Last week was my first time attending the Bead&Button Show, and what an experience! It was fantastic to meet so many creative people and world-famous teachers and designers. And of course I had a blast shopping.

On that note, I made a number of rookie mistakes that I thought I would pass on to any of you planning to attend next year:

1)  I turned my back on a strand of beads I was thinking of buying. I wanted to make sure I was committed to the purchase, and since you can’t carry around your “maybe buys” like you can in a store, I simply continued my shopping without making a note of the booth the beads were at. Never saw them again. Lesson learned: Always write down the number of the booth or circle it in your show program, even if you think you'll remember the approximate location.

2)  I didn’t bring enough cash. Most of the show vendors take major credit cards, but only if your purchase totals more than $20. Since I was just picking up a strand here and a strand there, I often had to pay in hard currency, which quickly dried up. Lesson learned: Hit the ATM before shopping.

3)  I carried around my class supplies, including a task lamp, in a tote bag while shopping. My shoulder quickly became tired, and I swear I am still walking a little lopsided today. Lesson learned: Store your supplies in a locker, your car, or your hotel room while shopping, but leave enough time to retrieve them before your class.

4)  I wore fashionable rather than comfortable shoes. Not only were my feet sore while I was shopping, but standing around booths and teachers during demonstrations quickly became painful. Lesson learned: Your show shoes should be comfy and supportive.

Finally, a shout out to all the students of Lisa Niven Kelly’s ShaBangles class Saturday, 2:00-5:00 pm. Thanks for being such good sports about the weather and helping to keep panic-stricken tornado-phobes (that would be me!) calm. It was wonderful meeting all of you! How did your bracelets turn out?