Finally, and joyfully, back to working with beads. Did this as my set up for the Festival of Trees at Gualala Arts on the days after Thanksgiving. The display probably does not scream 'buy me; I am a jewel' as loud as velvet busts and leather neck pieces would, but I should get points for sticking to the theme of decorated trees. We each get 1/2 of a table so I figure this gets the most stuff out there in the minimum of space. Also I solved the problem of getting the wares up to eye level. We will see how it goes.
I know how hectic this event can get for the sales people in the booths so I tried to make their job easier by using only items that cost $15. If Jane made it; the price is $15. Due to this decision, I have decided to take the higher priced items to the Dolphin and am now 'decorating' the big velvet bird with things for that outlet.

Musa, from Portland, Oregon, came back to do his trunk show of beads from Africa. We had perfect weather and many folks who do not normally attend our bead meetings came out for this event. We all such a grand time oohing and ahhing over the splendid beads. We tried to close down at 4 but people just kept coming.

Here I am modeling a string of museum-quality amber beads. It was such a joy just to touch (and wear) these moments of history that had gone from Germany to Africa and now to the states.
At the much calmer business meeting we decided to continue the group (with lots of enthusiasm for this idea). Sue will continue as our liaison person with Gualala Arts and Vicki, who does the ordering from Fire Mountain will take over the monthly notices. Six people signed up for the Festival of Trees booth and my suggestion that we display our jewelry on faux fir trees found mixed acceptance. At least they were okay with me using the trees so I came home and ordered them from ChristmasCentral. I got one 2.5 tree for 8.99 and another for 7.99 plus I also got some of the tiny trees from them. They are not the ones that light, but I prefer the greenery on these. I think I only paid 2.99 for a 9-inch tree. It seems the Christmas season is starting - and it is good.

After that huge shopping trip for beads in Tokyo, I return to Gualala, to The Loft, to shop for curtain material and what do I find? These beads with kanji burned into them. They may be Chinese for all I know, but they do look Japanese! I have often felt that our coast, rugged as it is, is the vestige of the break that separated Japan's landmass from ours. Somehow finding these beads here and the very modern 'Western acrylic" beads in Japan brought our two lands back together.

I am still not beading, even though I go on buying beads! since I am crocheting on the big dollie for the GAC show in January. Each foot is 28 inches long. I am sure that by the time I get her done, I will be so glad to return to beading. I am finding out that crocheting makes my hands and wrists tired more quickly and I cannot crochet as long as I could bead. There is something to be said for the tiny weight of seed beads.

I am back home from Japan and this is what I brought! I noticed the airlines put a special tag on my suitcase that had in big bold letters HEAVY. So that is what happens because B. and I went shopping in Tokyo.

Finally on Saturday we had enough time for the big trip to the bead quarter. It turns out all the bead shops are centered in one area - Akakusabashi. All we had was a map in Japanese on the little net book that had no printer so B. went down to the hotel lobby and asked for help in finding the web site and printing a map. She noticed how slowly the young girl worked and that she made two copies of the map. She was smiling very broadly when she gave B. the one copy!

So we got a taxi, gave the driver the map, and 40 minutes later had crossed the larger part of Tokyo to arrive in a welter of bead shops. He dropped us off in front of a larger one - West 5 - and we began! They also had many buttons, lace and threads but also some great chains. As we were paying we saw a copy of the map we were using on the wall! Later we saw a shopper with the same map in hand.

Japan does not rely on street signs or a proper number system, so we just began wandering from shop to shop. Many had crystals and seed beads such as we could get from Fire Mountain, so we concentrated on the weird little shops with unusual things. We probably spent the most in a shop with horn and shells and in another that had a huge selection of acrylic beads. I thought I did not like acrylic beads but they had so many different kinds and at such low prices I had to give up my opposition to them.

It was here I had my best experience with Japanese shop keepers. I went up to the two female cashiers and asked in my best Japanese if they had a toilet. They looked at each other in complete bewilderment. Then I grabbed my crotch and grimaced and they broke out in peals of laughter and pointed me upstairs! For one shining moment, we as women, completely understood each other. And we were surrounded with beads.

Vicki and I went to the memorial service for Kathy's husband, Brian. I have never seen my friend Kathy look so drained, so lost, so reduced, so taken apart, so ravished by grief. All I could think of as I looked into her haunted eyes was, "this is the price of love." and that was so terrible I could only hug her to hide the loss and pain against our shoulders.

And yet, when I looked at her, I saw her as most beautiful. Her beauty was far above any beaded work.

I think I found out why I am not beading. Always before I had this really comfortable recliner that I sat in to bead. However since I got a netbook, to take to Japan, I leave it on the table beside the chair. Now when I sit down there, I take up the laptop and go back to computer work.
There is so much that needs to be learned with the new computer, and so much to set up (I just found the magnifying glass for that really tiny print) that I feel guilty enjoying the beads instead of 'working.'
I did ask Vicki if she had any of those tiny bobbins of beading thread. She did and she is giving me one. Now I can take my mag glasses, and a needle because that will not take up much room in the overloaded suitcase. I am hoping Vicki's thread will hold me together on the trip as I bead for sanity.
This afternoon Vicki is picking me up so we can go together to Brian's Memorial Service in Point Arena. He was the husband of Kathy Dillman - one of the members of our beading group. This is the second member in our tiny group whose husband has died in the last month. We are all hoping this 'rule of 3' is not applicable to us!

In my planning on what to take to Japan (only a day and a week away!) I had bought of a new black straw hat. When I got it out to add to the pile of stuff, it seemed rather bare and plain. So I got the idea of adding a beaded band. I wanted to use a certain netting technique I used to know, but no matter how hard I looked I could not find the instructions nor remember how it was started. Finally I found this interesting Chevron stitch and was able to do it. Then it seemed the hat needed flowers so I began making my usual brick-stitched flowers. Before I even got this first flower done, I began to realize how heavy my suitcase already was, how far I would have to drag it over the next two weeks and the hat with its beaded trim seemed too much to bear.