Southern Bead Retreat

I just returned from the third biannual Southern Bead Retreat.  There were fantastic teachers there!  Below is a photo of the group of teachers along with myself!  From left to right, is Dianne Fitzgerald, Huib Petersen, Sherry Serafini, Cynthia Rutledge, myself, and Marcia DeCoster!  Kimberley Stathsis was also a guest beader who taught an earring class, but she wasn't there for the whole retreat.

I will be posting the completed works in a later post....I still have to finish one kit!!!  For now I would like to tell you about the two new tools I found while there.

The first tool is a new type of beading mat.  Here is a photo of it.

I think it is made of a high quality cotton-based short velvet. The inside velvet on this mat is such a soft shade of sage green.  The seed beads seem to fall hole up when you pour them onto the mat making it easier to pick them up.   The padded ridge, made from a printed short velvet fabric, around the mat keeps your beads in place and also works as a comfortable hand/wrist rest.  I bought this mat from Cynthia Rutledge.  Here is the photo of the tag information.  It was a little pricey, but I felt it was worth the money invested!!

The second tool is probably the most important!  After a long day of beading, we would gather around tables in the home room and chat while we beaded.  We needed some relaxing refreshment, so it was a good thing I brought this tool!

Yes, you guessed it!  A wine bottle opener!!  The wine flowed, we beaded, we chatted, and we relaxed!!!!  We learned a lot and had a wonderful time!!!

Happy beading!!!