Poorer, but richer too.

I have had the best time in Milwaukee at the Bead and Button show. It was their 10th anniversary, and there were 650 classes running over 8 days.
It was an intense week of classes and shopping. (I went over budget. One year I might manage to avoid this.... Nah, you 're right, that's unrealistic!).

The focus of my week was lamp working, and I took some fantastic classes with some really brilliant teachers - Andrea Guarino, Katherine Natalia Wadsworth, and Michael Barley. A huge thank you to them. I learnt so many new techniques, I just hope I can do them justice when I come back. Some of the classes were not lamp working related, and I enjoyed those too. I did three short classes, and came away with the finished projects, so I got instant gratification. I am flying Tuesday night, and arriving back in the UK Wednesday morning. So I am hoping I can share some pictures before the end of the week.

This time the show was a really social experience. I kept bumping into old acquaintances, and made friends with many new people. I feel enriched by the experience.