More Inspiration Please!

There's nothing like a bunch of new beads to inspire you to create! My husband and I went to Sedona, AZ last month for vacation. I was able to visit a couple small bead shops in Sedona and see some of the Native American jewelry set up on the side of road out in the desert on our way back from the Grand Canyon. However, the grand finale for me was when we drove to Phoenix to fly back home. I had long drooled over the ads for Beads Galore in the Bead Style magazine. They typically have a full page ad on the inside cover. I waited for this visit for many, many long months.

My husband asked how much time I needed at this store. I tried to be conservative and said "maybe an hour or so..." LOL! Luckilly there were shops nearby to keep him busy like REI. Thank goodness! I was so excited I was clapping my hands in the car when he pulled up to drop me off.

There was so much to see and the prices were really reasonable. After about an hour of digging through bins of loose beads, I realized I was still in the very front part of the store. My husband would surely die if he walked in after an hour and I had not made any progress! I tried to move quickly but did not want to miss anything. We don't have bead shops like this at home! I found some wonderful furnace glass and spent about 20 minutes trying to find pieces that matched for earrings. Eventually there were sections I could bypass, and I was 2/3 into the store when my husband showed up. Seed beads & plated findings were in the back of the store and I didn't need those, so I moved a little quicker. He hurried me along to the cashier where I received an unexpected discount. Leaving the store I realized I forgot to pick out some of the bronze and copper coated skeleton leaves. Those were a must! So I was back in line again. :)

Back at the hotel, I was happy to open my big bag of loot and reflect on my purchases. And our wonderful vacation of course!