Well, I'm back from yet another succesful trip to Tucson. I had the best time scouring the shows for the best deals and the coolest new beads. A bit of a shock was the weather! It was bright and sunny but they had the worst cold snap they'd had since the late 1800's! Having only packed t-shirts and flip flops it was a bit of a nightmare but thankfully we all took along at least one pair of jeans - boy did they get a work out! The first 2 days were so bitterly cold I could barely handle it. I can now say I suffered for my beads!! Six solid days of shopping for beads is hard work but how much fun it is too. If you ever have the chance to travel to Tucson during show time you will be overwhelmed and amazed at the amount of beads in one place. Big this year is the crackled agates. I think I purchased them in just about every color under the rainbow! My favorite are the ones that resemble carnelian and they are already out in the bead trays. I also purchased around 1000 strands of that fabulous chinese crystal I have on the grid walls. The new color this season is a fabulous soft green with a hint of gold in it. I snapped it up in every size and shape I could find - love it and can't wait to put together a sample for you! I'll be working hard on getting things out for you to see but please be patient as I dragged home 225 pounds of beads and it will take quite some time to get them on the floor. Out this week - loads of sterling silver and Thai silver charms, pretty sterling silver larger style earwires and some pretty new hammered silver oval and diamond links.
Have a look at the fountain at the Hilton Hotel. This was on day 2 of my trip and this was a common site around town! Water pipes bursting all over the place. The poor cactus were dying and their arms were breaking off. At least it was bright and sunny - freezing cold but gorgeous!
