September 13

Hey, Y'all, thought that I would pass on some info to ya. When I checked in with A Place to Bead, found out that they are planning the next contest. The Fall Bead Contest is due to start October 16th, which is when the kits should be available for purchase. They have set November 27th for when your finished pieces will be due. I can't wait to see what everyone makes.

Also, I understand that Under One Sun is due for a trunk show at A Place to Bead later this month. When I get the exact times and dates, I'll pass it on to you. If you've never bought Under One Sun's stuff, they make the most gorgeous findings, with things like pearls and crystals set in them. Their work is Fair Trade, so you can feel good about using their top quality things. I'll see if I can pull together some of their stuff so you can get an idea of what they make.

Meanwhile, I got my order of Tila beads. Hmmmmmm. I'll have to play with these and get back to y'all on this.

Until then, have fun beading.

September 3

Start saving those pennies for the Intergalactic Bead and Jewelry Show coming up on September 25th and 26th in Durham. It's at the Marriott Durham Convention Center and has about 2 dozen vendors set to be there. If you go here (Bead Show Coupon), you can get a coupon for $2.00 off the entry fee to the show. In the past I've found all kinds of pearls, gemstone, findings and such, tho' there is usually a limited number of seed beads available.

So, start setting aside your change and in 3 weeks you could have a nice stash to go shopping with in Durham.

August 28

Hello Again. Stopped in the other day at Caravan Beads at the Cotton Exchange, and found some great new things to tempt me, including these yummy Candy Jade beads that they recently got in. Verrrrrrrrrry Interesting.

Also took a peek at the new Bead and Button Magazine that is out. There is an project using the new Tila Beads (new shape out from those bead makers - Miyuki Bead). In case you haven't heard, Tila Beads are kind of like a cube bead that is sliced in half, but instead of 1 hole, there are 2 holes that run parallel to each other. Since they are Miyuki Beads, and Caravan Beads deals in Miyuki Beads, here's hoping that these new beads become popular enough that Caravan might start carrying them. In the meantime, I understand that Miyuki did a limited run of them so we will have to wait to see what the market does on this new shape. I myself have only seen limited interest in those new long drops, and I did try working with some of them. I think that it will take the right project to be able to show them off to their advantage. I'll see if I can find a picture of what I made with them and see what you think of them.

Meanwhile, don't forget to support your local bead store (LBS). They are important, and a vital part of not only beading, but local economy.

August 26

Okay. Here's the scoop. A Place to Bead had planned on having a trunk show. Everything was all set. But somehow, the beads never showed up. They don't know what happened but as soon as they hear from the trunk show people, A Place to Bead plans on trying to reschedule the show. As soon as I hear otherwise, I'll let you know.

In the meantime, I understand that they are planning on having a Fall Contest. The winners for their Summer Contest - Southwestern Summer - have been announced. As soon as I find out all the names, I'll post them along with pictures of the winning pieces. So, start thinking about fall ideas. When the kits go on sale I'll let you know. After all, beads are always a good incentive for being creative.

Well, I've talked about doing this, and I guess that I'm finally doing this.

Let me start by telling you who I am. My name is Debra Pyeatt, and I am a beader ("Hello Debra" - I feel like I'm at a beader's anonymous meeting). I've been beading since around 1993. Since moving to Wilmington, NC, I've found that a lot of local beaders have no idea of what beady things are happening in the area, and are unsure of where to go on the internet to find out these things. So whenever I find out about local bead shows, bead contests, bead sales, etc., I want to post the info so that you won't miss out on this stuff.

Also, I'm new to this blogging stuff, so I may make mistakes from time to time, so please bear with me.