No, it really doesn’t.

Sunday at the Gem and Mineral Show and at the Bead Rennisance show was incredible! We left the house at 8:30AM and didn’t get home until mid-evening!

We started at the Bead show. We got there before they even let people browse the exhibit tables. When they finally let us in, we were quickly overwhelmed by the selection, quantity and quality of beads! There were well over 100 vendors that filled the lobby, a couple of the event rooms and several sleeping rooms in this hotel. We found some excellent prices on strands of crystal rock beads like tiger’s eye, garnet, citrine, smoky quartz, and labradorite. I also stocked up on some leaf-shaped beads in fall colors to make bracelets and earrings for autumn. Honey scored some nice glass and special lampwork beads that I’m sure he’ll profile on his blog someday soon. I came across a display for Sacred Earth Designs and absolutely ADORED the glass goddess pendants this lady had made. I couldn’t decide on which one I wanted so I took her card, signed up for her mailing list and will research it some more in the coming days. I’m already planning on making myself a rosary and I think one of these goddess pendants might just be perfect on it. We’ll see.

If you’re interested in beads, please check out some of my favorite vendors at the show:

Beyond Beadery
Soft Flex Company
The Bead Parlor
TC Glass
LillyPilly Designs

I ran into a woman I met at the Lughnasadh ritual a while back. I recognized her voice from across the room and couldn’t help but notice she was the only woman walking around in a bright yellow flowing dress, a beaded tiara on her head and jangling bells lining the hem of her skirt and around her ankles. At the ritual, I had felt a strong maternal connection to her for some reason. I felt it again as I walked past her, trying to place where I knew her from. When I finally figured it out, I approached her and we chatted a bit. Turns out she works full time at a bead shop in north Denver. I visited their exhibits and bought some stuff from them. It was great running into her again!

The Gem and Mineral Show was equally as large. Room after room of rocks, various shapes, sizes and colors. We scored some free posters of past shows and bought a couple nice rocks for some family members who are also rock-lovers. In one room I found a great selection of Pagan and Wiccan pendants and statues. I bought a small statue of Willendorf made from sodalite, a silver goddess pendant with an amethyst, and a triple moon charm with a garnet in the middle and the phrase, “An it harm none, do as you will” inscribed on the back. Sorry I don’t have pictures available yet…the camera’s all the way down stairs (I’m lazy) and both batteries need to be recharged. I’ll try to post some pics in the next couple days.