for the Stitches Trade show. Jones and Company, the distributor of my product line in the UK partnered with JHB International to send me over to teach and demo my line. Friend and fellow designer Haley Hertz accompanied me to assist and for the fun of it. After the first of many harrowing travel incidents (we missed out connecting flight to Birmingham, due to weather), we arrived in London and slowly made our way up towards the center of the country, sans luggage.
We went shopping for an outfit just in case the luggage never arrived, but it did a day later. Our hotel was out in the middle of nowhere, but we did have a superb pub to eat at each night. The show and classes kept me busy. I did eak out a little time to chat with friends like Suze Weinberg and Wyatt White (Beadalon) and walk the floor. Our Jones and company gentlemen, John, "Polymer Prince" Darren, Stavros and Steven were all great help in the booth and in my classes. The wonderful Darren volunteered to help us get out +300 pounds of luggage to the train station the last day in Birmingham; something he ended up regretting. Our mad dash left us all winded and drenched with perspiration, but we made the train in time. That's another adventure all together. 
Two very tired, hungry and punchy girls arrived in London where the travel adventures continued. Our delightful cab driver John couldn't find Carol Blackburn's address in the Docklands. Darling Carol greeted us weary travelers with a delightful meal and the wonderful company of our co-host Darek and their friend from Japan, Kimio. Their lovely home has amazing views of the Tower Bridge, as did the class venue Carol arranged for my London Clay Guild workshop. That's the amazing and talented Carol Blackburn (our host) with me and Hay and the Tower bridge in the background, just outside of her home. Doesn't it look like your typical Sears portrait studio backdrop? Yes, we really were there and not Photoshopped in! Thanks Carol and Derek for opening their home to us and the very comfy accommodations!
What a lovely bunch of "cladies," the London group was! I hope they had as much fun and Haley and I did. It was amazing teaching a class that had a view of the Thames river. One day was left for play and Hay and I set off for the Tube (underground subway). We had a wonderfully exhausting day in London visiting Westminster Abbey, riding the Millennium "London Eye" ferris wheel, seeing Big Ben, Harrods and finishing off our day in one of my favorite pubs (The Duke of York) followed by the stage show of Billy Elliot. Our next day back to the states and onto Maryland continued our travel adventures. Oh does the fun never end! See more pix in the UK Gallery.
im so envy at you! i love london so much. my husband is there now. i, thinking of surprising him next week. i will book a ticket via last minute travel and im there .
Posted by: London Hotels | November 08, 2009 at 09:34 AM