We made it to Florida late Wednesday night
Yesterday, Thursday, Jan. 17, was a fantastic day! Kirk and I spent the day with Barbara Lewis at her Painting with Fire Store in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Barbara is a kind and generous person and a wonderful teacher.
I fell in love with her enameling method when I took two classes from her in Milwaukee last June at the Bead and Button Show.
We decided to go to Florida on Vacation this winter so we planned our trip around a visit to Barbara's store.
The business is a family affair. Barbara's husband Jim, who was out of town, is very much involved and is also a great teacher.
Laura, Barbara's daughter, is extremely organized and has a degree in finance so she is a huge asset to the store.
David gets me and my humor. He is also a very funny guy and easy to be with.
All I can say is we both had a blast and lost track of time in our cloud of creativity. Fun, fun, fun!
Kirk started enameling steel beads. He caught on right away and began experimenting with colors and layers. He is very at home with a torch and fire. He then started playing with a Christmas tree making an ornament.
I love working with metal so she showed me how to forge a bezel and then a cabochon, put a decal on the cabochon and torch fire them together with enamel. What fun. I made a pair of earrings and a pendant.
The store is very neat and welcoming and I love the studio. I am thoroughly impressed.
I must say, I can't think of a better way to start a vacation.
Barbara will be teaching several class at the LasVegas Glass Craft and Bead Expo on April 3-7, 2013.
She is also teaching again this year in June at the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee. One of the classes is a No Solder Bezel Bracelet. Believe me it is well worth taking.
Julie Panusis
