• Bead & Button Show

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Bead & Button Show

The 2012 Bead & Button Show was as exciting as ever. With an expanded schedule of classes and the new Fundamental Workshops offerings, beaders from around the world had more time and opportunity to learn the skills of the trade from experienced and professional teachers. Each year it amazes me the number of people I meet and the distances they travel to teach, learn and just be with others in their field. Show buddies and even lifelong friends are made at the Bead & Button Show. It's more than just a place to buy beads; it's a place to grow your skills, your soul and your heart.

As I reported last year, there seems to be a trend toward mixing media. Although the mixtures were not as dramatic as previous years, there was rarely an artist that completely stayed within his or her medium.

The scrapbooking/paper world seems to be the medium that has been most often drawn in to our beading realm. With common tools like stamps and heat guns being utilized, jewelry-making artisans are also taking advantage of alcohol inks, papers, cutters, punches, embossers, glitters, micas and even embossing powders. While papers, cutters and embossing tools are mostly used in resin arts, we are seeing the embossing tools being used with thin metals too. Glitters, micas and embossing powders are being used by clay artisans. And what about alcohol inks? These, too, are being utilized by most jewelry-making artisans in one way or another.

Let Us Know

Let us know what you think about all of this mixed-media frenzy. Do you want in on how to do a certain technique? Is there something you've been dying to learn? Let Corene and I know, and we'll integrate it into the newsletter!