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Friday, June 12, 2009

Bead & Button 2009 is over, see ya next year!


Hello everyone! ( all 3 of you who read my blog! LOL) Bead and Button Show is finally over! The drive to Milwaukee, WI with Mom was not so terrible. The ride lasted 16 hours but that was because Mom likes to drink coffee... alot of coffee, which means, she likes to stop for bathroom breaks ALL THE TIME! It was fine, we left a day early and my set up is very simple so we had alot of extra time to chill out. The show began with a BANG, Thursday Preview night was fabulous and Friday was just as good. Saturday was really slow, slower than I had imagined "slow" would be like at B & B and Sunday only a wee bit better! I love being there so even the slow days are ok, but I would have really loved it to be 4 days of Thursday night repeats! I am going back again next year, I have handed in my contract and that will decide my future at B & B. The show is so fantastic to be a part of and I hope I can continue being a part as long as I can. It was wonderful seeing the winners of the Bead Dreams Competition were some people I knew, especially a BAO sister, Janice from Naftali. It was very sad to see the lack of a variety of materials aside from those mixed in with Seed Beads and especially sad to see almost no representation of buttons. If there was I am sorry I missed it. I sometimes wonder if my next subscription the word Button may disappear entirely as it gets smaller and smaller with each issue.
I had so much fun meeting "in person" Mary Lou Holvenstot from time2cre8.com. She is such a wonderful person to know over the net, and in person just as wonderful! Mom and I were very happy to have Heather Powers from Humblebeads stay with us on Friday night and tell us all about the Bead Cruise and her creations! I believe we have to say things like this nowadays, due to the nature of how we meet so many fascinating people via our computers. I am always describing how much I adore a good friend of mine only to then say, but we have never met face to face. I am happy when I hear that is becoming part of the norm! What did people do before they could meet their creative soul mates from way accross the country or accross the globe?

I displayed beautiful pieces created by Carol Dean Sharpe of SandFibers, Mary Lou Holvenstot from Time2cre8, Grace Danel from Grace Beading and Linda Themer from Textured Turtle. I also brought along Marsha Hedricks, Amazing Porcelain Beads alot of which were featured in Beads 2009! My favorite has to be the jointed teddy bear...if only you could see this piece in person you would just fall in love! The pieces created for the show by the artists I mentioned were such an integral part of my being able to sell my cabochons (large cabochons) that I truly owe them a commission on every sale! Potential buyers, who moved on from trays of pendants to cabs, wondered, "why dont these pieces have bails?" and all I had to do was point and the gasps began. (see photo of MOM) I cannot thank you enough ladies for supporting me in the way you have over the last few months (even years) What is most amazing is how each piece, using the same materials had totally unique outcomes. They were absolutely amazing and I love you all so much for spending the hours that were necessary to complete such wonderful works! Please check out the artists websites, blogs & flickr.com accounts to see these works in all stages of developement and I too will have photographs posted everywhere I can! My dear friend, Linda Themer was going through a very rough time as I was preparing for this show and I wish I could have been more supportive (email/phone call-wise) during this time, as she was very supportive to me when she assisted me in 2008 Bead and Button Show! Thanks for your understanding Linda! and people LOVE your Rusty Turtle Fabric!
To all the people I met this year at B & B for the first time, it was a pleasure to meet you and thank you for your purchases! To all the people who could not attend, I will begin stocking my ETSY shop next week, which I let run out prior to the show so I could have all new inventory! There are a few trunk shows in the works for different parts of the country which I will let you all know about as soon as they are "written in stone" so if you are local you can stop by and see the pieces in person! To B & B Faculty a BIG THANKS for sharing my pieces with your students and vice versa, that is always wonderful to hear that my work gets a thumbs up from "gals in groups". And lastly, Lisa finally bought a little kiln! So custom orders may be do-a-ble! And if I get my way Cone 10 & PMC Metal Clays will be added to the lisapetersART mix as well.. lets see how adventurous I become! Til then, I should be back to blogging next week, please check out Facebook & Flickr for photo updates and Thanks again for your constant encouragement and support - it really means alot! I'm back, Lisa

10 comments:

Sharon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sharon said...

Wow, love your display and your mom looks like a lot of fun! Glad you had a great time, hopefully I will attend the next one!

Jenny said...

I for one, always read your blog!And I am very looking forward to the etsy upload. I was just thinking the other day I needed more Lisa Peters clay. Words - I luv the newer word pieces. Your peice lookied nice in - oh which mag? Designer was Lorelei...

Thomas Sheridan said...

This is really outstanding work. So original and vibrant. I could spend years looking at the patterns and details. Well done!

mairedodd said...

so glad you had such a good time! a lot of work, but it sounds like it was worth it... your inventory is staggering - i cannot believe you were able to make all of that... look forward to seeing some of it in your etsy shop! :0)

Mellisa said...

Sounds like a success! Congratulations and glad you're back to blogging :)

Lisa Peters Russ said...

Hi everyone!
Thanks! B & B was fun!
etsy shop to be filled soon (i hope)

GraceBeading said...

Wonderful post Lisa... thanks for taking me there through your photos and words.

Love the photo of you and MaryLou. It's nice to see shots of your booth too. Looks like so much fun, maybe next year will be my first? Just maybe...

Pat de Verre said...

I meet you and saw your awesome work. Hope also to come back next year with much money to spend.
I worked one time raku with a friend and I think it was a fantastic experience that I dream to do another time.
hugs
Pat

Mari said...

I love the owl pendants. How can I buy some? mari from Puerto Rico