I went to my first Bead Fest this weekend with my BFF Nikki and had a blast!  I got to meet Sara Lukkonen of C-Koop Beads.  I’ve loved her enameled metal components since I first saw them on the cover of the November 2010 issue of BeadStyle.  I also scored tons of metal flowers from Donna Rasco of Unique Creations.  They will be perfect for the garden style necklaces I’ve been making lately (see my previous post “Inspiration Strikes!” or check out my etsy shop StrandedInTheCity to see what I’ve been up to).  I got an AMAZING bird bezel and tiny vintage style ornament along with a couple of tins of Gilder’s Paste at an awesome price from Beth Botak of Kabela Design.  Be sure to check out what she created with the same bird bezel in the next issue of Bead Design Studio magazine! I visited with and bought from several other vendors.  Here are a few pics of my loot.  Enjoy!