I've had tremendous fun in the last week, including two classes in Dorset at Stitchncraft with one of my beading idols Marcia DeCoster. Marcia is also one of my blogging idols as she manages to post regularly and interestingly (see her blog here). I travelled down and stayed in a cottage local to the venue, with two of my best beady friends (and others were in neighbouring cottages). It was a dream weekend in many ways although the weather was not the greatest. We beaded and ate and drank and were generally merry...tomorrow we may diet, as the saying goes!
The classes were 'Vienna' with it's Art Deco feel, and Aelia. of the two, Vienna was the most challenging, as I hadn't even attempted shaping CRAW before. Aelia was a lovely instant gratification project in that the bezeled button was complete by the end of the day for most people, although there was still the bail, connections and rope to make. The pendant is reversible and I have made mine using mostly astral pink and copper crystal Swarovski. Here are my projects in the beginning stages, I'm determined to finish them both:
And here we are with Marcia in the bead shop:
It was one of the most enjoyable classes I've done. Marcia is an excellent and patient teacher, the venue was very nice with daylight lamps and bead-on-it boards provided, staff in the shop were lovely and helpful, and being away with beady friends was so much fun. The only thing to suffer was my bank balance, although I had been collecting £2 coins in a jar for extra bead spending money... perhaps I should have turned it into notes at the bank before I went though!
