It’s Day 5 in Tucson, and the feet are sore.  Determined to make it to the Gem Mall with giggles in tow, Trudy and I took a Tucson-style taxi.  What fun we had!

I’m new at posting video on this blog, but be sure to CLICK ON THE PICTURE BELOW to get more flavor of the experience.

Our heartfelt thanks goes to Brandon, the peddler of this hi-tech buggy.  He thought of everything–even bottled water in an iced down cooler and music for the ride.

We went to the Holidome Show yesterday and had so much fun.  When we arrived at the show, we were greeted by Roy from Sun City.  Roy teaches jewelry making and loves working with Wubbers.  He brought us the most fabulous gifts that he made–he is quite the artisan.  He also showed us where to buy rough turquoise for cabbing and beautiful cabochons from a miner out of Arizona.  Thanks so much, Roy!  We WUB you!!!

We are definitely out looking for trouble in Tucson at the Gem and Mineral Show, and in the process, we have made a few new friends!  You can see that Trudy and I have our “serious shopper” roller bags and are all decked out in Wired Up Beads attire, but despite all our wardrobe coordination, our styling just doesn’t hold a candle to our new friend’s, who is ready for the Annual Skeleton’s Ball.

Trudy and I are standing in the Tierra Cast booth and we had so much fun while we were there.  There were “make and take” stations where we got to “play” with some of the latest new products.  We each made a really simple but very cute charm necklace.  Then we learned all about a special resin for coating picture charms, which we plan to add to our inventory.  It’s easy to use, doesn’t smell, doesn’t have to be mixed, and is very resonably priced.  Be watching the calendar for news about a fun-filled Wednesday at Wired Up Beads in the coming weeks where you can join us to make a personalized bracelet or pendant with picture charms.

Well, it is late and Trudy is sound asleep. I am winding down for the night too.  Tomorrow we plan to go the the Best Bead Show to see all our lampworking friends and their newest creations.  We are hoping for sun so that we can also go to the Electric Park or the African Village.  I am really hoping to find a real Diet Coke along the way–I think that I am starting to have a serious case of “Diet Coke Withdrawal” accompanied by a complete state of “Pepsi-Shock.”  Well, it’s off to bed for me.  Funny thing, I think I am sleeping better,… and no, it just couldn’t be having less caffienne–it surely has to be the all the walking!

Not to worry–it’s not your eyes!  We are just beginning a WUBsite makeover, so when you are visiting our site, you may see some changes in progress.  Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to make visiting Wired Up Beads more fun than ever!

Trudy and I want to share a very exciting event that we hosted at WUB this week.  The Grapevine Beadmakers’ Society (GBS) came together for an Open Torch night.  The entire evening was spent making beads for the Beads of Courage organization, which works very hard to provide encouragement to children who are coping with serious, life-threatening diseases.  For more detailed information, please visit the Beads of Courage website at www.beadsofcourage.com.

Below are some pictures of the GBS members as they enjoy making beads together.  The group made over 80 beads during the evening, many of which were purple hearts that are given at the end of treatment to commemorate the child’s brave journey.  What a privilege it is to be part of this group!

In the center of this picture is Colin Smith, who is on the Board of Directors for Beads of Courage.

Terry Porto is making a purple heart.

Left to right, Angelique, Ginny, and Paul.  Thank you to Paul for suggesting that we have this event!

Just a few of the colorful beads that are waiting to encourage children in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Here’s wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving filled with the people you love!

A working antique drawbridge, gently rocking sail boats, and cozy seaside cottages fronted with colorful English-style gardens were some of the sights that were part of a trip to Mystic, CT.  Such a charming town, it was even more complete with a beautiful bead store named “You’ve Got to Be Beading.”

Below is a shot taken on the old drawbridge that is still in use.  It was fun to walk across it to see all the old details, including the sign designed to keep visitors on the move.

It’s back to Texas tomorrow.  It’s been a great week, but it will also be nice to be home.  I do think that I will be putting the jackets away for awhile!  I also see a few hours at a torch in our new lampwork studio in my near future….there’s no place like home!

I’m steaming, but not the least bit hot.  Denny and I are in Connecticut and we took a ride on the old Essex Steam Train.  The weather was perfect–not too hot and not too cold–just right.  The creaking tracks and the gentle rocking back and forth of the old, perfectly restored passenger car, coupled with lush, green landscapes, a fine dinner, and of course dessert and coffee were all that we needed to set us up for a great night’s sleep after returning to our hotel late last night.

The old depot was still bedecked for the Fourth-of-July.  The toy train whistles in the gift store tempted me, but after imagining three grandsons tooting all at once, I opted to leave them for another grandparent to buy.  I know that our daughters will thank me profusely!

Denny and I are at the National Model Railroaders’ Annual convention.  This year it is being hosted in Hartford.  It is my 14th year to attend and Denny’s 15th.  Next year the convention will be in Milwaukee and in 2011 it will be in Sacramento.  We are already signed up for both and looking forward to them.  In fact, we are looking forward to bringing the grandsons to a train convention someday.  They have frequently sat on a tall stool “helping” Denny run the model trains in our spare bedroom.  They even have their own corner of the layout, complete with trucks, cars, and other items that they can handle all they want.

The trick is keeping the cats from sneaking into the train room when no one is looking.  Robin has spent a night or two with the trains, with minimal damage occurring (she weighs 8 pounds and knocked over a few light poles and swatted a few cars).  However, Vernon spent the night in the train room and not only was there an earthquake that knocked over buildings and overturned trucks, there were large sink holes in the ground in various places (Vernon weighs in at almost 14 pounds on one of his lighter days!).  The layout is almost repaired now, thank goodness.

We will back in Texas by the end of the week and so we will most likely still be steaming again.  In the meantime, we’re enjoying the cool weather here in Connecticut.  Stay tuned for a lot of details about the upcoming Sharilyn Miller workshops in October.  See you soon!

Trudy and I have “almost” recovered from our trip to the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee.  It was our first time to attend this show.  We went up early so that we could take classes from Joe Silveras on fusing Argentium, Beverly Gilbert on “Beads and Metal,” and Joan Babcock on Micromacrame.  We learned a lot and really enjoyed our classes.

Euro Tool invited us to join with them in their booth throughout the show so that we could demonstrate Wubbers.  We estimated that we demonstrated making copper S-Links with the Wubbers Medium Bail Making pliers more than 200 times.  There were S-Links in practically every nook and cranny of the booth by the end of the show.  I even found one in the laundry after I got home.

Needless to say, we are quite fond of Euro Tool products, so we had fun demonstrating their tools also.  You might keep a watch on our WUBsite over the next week because we have a lot of new tools that will soon be listed.  Also, make sure that you have signed up for our newsletter so that you won’t miss the latest promotions and sales.  We just received a large shipment of Lortone tumblers, and rumor has it that we will have a promotion featuring them in the very near future.

Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to check out our calendar.  Wired Up Beads University is up and running and we have started listing more events and classes, with many more to come.  We look forward to seeing you!

Join WUB for a day filled with fun, fire, food, and beads.  We will be open to welcome you from 10:00 to 4:00 to show you around our new facility and introduce you to Wired Up Beads University (WUBU for short!).  Please click HERE for our address and directions.

Whether you are a bead collector, jewelry designer, or simply interested in the ancient craft of lampwork (glass bead making), you will enjoy the opportunity to view and purchase unique beads and handmade artisan jewelry.  There will be demonstrations showing how to make glass beads with torches.  Wired Up Beads will provide door prizes and light refreshments.  Members of the Grapevine Beadmakers’ Society will be showing their work and providing demonstrations.  They will also be happy to introduce you to their newest project, which is making beads for Beads of Courage, an organization that provides encouragement and support to children undergoing cancer treatments.

We have been working hard to establish Wired Up Beads University and we would love to tell you about our classes and activities.  WUBU will offer instruction in glass bead making, glass fusing, wire wrapping, wire working, chain maille, beading, and silver smithing.  We will also be host to the meetings of several organizations, including the Dallas Wire Wrappers, the Grapevine Beadmakers’ Society, and the Renegade Beaders.  There’s never a dull moment here in Wubberland, and there’s always something to learn and share.

Well, one little funny story to end your day with a smile.  I was hurrying around, gathering up what I needed as I prepared to leave Wubberland to go home last evening.   I turned the lock on the door to the warehouse, then suddenly remembered that I needed to set the alarm over in WUBU.  I dropped everything, shut the door, and went over to set the alarm.  When I came back, I realized that I had locked myself in the warehouse.  Now after a moment of deliberation, I realized that I could get myself OUT of the warehouse, but I couldn’t get back into the Wired Up Beads offices to get my purse and keys.  As I stood and pondered my situation, I heard a muffled phone ringing in the distance.  Then I realized that it wasn’t so distant, but rather just six feet away.  Oh my, it was MY phone and there was MY purse.  And strapped on my purse was my bundle of keys.  So, I happily let myself back into the WUB offices and was greatly relieved that I didn’t have to walk across the street to borrow a phone and confess my predicament.  I didn’t even have to tell my hubby.

Here’s wishing you a great rest of the week.  We hope to see you Saturday!

Creative from her head all the way down to her toes, Debbie Malone will inspire you to to create your own fun, bodacious masterpieces.  I met Debbie last year on Gallery Night in Fort Worth at the Stonegate Mansion.  I fell in love with her work and have hoped ever since to host her classes at Wired Up Beads University (WUB U for short).  Well, Debbie we WUB you and your work and can’t wait for your classes!  Space is limited, so be sure to sign up early.  For more information on the classes, please click the picture below.

Here’s wishing you a Wubbly Weekend!

We are off to Tucson and will be looking for lots of new goodies to add to the store!  If you see two women dressed in Wubber Wear with pink rolling bags monogrammed with Wired Up Beads logos, be sure to say hello.  Trudy and I hope to see you there!  Have a great week!