Jellyfish

To continue from yesterdays post, one of the reasons I traveled to Wisconsin last weekend was to attend the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee. I've been going to this annual show for...... hmmmm, 15 years which is when I started making jewelry. Time sure does fly! Even though I don't have much time these days for jewelry making, I still love going to the show. And this year I had a "new beader" to introduce to the show - Richard! Yes, my 4 year old is turning into quite the artsy dude!

There's a "feeling" in the air as soon as you walk into the show, and I have to admit I've felt down sometimes when the show is over. I enjoy seeing (or at least trying to see) all of my online beady friends that I only see once a year. I have noticed minor changes over the years though - as online shopping and social media exploded, there seem to be less booths. I can totally understand the cost of travel in addition to paying for a booth for some business owners.

Anyway, it was a gorgeous day and the most important thing is to decide which handmade piece(s) of jewelry to wear as that is what everyone looks at. I had just gotten this jellyfish print shirt from Zulily. Richard is delighted when I wear animal clothes, and I too love a unique print so I'm happy to agree. With all of the colors, I wasn't too worried about finding a necklace to match. I had some trays of necklaces on the floor of my closet that I needed to organize, and Richard pulled this one all of his own! No joke, the kid couldn't have picked a better match! I think I made this necklace sometime in 2009 (first posted about it here). The focal bead is from Andrea Guarino-Slemmons and she made the 2015 Commemorative Souvenir bead this year! She was the first person I ran into when we walked into the show!

These pictures were taken outside of the Wisconsin Center where the show is held. Whenever I am in a big city, I am reminded that there has always been this part of me to experience living in a big city. It really hits me when I venture over to the Third Ward in Milwaukee, with it's cool loft apartment/condos, outside eating lining the streets, cute little coffee shops. Milwaukee holds a lot of memories for me and I just love visiting whenever I can.

Outfit details:

Zero Degrees Celsius jellyfish top - Zulily

white tank underneath

Hi Rise Jeggings - American Eagle

Mint Sandals - Target (last summer)

Sunglasses - TJ Maxx

Necklace - made by me

My outfit from the day before was "mint" as well and included the same white tank and sandals, and example of streamlining my packing!

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy