After Rings 'N Things

Yeah, so, Julie and I decided at lunch after the R&T show that we hadn't quite gotten our fill of beady goodness so we tried to figure out where the closest bead store was and could we make it there and still each get home in time for our other commitments (i.e. the time I was scheduled to pick up the kid).

After pondering on it, we realized that Brea Beadworks was not too far off and, oh! Lucky us. They just happened to be having a Kazuri bead trunk show that day, too.

And don't judge...I didn't get to go to Bead & Button and this shopping spree (plus my iPad) was kind of my early b-day present to myself since my birthday is tomorrow ;-)





I really love using closed rings as components in my designs. They give such an airy, open look and the rope design on these copper rings will add great texture, too.

I picked all through a bowl of these beautiful kyanite teardrops trying to find a pair that matched well in size and coloring. Still not as exact as I would like, but pretty close. I think they are going to make really stunning earrings.

And then it was time for the room with all the Kazuri beads:

I guess I was still thinking about earth tones after the R&D show because this grouping of beads caught my eye right away.

The high shine on the beads makes getting a good photo kind of tough, but I had to try to show these colors close-up.

And, of course, you know I had to get a set that was more "ocean-y" looking.

Still having a hard time getting a good close-up because the beads are so reflective.

One of the things I love about Brea Beadworks is their wide selection of art beads - way more than I see at other bead stores. This is a cute spiral earring pair from Marsha Neal. They blended into my normal wood background a little too much so I grabbed a brick that was sitting nearby and used it as a background instead.

More Marsha Neal - I just love the cute, small charms. Perfect for earrings!

A lovely enameled copper clasp from C-Koop. Again with the shine issue, though!

One of my favorite purchases from Brea a few years ago was a group of gorgeous dichroic glass leaf pendants made by Carol Fonda. So I couldn't resist the chance to pick up a couple more while I was there.

Here's what I made with one of the original leaves I bought there. No one else likes this necklace, but I it's a personal favorite of mine.

And this was my big splurge for the day - a Margaret Zinser lampwork (yes, it's lampwork) butterfly wing pendant. Iridescent purple with teal stripes and dots...how could I resist?

Now, what I would REALLY like for my birthday? The time to play with all this stuff.

KJ