s Some of the Swarovski Ambassadors get together for cocktails with company staff.
I've recently returned from the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where it was a wonderful and also dramatic week of teaching, demonstrating, catching up with old friends and making some new one's too! I've posted more photos of the week under a new blog album titled B & B 09. I hope those of you reading this will have time to check it out.
The week started off just great with a wonderful Faux Dichoric class. For those of you who took the class, those crystals I promised will be on their was very soon to you.
Friend and student Dr. Catherine Cooke from Canada takes a class break to pose for a photo op.
Immediately following the class was the meet the teacher's event which is an incredible opportunity to see fellow designers, if only in passing and get a chance to buy incredible, one-of-a-kind works of art, kits, and books. I only had a brief time to step out of my booth, but thanks to friends Lisa and Haley, I had some time to say hi to many people I know I would not otherwise see at this hectic venue.
The amazing Robert Dancik stops by for a visit at meet the teachers night.
The next day before the beginning of the Marketplace show,
Haley Hertz and I took off an hour before the opening to do a little advanced shopping. While Haley was picking out some vintage crystal at friend
Judy Payne's booth, I told her I was going to head down the isle and for her to catch up when a motorized cart drove over the back of my ankle. Yikes! I suffered some deep gashes and the pain was intense to the point where I was unsure for some time if anything was broken or not.
Security was called to administer first aid, and they in turn called paramedics. I declined to go to the hospital after they declared that nothing was broken. After all, the show must go on. Meanwhile, my friend and talented wire artist,
Lilian Chen arrived on the scene while the drama was unfolding. She aided in wrapping ice packs around my ankle with masking tape. What, no wire? I thought at least I could have had one of Lilian's beautiful wire wraps around my ankle, but at least I was wearing crystallized sandals and had a pedicure before the show!
Haley took photos both for my records and to upload as a part of her continuing effort to act as an unofficial correspondent for the going's on at Bead & Button (see more on her Facebook page under Haley Hertz). As soon as she had documented everything, she went back to the booth to find my dear friend and Marketing Director for my
product line - Lisa Lambright with
JHB International. She didn't answer her calls, a text and was no where to be found. Lilian proclaimed she knew where to find her and went to get both her and friend/talented designer Laura Timmons who was meeting with Lisa at the time. While Lilian's English is quite good, sometimes there are word substitutions. She informed them that I was hit by a car (not a cart) and was in the street (not the isle). While it caused extreme panic for Lisa Lambright and
Laura Timmons for a few seconds, they immediately received a text that let them know I was injured in the building. I have to says that a couple of Tylenol's later and continued icing helped me get through the day where I demoed at my booth. With each passing day, the story got funnier and funnier, especially as the pain and swelling began to subside. Visit my
Haley's Facebook photo pages for more photos of the incident and general Bead & Button Show pictures.
Getting a chance to hang with fellow
CRYSTALLIZED - Swarovski ElementsSwarovski Elements Ambassadors
for a cocktail party organized by Laura Timmons was just the thing I needed to take my mind off my ankle. Being in the same room with so much incredible talent of truly humbling.
The next evening fellow designers Kristal Wick, Laura Timmons, Haley Hertz and I went to the always fabulous and fun TierraCast hospitality suite. It was a casual and relaxed chance to mingle with other exhibitors and artists. They even had Make-its and Take it, one featuring my Magic-Glos product with TierraCast components. Fellow artists, Katie Hacker and Jean Campbell showed up and I had the chance to chat and make some jewelry with the talented ladies in attendance at the "Bead Bar." Thanks to my wonderful friends Julie, Sarah, Tracy, Pam and Chris for a great evening. Pam took pity on me and propped me on a sofa with ice packs while I enjoyed a glass of wine and nibbles. Just the thing I needed after a hectic and challenging day. Classes and time in the booth continued to occupy most waking hours and I hope my students had as much fun as I did. The evening were a great chance to meet up with many friends for dinner including the crew from CRYSTALLIZED
TM -
Swarovski Elements (Vince, Nicole and Linda). Sadly, other crystal chums had to leave the show early, but I was able to squeeze in a breakfast with Rebecca. I really need two weeks at a show like this in order to get in face time with everyone I need to see. Here's hoping I can catch up with those of you I only saw in passing in Chicago for the
International Polymer Clay Association retreat and the M
etal Clay World Conference, or
Orlando CHA shows these coming months. Another year is gone, but no time to waste as I am turning right around preparing for the next year at this exciting show!
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