Mi'kmaq Museum, NS

Travel necessities - map, camera, beads, stringing material, brochures

Mother Nature forced us to find an indoor activity. The Glooscap Heritage Centre in Truro, NS had an amazing bilingual multimedia presentation about the history and folklore of First Nations people and early European immigrants.

The artifacts were displayed in cabinets equipped with press buttons which shed light on the objects when touched. While this was a great preservation idea, it was a bit of a challenge when taking pictures. We had fun trying to photograph the displays with one hand on the button and one on the camera. No complaints when a friend pressed the far corner one for an overall lit shot.

Here are two examples of traditional quill work with an introduction of a beaded trim. These are ideal for inclusion in my new seminar "Embellishing Your World: Beading and Surface Designs" which I will be presenting at the Creativ Festival this October.

Tidal Bore at Tidal View Farm, NS

View of St. Croix River, Tidal View Farm, NS, 5:19 PM

We had an opportunity to marvel at Mother Nature's powers at the Tidal View Farm situated half way between the North Pole and the equator. This vista was perfectly situated overlooking an expanse of the Miller Creek of the St. Croix River flowing from the Minas Basin of the Bay of Fundy near Windsor, NS.

The Tidal Bore occurs as the incoming tide "works its way" up a river which is flowing downstream to the sea. The first photo shows the incoming tide as it advances against the current of the natural flow of the river. The last shows the wide river bed full of water in a very short period of time.

Check the schedule for the twice daily tidal bores for the day you plan to come. It's worth rearranging your itinerary!

Close-up of first whirlpool created by the bore

The elbow of the river filling in

Swirling of the two currents create white caps

Wide river bed was filled in a scant 10 miniutes

Bead Oasis first time in Halifax, NS

Textured Net class photo by CTV reporter

Day I: These ladies definitely enjoyed my Netting Intro class at the Canadian Bead Oasis Show. They got to choose their style from an assortment of beadwork kits so we could get right to learning about beadweaving and the technique. We were thrilled to be filmed while beading during class and then again at the end when one student gave feedback about the workshop. CTV ran this with their feature about the first bead show ever coming to Halifax on "Live at Five".

Jean and Maria showing off their 'V's

Day 3: Jean wears her Scythian Gold V necklace which she started in a 3-hour Friday afternoon class. On Saturday she brought in the embellished mirror image of what she began the day before to my Cascading Twig Chip class. Since the bulk was done, I joked about completing the whole thing for the end of the show. That evening Jean managed to finish the netted bands and make a beaded ball clasp for her necklace. Here she is wearing the finished piece on Sunday. That's determination... inspiration...

Lighthouse at Peggy's Cove, NS

It wasn't all hard work in the Maritimes.... I went on the Harbour Hopper Tour on Saturday evening. We got a chance to see Peggy's Cove before and after the show. There were rocks to climb, quaint coves and a tidal bore to see. Now there's a ton of photos to sort through but excellent memories of the spectacular scenery.

Coca Cola Extravaganza

Here's my birthday gift creation for a dear friend who LOVES Coca Cola in all shapes and forms. The commemorative soccer balls bottles for FIFA World Cup started it.

Coca Cola caps discovered at the Bead & Button Show made the wearable component of my gift possible. The decoupage beads were made in the Philippines for fellow vendor Priscilla Marban. I chose five different cap styles so I could get a bit of a pattern going. There were many more themes to choose from.

I started stringing the necklace the evening before at the Meet-Up for Toronto beaders in High Park. It was a chilly evening, but in good company and with extra heat from blankets, we kept on beading. The necklace has assorted seed beads strung in between the large disks. Once the cream & gold caps were exhausted, I made a bracelet with the remaining four red ones. For packaging I used the cleverly-designed fountain cup from our travels back from Milwaukee. It was perfect for the "Coca Cola Extravaganza" accessories.

Dolores, the birthday girl, loved it all.