

There were cabochons galore, which made Cas happy.  I think she bought a ton and can't wait to see the gorgeous rings she makes out of them!

We had barely walked into the show when we bumped into Marsha from Marsha Neal Studio and talked for awhile and took pics.

Then Kerry Bogert of Kabs Concepts joined us and we had to take more pics :)

Then it was back to shopping.  There were many cool little stamps.

And all kinds of bottles for finishing metals, but they were all considered hazmat materials which I would not have been allowed to bring on the plane.  Bummer.

Here are Diane Hawkey, Melanie Brooks, Kerry and Lorelei cheesing for me.  We all went out to dinner Friday night, along with Cas and Nancy.  It was a fun girls night out!

I thought these white beads looked just like ice.

Sunday morning we met Mary Jane and she was wonderful.  We all wished we could have spent more time with her, but she had to run into a classroom.  And just as we were leaving for the airport later, she caught a 90 minute break.  I'm sure Lori and Nancy were wishing Cas and I had our own car at that point.  Maybe next year it will work out better.

I finally got into a pic with Diane and Melanie!

Before we left the hotel, we did another turn with our cameras.  Check out the ring Cas made and gave to Lorelei!

I wasn't ready for the weekend to end.  I had so much fun with my girlfriends and spent so much of the time laughing.  It was good for my soul.  It was fun shopping with fellow artists and hearing their opinions and experience regarding different materials and also vendors.  This weekend sparked my creativity and has inspired me to break out in some new directions.  

This weekend has also solidified my feelings that it is time to end the wait list on the eggs.  I have been making them for over 6 months now on this custom request line.  While it has been extremely fun and I have been pushed to find new combinations and perfect my technique in shaping beads, it has also stopped me from trying new things or making other beads to put in my shop.  I don't want to come to a point where I hate eggs and never want to make one or look at one again, so I am stopping now.  The people who are on the list will still get their eggs.  After that, I am taking a break.  But don't get too upset.  I know someone who is going to be making her own eggs soon and can't wait to share more on that with you after she is ready. :)