2011 Programs
- December 19, 2011
Our annual holiday event. There was cake, festive dressing,
volunteer recognition, and open beading. As usual, it was a fun
time!
The Table Talk theme for December was "What would
you wear to a
holiday party?" We had necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and ornaments that would really make lovely earrings.
-
November 21, 2011
The last hands on project of the year: The Button Garden
project. Mary Hottinger showed us how to create these
beautiful little gardens that can be worn on a necklace or as a pin.
Here are a few examples:
The Table Talk theme for November was All
Buttoned Up!
We saw a number of cute jewelry and non-jewelry pieces using
buttons in very imaginative ways!
- October 17, 2011
A
journey to the Czech Republic!
Our presenter for the October program was President Helen Dahms.
Last year Helen traveled to the Czech Republic with bead
importers Guy and J-ME Lynn from Wild Things Beads. In her
slideshow, Helen gave us a brief history of Jablonec (where she
visited) and took us on a photographic tour of the glass
industry in the Czech Republic. She explained and showed
pictures of how buttons are made (very painstakingly!) and how beads
are made and faceted (also painstakingly). We were able to
purchase Czech beads from Wild Things Beads, and Helen also showed
samples of the beautiful
products she brought back with her. Unfortunately, her
slideshow was cut short - there were technical difficulties, and we ran
out of time. We hope that Helen can come back soon to finish
her presentation!
Here is a picture of some of the beads available for sale, our beaming
presenter, and a gorgeous goblet she brought back (don't forget to
check our Facebook page for more pictures):
In addition, we had a business meeting. Our treasurer gave
the financial report, and we had a vote for 2012 Board positions.
Kathy Willmering will be President-Elect, Kat Feldman will
remain as our Vice President of Special Events, and Marilyn Johnson
will be our new Treasurer. We're still looking for a
Membership Coordinator (Kathy Willmering will be otherwise occupied!).
Please talk to Helen Dahms if you'd like more information.
The Table Talk theme for October was Czech beads,
and we saw a number of beautiful pieces!
- September 26, 2011
Royal Wedding
Reception
(White gloves and hat were optional)
The
September meeting was a tea party! There was hot and iced
tea,
plus coffee for non-tea drinkers. The challenge pieces turned
in
at the July meeting were on display, and we voted for our favorite.
The winners (judged and Members' Choice) were
announced. See the Challenge
page for the results.

While we enjoyed refreshments and discussed the
challenge pieces with other members, we worked on our own
projects.
The Bead Doctors were on call to help any of us that had
issues with our projects.
There was also a speech by Kathy Willmering who is running for
President Elect. Other candidates were not present.
Voting will take place in October.
There was no Table Talk this month so the challenge pieces got
all of the attention they deserved!
- August 15, 2011
A
Christi Friesen Weekend (+ Monday!)
August 13-15, 2011
If you've ever met Christi Friesen or seen her polymer
clay
work in books or magazines, you know that her personality is one of a
kind: bright, enthusiastic, and (most importantly) infectious!
The Loose Bead Society was thrilled to have her visit us
in August to teach polymer clay workshops on Saturday and Sunday and to
be our presenter on Monday.
Here are a few pictures from the classes (click any of the
pictures to go to the Facebook album to see all of the pictures):

Here are a few pictures from the Monday presentation:

Table talk was Polymer Clay. Here's just a taste of what was
brought in:

- July 18, 2011
We had an easy but beautiful wire hands-on project!
We created "Organized Organic Wire
Wrapped" bracelets, and it was a hit! Your webgoddess even
made two more bracelets in the days that followed! Thanks to
Judy
Menting and Susan Beal for leading this program.
Here are some pictures from the program:

The theme for July's Table Talk was "All Wired Up", and we
saw
pieces in a number of different styles using a number of different
techniques!

- June 13, 2011
Before they headed back to Freeport, Maine, The
Beadin' Path visited and showed us some of their
vintage goods. They showed us how to pierce and rivet vintage
metals
with the new Crafted Findings tool they distribute. They
also showed us a number of ways to use lucite components.

The theme for June's Table Talk was "Show us what you've
learned in a class - Bead&Button Show class or any others the
last few months".
Even if the projects weren't done, they were brought in.
And, boy, did we have a number of pieces! Kathy
Sauch took the prize for the most classes taken, based on how many
things she showed us.

- May 16, 2011
Anna Elizabeth Draeger, an editor from Bead&Button magazine
talked with us about being a Swarovski ambassador, working on
Bead&Button articles, and showing us all the bounty available
on the Bead&Button website. She answered any and all
questions we had, then discussed her book and the sparkly, sparkly
pieces she brought with her.
The theme for May's Table Talk was "April Showers Bring May Flowers",
and we saw quite a number of different floral interpretations!
- April 25,
2011
We had a lot of fun making a colorful Cross-Weave bracelet at our
AprilProgram! This was just the first of this
year's hands-on programs, and many of us were able to complete
the bracelet before going home.
April's Table Talk theme was What did
you complete at the Bead Retreat? or What did
you work on at the Radiss-on? Many members
brought pieces they worked on in classes or in the Open
Beading room. It was interesting to see the different
interpretations of the Clinging Vine bracelet - some participants
decided to make lariats in addition to or instead of the class project.
- March 21, 2011
Have you heard of Etsy? It's the website where artists and
craftspeople
open online shops to sell their work. Lampwork artist Rober Jennik has
a very successful Etsy shop and showed us how to set up an Etsy shop
for Sue Stachelski from scratch. We had a full house and a
lot of questions. We also introduced the "Member Mingle" the
half hour before the program, and our brand new Greeting Committee had
their hands full with all of the guests and new members. It
was easy to pick out the newcomers by the special Mardi Gras necklaces
they wore!
The theme for March's Table Talk was Works
in Progress, and we had items in many states of
"done-ness"! The gorgeous piece in the center is one of many
pieces that Nancy Kugel has been working on. She doesn't know
what it's going to be yet, but it's stunning! We also had
necklaces and bracelets from a number of people. We also had
sheets where our members can label their pieces and say what the
challenges have been for them.
- February 21, 2011
February's program featured a family of guest speakers!
Amy and Mike Shallow, a daughter and father duo from A Trio Jewelry, a
Third
Ward jewelry
design studio, discussed their family’s history in the
jewelry industry and how
the industry is changing today. They will also told us about gemstones
and explained how jewelry pieces are conceptualized, designed and
created. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn from a pair of
professional jewelers! We saw the computer program Amy uses
to design pieces, and we saw pictures of a ring that was created
especially for Maggie Roschyk plus saw close up a clasp that they
designed and created just for her!

The theme for February's Table Talk was Resort
where?,
and we saw beachy accessories, a palm tree, a necklace that will always
remind us of Haiti, and much more!.

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