Bead&Button's Lora Groszkiewicz has a secret, locked room that we all wish we had! Every day since we completed judging the first round of Bead Dreams, Lora has been receiving 2009 finalist pieces for this annual Bead&Button competition. She unwraps each Bead Dreams package with the utmost care, and notes how the piece was wrapped and enclosed in its original box, so that she can return it exactly as it was sent to us. Then she locks it away from inquiring minds!
Having a few small privileges, I just peeked in the room this morning. I saw eight unbelievable necklaces that included lampwork, wirework, and beadwork surrounding crystal rivolis and large nature-inspired glass beads. We also have a cool metal clay bracelet, three beaded dolls, and a 17 x 19 in. storage box covered in Japanese loomwork. Wow! All of these pieces and the 60 more that are yet to arrive here will be displayed at the Bead&Button Show! Lora will set up this display, which takes a morning to accomplish.
She is also working with our in-house professional photographers to coordinate the photography of each of these 70+ pieces for our online Bead Dreams gallery to be posted at BeadAndButton.com this summer, and for a special electronic Bead Dreams booklet that we'll offer August 1. (Our online-publishing gurus here at Kalmbach Publishing haven't set up the computer file to take orders yet, so please watch for this opportunity in late spring.)
As the Bead&Button Show opens and our expert Show instructor and exhibitor Bead Dreams judges arrive in Milwaukee, Lora will coordinate the final judging of Bead Dreams. The judges include jewelry-making pros as well as editorial staff from the three jewelry magazines here: Bead&Button, Art Jewelry and BeadStyle. The awards will be announced when the Show display opens, and the Best in Show, and first, second, and third place ribbons will be displayed with the pieces then.
Make your plans to come to the Show and see these beautiful pieces! Also on display will be 48 pieces of jewelry made with glass beads.This jewelry was part of the Convergence competition we held with the International Society of Glass Beadmakers. Twenty of these pieces are being offered with step-by-step instructions in Bead&Button's October 2009 Jewelry Designs with Art Glass Beads. At the Show, the International Society of Glass Beadmakers will have a gorgeous Convergence catalog available for purchase near the display, and we'll post all 48 pieces online in late October 2009.
Looking at beautiful jewelry — and making it — what could be better!
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