New Kits!

I've finally settled in from my trip teaching up in Tacoma and had a wonderful time at the Puget Sound Bead Festival. I made a lot of new friends, got to see many old friends and had a blast spending time with my students.
Yesterday I spent the day organizing my kits and attempting to find my table under the mountians of papers and beads that seem to multiply over night like rabbits. I'm happy to report I can see bits of wood now showing through the piles of my organized chaos.
Today I managed to list the kits from my classes I just taught up in Tacoma. For those of you who are interested, please check out my Etsy site. http://www.beadologistkelly.etsy.com/
Today I've been living on blues power.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XUAg1_A7IE  And bow wow to you, too.

Puget Sound Bead Festival is Almost Here!

I really can't believe that the Puget Sound Bead Festival http://www.pugetsoundbeadfestival.com/ is already next weekend. Time seems to be traveling at the speed of light these days and I feel like I'm not getting anything accomplished. It doesn't help that summer has finally arrived here on the Oregon Coast and the sunshine is proving to be a much needed distraction. I would much rather be out enjoying the weather than sitting inside printing directions and tending to kits like I really need to. But I'd be a fool to complain. Life is good and I'm doing what I love to do.
I received a package in the mail the other day from Tierra Cast http://www.tierracast.com/ who has generously donated samples to put into my kits for my students at next weekend's Puget Sound Bead Festival. It was like Christmas to open up the package! I'm so happy to be able to share these goodies with my students. I'm not going to tell you what they are because I want the students to be surprised but I can guarantee that they will be pleased!

Pacific Northwest Garden Bracelet

Rings~n~Things

Last night I had this brilliant, or so I thought, idea for a bracelet. While at the Bead & Button show I found some fabulous light sapphire ab dentelles along with some beautiful pink rose montees. It's difficult to describe what I had in mind but I thought I was going to bezel the dentelles and connect them to these super cool lampwork borosilicate glass rings made by Greg Hanson. http://www.hanson-stone.com/ . Welllll.... it didn't not quite work out. It turned into bead disaster and I ended up taking it all apart.

I have an abundance of Greg's rings, which will be traveling with me to the Puget Sound Bead Festival with me in two weeks. But if you really can't wait and you need some now visit: http://www.etsy.com/shop/hansonstonehandmade .

I've used some of these rings in my Bamboo Garden necklace which I will also be teaching at the Puget Sound Bead Festival. For details click here: http://www.pugetsoundbeadfestival.com/store/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=39

Getting Ready for the Puget Sound Bead Festival

I'm busily finishing up my directions and kits for my Raven Moon Lariat which I will be teaching in just a matter of a couple of weeks and the Puget Sound Bead Festival. http://www.pugetsoundbeadfestival.com/ . Both the kits and the directions are just about done.
I have a copious amount of lovely borosilicate lampwork beads made by the equally as lovely, Allison Byrd of Vortex Glassworks http://www.vortexglassworks.com/ which are just wating to be dropped into the kits and then, they'll be finished. I must admit I've been procrastinating in putting them in the kits, not only because I am the queen of procrastination but because I like to look at them all! Each one is so unique and beautious I'm quite temped to roll around in them. Don't worry. I will refrain.
If you'd like to see a list of all of the classes I will be teaching at the festival please click here:
http://www.pugetsoundbeadfestival.com/store/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=39 . I absolutely love teaching at this show. The host hotel, which is the Hotel Murano http://www.hotelmuranotacoma.com/ is a work of art in and of itself. What a treat it is to stay there. The loby is full of paintings and sculptures and makes you feel like you are in a gallery rather than a hotel lobby. Tacoma is fantastic city with wonderful galleries and is a mecca for glass art. How could anyone not love glass art? Within walking distance from the Hotel Murano is the Chihuly Glass Museum http://www.museumofglass.org/.  If you haven't been, you really should visit it.
Have I concinced you yet??!!

What rock have I been hiding under?

While I was at the Bead & Button show I discovered that I must have been living under a rock for quite some time, as I was unaware of the fabulous German beading magazine Perlen Poesie. http://www.perlen-poesie.de/ Where the heck have I been??!!
The super talented and extrmemely kind (anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting her in person knows her smile simply lights up a room!)  Laura Andrews http://www.lauraandrews.com/ introduced me to Andrea and Freddie Ott of Perlen Poesie fame. Lucky for me, since I don't know any German, they spoke perfect English and I was able to have a nice converstation with them. It turns out they had been to my neck of the woods, Florence , OR. What a small world. Most people in the states have never even heard of Florence, Oregon! Andrea gifted me with a copy of their beautiful magazine and I was really impressed. I'm going to subscribe, I was so impressed. The photographs are wonderful and although I can't read German, the diagrams are so well done that I don't think it even matters!
Please visit their website to check out photos of this year's Toho party in Milwaukee. There's even one of Andrea and I that Freddie took! Check it out: http://perlen-poesie.de/neuigkeiten/details/toho-empfang

Adios Milwaukee

The Bead & Button show is officially over which is always kind of sad but I'm really looking forward to getting home to my dog, who I have missed like crazy. Plus, I'm anxious to get back to beading as this show is always an inpiration for new ideas. AND... I really miss Nadine- my guitar.

We spent our last night in Milwaukee at a fantastic restaurant that my former big boss man Shaun Haley of Out on a Whim Beads fame, (mug shot pictured above) recommended. It was called Molly Cool's and it was some of the best sea food I've ever eaten. Now, I live on the Oregon coast so, you know that's really saying something. I had to take a picture of my dinner because it was so lovely. Here we have Dover Sole stuffed with crab, cream cheese and peppers served over garlic mashed potatoes, topped with a dill sauce. Yum. Painted on the wall of the restaurant was this: "Molly Cool's is shucking amazing." I couldn't agree more. They even had this cool placemats with intructions on how to clean fish.
Stay tuned for more Bead & Button photos including highlights from the Bead Dreams cases.

Bead & Button Update...

I'm still having a blast here at the Bead & Button show. Last night I taught my second session of my bezeled bottle cap earring class and it went very well. I was amazed at how quickly the students in my classes who had never done peyote stitch before caught on. I was impressed.
After class was over, I rushed to get over to the Toho party, which as always, was very nicely done. The Toho family really treats us well. My favorite part about going to the party was getting to visit the gallery and view the inspiring beadwork. Not only that but practically everyone at the party was a walking work of art wearing their best beady creations. I saw some of the most jaw dropping wearable art last night. One of the highlights of the evening was getting to meet the lovely Barb Switzer in person! http://www.beadswitzer.com/ She's been a facebook friend for a while and it was cool to see that she's actually a real live talking person! Plus she's super nice.
I've been really bad about taking photos. S orry! I'll try to get on the ball and take more. Stay tuned for more B&B updates...