I'm getting very excited about my upcoming trip this week to the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee, WI. I can't wait for two workshops that I signed up for--a resin class with Susan Lenart Kazmer (Friday) and a cool wire bracelet class with Lisa Nivan Kelly. (Saturday). I'll also get to shoot the breeze a bit with Beverly Gilbert and Robert Dancik and I'm really looking forward to meeting Carter in person. Is anyone else out there going?

It was a bit icy here in the Ohio Valley over the weekend, so in addition to a few other crafty things, I was inspired by this old adage to create something. I printed a photo of my frosty yard, onto shrink plastic, and added text in Photoshop. The heart is made from vinyl that I hand-stitched and stuffed with ribbon. There are also many loose, tiny hearts made from shrink plastic, too.

Tomorrow I'm off to CHA! I'm really excited about catching up with many friends there and also meeting new ones. And of course, it's always fun to see what new products and trends will stand out. I'm usually terrible at taking photos, but I'm going to try to be better this trip, and I'll certainly try to at least get some pics of my plexi-ring demo that I'll be doing Monday morning. If you're going to the show, stop by the F+W booth between 10:30 and noon to say hello.

Oh, and one final thing to share, check out this cute new blog called A Bead A Day. Normally beading topics tend to be on techniques or projects, but I like the idea of drawing attention to a single bead. Sometimes less is more!

See you soon!

This weekend I was busy making two badge holders for me to sport at CHA. I created them so that the portion that holds the actual badge disconnects easily from the part that is the necklace, so that I can swap one for the other easily! It's hard to tell from the photos, but each one has a plexi element (of course!)

I'm so excited that the Craftivity site has been launched and is here for us to get to know one another. I hope I don't scare anyone away with my irreverent style and strong opinions. I am passionate about art and craft and I'm really looking forward to sharing and learning and who knows what else, here. Let the follies begin!