And the Beads Go On

This time of year I think of beading. My sister originally started my interest in beading, but it wasn't until I found Buttons, Bangles and Beads in St. Pete Beach, Florida that I started to bead in earnest. I liked the owner, Sally, right away. She's the kind of person that has a sunny disposition, always patient no matter how dumb the customer question, and has great style. We would visit St. Pete Beach every spring and over the years we became friends. Quite by coincidence, we discovered that our cabin (yes the Cabin that is being increased) is on the same lake as her daughter's cabin. Yes, in Florida we discovered that we had a huge Northern Wisconsin connection! Small world. Even more interesting is the fact that Sally and her husband were planning on building a cabin on their daughter's property so that they could spend summers at a Wisconsin lake. Isn't that wild? Well, their cabin got finished this fall, and they now will be summering in Cumberland. Her bead store is just wonderful, and I am trying to talk her into starting a shop, just for the "season" up here. So far she just laughs at me, but I think that is her good nature just bubbling forth. Anyway, the necklaces above are some that I have created, with most of the beads from her shop. The top one is called "Not a Rolling Stone". It is made from turquoise, crystal, jasper, and antique brass. The middle necklace is "Abundance" and is made from Czech glass, amber, seeds, African trade beads and copper. Di, the bead shop manager (hugely talented!) taught me how to make this. The last necklace is "Yippy Ky-ay". It is jasper, and antique brass. I might put these on Etsy, although I am not sure anyone would find them there! We will see. Jerilynn