MORE Beads and IKEA!

Yesterday I went to Salt Lake City with my boss, Vicky, for the Gem Faire and HOLY COW!! This show was about 10 times larger than the one I went to last weekend. We walked around for 4 1/2 hours looking and buying and drooling - LOL.


We went in with the strategy of quickly looking at all the booths, then going back to buy the things we really wanted, but that didn't last long!! I was surprised that Vicky was the one to break first, but I soon followed (at the same booth, actually - LOL). I got the blue stones to make something for my step mother and I was thrilled to find some red tiger-eye! The hearts I picked up for some earrings from the book Making Designer Seed Bead, Stone, and Crystal Jewelry and the rest of the stuff I bought just because I thought it was pretty :)



One of the things I was specifically looking for was a cabochon (or two - LOL) because I bought a book a few weeks ago called Beading with Cabochons: Simple Techniques for Beautiful Jewelry and I want to try some of the pieces in the book - I picked out three pretty cabs from the next booth and proceeded to find a bunch more stuff! I got two donuts, 10 strings of seed beads and three cool paua shell bracelets. You can cut the elastic cord in the bracelet and make it a necklace. I'd also like to try taking off two of the links and making matching earrings.



At the next booth I found some fun glass beads in different shapes - my favorites are the kitties, of course!










Then I found more seed beads, some cording and some brick-shaped stones that I'm hoping to make into a bracelet from the book Dazzling Beaded Jewelry.

I LOVE opals, especially Australian opals, and I was able to buy a pendant and two loose hearts that are so pretty. This picture turned out badly, but I just couldn't get the lighting right. At another booth I found a silver chain for the pendant - and the links are little hearts! I also got these GREAT earring from a place called Bellpepper - they're silver and hand made in the Himalayas. One of the twisty things and part of the chain actually go through your ear and it hangs on either side of your lobe. I was kind of afraid to put them in - and I couldn't look in the mirror while I did it - LOL - and I was even more afraid to take them out tonight, but I got lots of complements on the today!






Then I found some more fun shaped beads - I just loved these jack-o-lanterns for some reason - LOL. And I thought I just needed the stone goddess bead, although I have no idea what I'll do with her :)










My coolest find of the show wasn't even a bead - it was a tea pot!! I collect dragons and one booth had these wonderful little tea pots from China. This is actually used to brew tea - there's a screen in the spout to strain out your tea leaves - and the neatest thing about it is the steam from the tea makes the dragon's head and tongue pop out! How cool is that?


We were only about 15 minutes drive from the new IKEA that just opened in Draper, so we decided to go down there after the bead show - even though we were wiped out! LOL I'd never been to an IKEA before, and OMG!!! That place was HUGE and FILLED with all kinds of wonderful things! We ate dinner there in the cafe - I had Swedish Meatballs and some Swedish Apple Cake - YUMMY Then we spent the next three hours walking around the store! I managed to get out of there with spending less that $40, but I found tons of stuff I want. I did get myself a wonderful tray that I can use for beading!! It'll fit nicely over my lap and has lots of room. I also got myself a new comfy pillow, and as soon as I put it on the bed Akasha curled up in the middle of it and went to sleep - she stayed there 'till 3:00 a.m.! I should have bought the king sized pillow so we could share - LOL I wanted to get some of their grocery items to take home, but by the time we hit that area, I was so tired I couldn't even think straight! LOL The Gem Faire will happen again in September, so we'll probably go back and hit IKEA again too - this time I'll have a shopping list!