Bead & Button Show - Stash Part I

Well, I started taking photos of the treasure I brought back home from the Bead & Button Show right before sunset - but then the Human Tornado whirled back from the park with his Dad, so I had to stop. Still, I thought I'd go ahead and post what I have, even if I continue this later in the week.

I have been an admirer of Pati Walton's work since Sarah Moran introduced her beads to me a couple years ago (basically, if Sarah likes an artist's work, I'm pretty much bound to like it as well - she has such good taste). I found out from Pati's blog that she would be attending Bead & Button this year, took a look at my budget, and decided before even entering the Marketplace that I would aim to come home with one of her beads. This is it - one of her classic aquarium beads filled with gorgeous murrine fish. Here are shots of the bead from other angles:

She even has a signature cane with the year embedded in the bead (you can sort of see it at the bottom of the last photo). If you aren't already familiar with her work, I urge you to take a look - photos of her gorgeous canes are posted on her blog and there's a gallery section of her finished pieces that completely makes me drool.

I was also particularly eager to see one of Greg Ogden's articulated crabs (a sneak peek of which was posted on Cynthia's blog right before the show). Green Girl Studios had a small bowl of them tucked among their beautiful display. I'm here to say that these little guys are even better in person! They're so tactile - you just want to touch the bead all of the time. Plus, the articulation is brilliant - the crab seems to skitter when it moves:

Needless to say, this wasn't all I came back with from Green Girl Studios - more photos to follow.

Gary Wilson, that most excellent of lapidaries, also had his usual brilliant wares - I just cannot get over the high quality of stones he offers. As usual, I bought a bag of cool supplies there (which will hopefully show up in my work later this year). Plus, I spotted this, the only strand of beads I bought at the show this year:

I love the juxtaposition of the polished with the rough surfaces on this agate, and the fact that they are chunks rather than slices. Once again, these are stones that just beg to be touched and the fact that he offered them in graduated sizes is just, well, sweet. (Gary asked me if I will keep the strand intact or break it up, but my feeling is that the strand really has to be largely kept together, don't you?)

That's it for now - a little more to follow later this week. Thanks for visiting!