Beading For A Cure (BFAC) 2010...

I believe I mentioned last year was the first year the annual BFAC included a competition. A request was made to each participant to send five photos of their finished piece(es) to be judged by the BFAC board as well as Jeannette Cook, Marcia DeCoster, Diane Fitzgerald and Sherry Serafini.

The contest included a generous prize list for First, Second and Third place as well as Best Use of Kit and Best Non-Wearable Item

To my surprise and utter delight, my pieces won second place. What you see in the photo up at the top of this blog post is some of the loot that came with that second prize win. Here is a list of what I received:

• Victorian Iris Bracelet kit donated by Ann Scherm Baldwin
• Five strands of African Trade Beads donated by Beads of Marin
• What I believe is Ancient Roman Glass Beads donated by Beads of Marin, I did not receive a certificate of authenticity as noted in the prize list, so am making an assumption on this one, click on this photo and get a nice close up - they certainly look old, don't they? SO cool!

• CRYSTALLIZED Swarovski Elements book - Spring/Summer 2010 Issue 14 and a bag
  
• An assortment of vintage glass cabs donated Marilee Layman
• One bead weaving kit donated by Reeds Beads
• Autographed copies of Steampunk Style Jewelry by Jean Campbell
  
• Beaded Opulence by Marcia DeCoster
  
• Seed Bead Fusion by Rachel Nelson-Smith including a Sea Star Bangle kit.
• Two items previously owned by Layne, donated by Jeannette Cook - one is a vintage glass sew on parrot the other is a green glass connector bead - artist unknown. If all goes as I have planned (in my head anyway), I will use one of these in my BFAC piece for 2011. It seems only right since BFAC is in the name of Layne and these belonged to her.

And last, but far from least are the gift certificates... $50. from Beyond Beadery; $75. from Out On A Whim and $150. from Sylvie Lansdowne.

Now...one thing I have always wanted to do is go to a bead show, a big bead show, a real bead show. Right now, I am toying with the idea of going to the Bead & Button show in Milwaukee next month. It would fill my wish of going to a bead show AND allow me to spend my generous gift certificates since all three of these vendors will have booths at the show. The added bonus is the opportunity to meet some other vendors/people/friends that I have had the pleasure of getting to know online through beading.