My Vacation: Crafty Tourism

Hello!  As you may have guessed, judging by how long it's been since I've posted, I've been on vacation.  I spent the first part of my vacation at home, enjoying local attractions with my family and celebrating American Independence Day.  For the second part of my vacation, I traveled "up north" to enjoy the peace and quiet of northern Minnesota's forests and lakes.

Even though I was "off the grid," you can bet that I was still creating.  I'll be making lots of catch-up posts in the next few days, to bring you up to speed on all my projects.  I must admit, it was kind of nice to be away from the computer for awhile.  Not only does it reduce the amount of electricity I use, but it also reduces my stress level.  I love computers and technology, but they do tend to add a lot to my "to do" list (check e-mail, check Facebook, post on blog, etc.)  Do you ever feel the same way?

The first thing I want to show you from my vacation is a group of bead photos.  I love to visit craft shops and craft fairs while I am traveling.  It's a great way to pick up supplies that are a bit different from what I can buy at home.  I guess you could call this "Craft Tourism."  :)

During my vacation I visited the city of Brainerd, where there is a lovely shop called the Bead Box.  Every bead store has its own niche, and one of the Bead Box's specialties is its great variety of natural stone beads.  I purchased some amber, malachite, and lapis lazuli beads there (photo below).

The Bead Box also specializes in bead mixes.  They sell these mixes in big jars.  They look like jars full of candy!  (See photo below.)  You scoop out the amount of beads you want from each jar, and you pay by the gram.  

In the past, I have purchased beads from the Bead Box's blue raspberry soda, rootbeer float, mocha latte, black cherry soda, and key lime mojito bead mixes.  Aren't those descriptions absolutely yummy?  This time around I chose to buy from a lovely pastel mix of glass beads called "Grandma's Attic" (photo below).  What that name lacks in flavor, it makes up for in ambiance.  :)

My final purchase at the Bead Box was a set of three Czech pressed glass flower beads.  The colors are so happy and bright (photo below)!  Did you notice that all the beads I bought were more or less flat?  There is a reason for that, but you will have to wait until my next post to find out what it is!

Before I go, I want to mention one more purchase that I made up north.  Every Thursday in the summer, there is a craft fair in Pequot Lakes, a small town near Brainerd.  It was there that I purchased the pair of bobber earrings from the photo at the top of this post.  I do not fish, but I have always thought that fishing tackle would make great jewelry (with its hooks removed, of course), since it is so brightly colored.  It looks like I was not the only one with this idea!  If you, too, feel the urge to buy fishing tackle earrings, you may contact the artist who made my bobber earrings.  Her e-mail address is zeldabrewer at q dot com.  I'll see you tomorrow, with my next post!