Me + Bead Show = $200

The Austin Bead Society Bead Show is this weekend, so I was there pretty much when the doors opened. This is the first time I've been to the new location because they also moved the date from November to Labor Day weekend, and I haven't been home for the holiday for the better part of a decade. I'm usually either at WorldCon or at Dragon*Con. Work schedules and a co-worker taking 2 weeks to go on a Mediterranean cruise conspired against me this year, though.

Pickings were OK. The price of silver continues to own my ass. Seriously. The wholesale prices I am paying this year are the same as the retail prices a year ago. And don't even talk to me about gold. (shudder)

Bought from the usual suspects: chain, and jump rings and some really cool horn leaf beads and some two-hole onyx beads that look like eye, and another tool, because it's all about the cool tools. Also got some carved wooden animal beads (ojimes) that will make great Christmas present pendants, copper jump rings and toggles, some decent freshwater pearls, some very inexpensive finished chains, and some sharks' teeth for wrapping. Decent haul. I just wish silver prices would calm down.