BeadStyle : bead shows

My favorites from the Bead&Button show

Jane Konkel — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:21:00 GMT

My favorites from the Bead&Button show

High Caliber Collar:
Rebecca Starry from Anchorage AK, entered her necklace in the Bead Dreams competition. She used a right-angle weave technique and huge bullets to make this stunning necklace.

Brenda Schweder, Cathy Jakicic, and Karin Buckingham:
Kalmbach book authors.

Robert Dancik:
Robert uses faux bone to make beautiful jewelry that reminds me of scrimshaw. He also makes crazy cool jewelry like the bracelet he is holding which is a series of plastic fingers. One of the fingernails is painted red. To view a trailer and clip for his workshop go to ccpvideos.com/r/dancik.

Celie Fago:
I am captivated by her work. And chatting with her was awesome. She has magnificent energy.

Bob Burkett:
The first time I met Bob was in Tuscon four years ago. I’ve admired his shibuichi pieces ever since. He’s got this unassuming personality and so much talent.

Spinner Rings:
These rings are Jill Erickson’s. I took her spinner ring class. I did not photograph the ring I made, because I didn’t finish it yet. Surprise, surprise.

Amazing View:
This photo was taken from the 8th floor of the parking structure attached to the Midwest Express Center. Milwaukee has some incredible views.

Charms and Found Glass:
I visited with Cathy Collison, owner of Glass Garden Beads. The tokens say things like, “Poughkeepsie & Wappingers Falls RY Co: and “This Token Awarded For Skill.” The glass pieces are cut a tumbled pieces from vases. You can see a project using Cathy’s bottle cap beads and found glass pieces in the July issue of BeadStyle.

Chain:
It was difficult to hold myself back when buying chain. Many vendors had a huge variety of really unique chain. The price was right on this chain from The Chain Gallery.

Green Girl Studios:
Each year I spend a few bucks with the Green Girls (Cynthia, Andrew and Greg). I adore them and their beautiful pewter pieces.

Naomi at the JANY show

Erin Dolan — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:34:00 GMT

For the past few years, Naomi has traveled to New York for the JA Winter Show. Since she is in the Big Apple until Thursday, she asked me to link to her personal blog, where she recently posted about some fabulous finds at the JANY show. I can't wait until she comes back to the good ole' Midwest and shows everyone at BeadStyle her newest purchases and creative ideas!

Check out Naomi's blog to read about her time at the JANY show! And check back in at the Editor's Blog next week for more about Naomi's trip!

Fair Trade Connections

Jane Konkel — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:38:00 GMT

This weekend in my neighborhood is the Westside Artwalk. I am honored to be displaying some of my tagua bead jewelry at Four Corners of the World. The jewelry is made with beads similar to the tagua sliced used in the necklace on the March cover of BeadStyle.

Four Corners of the World carries a variety of Fair Trade products, including: coffee, tea, chocolate bars, table cloths, gifty item for kids, finger puppets, musical instruments, carved animals, clothing, baskets, Putumayo World Music, purses, scented soaps and lots of beautiful jewelry.

Approximately 2.7 billion people in the world exist on less than $2 a day. Fifteen thousand children between the ages of 9 and 12 have been sold into forced labor on conventional cotton, coffee and cocoa plantations.
Fair trade is a system of exchange that seeks to create greater equity and partnership with people internationally through fair wages, public accountability, consumer education, cultural identity, and financial and technical support. Shopping at places like Four Corner of the World is a unique experience. The purchase of fair trade items is money ethically spent.

If you live in the Milwaukee area, or if you have plans to travel to Milwaukee for the Bead&Button Show (June 1st–8th). Stop and shop at Four Corners of the World.

Bead-show buzz

Stacy Hillmer — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:12:00 GMT

Last week, staff from both BeadStyle and Bead&Button returned from the Tucson gem and mineral shows. Though I didn’t get to go, all the sharing of stories and purchases has gotten me excited for the Bead&Button Show, June 1–8, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

You may have read the “Bead&Button Show guide” in our March 2008 issue, which includes a show schedule and survival checklist. For even more information (and we’re talking lots and LOTS of information), check out the show Web site, www.beadandbuttonshow.com. In addition to registering for classes, the Web site allows you to do some pretty awesome things:

1)    Look up pictures and bios of your teachers, including our very own Naomi Fujimoto
2)    Preorder souvenirs (they go fast, so we really do recommend you preorder!)
3)    Plan which restaurants you want to eat at while you’re in town
4)    Make a beeline for your favorite vendor (if you know their booth number) by viewing the 2008 floor plan

Now, an admission: This year will be my first time at the Bead&Button Show, or any bead show for that matter. In light of that, I’d love to hear stories and advice from anyone who has attended! What should I (and other beaders) know before going to the show?