Fun Day at the Bead Shop

My friend Susan and I had such a fun day today. Susan makes cool jewelry, and I wanted to learn how to do it, so she took me to a bead shop.

First we had lunch and a couple of beers and a good long talk. Then we went to the shop.

As soon as I walked it, I knew this beading thing was for me. I immediately asked Susan: "Can we stay here for a long time?" and she said "Sure!" and we did.

I had brought an old ivory art deco necklace that I used to wear all the time, until it broke one day, spontaneously, during a staff meeting. I had kept all the beads in a yogurt cup for years, saying that "someday" I would restring it. That day was today!

A woman who worked in the store kindly offered to do it for me. She also polished the silver spacers and chain. I didn't even know they were silver, they were so tarnished. I had planned to throw out the spacers and replace them, until she started polishing them and made them shine. I was so grateful. She did such an excellent job. It looks better now than it ever did before. Want to see?

.

While she was working on that, I collected some beads for another project. Susan showed me how to get a tray and a pad of paper and to write down how many of each bead I chose and the price. Then I went to town. A whole sensory world of texture and color surrounded me. Beads of every type, size, shape and color. I fet so happy as I wandered around with my tray, looking at all the pretty beads and picking out the ones I liked.

I had brought in a pair of earrings that I thought were a little too big, that I wanted to make into pendants for two necklaces instead. I found some beads that went with them, and started arranging them at the beading table. Susan showed me how to do it.

I spent a lot of time getting it just right. Susan was very patient in letting me do my creative thing. I decided that once I finished one of the necklaces, I would make another just like it and give it to her to thank her for giving me such a happy day. It will look great on her, with her dark green eyes.

Here is the first necklace I made:

.

It has an ocean jasper pendant, hematite and silver seed beads, moss agate and lace agate beads, and freshwater pearls. I'm so proud of it. I think it looks like something a mermaid would wear.

I took home more of the same beads to make Susan's necklace. We made a plan to get together again and work on it. It's so girly and cool that we will each have the same necklace to remind us of our fun day. I promised to teach her how to knit too.

When we were done, we got milkshakes for the ride home.

I enjoy being a girl.