Shopping trip!

I finally checked out the Craftsmen's Classic Arts & Crafts Show in Chantilly, Va., on Saturday. I've seen these advertised in the papers for years, but the Dulles Expo Center always seemed so far away. (Discloser: Everything in Virginia seems far away when you live in Maryland, even if you are traveling from a near-in suburb of D.C. to another near-in suburb of D.C., and it really only takes about 30 minutes to get there. Chantilly was a little over an hour's drive.)

I had read on Lori Anderson's blog Pretty Things that she would be selling there. She is the creator of the famous (among beaders, anyway) Bead Soup Blog Party. I have been reading her awesome blog for months and find it very inspirational. I have learned a lot from it about designing jewelry and doing booth shows from reading her blog, but probably the most important lesson I'm learning is how to create a delightfully charming and engaging blog presence. I felt that I knew her before I met her (in fact, I was a little worried about coming off as a stalker). I can assure you she is as gracious and kind in person as you would expect from reading her blog.

I think I embarrassed my daughter only a little by making her take this pic with my iPhone:

Unfortunately, my snaps of Lori at her booth came out way too dark, so I cannot show off her lovely merchandise. (But check out her most recent post, and you can see her display for yourself.)

I bought a hand-blown glass bead necklace and larimer earrings from her but haven't had time to take pics.

I also bought a hand-carved wooden brooch from this guy here, after my daughter came back showing off a necklace she had bought from him. I'm afraid he'll have to go nameless, since I didn't record either his name or the name of his company. So he'll be forever preserved as the Hand-Carved-Knife-Handle-and-Assorted-Odd-Tschotkes guy.