I love to shop!

I really enjoy shopping. I am extremely fortunate in that DH enjoys it as well, and knows I try not to go over the budget.

Last Tuesday we stopped at JoAnn Fabrics, to pick up a couple of things. I was very happy to find the JoAnn's store; I was feeling quite insecure not knowing where to find needed essentials. The pearl #5 was for the temari demonstration I was scheduled to give, and the doll clothes patterns were just a lucky find.



I didn't have to shop for these, my mom made them for C, her great-grand daughter. C will be excited to get some new clothes; she dresses her "WebKins" in them.



On Wednesday, when DH and I were out and about by ourselves we stopped at The Attic Needlework shop, in Mesa, AZ. According to DH, it is among the top 3 needlework shops he has ever been in (and he's been in a lot!). I picked up a grab-bag, $20 for $100 worth of stuff, and I am very pleased with what I got.



I picked up a Just Nan "leaf ball" (pattern and fabric) that reminds me of an embroidered temari; it should be a lot of fun to make. I also picked up a Drawn Thread darning sampler that has been on my wish list for a long time.



In Tombstone all I bought was some fudge, and I cannot show you that because it is Gone! Yum!

We were in Tucson during the Mineral and Gem show. We had trouble getting a hotel room because of the crowd. We finally found a 2 star place to sleep; all the downstairs rooms had been turned into showrooms, Fossils and Minerals from around the world. There were displays from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, and China (that I saw, there may have been more). Mom and I had fun shopping in the morning.

There are 3 tiers of dealers for the Gem show. Tier 1 is by invitation only. You can only get in if you can spend enough. That is where the diamond dealers and other fine jewelry dealers do their business. Tier 2 is for re-sellers; you have to have a tax number (the wholesale dealers). Tier 3 is open to the public, and that is what we saw in the hotel we were in. This is the type of stock a mineral store, or a "crystals" store would carry, but I was able to find plenty of nice stuff.

I got this string of Lapiz Lazuli beads from a store representing Afghanistan/Pakistan. He had some beautiful things too. He had some silver enamel jewelry, and a couple of pieces of antique silver jewelry.



This is a bowl made from a single piece of agate! It is so beautiful, and so delicate. It is only about 5 cm across, small, but so pretty. It came from India.



This is a fossil from Russia. It is only about 1 inch across, and I think it might be kind of fragile, according to what the dealer said. It is very pretty though, and very cool.



These I left in the baggies, because most of them are for gifts. I did get one for myself as well though, jade and quartz beads that will probably make their way into another project. Such beautiful stuff! These were from India.



Later that day, DH bought me this thimble to commemorate the Pima Air and Space Museum. So thoughtful!



I am hoping that tomorrow my mom and I can get to the bead store! Several years ago my mom brought me some turquoise from that store; I cannot believe I have been here three times already, and haven't made it to that store. My only excuse is that I haven't been doing as much beading since I started making temari. I will let you know if we make it, and what I find.