Beading on the High Seas

The maiden voyage of Bead Cruise sparks annual event.

(PRWEB) June 26, 2006 -- The bonds of friendship and beading inspired mother-daughter team Beverly Herman and Heather Powers to host the first annual Bead Cruise this past April.

Forty-five bead enthusiasts joined Beverly and Heather aboard Royal Caribbean’s Splendor of the Seas. They set sail from Galveston, Texas for four days of beading fun and luxury cruising to Cozumel, Mexico.

During the cruise participants enjoyed classes, workshops and open beading sessions. Dona Anderson and Judith Bertoglio-Giffin joined Heather and Beverly as the Bead Cruise faculty. The classes ranged from beginners to advanced, with a emphasis on off-loom bead weaving.

The open beading sessions were filled with sharing techniques, projects and finished beadwork, lots of door prizes, a bead crochet clinic with Judith and a silent auction on the last night of the voyage. Each participant received a gift bag full of beads & supplies from our sponsors. Some of the gifts included items from Bead Girl Bags, beads from lampwork glass artist Lori Greenberg, buttons from Earthenwood Studios and Creative Impressions in Clay, to name just a few. Of course, what would a Bead Cruise be without beads? Our bead vendor, Beads ‘r Us from Alexandria, LA took care of our bead addiction by setting up a bead store for participants to shop at while they were on the cruise.    

Heather has been busy planning the next Bead Cruise, scheduled for March 2007 for five days of beading and pampering during this floating bead retreat. With only 65 spaces available Bead Cruise participants will be treated to classes with nationally known instructors. Joining Heather and Beverly next year is Sharilyn Miller, founding editor of Belle Armoire Magazine and author of Bead on a Wire. Rachel Nelson-Smith and Dona Anderson will round out the faculty. Classes for all skill levels will range from off-loom bead weaving, to wire work and even polymer clay bead making classes. Open beading sessions will feature mini-projects with Red Ventling.

To learn more about Bead Cruise 2007, visit our website at www.beadcruise.com.

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