Day three and tomorrow we head home.

Aha! Now I know how to get you to comment. GUILT! Just playing! Thanks for all that sweet comment love! And to reward you... there will be prizes and treasures to be had. Stay tuned!
Bittersweet. We go HARD when we are in Tucson. I don't have a frenzy like this any other time during the year. But, when we are here, we have to make the most of every minute. We only made 4 of about 33 shows this year, and I am here to tell you we started when the doors opened and went full out until the doors closed!
There is no possible way to explain the massive amounts of beads and stones at these shows. This is the center table of a single booth that had only pearls. This was the white-ish pearl table. There were pearls of ALL colors! I got some pink and orangish ones for the next KIT! Yep. You heard it. I am ready to teach a new one. Get your tools back out.
Same booth! And then there were about 999 more of them in THIS show. There were 32 or so MORE shows. Can you understand the magnitude?
I also got some purple, gold, and green ones. Hey, Lori... want that to be your prize?! A Mardi Gras treat? We Louisianians have LOTS to celebrate! THE SAINTS at the Superbowl and Mardi Gras coming very soon. Yipppepeeeee!!
I held my camera up in the air to try and get a picture of the whole show floor.
Look at the ceiling and follow the lights to see just how BIG this place was.
There is this one booth that I LOVE and make sure I visit every year. This is something they made with some of their vintage brass.
I loved it, and probably hung around there, digging in their stash for about an hour (or MORE!).
It was a treasure trove of STUFF. I HAVE to learn to solder. Have I told you that I am planning to have art retreats at the BAH? I have met several artists who are going to be my first few teachers. Metalsmithing really is all the rage! Taking found objects, or metals of all sorts, and learning to solder them, wrap them with wire, stamp a special word on it... etc.
I intended to make it to Tucson this year to buy all my necessary tools. I bought books on metalsmithing in Orlando, and well, I made a list of all the things I need, and now I am going to learn it. Anyone local want to come join my adventure? Better yet... anyone able to come teach me?!

All of this in the case is treasure from estates and such. Not the normal booth type here in Tucson. Beth O., you reading this blog? I bought you a prize from this case!
And I bought a big ol brass locket from this pile and have already added to a piece of jewelry I made. I will share some of mine and Staci's designs when I get home.
This is what Staci was often doing... perched... waiting on me!
This is probably about 1/2 way down the corridor. This could be seen in both directions.

And then... we changed shows... Staci spotted a massage therapist! And her whole world turned into sunshine. A bluebird landed on her shoulder!
And then he fluttered on over to MY shoulder when I found a booth full of antique Tibetan silver, turquoise, and coral! DUDE!!
I am a little teary now.
This is BEAUTIFUL!
And oh, the pearls. I LOVE all these beads!
Peep pye. Who's that dork behind those beads?
Oh, this is her!
PRETTY!

The lady selling us the charms in this room felt sorry for Staci because she looked and sounded so tired, so she gave her this caramel apple sucker.

And that concludes our trip to Tucson 2010. Glad we got to share a little of it. I don't think I am going out of town next week! Can you believe it? Strangely, I have always travelled more the first month of the year more than the rest of the year. I have a good bit planned this year, but it is all to move me toward my goal of the ARTIST's life, with retreats, art lessons, art classes, et al.
Hang around and join in on the fun!

Mo