Bead Fest - Sneak Peek

When I sat down to write today's post I knew there was only one thing I could write about because right now there is only one thing on my mind...Bead Fest! It is finally dawning on me that in a little over 4 weeks time I will be boarding a plane at Heathrow airport and winging my way to Newark airport to meet my lovely AJE team mate Diana and that a few days later we will be heading off to Bead Fest...Oh My God!!

I have a lot to thank AJE for since this trip is only possible thanks to the kindness of some of my colleagues who are putting me up and showing me around during my two week stay in the US. Diana is not only hosting me for the first part of my visit but she has very generously invited me to have a small selection of my work available for sale on her Suburban Girl booth #471A - how cool is that!

Of course - now it's come down to making inventory it's a little more nerve wracking. We don't have bead shows on this scale in the UK and apart from a specialist lampworking event, I know of nothing that brings together such an awesome array of artisans as Bead Fest does. Intimidated... me...? you bet I am!

When I was trying to think about what to make I soon had a list as long as my arm and realised just as quickly that that wasn't practical and I had to be more selective.  As I'm working mostly in ceramic at the moment I knew that's what I wanted to concentrate on and I wanted to have some new things to show so, rather than make lists I did what I usually do and just sat down and started making.

So far I'm pretty happy with how it's going but what do you think..? Here's a little sneak peek at some of the things that might be going stateside with me...

I wanted to bring a little bit of England across the pond with me and what better from a country obsessed with tea than these cute little teapot charms/pendants in fun and funky brights...

Or rustic farmhouse hues. Many thanks to Jenny Davie-Reazor for the idea to add the drops of tea.

Lovely kites catching on a summer breeze...

A flotilla of sail boats....

 

It's still only nine months since I started working with clay, learning all the time and trying out new techniques like this painterly effect with under glaze on unglazed flecked stoneware...

And of course ammonites are always going to feature somewhere in my repertoire...

Since Bead Fest is in late summer I've also been thinking ahead to the next change in seasons...

And owls, there has to be owls...these are favourites from my bronze range and I think they cope quite well with the change of medium.

I do have a few other things that I've not started on yet (very busy few weeks ahead) and I do want to try and take some bronze pieces with me but it's a lot heavier to ship/carry.

If you're going to Bead Fest do come and say hello to the AJE team - as well as Diana and myself, Jen, Jennifer, Karen and Sue will all be vending and other team members are visiting so keep a look out here and on Facebook for updates on what treats they might have for you.

If you're not going well I will certainly be filling my shop with some of these goodies when I get back and might even list a few before I go - time permitting.

So either way - happy shopping!

Lesley
The Gossiping Goddess