Bead Cruise 2010

On my list of Bead Cruises, BC 2010 has to be the number
one best cruise ever. Heather has totally got the planning
part down. This years group might have been just a bit
smaller than previous years, but it didn't lack in anything.
The ladies were absolutely the funniest and sweetest yet.
Our teachers were very talented, and just as much fun to
be around outside of the classrooms. Our days were filled
with beading, hanging out with the other cruisers and in the
evening we were shopping with Bella Modo...who I must say
has the biggest line of Swarvoski crystals, Vintaj brass and
anything else you could have wanted. Pam and Belinda were
so very sweet, and Belinda was the most knowledgeable
person I've ever seen when it comes to Swarvoski.
Unbelievable!

Our second stop on the cruise. St. Thomas Island.

A view of our ship from across the bay.

Next stop was St. Maarten. There's a French side and a

Dutch side of the island. Anywhere you wanted to be still

had beautiful beaches and clear blue water. Warm sunny

days and gentle breezes. There is nothing wrong with

wanting to live on an island.

Tomorrow I will post some more about the Cruise.

I have lots of pictures and things to talk about.

Autumn surprises and The Bead Shop

Wednesday I took the morning and drove to have my yearly
mammogram. It was a very cool and rainy day, but just enough
sun to brighten the colors a little. So I took some autumn shots
to share.

The beautiful red oak tree in front of our house. The maples
are holding on as long as they can, already in three days they
are turning yellow and falling off. I remember one fall sitting
in my living room looking at a tree in our front y ard
and the very last leaf that was on it let go and fluttered softly
to the ground. I could almost hear its sad sigh....
ok, that's a little deep even for me...lol.

Our country roads.

My neighbors beautiful burning bush. It has to be as big

as a mini van. And even more red when the sun shines on

it. Ours are being ravaged by the deer who love the tender

little nubs at the end.

Dried soy bean fields ready to be harvested and colored woods.

So while I was in Kazoo, I thought I would look around at

a couple of shops (Michael's, Barnes and Nobles).

I drove past this bead store that I have been to a couple of

times, but I must say that it just wasn't stocked with much

that I was interested in, everything was crowded, and it was

way too dark inside. So in passing by I noticed that there

was more light and it looked different. So I went around the

block and stopped. Imagine my surprise when I walked in.

Someone had been cleaning the place up. There was a wall

of chains! Great displays of glass beads! Strands of stones.

Lots of metal charms, wood and bone. If you have a tax

I.D. you can get a discount of 10% off.

ANTIQUE COPPER! And at a reasonable price too. Look

at those little leaves.

Brass and bright copper chain, Czech glass.

More glass that was just beautiful. Little glass lentils, and

wooden beads. There was bone, ceramic and I could just

go on and on.

Up close of my favorite glass beads. I was like a kid in a

candy store. So if you get to Kalamazoo and need to buy

beads, stop by Cindy's shop, The Bead Store on Westnedge.

You won't be disappointed that's for sure. Her daughter

is there to help and she's a sweetie!

Rings and Things

Tomorrow is the day that Rings and Things
comes to Grand Rapids. I'm ready to go spend
the afternoon with my sister Sue and Kayla.
Meeting Dort there too since I haven't seen her
in a while. I get so excited when they come to
our area. Wahoo!
After this weekend I'm pretty much gonna be
gone. Next week starts the Spring rummage
sale at our Church, if you hadn't heard it before,
its something I got involved in and then somehow
I managed to become the person in charge of it...
twice a year. Anyhoo, it sucks all my energy for
the next 7 days, starting Sunday. So I'll be
reading your blogs and falling to sleep in my dinner
after Sunday night.

Local Yocal...

I stopped into my local bead store today. Just to

look around, nothing else. Sure, sure. Like that ever really

happens. They are stocking the most beautiful filigree items.

In copper, brass and silver. Way over priced....

Like that big filigree pendant, which I paid $12.00 for...sheesh.

It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

Now they have chain. And then there was some stones I

couldn't live without...

Color Splash, and Great News

While we were in Ann Arbor visiting my Aunt in the hospital.
I happened to look up a bead store that I thought we could
go take a peak at after visiting hours. It was kind of a nerve
soothing adventure, as hanging around the hospital
just drains everything out of you. And since the store was
just a mile down the road from the hospital I knew we
would be able to find it easily enough. The name of the store
is The Bead Gallery. Its located on East Liberty.
A really nice place with all kinds of good stuff.
I found double drilled wood, lots of springy colors and
lots of faceted things. They also have stones, pearls, crystals...
just everything you could want in a bead store. But........

What I really seem to have a craving for is the color red.
I can't get enough of it! I even bought a couple of red shirts.
The other day I stopped at our local bead shop and picked
up some things for my sister. I couldn't help but grab these
red seed beads and glass pearls, AND the cinnabar pieces.
It's that just a lovely red pile? Now I better
get busy and make me something before Valentine's Day.

There is good news about my Aunt.
She's coming home on Thursday. It was unbelievable
how fast they want you up and moving. The second day
she was sitting up in a chair and the day we left they had her
walking the halls. She had more stitches than the
Bride of Frankenstein and I don't say that to be funny.
It was a major reconstruction. And tonight they
removed the last of the drainage tubes and some
of the stitches. Still has the trachea tube,
but her breathing is great. They even had her blowing
in that little breathing apparatus through the trachea.
She will still be fed through a tube for the next month
at least till her jaw heals. Bless her little heart.
She is not gonna take this sitting down.

Treasure Hunting

Saturday I decided to get in my boat and sail myself to
Grand Rapids to treasure hunt at the Rings and Things bead
sale. I'm glad I did cause I found some great treasures. This
fall they had an exceptionally large amount different stones.
Lots of pearls, like the kishi ones I found below. Nice quality!

I also picked up:
a strand of apatite roundels
2 strands faceted smokey quartz (I love that stuff)
some yellow jade faceted coins
A really cool stone called blue ryolite...yummy!
amethyst roundels
gold stone faceted roundels
and an excellent quality of lepidolite that I haven't seen in a
long time. I had one strand once and never found the same
quality as that one until Saturday.

There were lots of people and long lines, the rain didn't seem to stop
people from getting out. So I sailed back home safely and here I am.
Speaking of rain, we've had so much here, that today I saw a turtle
leaving the pond for higher ground...lol! It filled the pond up and
than some. It seems to be moving out now.