Show time already?

Who knew!... it is a beyond lovely experience to be invited to teach six different classes and to then have them all fill up too.
I'm heading out for four days at the Great British Beadshow, where I'll be teaching the masterclass and two more workshops. Then a little mid May lull to regroup and get my boxes shipped ahead, before setting off to Milwaukee for my first ever Bead and Button show.
It's no secret that I love teaching, and I'm getting the anticipatory tingles of having some designs I'm really looking forward to sharing with everyone.
The build up has been an epic of bead ordering, kit packing, colour deciding, do-overs and re-works. Lost packages and held up parcels, plus plenty of track stopping moments like that 'have my heart set on it' 2.5mm crystal? sorry, now out of production! Or, 'We have 900 in that colour pearl and you say you need 1500?, would a different colour for the rest do?'... Finally the compromises and colourways came together and it's been lovely to sit and work with each one in turn, just to triple check as I go.

'Acantha' left to right:
Rust/Scarlet; Lime/Teal: Silver/ Pink: Turquoise/ Violet

I have some truly lovely friends who, when I hit the wall, come along with pack lunches awesome chocolate brownies and rolled up sleeves, and just get stuck in, while I peel myself off the wall and back to having a sense of humour. Big hugs and a huge thank you to Dawn and Sally.

Acantha, showcases SilverSilk and Czech spike beads. As part of the Symbols and Trinkets series, Acantha is a 'Dowsing for Happiness' amulet. The colourways are listed beneath the photo so class attendees can have a good look and choose favourites ahead of time.

'Indiaman' left to right:
Silver/ Fern: Indigo/Teal:
Bronze/Violet: Plum/Astral Pink

'Indiaman' is a two day class for B&B. Named after the trading ships of the East India Companies, crossing oceans to bring so many jewelled treasures to our shores. This design is full of 'colour on colour' scrunchy texture, and features Albion stitch in lots of variations.

Ambrosina, is a medley of netting techniques and will be taught for the Guild and later this year at Beader's Best in Hamburg too. It has starting points in a design I made for a friend, and it's been a joyous journey to revise, explore and create a completely new design from that first idea.In this class, students will have many design options to play with.

'Ambrosina' left to right:
Lime/Coconut: Raspberry/Plum;
Mint/Turquoise: Earth/Ivory

Looking at the boxes all packed and ready to go, the samples up on the display boards and the crisp piles of class notes, it feels nice to have come out the other side of total mayhem.
Now I'm looking forward to days and days of beady fun.