MiShel Designs

BTW and Shows to Check Out!

It's Bead Table Wednesday and here's what's on my Bead Table today ~

More "Norm" Sytle Earring Wires

Also, I wanted to give you a head's up on a few "Must See" shows to check out while you are down in Tucson during all the gems shows this week and next.

The Whole Bead Show - Windmill Inn, River and Campbell. Feb. 1st - 6th. This is usually my first stop as I pull into Tucson because I can go there and shop for a couple of hours with some of my favorite vendors and then walk across the parking lot to Vivace's and have lunch with my girlfriends! They've got everything and most of the vendors have been at this location for many, many years!!

To Bead True Blue - Double Tree Reid Park Hotel. Jan. 29th - Feb. 3rd. This is usually my second stop. Again, lots of vendors I love, tons of beads and findings, great classes, and if you feel like stopping for a glass of wine while shopping, they've got a restaurant here for that as well! This show ends on the 3rd of February, but "morphs" into,....

The Tucson Bead Show - Double Tree Reid Part Hotel. Feb. 4th - 6th. Some of the same vendors remain through this weekend at the Reid Park Hotel - but there's some new faces this weekend too - and you don't want to miss them!! So - visit this hotel/show twice!!

The Best Bead Show - Kino Veteran's Memorial Community Center - Feb. 1st - 5th. Tons of beads and findings to drool over, great vendors and classes to boot! Parking can be a hassle - but it can be a hassle at all the shows - so if you don't have to drive or park and can take the shuttle - do that.

G & LW Show - BIG!! The Holidome (Feb. 2nd - 10th) and the Gem Mall (Jan. 28th- Feb 10th). They're crowded, and for good reason! I get lots of my pearls from Majestic Pearl and they exhibit at both the Holidome and the Gem Mall and it's a great idea to hop around to both, cause there's different vendors at each. My friend Karen, whom I've known for something like 20 years, works with registration at G&LW, and she's the best when it comes to customer service - make sure to be nice to her when you're checking in!
(again, parking's a pain - take the shuttles if possible)

Mineral And Fossil Marketplace - Jan. 28th - Feb 11th.This is actually 4 shows (click on the link for the locations/times) But we go to the Hotel Tucson City Center. This place is really cool - especially if you've got family that wants to see things other than beads and gemstones. They've got huge dinosaur fossils, mega-sized Amethyst Crystals, cool meteorite and rock displays, jewelry, books, minerals galore and it's just a fun and funky, laid-back vibe from the minute you walk through the door.

(Yes - The pic of my hubby's face through that huge Amethyst was taken at this show!)

Tucson Gem Show - Tucson Convention Center. This is the big daddy - well, to me it is. My boys don't like this one cause most things are behind glass counters and they're the 'touchy-feely' sort of folks. But me,...I just drool over all the amazing gemstones, pearls, cool minerals, diamonds and fabulous jewelry!! I go to this one by myself so my friends won't get mad when I spend 20 minutes looking at one stone!!

Create Your Style with Swarovski Tucson 2012 - Westin La Paloma. Jan. 31st - Feb. 2nd. (Open to the public) Again - another one Nina and I will attend by ourselves. Our boys just don't get all the sparkle! And, the La Paloma - wow - the views! They sparkle, too!!

GJX - Gem and Jewelry Exchange - Downtown on Granada. Jan. 31st - Feb. 5th. Parking can be a pain, but if you want to purchase some great quality gemstones at a wonderful price - this is one of the places to do just that!

Globe-X at the Days Inn - Jan. 29th - Feb. 13th. Off of Freeway Ave. Lumped into the shows known as the "Freeway Shows", Globe-X (and the rest of them have) everything from rocks, fossils, minerals, beads, fancy cut gemstones, rugs, ethnic/tribal finds, right on down to some great little food vendors.

J.O.G.S. Show - Tucson Expo Center off of Irvington. Jan. 27th - Feb. 7th. Okay - this is one to see as well - has everything. Tons of great beads/gemstone strands and findings galore! Plus, fabulous jewelry for your store (if you've got one) and you can find some really great finds and some really great prices here, too.

And, here's the Tucson Show Guide link to a bunch more shows and places you'll want to check out!

I hope you enjoy your visit to Tucson should you be there this year!!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Heading Down to the "Annual Drool Fest"!!

Cheers,

~Shel~

Good Eats While Down in Tucson!!

Okay - so a while back I mentioned that I'd be giving you a line up of a few places to 'stuff your face' while you're down in Tucson for all the Gem Shows, so here's a little sample of what the Old Pueblo has to offer:

Shelly, Nina and Ginny at Vivace's Feb-2011

Vivace - YUMMY!! On the corner of River and Campbell, Vivace's has some great Italian food, awesome service and this is where we all met last year for lunch. We just walked out of the Windmill Inn, where the Whole Bead Show is, and across the parking lot and enjoyed some yummy pasta and delicious wine! You gotta go! (Tell them Nina E. sent you!!)

The Girls at Vivace's - Nina, Ginny, Marsha and Janet
(I'm behind the camara - taken' the pic!)

The Blue Willow - A Tucson Tradition! An old 1940's Adobe house turned great restaurant, the ambiance takes you back in time and their breakfasts are what so many in Tucson love! (And their deserts!)
Lunch and dinner are always good, too.

Casa Molina's - Another Tucson Tradition (since 1947) and great Mexican food as well! Fabulous Margarita's baby (Try the Berry Berry Margarita - yummy) !!

Ni Nidito Restaurant - It's been around for decades and is a must stop for some of the best Mexican food in Tucson - hands down!

Jerry Bob's - Best comfort food in the West! Well, in Tucson anyway. Both of the ones at Oracle / McGee and Thornydale / Cortaro on the NW side of town are the ones we always used to go to with our friends on Sunday mornings when we lived down there. If you're going on the weekend, get there early, cause you'll have to wait to get in!

Frankie's South Philly Cheesesteaks - Longing for some great Philly Cheesesteaks are you? Well this is the place!

Flemmings - At Skyline and Campbell, Flemmings has a nice atmosphere, amazing wine list and of course, yummy salads and steaks that are to die-for! I've never eaten at a Flemmings that wasn't great!

Pinnacle Peak Steak House / El Corral and Trail Dust Town - Okay - it can be a little "Hokie" but Trail Dust Town is something everyone wants to see when they come to Tucson for some reason - probably because Pinnacle Peak Steak House is pretty well known,...so is El Corral. Both have great steaks and cold beer - very yummy in the hot, dry desert!

Here's one I'd like to try because I've heard really good things about it - Azul Restaurant and Lounge inside the Westin LaPaloma. With great views of the beautiful Catalina Mountains, who wouldn't want to sip a cocktail and cool your heels at this place?!!

My favorite place in all of Tucson though is of course, my friend Nina's! She makes the best Chili Blanco around and pours a mean glass of wine, too! Wish I could invite you all over there to enjoy it with me, but even with a couple of acres, I'm not sure we'd all fit!

Shelly and Nina
Ready to Enjoy Some of Nina's Famous Chili Blanco!

Steve and Mike
Cooking in the Kitchen with Nina

There's tons of other great places to sit back, relax and enjoy the views and tastes of Tucson, so be sure to ask around because every local has his/her own favorites.

And, if you hear something mentioned more than once, take their advice and check it out!!

Again, make sure you're wearing comfy shoes, have your sunscreen on and your water bottle in your hand - it's the desert (yes, I know, last year it was below freezing,...but that was a bit unusual!!).

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Hanging Out in the Old Pueblo!

Having Fun with Crazy Friends

Cheers,

~Shel~

I'm So Sorry To Have To Post This,....

Well, it's taken me long enough to post today, that's for sure! That's because I was a bit scared to post this,....but, you can't grow if you don't do what's uncomfortable, right?

As Always, Click The Photos To Enlarge Them

I've been messing around with some Parawire / Vintaj Arte Metal Colored Wire and wrapping some things and hammering it, etc. and I'm forced to report to you

that I'm not impressed.

I hate to say that (especially publicly) as I'm sure I'll be black-balled from every jewelry magazine, craft site, blog, etc. in the beading and handcrafted jewelry world!!

But, I can't sit here and pretend this doesn't bother me.

Okay, so for the record - I do love Vintaj's brass

and new copper blanks and charms and

their arte metal blanks and charms, too.

But this wire is just not doing anything for me.

And yes, I've used other Parawire/Vintaj brand wires with much better success. At least that's a positive, right?!

The "permanent" coating peeled off when I wrapped it around these pearls with my hands (no tools used). At least the 24 gauge wire did, anyway. And you can see in my loops, where I did use tools, what happened. (And no, I don't have that heavy a hand).

The 22 gauge wire held up a smidge better on another pair, but not much.

And hammering the 20gauge wire into ear wires (not for sale or anything, but just to try it out for myself and see how it handled) well,....the minute the hammer touches it,....yuck,...guess it's not meant for that. But hey, you gotta experiment and try stuff or you'll never know, right?

So, on a positive note - if I take pictures at the right angle, you really can't see the 'mucked-up' wire - right? Yea,...I can still see it, too.

The Artisan Copper and Antique Bronze wires both hold up much better when I beat them up with my hammer or wrap them around tiny little pearls.

And, to be clear here, I do like other Parawire and Vintaj products,....just not this particular wire I purchased.

Someone please tell me that it's just these few spools that I purchased at Hobby Lobby and not all of Parawire's Vintaj Arte Metal Colored Wire - please???

These poor little pearls probably think I hate them right now.

See, I'm not the only silver snob - my pearls like it, too!!

Ooohhhhh,...I just got taken off a bunch of 'blog rolls' right there and half my followers just quit following me.

(I'm doing well for the beginning of the year, don't you think?!!)

I'm going to be ripping these little babies apart tomorrow and re-doing them in sterling silver and dipping them in some LOS till they're black like these here.

Then I'm sure I'll be thrilled with them!

Anyhoo,...now that all that's said,...I'm here, ready for the 'Shel Bashing' to start - so go ahead.

I won't whine when people leave mean comments 'cause I know you're all are in love with both Parawire and Vintaj (and I am too) and they're the hottest things around right now,....so go ahead,...let me know what you think. No profanity though - those comments won't get through!!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and "Going Out On A Limb!"

Cheers,

~Shel~

Oh - I'm linking up with I heart Macro today, too. You should see the amazing photos on todays' line-up. HOLY COW they're amazing!!

A Little of This,...A Little of That!

The paddle boat got away and drifted down the lake one day this week. One of our nice neighbors tied it up to the nearest yard and came and told us the other night.
(Thank you Steve!)

Escapee

I can't believe we didn't notice it was missing for the whole afternoon - duh!!

Tiki Torch

Had to go get some oil for these guys this week because it's been nice enough to light them and sit outside a few nights.

And, our roses (I know, you're sick of seeing them!)
but they're as big and my entire hand now!

Huge, I'm telling you,...just huge!!

Linking up to This or That Thursday

over on Deb Duty's Blog today - go check it out!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and a little of this and a little of that!

Cheers,

~Shel~

Echo Creative Club - Join the Fun!!

Today's the reveal day for the January edition of the

Echo Creative Club!

Jeannie, from Jeannie's Blog, is the creator of some really great pendants and beads and she's the mastermind behind

Echo Creative Club.

Each month Jeannie graciously sends the particpants either

one of her Gin Blossom Pendants or a set of her

Peeled Paint Art Beads and we all create something with them and then blog about it on the 25th of each month.

Gin Blossom Pendants By Jeannie

To see what all the participants created,
click on the links towards the bottom of this post!

My January piece is called "Spice It Up"

I hope you like it!!

I braided some recycled Sari Silk and red suede leather together and then wire wrapped some bright red flower beads and wire mesh beads (both from Michael's) and added Jeannie's cool black and silver Gin Blossom Pendant. I also stamped "Spice It Up" into an Vintaj Arte Metal blank and then bufffed most of the black off so that it mimicked Jeannie's Gin Blossom pendant just a bit and then added that to the mix here as well.

This is completely different from my usual style of jewelry (if you could even say that I have a style!) and was a nice change of pace for me.

I loved mixing it up a bit with this design!
I need to do that every now and then, or I get bored!!

A Special "Thanks!!" to Jeannie for providing us all with this great opportunity to try out her fun pendants (or beads)!

Please hop on over to the other particpants blogs and see their creations. Don't forget to chime in and give them some wonderful feedback - I know they'd appreciate it!

Molly Alexander
http://www.beautifullybrokenme.blogspot.com

Courtney Breul

http://beadsbybreul.blogspot.com

Michelle Buettner
http://www.MiShelDesigns.blogspot.com

Shannon Chomanczuk
http://www.formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com

Cindy Cima Edwards

http://www.cindycima.com

Beth Emery

http://storiesbyindigoheart.blogspot.com

Kristen Stevens

http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com

Jeannie K Dukic

http://site.jkdjewelry.com/blog

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and "Spice" Baby!

Cheers,

~Shel~

I Heart Macro

Linking up with I Heart Macro

over at Studio Waterstone today.

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Awesome Macro Shots!

Cheers,

~Shel~

This or That Thursday!

Linking up with This or That Thursday today.

Thinking about things,....so I'm deep in thought today.

Sometimes I miss these laying around the house.

Simpler times.

This one's gonna be beautiful!

Have a great Thursday.

Hop on over and see what everyone else has shared on

Deb Duty's Blog for This or That Thursday.

There's always such amazing talent linked up over there!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Thoughts of Things!

Cheers,

~Shel~

BTW and a Discount Coupon For You!

I'm still playing around with some of these today, re-stringing (finally) some jewelry for a friend and contemplating a few other things.

Vintaj embossed blanks that I've been playing around with

What's on YOUR Bead Table Today?

I'm putting a few new pieces up in the

MiShel Designs Etsy Store later this week.

Mystery Earrings that could possibly show up in my store this week!

Use coupon code "Valentine25" in the MiShel Designs Etsy Store upon check out and get 25% off your order!

Faceted Amethyst Nugget Earrings

This coupon code is just for my blog friends and my facebook/twitter followers - it's not posted in my shop - so enjoy it while you can!

Leather and Hematite Wrap Bracelet available in the
MiShel Designs Etsy Store

On another note, I must not have rubbed my rabbit's foot the right way, cause I didn't get selected by the random number picker that Lori Anderson did for this round of the Bead Soup Blog Party.