This was the first year I have attended the Bead & Button Show and I can honestly say that I think it was the best venue I've ever been to. Everything about it was great--the classes I took, the organization of the show, the market event, the hotel and the surrounding restaurants--all amazing. The riverwalk in downtown Milwaukee was also really great and I wouldn't mind returning to the city sometime just to be able to explore more. It seems like a pretty cool town.

I took one class called Exploring Resins with Susan Lenart Kazmer and not only did I learn that she has her own non-toxic (!) resin product, (coming soon), but I also learned several very cool ways to use resin that I hadn't thought of before. The other class I took was from Lisa Nevin Kelly, called ShaBangle. As you can see, it was a wire-work class and Lisa was very good at teaching such a great project and making it accessible in only three hours. Both Lisa and Susan were wonderful teachers and not only did I learn some great new techniques from both of them, they both taught those of us in their classes a lot about tools and materials.

But it wasn't all work and no play (okay, there wasn't any work at all, but don't tell my boss that). I also had the great fortune to hang out and dine with such amazing artists as Robert Dancik and Beverly Gilbert and I just tried to soak in as much of their creative goodness as I could. And of course, there was the shopping! I didn't actually buy a ton of beads (I know, I know) but I did buy some cool tools from Lisa Nevin Kelly, some bezels from Susan Lenart Kazmer, a beaded bracelet kit from Kelly Wiese and a super-cool nail-studded glass heart from Zoa Art (see Tony's Tortured Heart series on the home page).

If you've ever thought about attending this show before, but haven't been sure if you would like it or not. Go! You'll love it. There are SO MANY classes to choose from and the shopping experience is incredible! If she doesn't find out that my time at the show was all fun and good times, I'm hoping my boss will let me go again next year!