Fair Play

It was a long weekend, but a lot of fun. over 800 people stopped by the CNIB over the weekend to experience the best-ever Toronto Bead Society Fall Fair. I was stationed just inside the front doors at Marilyn Gardiner’s booth all weekend, and we were one of over 80 vendors showing and selling jewellery and components. At Marilyn Gardiner Design we were selling chain maille kits, tools and findings, and were steadily busy Saturday and Sunday. Marilyn taught several classes. I spent a lot of Saturday demoing viking knit until the kits were all gone. Coiling Gizmos too. I also did a demo of spool knitting, which people were really interested in.

And I find that chatting with people and turning them on to a new craft to be very satisfying. But what really gets me excited is looking at all the creative work by my fellow vendors, many of whom are bead artists and some of the most artistic people I know. The pieces they have for sale, and ideas for using their components, sparks my imagination in a million directions and I feel my own creativity building, my excitement growing and I come home and jot down ideas for lots of new projects. A successful show is one where, despite the fact I come home exhausted from a couple of busy days, I pour out my purchases in front of me and start experimenting with designs.

Watch this space for the exciting pieces I’ll be making over the next few months.